by Tawny Weber
The Colonel stood inside the doorway. “Amateur stuff,” he said, stepping farther into the room and closing the door behind him. “The way your men went through the Burkett woman’s room.”
“They were looking for something that might help locate my wife.”
“I told you, Cooper will find your wife.” The Colonel moved to his desk and seated himself slowly in the chair. “All you need to do is get out of his way.”
“I tried to hire him.”
“There’s no need to hire him. Just follow him.” The Colonel nodded toward the metal chair in front of his desk. “Sit.”
Robert obeyed, attempting to get comfortable by loosening his tie.
“So why are you here?” the Colonel asked.
Remembering his earlier resolve, Robert sat a little straighter and forced himself to meet the Colonel’s gaze. “Things are getting out of hand. Cooper’s asking too many questions. I don’t trust him.”
“Of course not.”
Robert hesitated, gathering his courage. “I think we should disband. For now, anyway. Until this all blows over.”
“No.”
“There are too many problems.”
“The only problem is your wife. And that will be taken care of as soon as Cooper finds her.”
“Look—” Robert scooted forward in his chair. “There’s no need to harm Nicole. I can handle her.”
“Just like you handled her the night she took off?”
Robert surged to his feet. “She ran because of you. If you hadn’t threatened her . . .”
The Colonel stood as well, slowly, every controlled movement a threat. “I think you’ve said enough.”
Not nearly enough, Robert thought. After all, what could be worse than what this man and his organization had already done to him? Or what they would do to Nicole if they found her?
“For God’s sake, man, she’s my wife.”
“In this case, I am God, and it’s your own life you should be worried about.”
Chapter 10
Cooper woke well before dawn.
Instead of getting up, he lay watching Jessie sleep. She looked so peaceful, almost like a child, with her features relaxed and that incredible voice of hers safely silenced for the moment. He reached out to touch her and stopped himself, letting his hand hover above her head. Then he gave in to the temptation and brushed a stray curl off her cheek.
Making love to her had been a mistake.
Yet he didn’t regret it. Jessie had been the perfect combination of sweetness and passion. The kind of woman he’d thought he would never find again. The kind of woman he knew better than to get close to.
He needed to rebuild his defenses.
Last night she’d shattered them, taking a part of him he would never get back. He couldn’t give her more. He couldn’t give her his heart. Not if he wanted to survive when she walked away.
And she would walk away.
What she felt for him wasn’t real. For the moment, he was her knight in shining armor, and he knew from experience how fast armor tarnished. Once he found Nicole, he’d be just another man. A man Jessie hardly knew, who lived on a boat and hunted down strangers for high-paying attorneys. She’d go back to her school full of children, and he’d be . . .
No. He wasn’t going make that mistake again.
He needed to get back to business.
The sooner he found Nicole Whitlock, the sooner he could put this whole mess behind him. Then he would head out to the Caribbean as he’d planned and forget about a certain lady with a voice like heated brandy and a body to match.
With the first streaks of light filtering through the curtains, he slipped out of bed. Grabbing his clothes off the floor, he took one last look at Jessie before heading across the apartment to the second bedroom and shower.
When Jessie awoke, she knew Cooper had gone.
Even before opening her eyes, she felt his absence. Her bed seemed strangely empty, even though today was no different than any other morning. She’d been waking up alone for all of her thirty-five years. Just because she’d made love with a man last night didn’t mean that things would change. She’d made love before, and life always continued as usual.
That was before Cooper.
It seemed pointless to deny the obvious. Making love to him had changed her. She doubted whether she would ever again be content with her solitary life, with the myriad of other people’s children she cared for, or with the string of nice men who’d become her mainstay for an occasional evening out. She wanted more; she wanted a life of her own. She longed to wake up beside the same man every morning, and she yearned to raise her own children. Mostly, though, she needed to again experience the passion she’d felt last night in Cooper’s arms.
She rolled over and tentatively touched the indentation on the pillow where he’d lain. A sweet sadness swelled within her. Pulling the pillow toward her, she wrapped her arms around it and hugged it to her chest. It smelled of him. Like the salty ocean breeze, wild and uncontrollable. She’d had a taste of life last night, but instead of satisfying her, it had only whetted her appetite.
She ached for more.
But one night might be all Cooper wanted from her. Just the thought hurt more than she cared to admit. Still, she understood about living with consequences, and she’d known what she was doing when they’d made love.
She climbed out of bed and pulled on a robe. It was time to discover what, if anything, last night had meant to him.
She found him on the couch, making notes on a yellow legal pad. Her heart picked up its pace at the sight of him. He wore nothing but a pair of jeans, and her fingers itched to once again run her hands over the hard muscles of his chest.
“Good morning,” she said instead.
He looked up and met her gaze, and the memory of what they’d shared flickered briefly in his eyes. “Sleep well?” he asked.
Heat touched her cheeks and she nodded. “You?”
“Yes.”
For a moment she didn’t know what else to say. She stood there awkwardly, wondering where they stood with each other. She needed to know. “About last night . . .” she began.
He dropped his gaze to the legal pad on his lap and started writing again. After a moment, he said, “Forget it happened, Jessie.”
Her stomach churned. “I don’t think I can.”
He hesitated and then looked up at her. The difference in him from a few moments ago stunned her. All the warmth had left his eyes. “You’re going to have to,” he said. “I have.”
“Just like that?” she demanded.
He shrugged. “You asked for a few hours. A night. That’s what you got.”
His words struck her like a slap, stunning her. He’d changed guises as quickly and easily as she changed clothes. He’d become the cold, distant man she’d first met a few days ago on his boat. It angered her that he thought he needed to throw this between them as a shield. She wasn’t a blushing virgin expecting flowers and promises after spending the night with a man.
“It’s time to get back to business,” he said, before she could put her thoughts into words. “That is, if you’re still interested in finding your sister.”
A wave of guilt swept through her—as she knew he’d intended. Still, it worked. She should be thinking about Nicole, not Sam Cooper. And since he’d first shown up on his motorcycle the night before, Jessie had been so focused on him that she’d forgotten her purpose for being here.
Nicole.
Whatever was or wasn’t between her and Cooper would have to wait. Moving over to the couch, she sat down, being careful to maintain space between them. “Okay,” she said, keeping her voice as even and cool as his. “I imagine the first thing we have to do today is go in and see that police detective.”
“Framen will have to wait. I have something else in mind.”
“More interviews?”
He looked at her for moment, as if gauging her reaction, and then said, “Actually, I think I�
��ve found her.”
The unexpected answer jarred her. “Where?”
“At least I know where to look.” He paused and then added, “Nuns.”
“Nuns?” For several seconds she didn’t get it. Then it hit her.
“You told me that someone has always taken care of Nicole,” he said. “Why not nuns? Especially since she’d wanted to become one herself, and you’re the only person who knows about it.”
It was so simple Jessie wondered why she hadn’t thought of it sooner. “It’s perfect.”
“Almost. We have no idea which order she went to.”
“I can start calling around—”
Cooper lifted a hand to cut her off. “It’ll take too long,” he explained. “No one’s going to admit to hiding her, so we’d end up going to every convent in the area. Even then we could easily miss her. We need to narrow the possibilities.”
“Okay. But how?”
He thought a moment and then said, “I want to talk to Nicole’s housekeeper, Rosa.”
“Didn’t you question her yesterday?”
“Yes, but something’s been bothering me.”
“Such as?” she prodded.
“Have you been upstairs in your sister’s house, in her study?”
Jessie shook her head. “This is the first time I’ve been down here since Nicole and Robert married. I’ve only been to the house twice and didn’t go upstairs either time.”
“She has a room filled with stuffed animals. Dozens of them.”
“Stuffed animals?”
“According to Rosa, Nicole collects them. I take it this isn’t a lifelong hobby?”
“She had a teddy bear or two,” Jessie said. “Like all kids. But that’s it.”
“Seems like an odd hobby for a grown woman to acquire. Especially a woman in Nicole’s position.”
Maybe. But Jessie didn’t see the relevance. “What could that have to do with her disappearance?”
Cooper shook his head. “Don’t know. But maybe Rosa does.”
“Do you think she’s hiding something?”
“It’s more likely that she doesn’t realize what she knows.”
Jessie took a deep breath and turned to stare out the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the Atlantic. Could it be this simple to find Nicole? She was almost afraid to hope. “What can I do while you’re gone?” she asked, turning back to Cooper.
He rose from the couch, and she tried not to notice the tight fit of his jeans and the top snap, undone.
“Nothing,” he said, drawing her gaze back to his face. “You’re coming with me.”
That surprised her. “What about Robert?”
“Rosa’s not working today. We’re going to her house. Go put on some clothes.” He turned and walked toward the door of the second bedroom.
Jessie stood, suddenly self-conscious in her nightwear. “Why do you want me along?”
Her words stopped him. Turning back to look at her, his gaze swept her from head to toe. “I don’t want you, Jessie. But I just might need you.”
Cooper felt like a jerk.
When he’d told Jessie that last night meant nothing to him, it had seemed a good idea. He’d needed to put distance between them. But when he’d seen the hurt and anger in her eyes, it had taken all his willpower to carry through with the charade. It would have been so easy to pull her back into his arms and drag her down onto the couch. They could have made love with the early morning sun streaming through the windows, brushing their bodies with its warmth.
He couldn’t do it. Not and walk away from this with his heart intact.
As for taking her with him today, he would have preferred leaving her behind. It would be safer for both of them, but he had a feeling he’d need her help. Rosa hadn’t been exactly taken with him yesterday. When he showed up on her doorstep without warning today, he suspected she’d be even less receptive. Jessie might just be his ticket to getting past the housekeeper’s reserve.
An hour later, they were heading south on I-95 toward Miami.
Rosa lived in an older neighborhood where the homes were smaller but the yards larger than in newer subdivisions. The house itself was typical of South Florida—a one-story, stucco structure with jalousie windows and a huge banyan tree shielding the house from the heaviest of the day’s sun.
Cooper pulled into the driveway. Together he and Jessie walked up to the front door and knocked.
When Rosa opened the door, her surprise registered clearly on her features. “Señor Cooper. Señorita Burkett. What are you doing here?”
“Hello, Rosa.” Cooper dragged out his best smile, trying to put her at ease. “I’m sorry to bother you on your day off, but I need to ask you a few more questions.”
Rosa wasn’t buying anything from him—his smile or his questions. “I told you everything I know yesterday.”
“This will only take a few minutes,” he assured her.
Crossing her arms, she glared at him through the screen door. “Okay. Ask your questions.”
Cooper glanced around the small yard, pointedly letting his gaze settle on Rosa’s neighbor sitting on the porch next door. “Could we come inside?”
“Ask me here.”
“Please, Rosa.” Jessie stepped forward, placing a restraining hand on Cooper’s arm. “I’m very worried about my sister, and I’ve hired Mr. Cooper to help find out what happened to her. Please, can’t you spare us a few minutes inside?”
Rosa softened marginally. “I’m very sorry about your sister. Señora Whitlock was always very kind to me. But I know nothing that will help you find her.”
“There might be something you’re unaware of. Please . . .” Jessie’s voice broke, but she quickly regained her composure. “We won’t take much of your time.”
Rosa hesitated and glanced behind them. “Does Señor Whitlock know you are here?”
“Would that be a problem?” Cooper asked.
She brought her gaze back to his. “He might want to know why you came here instead of asking your questions at his home.”
“He won’t ever know that we’re here.”
Again she hesitated, then with obvious reluctance pushed open the screen door. “Come in.”
Cooper took a grateful breath and followed the two women into the house. Somehow he knew Rosa held the key to Nicole’s whereabouts—if only he could get it from her.
She led them into a small, meticulously kept living room. Motioning toward the couch, she waited for them to sit before taking a seat herself in an armchair facing them. “Now, what do you want to ask me?”
Cooper glanced around, taking special note of the abundance of family pictures. “Nice place,” he said.
Rosa obviously wasn’t interested in small talk. She simply nodded her acknowledgment of the compliment, folded her hands carefully in her lap, and waited.
Cooper had to smile. He may as well get to the point. “Rosa, did Mrs. Whitlock go to church?”
He’d expected the question to surprise her. It didn’t. With one brief nod, she said, “With her husband. Every Sunday.”
“Where did they go?”
“There’s a nondenominational church near their home. Most of the time, that’s where they went.”
“What about mass?” he asked. “Did they ever go to a Catholic mass?”
Rosa frowned. “They aren’t Catholic.”
“Nicole’s mother was,” Jessie explained. “Nicole was raised in the church and used to be fairly religious.”
Surprised flitted across Rosa’s face. “I didn’t know.”
“Mrs. Whitlock didn’t belong to a particular church or parish then?”
“Not that I knew about.”
Even though it was what he’d expected, Cooper wished Rosa could have pointed them in some clear direction. It would have made things easier to find out that Nicole belonged to a parish and had direct contact with a particular religious order. Of course, if finding her were that easy, someone else would have done it
already.
“Rosa,” he began again, more cautiously now. “Tell me about the stuffed animals. The ones in Mrs. Whitlock’s room.”
Wariness crept into the woman’s eyes. “What about them?”
“You said she collects them.”
Rosa shifted and folded her hands in her lap. “Yes.”
Cooper picked his words carefully. He knew he was on to something, could feel it with every ounce of his investigator’s instincts, and he didn’t want to spook her. “Isn’t it unusual for someone of her standing?”
“She is an unusual woman.” Rosa sat a little straighter, adjusting the skirt of her dress around her legs. “Very beautiful.”
“Rosa,” Jessie interjected, “what do you know about the stuffed animals that you’re not telling us?”
Jessie’s directness threw him, and Cooper held his breath. He had no idea how the older woman would respond. She might just kick them out on their ears. Then again, he hadn’t been having any luck with his diplomatic approach. Maybe Jessie had the right idea.
“What difference does it make?” Rosa said, turning toward Jessie. “How can a roomful of toys help you find her?”
“I don’t know,” Jessie answered. “All I know is that my sister never collected stuffed animals as a child, and it’s not something an adult usually starts. So tell us what you know.”
Rosa pursed her lips, obviously trying to decide how much to tell them. Finally, she said, “The stuffed animals changed.”
Cooper inched forward in his chair. “What do you mean, they changed?”
Rosa met his gaze. “They were never the same. There were always new ones.”
“So her collection kept growing?” he asked.
Rosa shook her head. “One day there would be many. I could not count them all. Then I’d come to work and most of them would be gone. After that, she would start bringing new ones home again.”
“Did you ever ask her about them?” Jessie asked.
Rosa turned to look at Jessie. “It was not my place.”
“But you did wonder,” Cooper said.
Again Rosa hesitated, studying her tightly gripped hands. “When my granddaughter Tia was very sick, Señora gave me one of the largest animals and told me to take it to her. Señora said, ‘The animals are for the children.’” Rosa lifted her gaze to meet Cooper’s. “I never wondered after that.”