Always by Iris Johansen Page B

Martin or how upset she was.
    Why should he? If she hadn’t spotted Martin’s idiosyncratic and most arrogant stance, she wouldn’t have recognized her ex-husband, either. He was partially hidden behind a stack of rattan chests as well as by the shadow cast beneath the colorful striped awning. But she knew Martin wouldn’t allow himself to remain unnoticed: he would approach her with his usual belligerence, and then Clancy would have him. The trap she had been used to bait would snap shut.
    “It’s pretty campy, isn’t it?” Clancy asked, turning to her with a grin. “Garfield the cat, Betty Boop, Mickey Mouse. I told you it was a tourist trap.” His amusement faded as he caught sight of her face. “What’s wrong? You’re pale as a ghost.”
    She groped wildly for an excuse. “The heat.” She smiled shakily. “I feel a little sick. You said I should take care not to overdo. I guess I should have worn a hat.”
    He frowned with concern. “We’ll go back to the villa.”
    “No,” she said quickly. “I’ll be fine. It willpass in a minute.” She moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue. “But I wonder if you could possibly go back to that booth we passed and pick up one of those big straw sailor hats?”
    He was still frowning. “I still think—”
    “I’ll be fine,” she repeated. She drew a deep breath and tried to speak calmly. “Just get me the hat, please. I promise not to try to run away. Even if I was tempted to bolt, I’m sure Galbraith has his eagle eye on me.”
    He nodded. “All right, I’ll be right back. Stay out of the sun.” He turned away and was soon lost in the crowd.
    It had been almost too easy, but she wasn’t safe yet. Galbraith would be watching. Her every move should seem natural. She forced herself to pick up the basket Clancy had been looking at and examine it calmly. She put it down again and then sauntered across the square.
    Martin was watching her. She could feel his eyes on her. She had to concentrate to keep her muscles from tensing and her steps from quickening with urgency. Body language. Clancy’smen would be trained observers and she musn’t reveal either her tension or her panic.
    She paused by a chest with fancy brass fittings, only a few feet from where Martin was standing. She shook her head at the eager young boy who rushed forward to help her. “Just browsing,” she said with a smile. He returned to his chair, picked up a cardboard fan with the words “Return to Paradise” boldly inscribed in red on its surface, and began to stir the air lethargically.
    She saw a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye. “No, don’t move! I’m being watched.”
    “I know that.” Martin’s voice was bitterly sarcastic. “Your new lover must be even more jealous than I am, Lisa. Bodyguards surrounding the villa, and you’re never permitted to go out without Desmond’s hand on your elbow. He likes to keep you to himself, doesn’t he?” The familiar cold savagery was back in his tone. “You haven’t been out of that house for two days. He must find you very entertaining.”
    “You’ve been watching the villa?” Lisa asked, startled.
    “For three days. I’ve had a really delightful time playing voyeur while the two of you were shacked up in your little love nest by the sea. You seem to have changed your mind about not having a possessive man in your life. Or does the fact that he has all that lovely loot make his little foibles all right?”
    “Martin, you have to leave.
Now
. You’re in danger.”
    “From Desmond’s bodyguards? Did he think that surrounding you with those men would keep me away from you? You belong to me. You’ll always belong to me. I have a launch waiting in the harbor. Come with me now, Lisa, and I may decide not to slice up your new lover.” He laughed harshly. “You never did understand violence. Well, I understand it and I know how to use it. You wouldn’t want him hurt, now would you, darling?”
    Clancy