A Coral Kiss by Jayne Ann Krentz Page B

wished, not for the first time, that his mother had used Wyman's name instead of her own when she named her son.
    "Shit. Have you any idea what those rocks might be worth today?" Fitzpatrick's question was rhetorical.
    His voice contained an element of wonder.
    "I know, Artie, I know. And that's not all that's in the box. The emeralds are only part of the prize.
    According to my mother's diary, when I have that box in my hands, I'll have a rising young politician named Hugh Slater in my hip pocket. There are pictures in that box, Artie. Compromising photos of Hugh Slater's father meeting with a known Russian agent."
    "But that meeting, if it took place, would have happened over twenty-five years ago."
    "So? You think the threat of exposing his father as a man who tried to sell secrets to the Russians wouldn't be enough to keep Hugh Slater in line? Come on, Artie. It doesn't matter how long ago it happened. It's potent stuff. A political career couldn't take it. With those photos I'll probably even have a handle on Slater Aero, too. Just think of it, Artie. With those emeralds, a company like Slater Aero and a guy who will probably be a senator some day in my palm there won't be anything I can't do."
    "The thing I've always admired about you, Dan, is your modest ambition."
    Renner laughed with the sheer excitement of the deal. He felt hot, powerful, bursting with energy.
    Making deals was better than sex or cocaine any day of the week. "Let's meet at the club and play some racquetball. I need to work out. Winner buys the drinks."
    "Since you always win, that sounds like a pretty good deal. See you in half an hour."
    Renner tossed the phone back into its cradle and headed for the door of his apartment. It was going to work this time. It had to work. All his life he'd been waiting for the first big break, the one that was going to boost him right to the top of the Southern California power crowd. When he'd found his mother's diary in her safe deposit box after her death he'd known he held his future in his own hands.

    It was too bad he had found out in a scuba diving course he'd taken the year before that he wasn't cut out for the sport. Oh, he could get by in shallow water where there was plenty of visibility, but the thought of diving in the confined environment of a cave was too much. He just couldn't do it. He'd go nuts and he knew it. That meant he had to hire pros who didn't ask too many questions and who didn't mind a little rough stuff if it became necessary.
    Renner decided he didn't really mind the idea of the rough stuff. It gave him a nice jolt of power to know he was in a position to pay others to handle it for him.

    * * *
The island was as deceptively serene and inviting as ever. Amy watched from the window of the small twin engine plane as the dark smudge on the horizon crystalized into a lush green emerald set in a turquoise sea. There was very little sign of civilization to mar the Pacific island paradise. Commercial jets only landed there twice a week. Amy and Jed had booked seats with a small, island hopping airline service based in Hawaii.
    Orleana Island was a typical Pacific volcanic formation. The steep sides of the ancient crater were shrouded in a cloak of verdant foliage. Dazzling white beaches were scattered carelessly around the skirts of the island. As the plane made its approach the small town on the southern tip came into view.
    'Talk about an unspoiled tropical paradise." Jed leaned across Amy to peer out the window. "You weren't kidding. If it weren't for that little village at the tip, the place would look uninhabited. Where's your parents' house?"
    "The other end of the island. You can't see it from this angle." Amy pressed back against the seat so Jed would have a better view. His shoulder brushed hers and she was deeply aware of his warm, male scent.
    There was a casual intimacy about the way he was leaning across her. His forearm grazed her breast and his wide hand rested lightly on her