"...were you?"

Cadie tried to stay as still and calm as she could. Inches in front of her face, Naomi oozed venom. Behind and to the side of her, she could feel Jo radiating a kind of protective anger that felt warm...but dangerous.

"It was crowded, Naomi," she said quietly, acknowledging to herself that her own long fuse was sparking. "I got separated from you in the crush. I could just as easily ask where you were. I looked for you for an hour and then decided the best thing was to go back to the boat. Perhaps if you'd thought about it a little more, that answer would have occurred to you."

Two things then happened in quick succession; so fast, in fact, that Cadie barely had time to blink and it was over. Naomi raised a hand to slap the blonde and a dark blur swooped over Cadie's left shoulder, pinning the senator's hand in an immovable grip.

"Don't even think about it," Jo murmured, nose to nose with the infuriated senator. "You'll regret it for a very long time."

Ooo, my hero, Cadie thought, wondering at the casual strength humming through the tall woman. But it's not a good idea to let this go on much longer. She looked at Naomi and for the first time, saw fear on the older woman's face. "Jo," Cadie said quietly. "I think you can let her go now."

Without taking her eyes from the senator's, Jo released her hand and stepped back. Naomi lowered her arm, breathing heavily.

"Ladies," Therese said sharply from behind them. "We really don't have time for this bulls.h.i.t. Let's go."

Jo nodded, and then gestured to the door, waiting for Naomi to make a move. With a low growl the American did so, walking out the door and into the brilliant sunshine.

"Thank you," Cadie said as she and the skipper followed Therese and Sarah out. "Though I don't think she would really have hit me."

Jo raised an eyebrow. The h.e.l.l she wouldn't. She was going to...she was all set to. "I wasn't going to take that chance," she said aloud. "Not now, not ever. I don't care what plans she has to blackmail us." Jo looked down at the blonde. "I know it's going to make her angrier, but I can't-won't-let her hurt you." She shrugged. "Sorry. That's just the way I am."

Cadie watched as Therese, Sarah, and Naomi climbed into one golf buggy, while Larissa and Kelli clambered into the back of the other. "I wouldn't have you any other way," Cadie murmured without looking back up at the blue eyes she knew were fixed on her. "I think I'd better go with them." She gestured at Naomi's cart.

"Mhmm," Jo replied. "See you back at the boat. If you see a journalist, run over it."

Cadie snorted a quiet laugh.

Toby and Jason faced the media like the seasoned professionals they were. Toby, ever the front man, took control.

"Ladies and gentleman, if you would gather round please, we have a statement from Senator Silverberg." He waited as reporters, photographers and news crews bustled around him, hurriedly setting up microphone stands and tape recorders. "My name is Toby Mclntyre. This," he indicated his partner, "is Jason Samuels. We are the senator's press liaison team.

"Last night, while celebrating Hamilton Island Race Week with other members of her party and crew from the boat she has been staying on for the past two weeks, the senator was accidentally detained by the Hamilton Island police. Contrary to this morning's newspaper reports at no stage was the senator under arrest, nor was there ever any question of that being the case. She and her companions have been released unconditionally. Thank you."

A hubbub of questions rose from the a.s.sembled pack but Toby backed away from the microphones.

"There will be no further comment or questions answered at this time," Jason said, before he too turned away and walked back into the police station.

"What do you think?" he asked sotto voce to his partner as they retreated.

"I think we'd better get out to sea pretty d.a.m.n quickly," Toby replied.

The Seawolf sliced through the water heading due east from Hamilton Island, towards the outer banks of the Great Barrier Reef. Jo had a destination in mind that wasn't marked on any of the tourist maps and didn't even have a name on the nautical charts. It was a tiny horseshoe-shaped reef and lagoon she knew n.o.body else would find in a hurry, least of all a pack of journalists with no local knowledge.

They were cruising at about nine knots, the yacht listing with the wind and making good time. Jo didn't have to do much to keep the big boat on track and she relaxed against the bulwark of the port crew c.o.c.kpit, her right foot resting on a spoke of the wheel, keeping them on a steady course.

It had been a very subdued group of pa.s.sengers who had made it back to the boat without further incident. Toby and Jason had helped the crew get the Seawolf out to sea but since then the Americans had done little else but sit around the c.o.c.kpit talking in low voices. The senator had disappeared below decks for a while but had since returned, showered and refreshed, to her usual spot in the corner. She's said barely a word, Jo noted. Even Cadie was keeping a low profile by helping Jen in the galley.

Jo took another bite on the big bacon sandwich in her left hand, grateful for the hangover-curing miracle the tasty treat was working. Jen and Cadie had made enough to keep pa.s.sengers and crew going until they could prepare a late lunch once they found anchorage. The skipper hadn't had much chance to talk with Paul and Jenny since their return to the Seawolf, other than to issue sailing orders, but she watched as the big man skillfully made his way towards her across the moving deck.

"Hey, Jo-Jo," he greeted her, stealing half a sandwich from the plate tucked into a niche in the side of the c.o.c.kpit.

"Hiya, Paulie," she returned.

"Pretty quiet group," he said between mouthfuls.

"Mmm. I suspect they're just realizing the good senator is in a fair amount of poo, mate," she replied. She looked over at the big man. "So how did the search go?"

He shrugged as he wolfed down the last of his bacon.

"Came up dry, Skip," he said.

"You searched everywhere?"

"h.e.l.l, yeah," he reiterated. "I shone a torch in any s.p.a.ce a human hand can get into. From the bowsprit to the bilge pumps. Nothing. If there are drugs on this boat, I'll bare my b.u.m and do a dance down Main Street."

"Okay, okay, I believe you." She chuckled at the mental image. So it was a bluff. A tiny flicker of hope sputtered into life in her heart. Maybe, for once, the senator isn't going to have things all her own way. Perhaps Cadie will actually get to do what's good for her. Ft could be a start, at least. It was an unexpectedly bright thought in an otherwise grim morning.

Jo's gamble had paid off. The small coral cay had proven to be uninhabited and the Seawolf was safely anch.o.r.ed in the lagoon. The weather was idyllic; warm, and a cloudless sky but with an ocean breeze blowing from the east, where the breakers crashed against the leading edge of the reef. Their anchorage was sheltered and calm, a perfect spot for swimming or walking the coral.

The dark-haired skipper sighed as she balanced on the bowsprit, binoculars in hand. It should have been the ideal place to bring a boatload of tourists, but instead the Americans had settled into a morose kind of stupor. Only Larissa and Kelli, who were apparently oblivious to anything other than their own enjoyment, were making the most of the location, snorkeling not far off the boat's port beam.

Jo lifted the binoculars to her eyes and scanned the sea between them and the mainland.

So far, so good, she thought. Which is more than I can say for the mood. Therese, Sarah, and Naomi had had a shouting match of epic proportions not long after they'd anch.o.r.ed. The attorneys were apparently none too pleased about being caught up in Naomi's escapades. At one point Therese had pointed out that the senator was on the brink of blowing 10 years' hard work for one idiot night of partying. Hard to believe it could get that ugly.

She glanced up as Cadie picked her way over the deck fittings towards her. Despite it all, the blonde still managed to conjure up her trademark smile, the top of her nose wrinkling as green eyes met blue.

"h.e.l.lo, Skipper," Cadie said softly, resisting the urge to invade the tall woman's personal s.p.a.ce just so she could feel those long arms wrapped around her. Instead she nervously held her hands behind her back.

"Hi," Jo replied. "How are you doing with all this?"

Cadie shrugged and Jo noted the barely reined in tension in the blonde's compact body. "I'm okay, I guess," Cadie said, not meeting Jo's gaze.

"Uh-huh," replied the skipper skeptically. "Try again, kiddo."

Cadie chuckled. "Hey, I'm only a couple of years younger than you, grandma, so who are you calling kiddo?" She grinned as she said it, and Jo was relieved to see a sparkle return to those gorgeous eyes. Cadie looked around at the other pa.s.sengers dotted around the deck. "I guess we're all just waiting, and it makes me nervous."

"Waiting for what?" Jo asked. "I mean, if we can get through till tomorrow morning without the sc.u.mbag media finding us, it'll all blow over."

Cadie shook her head slowly. "I wish that were true, hon," she said. "It may well blow over with the Australian media. But it's the middle of the night in the US. Hopefully we didn't make the evening news, but for sure it's going to hit the airwaves first thing in the morning. And then..." She shrugged again. "Who knows what will happen?"

Jo had never had much reason to think about the internal machinations of US politics. "So what are we talking about here? A rap over the knuckles?"

Cadie leaned back on the bowsprit rail, taking the opportunity to brush the back of her hand against the warmth of Jo's thigh. The two women took a couple of seconds just to enjoy the tingles that set off in both of them until, with an effort, Cadie pulled her eyes away and focused on answering the question.

"Well, Jason thinks she'll be recalled straight away," she replied.

"By the Senate?" Jo guessed.

Cadie shook her head. "No. By the senior party members. The leaders of the Republican Party, in other words," she clarified, seeing the crease appear on Jo's forehead.

"And what will they do?"

"Good question. I don't really know to be honest. She's never managed to get herself into trouble like this before."

Jo shifted around a little so she could place a hand against the blonde's shoulder blade, where she began a gentle rubbing. "Is it really such a big deal?" she asked, smiling as she felt Cadie lean back into her touch. "She's surely not the first politician to get caught with a gla.s.s of alcohol in her hand. h.e.l.l, here a pollie's looked at suspiciously if they don't take a drink."

Cadie chuckled, shaking her head. "I'd believe that." She smiled. "Unfortunately, the Republican Party is a very conservative inst.i.tution. Having an openly gay senator in the party was something of a novelty to say the least. There are still large factions of the party that have been waiting for an opportunity to tear Naomi to shreds."

"And she's just given them that opportunity," Jo murmured.

"Yes," Cadie quietly agreed. "It could get very ugly."

"Ugly as a hatful of a.r.s.eholes." Jo grinned at the belly laugh that erupted from the blonde. Cadie quickly tried to stifle it as heads popped up in the c.o.c.kpit. "Sorry, love," Jo said. "Didn't mean to do that to you."

Cadie wiped away a tear as she finished giggling. "G.o.d, I adore the way you talk," she said, beaming back at the tall Australian, who arched an elegant eyebrow in reply.

"Perhaps you'd better back off a little, darling," Jo said softly. "Last thing we need right now is Naomi going off on another rant."

Cadie sighed and turned around again to lean back on the rail. "Well, the good news is she's got way too much on her mind right now to worry about what I'm doing," she muttered.

Jo sensed the change in mood and saw the look of quiet resignation in the blonde's eyes. "And the bad news?"

Cadie's head dropped and she fiddled nervously with the gold band around her ring finger. "The bad news is I still have to go back with her, Jo-Jo."

Jo smiled quietly, unsurprised by that. "I know, honey." She resumed gently circling her fingers between Cadie's shoulder blades, feeling the tension rippling under the surface of the soft skin. "Just to set your mind at ease a little, Paul and Jenny didn't find any drugs anywhere aboard."

Cadie straightened up and Jo saw her jaw muscles working as she ground her teeth together. "So she was just trying to bluff me," the blonde growled. "And I let her."

"Ssshhh. Don't be so hard on yourself. She can be b.l.o.o.d.y intimidating." That drew a smile from the American. Was wondering if I'd see that again.

"This from the Queen of Dangerous." Cadie was pleased when she felt the rumbling laugh from the tall woman behind her. And I'm going to give her an hour to stop that rubbing.

"Like I said before, I've seen a lot worse than Naomi Silver-berg," Jo said quietly. Cadie nodded silently and Jo felt a wave of sympathy for the younger woman. "You have a lot of history with her, Arcadia. I understand that you feel a need to support her through whatever happens next."

"It's not just that, Jo," the blonde replied. "There are so many loose ends."

"I know. I'll be here when you're ready, sweetheart."

Cadie turned to face her, sliding a hand over Jo's nearest knee and squeezing softly. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?" she asked softly, feeling a thrill as their eyes met, a solid jolt of desire warming her belly. Blue eyes blazed into hers and she knew Jo felt it too. A long thumb slid gently back and forth across the skin of the back of her hand.

"No," Jo replied, teasing, "but feel free to tell me as often as you like from now on."

"Okay." Another long smiling moment pa.s.sed between them. Crisis? What crisis? "I love you more than air," she said tenderly, lifting Jo's hand to her mouth and brushing her lips across the palm gently.

A shiver unbalanced Jo momentarily and she quickly grabbed on to the bowsprit with her free hand, the strength of her physical reaction to Cadie's touch surprising her. She exhaled on a long, ragged breath.

"Wow," Jo muttered. They blinked at each other for a few seconds. "Did you feel that, too?"

"Oh yes."

"More than air, huh?" Jo asked. Cadie nodded solemnly. "Oh, we are in so much trouble."

They'd decided on a late supper, and by 10pm everyone was starting to mellow out just a little. Soft music drifted up from below decks and though the moon was only about half full, phosph.o.r.escence shimmered in the water around the boat. The air was still and the sounds of the open ocean half a mile away could be clearly heard in the background. There had been no sign of any media either by sea or air.

Cadie sprawled across the c.o.c.kpit cowling, her belly full of fresh seafood, including lobster caught by Paul and Jo just that afternoon. She looked up into the blanket of softly twinkling stars. There must be more stars in this southern sky than back in Chicago, she thought wistfully. Here, away from the masking lights of any big cities, the inky sky seemed crowded with twinkling pinpoints. Beautiful.

She shivered as the slight suggestion of a breeze brushed coolly over her bare arms and shoulders, making the ever-present sunburn tingle in response. Cadie heard a movement to her left and started as a cream-colored sweatshirt landed in her lap.

"It gets cool quickly out here," a familiar, warm voice said softly from below her. Cadie glanced down and saw two night-darkened eyes blinking back at her.

"Thanks," the blonde replied quietly, flicking a glance at Naomi who hadn't moved from the same spot in the corner of the c.o.c.kpit all day. The senator didn't even give them a second glance. Cadie let her eyes drift back to Jo, a smile flirting between them.

"My pleasure," the skipper murmured before she moved away again.

Cadie pulled the sweatshirt over her head. Her senses tingled when she recognized the cinnamon-tinged scent as a combination of the soap Jo used and the tall woman's own distinctive aroma. And something else, she pondered, breathing the comforting essence in deeply. Sunscreen, she realized, smiling. G.o.d, I hope she doesn't plan on getting this back any time soon...if ever. She giggled softly at herself.

From where she sat in the crew c.o.c.kpit, playing random notes on Paul's guitar, Jo watched the blonde affectionately. That thing's way too big for her, she thought as Cadie pulled the sweatshirt on and wriggled around in it till it was sitting comfortably. She could wear it as a dress. She found herself grinning as she caught Cadie pulling the front of the garment up to her nose and apparently sniffing it. What is she... She tilted her head inquiringly but all she got back in reply was a silly grin. I'm guessing that's the last I'll see of that shirt, she thought affectionately.

The music piped up from below ended and Jo began humming softly as she plucked the guitar's strings, letting her voice and the instrument find their own path together. She felt rather than saw Cadie's eyes fix on her and she tried to make the music just for one person, weaving a slow, melodic counterpoint around the guitar's notes.

That's magic. Cadie stretched out on her side, head propped on her hand as she listened intently. When I get back I want to hear a lot more of her singing. Need to get her out here on the water and relaxed. Just the two of us. Because any minute now...

"What time is it in DC?" Naomi interrupted. Jo, who didn't know, ignored the question and continued playing.

Toby came up from below and sat down opposite the senator. "It's 7am, Nay," he said quietly.

"Jesus Christ," Naomi exclaimed, standing suddenly and beginning a restless pacing up and down the length of the c.o.c.kpit. "I can see it now. They're all choking on their muesli as they watch Good Morning America."

"I can't see Trent Lott eating muesli," Toby muttered incongruously. "He's more of an eggs Benedict kind of guy."

Jo laughed quietly between codas, ignoring the evil glare she got from the senator as she resumed singing softly. Suddenly a cell phone rang somewhere below decks.

Naomi swung on Toby. "I thought we didn't bring any phones," she snapped. He put his hands up in a gesture of innocence.

"It's mine," Paul shouted from below. The ringing stopped as he obviously answered the call.

"But the GOP does know where you are, right, Naomi?" Toby asked as the senator resumed her seat.

She snorted. "It was all I could do to stop them from turning this into a diplomatic mission instead of a vacation," she answered grumpily. "They were all for me giving some stupid, pointless speeches every other day. As if we give a d.a.m.n what anybody in this backwater thinks of us." Cadie winced and flashed Jo an apologetic look. "We compromised. I gave them all the details of where we'd be, including the company's phone number, and I agreed to answer them when they called."

"Which is exactly what they want you to do," Paul said from where he stood at the top of the companionway. He reached out to Naomi with both his cell phone and a piece of paper. "That was Ron," he explained. "There's an urgent message for you, Senator."

Nice to see her intimidated for a change, Jo couldn't help thinking as she watched Naomi tentatively take the phone and message from her crewman.

"f.u.c.k," the politician growled as she read the note. "It's from Lott," she told Toby and Jason. "Wants me to call him immediately."

The two men sat silently, neither willing to give any advice. Jo watched as she continued to play, humming softly now. Cadie sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the cowling.