Too Wild to Hold

by LETO, JULIE

  Physically, they couldn’t be more different. Though Danny had apparently dyed his hair a couple of shades lighter than Michael’s as part of his disguise, she could tell from his unshaven face that he was naturally a lot darker. They were about the same height, she supposed, but where Michael was like a stone wall, imposing and insurmountable, Danny was agile and smooth. If she hadn’t already learned that he was an internationally renowned thief, she might have pegged him for a dancer.

  Not ballet or a Twyla Tharp-type. He was like Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire. Old school.

  Suave—and more than a little full of himself.

  Michael, on the other hand, was deceptive. In FBI mode, he was serious and driven. He possessed a single-minded focus that never wavered, despite the residual sensuality of the man he’d portrayed at the plantation, the man who’d made love to her so wildly in the shower, the man who’d stolen a sweet and secret kiss in the kitchen when he’d known she was frustrated and angry at the impotence of her situation.

  Danny wore his personality all over his body, but Michael—Michael was a man with two faces. And she yearned for both of them and neither at the same time.

  Bottom line? Michael Murrieta and Daniel Burnett had absolutely nothing in common, except for their dual ability to totally piss her off.

  Danny continued to manipulate his jaw, as if checking to see if she’d done any permanent damage. Her hand numb, she silently offered him the ice pack Ruby had fetched from the freezer.

  He waved it away. “No, thank you, darling. I’ll wear this bruise like a badge of honor. There’s nothing more valuable to a guy like me than being knocked down a peg by a beautiful woman.”

  Yeah, he was a charmer.

  Michael, standing sentry in the middle of the room, groaned. Ruby, who had not stopped glowering at Danny from the doorway, remained deathly quiet.

  “If you don’t need medical attention, then why don’t you clear out?” Michael asked.

  “You think I traveled all this way to be sidetracked by a love tap to the chin?”

  Claire sat up straighter, but Danny winked at her. He was just using her to bait his brother.

  The least she could do for Michael was not fall for it.

  “So why did you come here?” she asked.

  “My area of expertise is unique. Why not use it to outsmart your…what’s that word you FBI guys use…your unsub? Or do you prefer the Bandit.”

  “Unsub will do,” Michael snapped. “But I fail to see how the tricks of the thievery trade will help us deal with a man who kidnaps women for kicks.”

  “He’s not doing it for kicks,” Danny replied. “He takes the women to fulfill a fantasy—a fantasy based on our ancestry. But whatever his reasons, the fact remains—he’s a thief. Instead of focusing on baubles and trinkets, he steals women. And a thief is a thief. And you know the saying, set a thief to catch a thief.”

  Claire glanced at Michael, who was staring up at the ceiling as if pleading with God for help, or patience, or a little of both. Ordinarily, Claire would have thought Danny’s reasoning a stretch at best, but with no leads, they could at least hear him out. Ruby, still pissed off that she’d been tailed by Michael’s ne’er-do-well brother without her knowledge, remained silent and sullen. Michael was probably battling with too many demons—old and new, personal and professional—to make a judgment call.

  It was up to her.

  “Okay, then what’s your take on the situation?” she asked.

  Michael shot her a warning glare, but she ignored him. At this point, she was willing to listen to the garbage man assigned to her street if it meant coming up with a plan for rescuing Josslyn that didn’t include sitting around and waiting.

  Danny rewarded her with a smile that was probably worth as much as some of the jewels he’d stolen. “I’m glad you asked. Strip away the black scarves and sicko seductions, and you still have a man who is taking things that don’t belong to him.”

  “How do you know about the scarves?” Ruby asked.

  “As much as he’d like to deny it, Michael has two brothers, Special Agent Dawson. He shared with Alejandro and Alejandro—”

  “Shared with you?” Michael asked, incredulous. “He may have saved your ass from a trumped up murder rap, but he would not tell you about my case.”

  Danny’s mouth curved into an expression that was halfway between a regretful frown and an admiring smile. “True, but he also doesn’t pay a lot of attention to who might be eavesdropping on his calls. The manner in which I gained my insight notwithstanding, it seems to me that the unsub is, at his heart, a thief. As I said, he’s taken something you want and he’s holding onto it on his terms. He’s throwing you off your game and putting you on the defensive.”

  He aimed that last insight directly at Michael, who had indeed retreated into protective mode. Claire sat up straighter, realizing that as much as she might not like Michael’s brother’s method of entry into their lives—or his chosen profession—she might just have found an ally.

  “What do you propose we do, then?”

  “Claire.” Michael spun, glaring at her.

  She stared right back. If he didn’t want to have this conversation with his brother, he could see the door from where he was standing. She, on the other hand, wanted to hear what the bad guy had to say.

  “I’d play him right back,” Danny said, his tone light and jovial, as if he hadn’t just cut into a moment so full of tension, it might have snapped. “He’s playing you by taking what you wanted—Josslyn. Now you have to take what he wants.”

  “I have what he wants,” Michael said. “I have Claire.”

  Danny grinned. “Precisely.”

  “If he wanted to trade Josslyn for me, wouldn’t he have contacted us by now and proposed a trade?” Claire asked.

  “Not if he doesn’t know how to find you. You haven’t gone home.”

  “He has my cell number,” she argued. “He can call.”

  “He’s called that number once already. He’s not going to take a chance of being traced. He wants a face-to-face. My brother knows it. That’s why he’s keeping you so tightly under wraps.”

  Michael, who’d turned again to face Danny, didn’t move. He didn’t deny Danny’s accusation, nor did he acknowledge it. He didn’t have to.

  “So how do I contact him?” Claire asked.

  “Go home.”

  Michael bolted forward and grabbed his brother by the collar. Danny didn’t tense up. He might have been a rag doll for all the resistance he gave. But Claire shot to her feet and demanded Michael release Danny immediately.

  “Let him go, Michael, or I swear to God, I’m walking out that door and you won’t be able to stop me.”

  Michael threw his brother back, and though he fumbled a bit when he hit the chair, Danny made quite the show of straightening his dark shirt and pants before sliding back into his seat. “Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of way, I say we move on to formulating a plan.”

  “We’re not discussing any more of this with you,” Michael hissed. “I’m calling Alejandro so he can get you the hell out of here.”

  Danny laughed, unperturbed. “Damned shame we missed out on sharing our childhoods. No opportunities to tattle on each other. I guess we can blame Ramon for that. Or, what did you call him? Pop?”

  Claire watched Michael’s shoulders bunch. He clenched his fists and took a menacing step forward.

  This time, even Danny flinched.

  “Leave him out of this.”

  Claire darted forward and grabbed Michael’s arm. “Stop it,” she ordered. “Both of you. The only family relative that matters right now is the one the Bandit is emulating to satisfy his sick fantasies. The rest can wait until after we’ve rescued Josslyn.”

  “The lady makes an excellent point,” Danny said with a sycophantic tone that made Claire frown. He cleared his throat, sat up straighter and folded his hands as if he’d morphed into, well, into Michael. “Pops isn’t the issue. Neither
is Alex, who did indeed arrange for my release from jail, but the charges were completely dropped. I’m a free man, no longer tethered to the justice system of California or any other state. So, let’s focus on the matter at hand, shall we?”

  Claire ran her hand up Michael’s arm, admiring the strength there even as she met his gaze, which was equally determined. She did not know what bad blood existed between the brothers, but right now, one of them was her unexpected collaborator and the other was a man she could love. Couldn’t he see that they had to look at every possibility, every scenario, to make the right choice about what to do next?

  “Please, Michael. At least hear him out. His idea might be bullshit, but it also might be worth listening to.”

  She squeezed his bicep even as she slipped her other hand into his. The gesture indicated a greater intimacy than she would have wanted to reveal in any other situation, but the time for pretending was over. For the first time since Josslyn disappeared, Claire had a chance to do something to save her. And if it meant breaking out of Michael’s protective shield, that’s what she’d do.

  But she’d rather do it with his cooperation than without it. She wasn’t stupid. At this point, the Bandit did have the advantage against her. But what she had was nearly as potent—an FBI agent who cared about her.

  “Sit down, Michael. Please.”

  He brushed his other hand against hers briefly, then reached for a chair, which he dragged into the center of the room, as if he meant to shield Claire from Danny’s presence. Claire opted to remain behind him, her wrists resting on the back of the chair, her fingers dangling just above his shoulders.

  “So,” Michael snapped. “Speak.”

  Danny smirked, but did as he was asked. “This Bandit of yours doesn’t play by the traditional rules. You can’t profile him with any degree of accuracy because he keeps changing things up. But the one thing that hasn’t changed is that he’s a criminal. He wants what he’s not supposed to have.”

  Michael cursed under his breath. “You don’t get him at all. He believes these women do belong to him. He believes he’s entitled to have them—and worse, he believes they want him in return.”

  Danny leaned forward, breaking into Michael’s personal space. “And you’re overthinking the situation. It’s a simple matter of supply and demand. You have what this Bandit wants. Give it to him.”

  “Give up Claire?”

  Michael moved to stand, but Claire pressed down on his shoulders, keeping him in his chair.

  “You’re insane.”

  Danny snickered. “That’s beside the point. But no, I don’t mean you should literally give up Claire. But dangle her. Tempt him with her. Taunt him out of hiding, then do everything you can to make sure he doesn’t snatch her when you’re not looking.”

  Claire turned to Ruby, who’d been sitting in total silence. The whites of her eyes glowed against her dark skin, but her mouth was pursed as if the concept shocked her, but still had merit. Michael, on the other hand, shook with rage. This time when he moved to stand, there was nothing she could do to stop him.

  “I won’t put Claire in danger. Not for Josslyn Granger. Not for anyone.”

  Michael stalked out of the cottage, slamming the door behind him. Ruby stared daggers at Danny, but after a reassuring nod from Claire, went after her partner.

  Claire crossed her arms and stared at Danny, who hadn’t moved a muscle from his comfortable spot in a cushy armchair.

  “Why do you bait him?”

  “Isn’t that what brothers do?”

  “I wouldn’t know,” Claire answered. “I was an only child.”

  Danny chuckled humorlessly. “So was I.”

  At her quizzical stare, he unfolded his legs and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “We didn’t exactly have a traditional family. In fact, our father didn’t even know I existed for most of my life. Not that it would have mattered. He fathered another child in Spain—Alejandro—and abandoned him without a backward glance. The only one who grew up with Ramon was Mikey.”

  “So you traveled all the way across the country to punish your brother because he got to play catch with Daddy and you didn’t?”

  For the first time since she’d met him, Danny looked ruffled. His brow furrowed, and inside the grim line of his mouth, she could tell he was grinding his teeth.

  “I came here to help,” he said finally. “My reasoning is sound and you know it.”

  “But he’s a trained FBI special agent with years of experience and probably a list of commendations that match the length of your rap sheet,” she countered. “He’s not going to listen to you unless you give him sound, logical reasons that can trump what his gut is telling him.”

  “And his gut is telling him to protect you at all costs—even at the cost of another woman’s life?”

  Claire rubbed her face, hoping it would cover the flush suffusing her skin.

  It didn’t.

  He whistled long and loud in apparent surprise. “Well, well. Looks like he really does have Murrieta blood running through his veins. Maybe it’s Pop’s ring. It’s supposed to have magical powers, you know.”

  “Right,” Claire said, settling herself into the chair Michael had just occupied. His lingering warmth cradled her, comforted her. Gave her the strength to look his brother dead in the eye and quip, “Then why haven’t you stolen it yet?”

  “I’ve tried, but the woman I sent to snatch it from Alejandro fell in love with him instead. Damned inconvenient. Now Michael has it, and frankly, an FBI agent is a tough guy to steal from. But then I realized, if Michael doesn’t totally screw up this…opportunity,” he said, briefly looking her up and down in a way that made her cross her arms over her chest. “It will naturally come to me anyway. And just for future reference, my rap sheet is surprisingly short. I rarely get caught.”

  “I thought you were just in jail.”

  “I was set up. That’s why I’m out.”

  “Doesn’t seem to matter to Michael. He doesn’t like you, much less trust you.”

  “Well,” Danny said, leaning back. “He hardly knows me. If he did, he’d totally hate my guts. But he’d also realize that I know what I’m talking about.”

  “So you think I should just go home and wait for the Bandit to try and catch me?”

  He laughed. “You think Mikey would agree to that? Not in a million years. However, we could go one better.” He leaned forward and presented his idea in a whisper. “He wants to be your lover, right? Why not trip him up by showing him that you already have one?”

  13

  WATCHING THE INTIMATE scene from outside the window, Michael experienced a hot streak of fury that felt a hell of lot like a bullet tearing through flesh. If he couldn’t stand his own brother getting this close to Claire, how would he ever survive if the Bandit got even within one-hundred feet of her.

  He wouldn’t.

  The realization rocked him. Since he’d first signed on with the Bureau, Michael had never put his own needs above those of ensuring justice. He’d worked twenty-hour days for weeks on end. He’d had no serious relationships and pursued no outside interests except for exercise and defense training, all of which related directly back to his job. He only collected Zorro memorabilia because his father gave it to him—he’d never once trolled an estate sale, flea market or online trading site himself. To avoid conflicts of interest, he kept his friendships contained to fellow agents and had even failed to truly forge a relationship with either of his half brothers because Alex had been too far away and Danny’s tarnished reputation might have stained his own sterling one.

  But when it came to Claire, he wasn’t willing to make any more sacrifices. He wouldn’t dangle her in front of a potential killer like fresh, bloody meat over a shark’s tank.

  Not for the Bureau—and sure as hell not for Danny.

  Ruby came up behind him. “If you had lasers in your eyeballs, your brother would have a hole in his chest right now.”

  Michael p
ushed away from the window. “Give it a rest, Ruby. I know he pushes my buttons.”

  “He pushes mine, too,” she commiserated. “Doesn’t mean he’s not right.”

  Michael stalked around the small side yard, but Ruby remained still, waiting as she always did, for him to burn off his excessive energy and focus in on the heart of the matter. He didn’t want to hear the truth any more than he wanted to watch Claire cozily scheming with his brother, but Ruby wouldn’t let this go. Not unless he could come up with a better plan that didn’t mean putting Claire in the line of fire.

  “Look, you care about her,” Ruby said. “I get it. And I think it’s too risky to send her home alone and wait for the jerk to take her right from under our noses. But the underlying idea is sound. We just need to flip it around. She’s our ace-in-the-hole. We can’t ignore that.”

  Her keen assessment made him stop his pacing. If Ruby understood that he couldn’t put Claire in danger, maybe they could work out another way to use her to catch the Bandit.

  “Protocol says we wait for the unsub to contact us while we’re actively pursuing any and all leads to finding him. Truth is, we don’t even know for sure that Josslyn didn’t go with him willingly. He could have paid her. Offered him some kinky sex experience she’s always wanted to try.”

  Ruby strolled closer, her arched eyebrow visible as she came closer. “And what does your gut tell you on that?”

  He cursed. He had no proof, but he was one-hundred percent certain that Josslyn had not gone with the unsub on her own. The Nouvelle Placage event happened only once a year, and from all of Claire’s intel, she hadn’t missed a single gathering since she’d left her family to do the sexual deviant circuit. Tonight’s ball was the main event, and according to the agent he’d left on the scene, she hadn’t shown up.

  “He has her,” he confessed. “And she’s in danger.”

  “Right,” Ruby agreed. “She has no value to him except as a means to lure Claire into the open.”

  “Then why hasn’t he called yet? Tried to arrange for a trade?”