You know him, so you can imagine how much he's going to care about
saving our daughter.
For long moments the woman said nothing, and Abby could feel her heart
thumping inside her chest.
She half wished she hadn't spilled her heart out like that, hadn't
given so much away.
Then Madame Pearl raised her eyes.
Their expression pierced all the way to Abby's soul.
"I had a daughter," the older woman said.
"Her father didn't think I was a fit person to raise her, so he took
her away from me. I haven't seen her in twenty years."
"Oh. I'm so sorry."
"No one in this city knows I was ever a mother."
A look of understanding passed between the two women.
Abby caught her breath.
Madame Pearl empathized with her.
But that didn't mean she would go along with their plans.
"We don't have much time to get Shannon back.
Will you help us?
" Abby asked.
"Tell me what you would require."
"We're hoping you can provide us with a way to get Wu alone-so Steve
can question him. We need to know what he sold the rebels. If we
can't get the merchandise Oliver was supposed to deliver, maybe we can
make some substitution that they'll find acceptable."
From the corner of her eye, she saw Steve glance at her in surprise.
They hadn't discussed that alternative before, but it had suddenly come
to her as a possibility.
"You're asking me to take a big risk," the woman said.
"I've made my reputation in this city by providing discreet, safe
entertainment for wealthy men. If I lose that reputation, I have
nothing."
"I understand. But the risk to you isn't as great as it might seem,
because Wu will not tell anyone what happened.
" Abby saw the woman was listening to with sharp attention. Hoping she
sounded convincing, she went on to amplify the arguments she'd given to
Steve at breakfast the morning before.
"I see you've thought this through very carefully."
" We had to.
"And you'd like one of my girls to entice your quarry upstairs and get
him to drop his-guard."
Abby shook her head and slid Steve a sidelong glance.
She'd used one argument with him, but she'd have to use a different one
with Madame Pearl-one that she wished he didn't have to hear.
"No. The girl would have to know what was going on, which could put
her in danger. I'll do it."
Steve muttered a curse under his breath.
Abby focused on Madame.
his dark eyes.
The woman returned her steady gaze.
"You'd take that kind of chance?"
"To save my daughter, I'd take any kind of chance." She glanced
quickly at Steve.
'He'd been about to say something.
Instead, he pressed his lips together.
"Well, it woii't work unless you can masquerade as one of my young
ladies."
Madame Pearl looked appraisingly at Abby.
"Stand up. Turn around slowly," she demanded brusquely.
Abby swallowed hard and stood.
Madame Pearl studied her critically, taking in her hair, her face, her
figure.
"I believe that with the right makeup and clothing you could meet my
standards.
But that's not the difficult part.
You'd have to act the role of a prostitute.
A woman who is sexually available-for money.
Abby stiffened.
"I told you it wouldn't work," Steve grated.
Abby looked from him to Madame Pearl.
"Bmides, Wu's not going to touch me in the public rooms. This
establishment is too refined for that."
Madame Pearl nodded, and Abby turned back to Steve.
"And you're going to come in very soon after Wu closes the bedroom door
behind us."
"That's the plan," he shot back.
"But there are no guarantees the timing will be perfect-and Pearl
hasn't agreed. She's still considering our request."
As Steve looked at the older woman, Abby saw his inner conflict written
on his face.
He was half hoping Madame Pearl-would tell them the scheme was out of
the question.
Except, where would that leave them?
The madame folded her hands in her lap, and Abby held her breath.
"You know, from time to time, I've been offered money to set up one of
my customers like this," the woman began.
"I've always flatly refused, because MY reputation is too valuable."
Abby clenched her hands against her middle as if she could hold herself
together that way.
She saw Madame Pearl focus on her bloodless knuckles and found that she
was powerless to move.
"But the rescue of your child is another matter," the older woman
continued.
"If the two of you are willing to take the risk, I won't turn you
down.
But I won't shoulder the responsibility if anything goes wrong."
She gave Abby a firm look.
"Once you walk through the bedroom door with Wu, you're on your own."
ABBY'S FINGERS tightened around what looked like a glass of white
wine.
It was mostly water.
She was dressed in a leather miniskirt that barely covered her
thighs.
Her frothy silk blouse dipped low into her cleavage.
And her three-inch spike heels were the highest that she could manage
without the risk of falling on her face, which she was afraid she might
do anyway.
Figuratively, if not literally.
Her stomach was in knots.
Had been in knots for hours.
Her eyes flicked across the room toward Steve.
She knew he was aware of her, but he didn't acknowledge her presence.
Instead he was pretending to be interested in one of the other
seductively clad young women arranged around the room like exotic
flowers in a well-tended garden.
But Abby was sure he was keeping tabs on her exact location.
The bordello didn't open until early evening.
At first only a few businessmen came in to sit at the tables with the
girls or stand at the ornate marble bar that dominated one side of the
parlor.
More than one looked at Abby and leaned closer to Madame Pearl to ask a
question.
But the proprietor.
told them that the new girl wasn't available.
As the latest man's face registered disappointment, Abby shifted
uncomfortably in her seat.
How long was she going to, have to sit here?
she wondered.
She tried to remember all the pointers Madame Pearl had given her and
all the things she'd said about her customers.
Some of the men here tonight only wanted to drink and talk to a
beautiful woman.
But the majority had come for more explicit sexual entertainment.
There was a lull in the conversation around Abby, and she looked up to
see a solid, broad-shouldered man standing in the doorway.
His face was instantly recognizable from the photographs she'd seen.
It was Tang Wu.
He was shorter than Abby had imagined, and his face was
more lined that
she'd expected.
Wu and Madame Pearl were speaking quietly near the door.
Abby saw the arms dealer glance eagerly in her direction and met his
appraising gaze without flinching.
When a smile played at the corners of his thin lips, she answered in
kind.
Show time.
As the madame led Wu across the room, Abby clenched her hands in her
lap, feeling her nails dig into her palms.
From the corner of her eye she saw that Steve's attention was focused
on the three of them.
Oh, God, she thought, don't let him give the game away.
However, Wu wasn't paying any attention to Steve, or to the other
people in the room watching the little scene with interest.
"My dear, you're quite delectable' And talented, my good friend Madame
Pearl tells me."
"I hope she hasn't been exaggerating my abilities," Abby said with the
air of a woman who knew she was good at what she did.
"She didn't exaggerate your charm," he said smoothly.
His English was almost flawless.
"Can I refill your drink?" he asked, as if they were meeting at a
social instead of a business occasion.
"Yes, please."
When he picked up her glass and turned toward the bar, Madame Pearl
gave her a quick look.
Although it was probably meant to be encouraging, it made Abby's blood
congeal.
"He's quite taken with you," she whispered.
Abby fixed on the confident set of Wu's shoulders as he moved toward
the bar.
He was a man who knew he was in charge of this situation.
Well, she'd have to turn the tables on him.
A few moments later Wu was back at her side holding two flutes of
champagne.
"I'd like to get to know you before we go upstairs," he confided.
Abby's heart was thumping so hard inside her chest that she marveled it
didn't make the outside of her blouse flutter in rhythm.
he hoped that wasn't what, % was staring at.
More likely, he was just enjoying her cleavage.
If he only knew why her breasts were so large and rounded, she thought,
he'd fall off his chair.
"You find my interest amusing?" he asked, and she realized she would
have to guard her expression more carefully.
"Amusing? No, I was thinking about how much we're going to enjoy each
other in a little while."
"Just so."
He took a long pull of his champagne and sat back, studying her the way
a new trainer might study a prize racehorse.
"I always wonder why a woman gravitates toward this profession."
Abby licked her lips provocatively hoping she could cut the
conversation short- "Well, there's a certain satisfaction in- getting
paid for something you'd seek out anyway."
"Ah, yes."
"Talkingis never the best way to get to know anOther person," Abby
murmured.
"There are much more intimate, more gratifyin ways."
She saw excitement flare in Wu's dark eyes and felt a kind of
excitement erupt inside herself.
It was the same thrill a deep sea fisherman experiences as he plays a
giant marlin.
Then Wu reached out to cover her hand with his, and she needed every
ounce of willpower not to flinch.
"You're right. Let's go upstairs and enjoy ourselves."
Abby rose.
Her heart leapt into her windpipe as Wu's hand pressed into the small
of her back.
It was a hard, muscular hand.
A hand that could inflict a great deal of pain-and would, if he
realized what she was planning.
Still, she didn't cringe as she allowed herself to be escorted from the
room.
Behind her, she could feel Steve's eyes boring into the back of her
head.
She sensed tension and anticipation in the man behind her as they
stepped into the hall.
Still, she was the one leading the way toward the stairs.
Did that mean he was going to let her take charge of the evening?
She'd have to persuade him that was what he really wanted.
All the bedrooms on the hall had names.
The Satin Room.
The Orchid Room.
The Room of Dreams.
Abby paused before the door of the Red Room, her hand frozen on the
knob.
She'd come up here to look inside several hours ago.
So she knew what she'd find.
All the unpleasant equipment a man such as Wu enjoyed.
Downstairs she'd convinced herself she was only a player in a game.
Once she stepped across this threshold, she would be at Tang Wu's
mercy-in a very dangerous setting.
She glanced surreptitiously back down the hall, hoping against hope to
see Steve on the stairs-and knowing that it was much too early.
It might seem like a century, but probably less than a minute had
elapsed since she and Wu had gotten up.
He was right behind her.
So close, she could feel his breath on her neck.
She hadn't known until this moment how vulnerable she was going to
feel.
Alone with a man who could do anything -he wanted to her.
Abby steeled herself for the sound of the door closing behind them.
It was very soft, like a sinister caress.
Chapter Ten
For a moment Abby felt only her own icy fear.
Then Wu's hands were on her, stroking her arms, and his mouth touched
down on her nape.
"I knew which woman Madame Pearl had selected for me as soon as I
walked into the parlor. I love your pale skin and your green eyes.
You're going to please me very well," he murmured.
, All her careful plans floated awa -like mist in her y head.
Then the feel of his fingers inching up under her breasts released her,
and she was in control again.
She slipped out gf his grasp her movements as slow as she could make
them.
Turning, she reached to take a riding crop from the rack along the
wall.
With a light stroke, she ran the tip down the front of his shirt,
stopped to circle his belt buckle and then slide lower.
"Yes. And I'm going to tease you until you beg me for mercy."
Abby knew immediately from his sharply indrawn breath that he liked her
suggestion-and the moves she was making.
The knowledge gave her courage.
"Take off your shirt," she ordered in a voice that suddenly held the
authority of an army drill instructor.
"Just your shirt."
While he complied, Abby looked around the room, her eye s flicking from
the elaborate brass headboard to a set of handcuffs hanging on the
wall.
Wu was breathing hard.
"And your blouse. Take it off. I like to see a woman's breasts when
she works on me," he choked out.
"Not yet. We're going to do this my way, remember? Lie down. And
raise your hands up toward the headboard."
For a moment Abby was afraid he wasn't going to follow directions.
Then he stretched out on the satin spread, raising his arms as she'd
directed.
Abby cuffed one wrist, threaded the chain around a brass rail, and
secured the other wrist.
&n
bsp; She breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the lock snap home.
Stepping away, she gazed at the man on the bed, who still didn't know