“I sense the punch line coming up,” Judd growled.
“Hong Kong ” Honor explained very carefully, “was where I learned that in addition to their legitimate work Nick and Leo went into an interesting sideline.”
“Which was?”
“Gunrunning. They buy and sell illegal arms all over that part of the world. Their regular business makes an excellent cover and provides them with countless contacts. It was my bad luck to stumble into the middle of a transaction involving several crates of automatic rifles and small arms.”
“You just [_stumbled _]into the middle of such a deal?” Judd asked wryly as he sipped the strong coffee he had made.
Honor bit her lip as she realized how wild the whole thing must sound to him. “Leo and Nick had left me alone at the hotel while they supposedly went out one evening to a business dinner. While they were gone an important call came in from one of our best clients. He needed some information that I knew was in one of the files in the Hong Kong office. Eager to show my initiative and dedication I grabbed a taxi and rushed down to the office myself to get the information. Leo and Nick weren’t due back until very late and I thought I’d impress everyone by taking care of the matter myself. Shows what initiative will do for a woman,” Honor added caustically, remembering.
By now she had the horrible feeling she’d probably lost her audience entirely. Judd wasn’t giving any outward indication of his reaction but she sensed his remote cynicism as if it were a tangible thing. There was nothing left to do but plow on with the story. In a flat, bleak tone she did so.
“I let myself into the building and went straight up[_ _]to the third floor where Garrison and Prager had their offices. I was in the hallway just outside, about to insert my key in the lock, when I realized there was a light on inside and heard the sound of voices. It was the voices which scared me first. There was a terrible argument going on and I could hear Nick and then Leo. They were threatening a couple of other people. Something about a shipment that hadn’t been paid for. The other voices claimed the rifles and small arms hadn’t come with proper ammunition. Nick and Leo claimed that the others were lying and said they wouldn’t okay delivery on the next batch of arms until the first had been paid for. I was terrified and shocked and in panic. I knew I was overhearing far too much for my own good and that if Nick and Leo realized I was outside in the hall my life probably wouldn’t be worth much. So I ran. As I started down the stairs I tripped. They must have heard the noise because by the time I reached the first floor I could hear them yelling on the staircase. As I dashed out into the street I beard Nick call my name. He was leaning out of the second-story window.”
“What did you do?”
She could hear the disbelief in his voice. There was no point going into all the details, reliving the terror of that horrible night. I started running and I haven’t stopped since,” she said in a flat tone.
“But first you went home to Phoenix?”
She nodded. “I had to go home, but I knew I would be a sitting duck in Arizona. Nick and Leo would be able to take their time hunting me down on my own home ground. And who would listen to a wild tale like mine?” She broke off, remembering sadly that she had not even dared go to her own family with the story. The ironic part of this mess was that her parents’ image of her was only a little better than the one Nick and Leo had fabricated. Had she approached them for help, her parents probably would have remembered the dreamy little girl who had woven exotic, romantic daydreams to amuse herself and wondered if Honor had slipped over the edge into some kind of permanent dream world. Pragmatic and down to earth, they had never understood her.
“How did you wind up here?” Judd asked matter-of-factly.
“As soon as I got home I grabbed the money from my bank account and packed a few things. Then I crossed the border into Mexico. Garrison and Prager don’t have contacts in Central America. I figured I’d be safer here than anywhere else while I tried to decide what to do.”
“And then I showed up last night,” Judd concluded too easily. It was as if he were writing “The End” to the fairy tale she had just told him.
Honor nodded unhappily. “I knew as soon as I saw you that mere weren’t too many likely explanations for another tourist in this backwater village.” Her fingers tensed painfully around the handle of her coffee cup. “I really thought I might have a chance here in Mexico. And least until my money ran out.”
“Uh-huh. What were you going to do then?” he asked blandly.
“I don’t know,” she admitted despairingly. The truth was she hadn’t been able to think that clearly as yet. “I suppose I’d hoped I’d eventually find someone who might pay attention to my story. I don’t know! It’s all been such a jumble and I’ve been frightened for so long. I decided I could stretch out my cash for quite a while. As you can see I’m not exactly living high on the hog!” She looked around the ramshackle room she’d been calling home.
“No, you’re not, are you? How long would you have been content to live here, Honor? I should think you’d be grateful to me for coming along and taking you away from all this!”
Suddenly she was on her feet, the resentment and fear spilling over as she confronted him. “Don’t make fun of me, damn it! It’s obvious you don’t believe me, but don’t you dare mock me like mat! It’s my life that’s at stake, you bastard! I can’t help it if you’re so damn pigheaded you bought that stupid story Garrison and Prager gave you. But mine is no wilder than theirs and I’m willing to pay you just as much to believe it. Since money is about all that seems to count with you, I should think you’d do me the courtesy of at least not laughing at me!”
“Are you going to assault me again?” he asked calmly, eyeing her clenched fists and angry eyes. Her slender body was drawn into a taut, furious line and she did, indeed, appear to be on the verge of throwing herself at his throat
Honor decided against that, knowing in advance that she didn’t have a chance of defeating him physically. But his obvious unwillingness to give even an ounce of credence to her story made some reaction on her part inevitable. Her life was on the line, she told herself in rage and panic, and this man was laughing at her!
Without a second thought she hurled the contents of her coffee up into this face, the still-warm liquid splashing out to douse his cheek and drip down onto his shirt.