"Bring the car around, Billy," Jason Harmon ordered, but Laura shook her head.
"We don't need it," she told him. "I hid the money and the diamonds on the grounds- I can lead you right to it-"
Harmon swept a hand toward the front doors. "After you, then, Miss Trent." Laura noticed that Billy and one of the guards- one with bruises on his chin- fell into step just behind them.
At the bottom of the steps, Laura pointed. "This way."
"You have been busy, haven't you, my dear?" Harmon asked.
"You made a mistake by giving Daniel and me so much time to get here," she told him. "Gave me more than ample time to find a location where the- package would be secure."
She led them down the path off of the graveled drive. "You're full of surprises, aren't you? What would your reaction be if I were to offer you an- arrangement?" Harmon asked, and Laura could feel that dark gaze moving over her, assessing what he saw.
Laura turned her head to look at him. "I suppose it would depend on what- sort of- arrangement you had in mind."
"I haven't- quite decided," Harmon admitted. "I'm not entirely sure you can be trusted not to put a knife in my back the first time the opportunity presents itself."
"Uh, Mr. Harmon-" the bruised guard began, but his employer wasn't listening, since Laura made sure that he wasn't by tripping on an uneven spot in the walkway- and falling into Harmon's arms.
"Oh. How clumsy of me," she said in a breathless voice.
Harmon's dark eyes met hers, after lingering on her lips so close to his. "Are you all right?" he asked, seemingly in no hurry to release her.
"I think so. The-package is- just around that clump of bushes over there," she told him.
Instead of releasing her, Harmon looked at his two men. "Go get it."
"But-"
"Is there a problem, Hank?" Harmon asked.
"Do you remember that- rubbish you had us take out last night, Mr. H?" Hank asked, nervously looking toward the bush that Laura had indicated as their destination.
"Yes."
"Well, we- buried it -over there."
Harmon frowned and turned toward him Laura to look at her face. "You're certain of the location?"
"Quite certain," Laura assured him smoothly, tugging gently at her skirt. "I don't remember seeing any sign of -rubbish, however."
Harmon tightened his hold her arm and pulled her along to the spot on the other side of the bush- where a freshly dug grave lay exposed to the morning sun's rays.
Suddenly the air was filled with the sound of guns being readied. "Drop your guns, gentlemen," a voice called out. "And put your hands up. Police. We have you surrounded."
Billy and Hank both dropped the guns they held and raised their hands, but Harmon's angry gaze fell on Laura. "You set me up, didn't you?"
Laura shrugged. "Mr. Steele said that I couldn't be trusted," she reminded him. "You should have listened to him." She started to turn away, but Harmon grabbed her arm and twisted her around in front of him, his arm at her neck, the gun that suddenly appeared in his other hand against her temple.
"Not so fast, Miss Trent. If I go, I'm not going alone."
"Release her," the voice called out again. "There's no way you can possibly escape, Harmon."
"Clear me a path out of here, then," Harmon called back. "Unless you want to see this lovely lady dead."
Remington circled away from Inspector Lombard, ignoring the man's disapproving frown, until he was behind Harmon. He'd convinced Lombard to keep his men in check- to let Remington settle this without any bloodshed. But if he misjudged this, if Nathan didn't get it just right- He nodded toward the bush behind which Nathan was crouching.
"Harmon," Nathan called out, standing up from his hiding place - presenting a target that couldn't possibly be ignored.
Harmon's attention was caught, and he pointed the gun in that direction. Laura took the opportunity to step hard on Harmon's foot, and Remington felt himself wince as he recalled how she'd done the same thing to him on more than one occasion. He thought Laura's escape and attack would give him a chance to take the man out, but he saw Harmon taking aim once more- and looked across to find that Nathan was still standing there, in plain sight, almost daring the man to shoot him down. Remington leapt across the clearing and knocked the other man onto his face- but not before the gun discharged. Remington saw Nathan jerk and slump against the tree to his back a split second before he himself impacted the ground, tossing Harmon's gun away.
Lombard's men were swarming the area now, taking Billy, Hank, and Harmon into custody for the murder of the man who had brought him news of Daniel's whereabouts. "I wouldn't doubt there are other unmarked graves on the grounds, Inspector," Remington told the man as he came to his feet. One of which might easily have been Daniel's, he told himself, heading toward the spot where Nathan had been standing. By the time Remington reached the spot, Nathan was sitting against the tree, and Laura was already there, kneeling to help him. "You weren't supposed to stay in sight that long, Nathan. Just long enough for Harmon to be distracted remember?"
Nathan let Laura press his handkerchief to the shoulder wound, wincing at the pain. "I- I froze," he said. "Never had a gun pointed at me before." He looked down at his shoulder. "I don't think it's too bad," he told them as Inspector Lombard joined them.
"That's good to hear, Dr. Martindale," he said. "Will you need a lift to the hospital?"
"No. I'll get it taken care of," Nathan told him. "I'll be all right."
Laura nodded, agreeing. "Looks like the bullet went clean through."
"There will have to be a report filed on this, Mr. Steele," Lombard told Remington.
"We'll be in later today, Inspector," Laura assured him quickly, aware that Remington probably had no idea what story she'd told the Scotland Yard Inspector when she'd called him.
Lombard shook Remington's hand. "I'll see you later then."
"You took a huge risk, Laura," Remington said in a quiet voice as the Inspector moved off.
"*I* took a huge risk?" she countered. "What do you call that flying tackle you made on Harmon? And you nearly got Nathan killed."
"I'll be fine," Nathan insisted.
"I was trying to save *your* life," he told her.
"You saved mine," Nathan said, only to be ignored again.
"And at the moment, I wonder why I bothered trying to save *yours*!" she declared angrily.
"Excuse me-?" Nathan interrupted, drawing their attention. "Would you help me to the car? I need to have this shoulder seen to as soon as possible. And I'm sure Daniel's waiting on tenterhooks for word that you're safe, Remington."
"Of course," Remington said, and assisted his uncle to his feet, draping Nathan's uninjured arm across his shoulders. "By the way, Laura-" he asked, as they moved toward the car which he and Nathan had left a block down the road, "You did bring the money, didn't you?" She turned without a word and walked ahead of them, and Remington knew he'd made a tactical error- but at the moment, he wasn't sure what that error had been.
At the car, she held out her hand in silence, waiting for Remington to give her the key, then unlocked and opened the rear door of Nathan's car. She stood there while Remington made sure his uncle was settled. "Don't fuss, Remington," he said. "I'm fine," he said, his voice weak. "Just get me home."
"You *did* bring the money?" he asked again as he got behind the steering wheel of Nathan's car.
Laura opened the glove box and pulled out the money and velvet pouch. "Right here," she said shortly, dropping both into his lap.
Hearing her terse words, Remington decided that she wasn't ready to forgive whatever faux paux he had committed. He tipped the diamonds out into his hand to examine them in the morning light. "These are-"
"Paste," she confirmed shortly. "All but two."
Remington shook his head and returned them to the pouch, then started the engine. Steering the car into the light traffic, he headed toward Nathan's. "You okay back there, Nathan?" he asked, glancing into the rearview mirror.
"Yes," came the quiet reply.
"Almost there," Remington assured him, then glanced at Laura. "Are we talking yet?" he asked. She turned to look at him. "When did you decide not to take the money in?" he asked her.
"On the way to Harmon's," she explained. "I knew that if I took that money into that house, none of us would get out alive."
"And you were right- but-"
"So Nathan and I got there early to-"
"Case the joint?" he suggested with a grin he hoped would receive an answering one.
He failed as she rolled her eyes. "Get the lay of the land," she corrected.
"How did you find that grave?" he asked.
"My fault," Nathan said. "Stumbled over it."
Remington looked at Laura for confirmation, and she nodded. "Literally," she told him. "It *was* dark," she reminded him. "I had planned to hide the money on the estate somewhere and then lure Harmon out for you to take out- but- when we found that grave,-"
"The plan changed. So you found a phone and called Inspector Lombard. Uh, what did you tell him about why Harmon was holding me hostage for Daniel?"
"That Harmon *thought* Daniel had tried to con him. Right now, Lombard's not worried about Daniel's exploits. And with a murder charge hanging over his head, I don't think Harmon will be either."
"You never cease to amaze me, you know," he told her.
"How?"
His gaze strayed momentarily to the expanse of leg revealed by her short skirt. "I didn't expect-"
She finally smiled at him and tugged at the hem. "Had to make it look good, didn't I? And get Harmon's attention?"
"Oh, you- certainly did that. Was it really necessary to- throw yourself at him that way?"
"I knew that Lombard and his men were out there," she told him. "And that they could do their jobs."
It suddenly dawned on Remington why she'd been so angry. "You're upset because I got Nathan to distract Harmon so you could get away, aren't you?"
"I can take care of myself," Laura insisted. "There was no reason to put *him* in harm's way like that."
"It was my idea," Nathan told her from the back seat.
Laura turned to look at him. "What?"
"Had to make sure that you and- Harry-" he mumbled.
"He never calls you Harry," Laura told Remington with a worried frown. "Nathan?" she called softly, and reached over the seat to check his pulse when there was no response. "Hit it, Remington. He's unconscious."
"Damn," Remington said, and pressed down on the accelerator.
***
Maeve opened the front door as Remington brought the car to a stop. "Thank God you're-" she started to say, only to stop as she saw Nathan laying in the back seat of the car when Laura opened the door. "Nathan?" she said. "Is he-?"
"No, Maeve," Remington said, momentarily pushing aside his anger for his aunt. "But he's been shot. Find Jarred, will you? And Carol?"
Maeve turned and ran back into the house. "Jarred!" She called as she went toward Daniel's room. "Jarred!"
The boy came from upstairs, "What's wrong, Mother?" he asked.
"It's your father," she said. "He's-" she pointed toward the open door. "I have t'get Carol t'see to him."
Jarred rushed out to help Remington carry Nathan inside.
"What's wrong, Maeve?" Daniel asked, seeing Maeve's tearful face.
"Nathan- Carol- they're bringin' him in now. Remington says he was shot-"
"Shot?" Daniel questioned, feeling the blood drain from his face. "Dear God."
"I'll get things ready," Carol told her mother. She paused, placing a hand on her arm. "He'll be all right."
"I pray so," Maeve said, closing her eyes. She turned to follow her daughter, but Daniel stopped her.
"Maeve-"
"Not now, Daniel. I have to be there. I have to- let him know-"
He nodded, and lay back, frustrated by the weakness that prevented him from following her. When no one appeared in the doorway for several minutes, Daniel began to worry about Harry. Had he been shot as well? He heard voices down the corridor, and strained to hear Harry's voice. Or Laura's. But he couldn't make them out.
The minutes stretched out into what seemed an eternity, leaving Daniel ever more frustrated and worried about his son and his brother. At last he decided that he was going to have to find out what was going on, even if the effort was too much for him. He threw back the covers and slowly- painfully, swung his legs off of the bed, then reached up for the clear plastic bag of fluid that was going into the tubing attached to his arm. A wave of dizziness assailed him, forcing him to grab the back of the chair for support.
"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing, Daniel?" Harry's voice asked from the doorway, and Daniel breathed a sigh of relief to see that his son was apparently well- except for a blood stain on his shirt.
"Harry. Thank God you're safe. Laura-?"
"She's fine. She went upstairs to change clothes."
"Your shirt-"
"It's -Nathan's blood," Remington explained, coming over to help Daniel back into bed. "Back to bed now. I thought you might try something like this."
"Then someone should have come down here and let me know what was going on," he said, waving Remington's attempts aside. "I need to see Nate." Looking up at Remington, he asked, "He is alive- isn't he?"
"Yes. Carol patched him up- but he's lost a lot of blood," Remington explained. "Maeve's sittin' with him right now. And you- back into your bed, mate. No need in giving Carol more to do by pulling out your stitches."
Daniel let Remington help him back into bed, drained by the effort he'd just put out. "What happened, Harry? How did he get shot?"
***
Maeve was holding her husband's hand when he opened his eyes and saw her. "Maeve."
"There you are. I was afraid I'd lost you," she told him, pressing a kiss to his hand, then placing it against her tear wet cheek. "Laura told me what y'did, saving her life that way."
He smiled weakly. "I didn't intend to get shot," he told her. "I know it's what I wanted when I left, but- all I could think about while I was standing there, looking at that gun was- you. About how much I love you. And that I didn't want to leave you."
"And I love you. You've got t'believe that, Nathan. Whatever I might have felt for Daniel was over and done with long ago. You're the only one I want."
"I know that now," he told her, touching the tears on her cheek. "I need to see Daniel," he told her.
"You're not going anywhere," Carol informed him, as she and Laura came back into the room. "Not for a few hours, anyway."
"But-"
"You lost a lot of blood. This afternoon or evening will be time enough to see Uncle Daniel. He's not going anywhere just yet."
Laura moved to the bed. "Thank you," she told Nathan.
"For what?"
"Saving my life out there by distracting Harmon."
"I couldn't have come back to Daniel- or faced Remington if I hadn't," he told her. "And he was telling you the truth. He didn't ask me to do it. He was going to do it and let a policeman jump Harmon. I volunteered to switch places."
"Then I'm doubly grateful. Remington might have gotten himself shot if you hadn't volunteered."
"He would have had the sense to duck," Nathan said with a half smile.
"He's just had more experience at having guns pointed at him," Laura reminded the doctor. "Job hazard. Where is he, anyway?" she asked, looking around the room.
"Went to see his father," Maeve told her. "I don't think he wanted to be in the same room with me and no one else t'talk to," she said in a sad voice.