Shaking her head, Amanda said, "Of course not. I'll be fine once I get to the party. And you need me there for moral support. I know how hard this annual party is for you since Daddy died."

Rachel smiled at her daughter with gentle encouragement. "Go meet David. I'll check on Ally."

As Amanda descended the stairs, she saw David's eyes begin to shine with enthusiasm. And something else. Something she'd not seen in his eyes before, but recognized just the same. She'd seen the same predatory look in Scott Guthrie's eyes. Although frightened, she faced him with equanimity. She'd bested Scott; she'd best David as well.

Giving him her cheek to kiss, she said, "Mother and Ally will be down shortly, David."

His fingers lingered on her bare shoulders longer than she liked, but she gave him no hint of the revulsion she felt at his touch. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Not long," he said with a grin. "You look beautiful tonight, Amanda."

Inclining her head regally, she replied, "Thank you, David. I had hoped my appearance might please you."

He trailed his fingers along her cheek for a moment, but Amanda fought back the urge to pull away from him. She couldn't give him any reason to doubt her until she had figured out a way to escape this horror.

A few seconds later, Rachel descended the stairs alone. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Darling," she said, "but Ally wasn't feeling well. I've told her to stay home this evening. There's no point the three of us being present."

Worry competed with relief in Amanda's heart when she heard the news. "Maybe I should go check on her myself," she said.

"There's no need, Darling," Rachel said with a smile. "I've told Claudia to make sure Ally gets a tray later on if she feels like eating."

Exchanging a glance with her mother, Amanda smiled brightly, "Then I guess we should be going. It would never do to be late to our own party."

~*~

As soon as they heard the door shut behind Halliday, Cass released his grip on Lila's arm. Turning on him angrily, she said, "I wasn't going to do anything stupid, Cass."

"Really?" Cass asked with a disbelieving smile. "I seem to recall you threatening to string him up by his . . ."

"Oh, hush!" she interrupted. "I wasn't really going to do anything to Stark. I know better than that."

"Sure you do," Cass grinned more broadly, remembering past altercations with Lila. She was one of the gutsiest women he had ever known, which was only one of the reasons he loved her so much. Aside from being beautiful and sexy, she had a stubborn streak that just would not ever give in. *Scarlett O'Hare had nothing on you, Lila,* he thought to himself.

"'Sides," she said with a drawl, "I'd hate to take that particular pleasure away from Cameron. He's earned the right to bring Stark to his knees, don't you think?"

Pulling Lila into his arms, Cass kissed her long and lingeringly. "Absolutely. But we'll give him a hand just the same." He kissed her again. "And once Stark's been destroyed, you and Matt can go your separate ways."

Lila looked into his eyes with a coy expression on her face, and her blue eyes sparkling with mischief. "You're taking a lot for granted there, Counselor. What if I've changed my mind, and have decided to remain Mrs. Matthew Cory?"

"I might be forced to take a drastic measure myself," Cass told her with a wicked grin. "I'd just take a page from Stark's book, and luminize you myself."

Becoming serious, Lila said, "That won't be necessary, Cass. I could never give you up now. I love you."

"I love you, too, Lila," Cass said. "And once this is all over, I'll spend the rest of my life proving it to you." His lips captured hers yet again. "But now, the others are counting on us to do our part. Are you ready?"

"Oh, yes," she said, smiling just a little ferally. "Jordan Stark won't know what hit him."

~*~

Cameron gripped Ally's arms and looked straight into her eyes. "It's okay, Ally. Trust me."

Shaking her head from side to side, she pleaded with him to listen to her. "Marissa is working for Stark," she said urgently. "I didn't realize it was her until she called Gary, Cowboy. I swear to you, I'm not lying about this, Cameron."

"Do we have time for this?" Marissa asked. "Shouldn't we be making our move on Stark?"

Cameron glanced over his shoulder for a moment and said, "This won't take that long. Unless you have some reason to be in a hurry?"

"Suit yourself," Marissa replied with a shrug. "You're the one who's risking your life and our future over an ex-lover, not me."

Gazing at her coldly for a moment, Cameron made no reply. There was none to make. He would risk everything for Amanda. His life; his happiness; his very soul. Turning back to face Ally, his hands gripped her upper arms, and his eyes locked with hers. "Tell me what know about Marissa. Tell me everything."

Looking scared and worried, Ally began to tremble and Cameron, taking pity on her, gathered her into his arms. "It's okay, Ally. I promise. Just tell me what you know--or think you know. Okay?"

"When I first came back to Bay City, I had already decided that I didn't want you to marry my mother," Ally said softly, as she pulled back out of his arms so she could look at him as she made her confession. "I didn't think you were good enough for her because of your past and where you were raised." She sighed with regret. "Grandma Ada would be so angry with me about that. She never suffered fools lightly. Especially not in her own family."

Cameron grinned down her. "I think I would have liked your grandmother."

"And she would have loved you," Ally said. "She was just as straightforward and honest as you are, Cameron." Shaking herself slightly, she continued, "I was an easy mark for Stark to control. He'd call me to his office from time to time to give me ideas about keeping you away from my mother. On one of my visits, he was talking to another one of his henchmen. A woman. I never saw her face, but I heard her voice. It was very distinctive. It was Marissa."

"What were she and Stark talking about?" Cameron asked.

"He told her that she needed to provide more of a distraction for you. She was supposed to be making you forget about my mother, but she wasn't doing a good enough job according to him." She swallowed hard. "He said if she couldn't do it, he'd . . ."

"Find someone who could," Marissa drawled.

~*~

Rachel watched her daughter dancing in the arms of her enemy, and felt a tremor of fear shaft down her spine. Amanda was in such danger from this creature known as Stark. A vile creature of the dark, he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. And he wanted Amanda. According to Cameron, Stark believed her daughter was the embodiment of his lost love--the wife he murdered over two hundred years ago.

A faint smile crossed her lips as she recalled Cameron's visit to her office that day. He had slipped in silently and unannounced. When she had looked up from her paperwork, she had found Cameron standing before her with an expression of quirky amusement on his face. Until that moment, Rachel had thought she was alone in her fight to keep her family safe from Jordan Stark, but she should have known that Cameron Sinclair would never give up on Amanda as easily as he had appeared to. He had carefully and succinctly laid out everything he knew about Jordan Stark and David Halliday, enlisting her into the small army he was gathering to bring down his nemesis. Even now she was unaware of all the forces at his command in his fight against Stark. No one but Cameron knew every player in this personal war of strategy he waged to keep Amanda and the rest of her family safe.

Sighing deeply, Rachel thought of Ally. She hoped she had done the right thing in covering for Ally who had disappeared so suddenly. Earlier in the afternoon, she had found Ally in the library, looking very shaken and terrified. She had tried to get her granddaughter to tell her what was wrong, but Ally had refused, claiming that nothing was wrong. But now Ally had disappeared, and Rachel was worried. A sad smile touched her lips. Rachel had a fair idea of where--and to whom--Ally had fled, and she was certain Ally was safe--for the moment. But that could change without warning. Until Jordan Stark, and the evil he represented, was destroyed, none of them were safe.

~*~

Amanda caught sight of her mother standing alone near the double doors leading to the terrace. Even after all the years since her father's death, Rachel was still saddened by his loss as was she herself. This anniversary party was always so difficult for her mother to endure because Cory Publishing had been so important to MacKenzie Cory. More important than any of his other holdings.

Her mind drifted back over the last year. Because of her abduction by Scott Guthrie to Boca Lynda, she had missed the party. Remembering how Cameron had moved heaven and earth to reach her and save her from that demented killer, Amanda found herself wishing she could turn back time. At this moment, she would much rather be in the clutches of Scott Guthrie than in the arms of David Halliday. She would even gladly live through the devastating time when Cameron made love to Josie on the beach again, if it meant that he would be hers once more. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered how Cameron had fought so hard to rescue her from Scott Guthrie, declaring his love for her as they stood on a small table surrounded by acid.

"What's wrong?" David asked with a slight frown.

Shaking her head, Amanda said in a choked voice, "Nothing. It's just hard to see my mother so upset. She still misses my father. And so do I."

His frown intensified as if he didn't believe her words. "But your father's been dead almost ten years now, hasn't he? And wasn't she remarried to Carl Hutchins?"

"Daddy was the love of her life," Amanda said sadly. "You never really get over losing a love like theirs." Realizing she might have told David more about her own feelings than was safe, she added, "Or so I've been told."

A nearby couple caught her eye and Amanda smiled. Although she knew she should be upset for Matt's sake, Cass and Lila made such a handsome pair it was hard to imagine either of them with anyone else--including her brother. She noted a frown on David's face. "It's only a dance," she told him.

"She should be with your brother," he said rather sternly. "She is his wife, after all."

Gazing up at him with surprise, Amanda said, "When did you become so medieval, David? There is absolutely nothing wrong with a married woman dancing with someone other than her husband."

"I disagree."

Amanda laughed up at him. "It's a dance, David," she reiterated. "It's not like they're having an affair."

His grip tightened on her waist, and Amanda became afraid at the expression in his eyes which were cold with an icy rage. She couldn't control the shiver that spread through her body when he said, "One leads to the other. And then to retribution."

~*~

Cameron exchanged a look with Gary, who shrugged his shoulders. Knowing he'd get no help from his brother, Cameron took a deep breath as he tried to find a way to explain the situation to Ally in a way that wouldn't terrify her further.

"You believe me, don't you?" Ally asked, voice shaking tremulously. "I know I haven't always been entirely honest in the past, but I swear I'm telling the truth this time."

Behind him, Gary snorted with sardonic humor. "Not entirely honest? Now that's the understatement of all time." He shook his head. "Why should we believe you now, Ally?"

Cameron watched as her eyes filled with tears. This was Amanda's little girl, and she did have a healthy dose of her mother's spunk. He had the emotional scars to prove it. But seeing her future stepfather morph into an acknowledged creature of evil like Stark had obviously taken its toll on her courage. "Gar," he warned. "Let me handle this."

With another shrug of his shoulders, Gary acquiesced. "Whatever you want. Just watch your back, Bro."

After shaking his head at his older brother, Cameron smiled into Ally's eyes. "I do believe you, Ally," he assured her. "But there are times when things are different than they seem to be. Marissa . . ."

The sharp shrill of the telephone interrupted him mid-sentence. After one ring, he picked up the phone, saying, "Yeah?"

The caller said little, but the smile which spread across Cameron's face had once made Scott Guthrie rage incoherently. The hard smile, full of determination, courage, and grit sent a shiver down Ally's spine as she seemed to realize for the first time that Cameron could be a very dangerous enemy.

As she stared at him in wide-eyed terror, Cameron smiled more gently, dipping his head slightly until he could look directly into her face. "I have to go, Ally. Timing is very important if I'm to protect your mother from Stark."

She nodded once. "I'm going with you."

Shaking his head, he answered, "You can't. It's too dangerous. I need to know you're safe."

"But . . ."

"No arguments, Ally," he told her firmly. A different sort of smile crossed his face. "You are too much like your mother. She keeps running head-long into danger, too."

Ally looked as if she were about to burst into tears. Taking pity on her, Cameron said, "I won't leave you by yourself. Marissa will take you to a safe place."

"No!" Ally cried, terrified at the thought. "You said you believed me."

"I do," he told her seriously. "I don't have time to explain everything to you, Ally. You have to trust me. I won't let anything happen to you--or your mother. But you have to trust me. Can you?"

After several long heartbeats, Ally nodded slowly. "Good," Cameron said with a smile. "Go with Marissa. She'll keep you safe, I promise."

Looking at Marissa, he said, "You'd better take her the back way. I'll meet up with you as soon as Amanda is safe."

Marissa nodded. "We'll be at the rendezvous point. Waiting." When Cameron prepared to follow Gary through the window to the fire escape, she added, "Be careful, Cameron. And watch your back. Stark is very, very dangerous."

The cold, hard smile was back on Cameron's face. "So am I, Marissa. So am I."

~*~

Standing beside her mother in front of the double doors leading to the terrace, Amanda found herself momentarily free of David Halliday, who had gone to find champagne for the three of them. During the respite, she touched the locket hidden beneath the bodice of her gown, gathering strength from the last of Cameron's gifts. Only a couple of more hours, and she could send David on his way for the night. With any luck at all, they could all go home early.

She watched the dancers slowly move around the dance floor for a few minutes. A waiter approached her brother-in-law, Joe, and Amanda noticed Paulina's expression of resignation. She could only imagine how difficult it was being married to the Captain of the Bay City Police.

Smiling at her sister when Paulina approached, Amanda asked, "What now, Paulina? Isn't Joe ever off duty?"

Paulina rolled her eyes expressively. "No. If I had known being married to a cop would be this irritating, I would never have gotten involved with Joe," she joked.

"But just think of all the perks you have," Amanda grinned. "No traffic tickets. No parking tickets."

"No life," Paulina smiled in answer.

"And you wouldn't have it any other way," Rachel said.

"You're right," Paulina assured her. "I wouldn't."

The smiles on the faces of all three Cory women faded as they watched Joe walk across the ballroom floor, a stern expression on his face. Amanda's heart began beating faster as some inner sense told her something bad had happened to someone she loved. *Cameron,* she thought to herself. *Please don't let it be Cameron.*

Flanked on either side by her mother and sister, Amanda felt their hands slide into hers and she clung onto them desperately. Joe's eyes had never left hers in the hours it had seemed to take him to cross the dance floor. Her mind spoke an endless litany of Cameron's name as she prayed that he was not the cause of Joe's serious expression.

"Amanda," he said softly. "Let's go outside on the terrace for a minute."

Shaking her head slowly from side to side, she said softly, "No, Joe. Please."

Joe looked at his wife, who began trembling as well, but Paulina gently led Amanda to the doors and out onto the terrace. Once again the Cory women faced Joe hand in hand, each one of them afraid of what he was about to tell them.

"I'm sorry, Amanda," he began. "I'm so sorry. But there's been an accident. A terrible accident."

"No, Joe," she cried as tears began to spill down her cheeks. "Please don't tell me . . ."

"It's Ally, Amanda," he told her sadly. "She's been . . ."

"No!" Amanda screamed. "She can't be hurt. She's at home. Tell him, Mother. It can't be Ally."

Looking as if his heart was about to break, Joe said, "She must have snuck out after you left." Joe took a deep breath. "I need to have you come down with me to the morgue."

"No!" Amanda screamed again, grief and guilt vying for supremacy before the conflict became too much for her to bear. Eyes rolling back into her head, Amanda sought--and found--the peace of dark oblivion. At least for a time.

~*~

Juggling three flutes of champagne precariously, David Halliday grew concerned when his fiancé was not waiting exactly where he had left her. A frown marred his brow as he wondered briefly if she had escaped the party to rendezvous with her blue collar Romeo, for whom she still seemed to carry a torch. His eyes narrowed as he contemplated the course he would be forced to take if Amanda had once again betrayed him. Not only would Amanda and Ally pay the ultimate price, but he would wreak vengeance on Cameron Sinclair as well.

The double doors opened suddenly, and Joe Carlino entered the ballroom with an unconscious Amanda cradled tenderly in his arms, head lolling against his shoulder. David's jaw clenched tightly for a moment as he struggled to keep his illusionary visage intact. "What are you doing with my fiancé?" he asked, voice harsh.

"I'm taking her to Bay City General," Joe said. "I had to give her some bad news about her daughter, and Amanda collapsed."

Rachel and Paulina flanked Joe, making it impossible for David to get near his fiancé to check on her condition himself. Although his hands were still holding the champagne flutes, he commanded imperiously, "Give her to me."

Joe shook his head in irritation. "I don't have time for this, Halliday," he said, neatly sidestepping the other man. "Amanda needs medical attention."

"What happened to Amanda?" Lila exclaimed suddenly, inserting herself between Halliday and the others. "Is she all right? Is there something I can do?"

"Ally's been hurt," Rachel said. "Please find Matthew and have him meet us at the hospital."

Lila nodded, her eyes full of concern for Amanda. "I will. We'll get there as soon as we can." She frowned slightly. "But I don't know where Matthew is right now. He went off someplace on his own as soon as we arrived."

Trying to reassert his control over Amanda's person, David began, "I'm . . ."

"David will help me find Matthew, won't you, David?" Lila interrupted.

"But . . ."

Sidling up to him on the other side, Cass said, "Matt and Lila will need a ride to the hospital, too. Joe can take Amanda and her family to the hospital while we search for Matt."

Enraged by the turn the evening had taken, David found his hold on his visage beginning to slip again. Rather than let the world know that David Halliday and Jordan Stark were the same person, he allowed himself to be swayed by Cass and Lila. At the moment he couldn't allow the others to see that he was anything more than the slightly bumbling David Halliday they all knew. But soon he would teach them all to cross swords with Jordan Stark.

"Of course," he answered. "I'll be along as soon as we find Matthew. It shouldn't take too long."

Without another word, Joe, still flanked by Rachel and Paulina, carried Amanda from the ballroom as David glared at them balefully. Although he had his temper firmly under control, his rage was apparent in his slightly flared nostrils, his tightly clenched jaw, and his narrowed eyes. *Soon, Amanda,* he vowed to himself. *Soon you will be mine forever--or die."

~*~

Cameron paced restlessly as he waited at the primary rendezvous point. Feeling his brother's eyes following his every step with apparent amusement, Cameron thrust his hands in the pockets of his jeans, and turned to face him. "What?"

Grinning broadly, Gary said, "Take it easy, Cam. Don't waste all your energy on worrying. Everything is going according to plan."

"They should be here by now," Cameron said between tightly clenched teeth. "Something has gone wrong."

"They'll be here," Gary assured his younger brother. "It's going to work."

Unable to remain still any longer, Cameron resumed his pacing. Back and forth he trod, finding some small comfort in movement. A part of him wanted to run, knowing that the surging adrenalin would heighten his senses and make it easier to think, to plan. He had tried to cover every option, but something must have slipped past him. "They should be here by now," he muttered again.

When the headlights of a car caught him in its beam, Cameron smiled coldly. He stood still as he waited for the car to continue its approach. Gary had faded into the line of trees to the side of the road--just in case. There was no need to make it any easier for Stark to get rid of both the Sinclair brothers.

The car rolled to a stop, and the driver dimmed the lights. "Sorry I'm late," Joe called out. "We had an unforseen problem."

"Stark?" Cameron asked with concern.

Crossing the distance between them in a few short strides, Joe shook his head. "Not Stark. Amanda. She collapsed when she heard about Ally."

"What?" Cameron exclaimed, fearing the worst. Making a movement toward the car, he asked, "Is she okay?"

Having returned to his brother's side just as silently as he had slipped away, Gary grabbed his brother by the arm and said, "Take it easy, Cam. We knew this might happen."

Although greatly tempted to shake off his brother's restraining hand, Cameron struggled to bring his emotions back under control. He would do Amanda no good if he were out of control which would make him vulnerable to Stark's manipulation. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I'm okay now. Thanks, Gar."

"Any time, Bro," Gary told him. With an encouraging smile, he added, "Amanda will be fine. She's got grit. That's something you learn about a person when you're digging yourself out of a hole."

Remembering the horror that was Boca Lynda, Cameron said, "I hope you're right." A wave of guilt washed over his soul. "We should have thought of something else, and not used Ally. What if . . ."

Gary forced Cameron to look into his eyes. "Stop it right there, Cam," he ordered. "Don't second guess yourself now. It's too late for that. Focus on bringing Stark down."

Cameron said nothing for several seconds as he glared angrily at his brother, wanting to repudiate his words. But he knew Gary was right. He couldn't afford to show any weakness to Stark. "Focus," he muttered. "I swear if I hear that word one more time . . ."

Slapping his brother on the back, Gary said with a devilish grin, "You and me both, Cam." The smile faded from his face. "You'd better check on Amanda. We have to know exactly how strong Stark's hold on her is."

This was the part of the plan Cameron had dreaded most. Although he knew it was absolutely necessary, a part of him didn't want to know how deeply Amanda was involved with Stark. During all these months they had been apart, the look of loathing and disgust that had filled Amanda's eyes whenever she looked at him had almost been more than he could bear. And Cameron knew that this task would be devastatingly hard for him, but it had to be done, and he was the only one with a chance of learning the truth.

Opening the back door of the unmarked police car, Cameron felt his knees begin to tremble at the sight of Amanda whose head rested on Rachel's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Mrs. Hutchins," Cameron began.

"This isn't your fault, Cameron," Rachel told him with a gentle smile. "Amanda will be fine once she's free of Stark's influence."

Carefully Rachel and Cameron changed places so that Amanda was held in his comforting embrace. He stroked the side of her face with gentle fingers, wanting desperately to protect her from Halliday and any other dangers she might face. "Amanda," he whispered quietly, fear for her deeply etched on his face. "Please wake up. Amanda, I need you to wake up."

But Amanda remained motionless and unheedful of his words. If anything, she almost seemed to snuggle more closely in his embrace. But Cameron figured his heart was playing tricks on him. "Come on, Amanda," he pleaded. "Wake up."

CONTINUED