Vixen 03

No conversation was exchanged as the baggage handler passed the stranger a spare set of coveralls, which were quickly do

It wasn't until the car entered the outskirts of Georgetown that Lusana relaxed and slipped out of the coveralls. In past years he would have entered the States like any other traveler coming from overseas. But those were the days before the South African Defence Ministry took him seriously. Lusana's fears of assassination were well founded. With a sense of relief he watched the chauffeur stop in front of a house whose downstairs windows were lit. At least someone was home.

The chauffeur carried his suitcase to the doorstep and silently departed. A faint murmur from the TV set came through the open windows. He pressed the bell.

The porch light came on., the door opened a crack, and a familiar voice said, "Who is it?"

He moved under the light so that it illuminated his face. "It's me, Felicia."

"Hiram?" Her voice was stu

"Yes."

The door opened slowly. She was dressed in a sheer and sexy chiffon peasant blouse and a long soft jersey skirt. A knotted bandana covered her hair. She stood motionless, her eyes searching his. She wanted to say something appropriately clever but her mind went blank. All she managed was, "Come in."

He stepped inside and set the suitcase down. "I thought you might be here," he said.

Her dark eyes quickly shifted from surprise to calm composure. "Your timing is right on the money. I just got back from Hollywood. I've cut a new album and auditioned for a part in a TV series."

"I'm happy all goes well for you."

She looked up into his face. "You never should have sent me away with Frederick."

"If it will make you feel any better, I've often regretted my hasty decision."

"I could go back with you to Africa

He shook his head sadly. "Someday, maybe. Not now. You can do more for our cause here."

They turned in unison as Frederick Daggat, casually attired in a paisley-print bathrobe, appeared from the living room. "My God, General Lusana. I thought I recognized your voice." He looked down at the suitcase and his face clouded. "There was no advance word of your arrival. Has there been trouble?"

Lusana gri

"But surely the airlines… customs… someone must have a

Lusana shook his head. "I sat in the pilot's cabin on the flight from Africa. Arrangements were made for me to leave the plane after landing and bypass the Dulles terminal."

"We have laws that frown on illegal entry."

"I am a citizen. What difference does it make?"

Daggat's expression softened. He placed his hands on Lusana's shoulders. "If there is any fuss, my staff will take care of it. You're here, and that's all that counts."

"But why all the subterfuge?" asked Felicia.

"For good reason." Lusana's voice was very cold. "My intelligence people have uncovered a sensitive piece of information that can prove highly embarrassing to the South African minority government."

"That's a serious charge," said Daggat.

"It's a serious threat," retorted Lusana.

Daggat's eyes registered a mixture of confusion and curiosity. He nodded toward the living room. "Come in and sit down, General. We have much to talk over."

"Every time I see you it's like looking at an old photograph. You never change."

Felicia returned Loren's admiring look. "Flattery from another woman is flattery indeed." She idly stirred the ice in her drink. "It's amazing how time evaporates. How long has it been — three, maybe four years?"

"The last inaugural ball."

"I remember," Felicia said, smiling. "We went to that little dive down by the river afterward and got smashed. You were with a tall, sad-looking dude with spaniel eyes."

"Congressman Louis Carnady. He was defeated in the next election."

"Poor Louis." Felicia lit a cigarette. "My date was Hiram Lusana."

"I know."

"We parted company only last month in Africa," Felicia said as if Loren had not spoken. "I wonder if my life has been one big downer, chasing after every liberal cause that pops on stage, taking up with any stud who promises to save the human race."

Loren motioned to the waiter to bring them two more drinks. "You can't blame yourself for believing in people."

"I haven't got a hell of a lot to show for it. Every crusade I've ever joined, I screwed up."

"I don't mean to pry, but did you and Lusana have personal differences, or was it political?"

"Strictly personal," Felicia said. She felt her chest tighten as Loren circled the bait. "I no longer mattered to him. His only love was his fight. I think at first, deep inside him, there was a feeling for me, but as the struggle expanded and his pressures grew, he became distant. I know now that he had taken all he ever wanted from me. It was as though I was as expendable as one of his soldiers on the battlefield."

Loren saw the tears start to come to Felicia's eyes. "How you must hate him."

Felicia looked up, surprised. "Hate Hiram? Oh no, you don't understand. I was unfair with him. I let my own desires stand between us. I should have been patient. Perhaps when his war to give majority rule to blacks in South Africa is won, he will look upon me differently."

"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. I know his history. Lusana uses people like the rest of us use toothpaste. He squeezes every dab and throws away the empties."

An angered frown crossed Felicia's face. "You only see in Hiram what you want to see. The good outweighs the bad."

Loren sighed and leaned back as the waiter brought their second round. "It's wrong for old friends to argue after being so long apart," she said softly. "Let's change the subject."

"I agree," Felicia said, her mood changing. "What about you, Loren? Are there any men in your life?"

"Two, at the moment."

Felicia laughed. "It's common Washington gossip: one is Phil Sawyer, the President's press secretary. Who's the other?"

"He's a director at NUMA. His name is Dirk Pitt."

"You serious about either one of them?"

"Phil is the sort you marry: loyal, true blue, sets you on a gilded pedestal and wants you to be the mother of his children."

Felicia made a face. "He sounds perfectly mundane. What about this Pitt?"

"Dirk? Sheer animal power. He makes no demands; he comes and goes like an alley cat. Dirk can never be truly owned by a woman, and yet he's always there when you need him. The lover who turns you on but won't stand still long enough for you to grow old with."