Veils of Silk(138)

"If it's so safe, why can't I go?"

"You'll slow me down. Also, I'll worry about you, which will diminish my effectiveness," he said, beginning to show impatience. "There's no good reason for you to go, and dozens of good reasons not to. Why the devil are you so determined?"

Laura didn't think he would be impressed if she said she hoped to prevent him from being killed. Ignoring the question of why she wanted to go, she said, "I won't slow you down. I've crossed half of India with you, and I can ride as well as most men. Thanks to your foresight I can also shoot, not brilliantly, but well enough to be of help in a tight spot. I speak Persian and several dialects of Urdu. With skin dye and the right clothes, I should be able to pass for a native at least as well as you—my eyes are brown and Oriental, not Highlander blue."

His gaze went over her. "Even loose native clothing isn't going to make you look like a boy," he said dryly. "And your eyes aren't brown, they're a highly distinctive amber."

"Then I'll wear a burqa like the Pathan women do when they leave the compound," she retorted. "You could disguise a water buffalo under one of those."

He shook his head, unmoved. "No, Laura. This isn't subject to discussion. I'm not taking you to the frontier."

Trying a different tack, she suggested, "Wouldn't it make more sense to send Zafir instead of going yourself? That's Pathan country, so he should be able to locate the pass more easily than you. You're also the best person to explain the danger to the authorities in Cambay. Zafir won't be taken as seriously, even though he's carrying a message from you."

"With David's backing, he'll be believed," Ian said. "And I can't send Zafir to look for the Shpola Pass. It's controlled by the Afridi tribe, which has a blood feud with Zafir's tribe, the Mohmands. Asking Zafir to go in alone would be sending him to his death. Besides, I have a better eye for the tactical possibilities than he does."

Appalled, she said, "But won't it be death for you?"

"No, because I'll go dressed as a Punjabi tribesman. Since the Afridis have no feud with me, I won't be shot on sight."

"Then why can't Zafir go dressed like a Punjabi?"

"He would consider going into Afridi territory disguised as an act of cowardice," Ian explained. "He'd much rather be shot."

Men! They didn't have the sense to cross the street without female help. Curbing her exasperation, she said, "Ian, you know the territory and the tribes, you're the best shot I've ever seen, and it's only a little reconnaissance mission. Surely I'll be as safe with you as I would be going south with Zafir. After all, that road also goes through fairly wild country, and with only one man to protect two women, I'd be better off with you."

Amusement showed on his face. "Flattery won't work, Laura. I could be the best shot in the history of mankind, but that won't save you if we're ambushed by fifty bloody-minded bandits. The answer is still no."

She glared at him, furious but undiscouraged. She was sure in her Slavic bones that going with him would make a crucial difference.

Then she realized that the trump card was in her hand. "The directions to the Shpola Pass are written in Russian, and I won't translate them for you." She held up the sheet of notes and tried not to sound smug. "If you want to find it, you'll have to take me along."

Exploding with the forcefulness for which redheads are known, Ian roared, "Then I'll find it without you! Hell and damnation, this isn't a game, you idiot female!"

"You're damned right it isn't," she yelled back, as furious as he. "It's life and death, and I'm going with you!"

As he stepped toward her, Laura wondered if she was about to find out how Tatyana felt when her husband hit her.

But Ian was not Laura's father. He put his arms around her, tilted her head back, and kissed her. Her wildfire response made her shockingly aware of how thin the line was between fury and passion.

Laura kissed him back, aching with protective tenderness. She wanted to love him, not fight with him. Then, as his hand moved expertly down her body, she realized what he was doing.

With a gasp of outrage, she turned her face away from his. "Do you really think you can seduce me into obedience?" she snapped. "That's a double-edged sword, you pigheaded Scot."

She fumbled with his trousers. He was already partially aroused. As she undid the buttons and slipped her hand inside, he went rock-hard, his whole body stiffening.

He began to laugh. No, Ian was not like her father. "You little witch. I knew you were dangerous, but I hadn't realized quite how much so."

Sobering, he lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "Laura, why are you so hell-bent on going with me? You're not usually an unreasonable woman."