Dark and Dangerous

by Jeanne Adams

  "His name's—"

  "Rover, for now. Just as you'll be Mike for right now. We don't need to know any differently, do we, Chaz?"

  "No, no, not in the contract, m'dears," the big guy seconded, pushing a heavy cart with their luggage piled on top. "All we ask is that you keep Rover quiet if you can. We don't really allow dogs. Well, service dogs of course, like yours, Mike."

  "O-o-okay," Xavier said, glancing at her for direction in this strange, Alice-in-Wonderland situation.

  "So, Mrs. Peterson, knowing something about your husband," he said, pausing when she visibly jumped. "I'm referring to Mr. Peterson, of course."

  "Of course."

  "Yes, well. I've put your family on a side hallway that can quickly lead to this area and the garage. If you need to come down in haste, there's a special stairway, which I'll show you upstairs. The stairs come out right here."

  He pointed to a beautiful wardrobe, not far from the freight elevators. It was no less than nine feet tall and ornately carved in a style from nearly two centuries before. In front of it and the elevators, there was a huge, gorgeous Oushak rug.

  "We don't use it often, but TJ," he indicated his partner, "gave it a test run when Mr. Peterson went to fetch you. Everything works, no creaking on the doors, even." He tapped a steel dumbwaiter door, about three by three feet square, next to the elevators. "This would bring your luggage down for you quite speedily as well, if you have time for it."

  "Are you anticipating any..." she hesitated. What the hell do you call trouble to a pair of Cheshire Cat innkeepers? Suddenly, the name of the place made sense. "Trouble in the rabbit hole?" she hazarded the phrase.

  Chaz looked sharply at her, but TJ threw back his head and laughed. "Oh, Chaz, Mr. Peterson's done well for himself. Chosen quite the wife. Good job, ma'am, good job. You've done that puzzle faster than anyone we've met, including your very luscious and quite brilliant spouse. Mr. Peterson, that is," he amended, making sure she knew to whom he referred.

  Xavier turned from one to the other in total confusion. Dana smiled at him. "It's okay, honey." At least she hoped it was.

  "It's very okay, young man. Never fear. Part of our service here at Chessie's is to preserve any fiction you walk in carrying, whether that's a wedding ring," he reached out and tapped the gold and diamond band she wore, "or the name of your impressive dog, Rover."

  "Rin-tin-tin might have been more appropriate, Teej," Chaz commented, pulling the doors closed on the spacious elevator. It might once have been a freight hauler, but it was now brightly painted, with an elegant faux finish and nail head trim.

  "Yes, I considered it, but it's such a mouthful. And the short version," he shuddered. "Tinny? What an awful moniker to hang on such a gorgeous animal."

  Dana felt like Alice. The banter was amusing, and they were obviously getting somewhere, but she wasn't sure where somewhere was. The luggage was with them, but Caine was absent.

  It was the innkeepers' fault, she decided, trying not to glare at them. They were so... so ... incongruous. They didn't look gay or have any physical mannerisms that would make one think they were a couple, yet they talked as if they were.

  The simple ease with which TJ pulled the luggage cart and the bulging muscles in his arms were impressive, as well as intimidating. And Chaz was no less well-built, though he moved with a more cat-like grace than his counterpart.

  Then there was the decor along the twisting way to ... wherever. It was stunning. Old Masters paintings, or outstanding reproductions, highlighted beautiful faux marble walls. The walls were interspersed with mural scenes of gardens and distant castles, which belied the lack of windows along their path.

  "Here we are, The Mushroom Suite. You'll be quite comfortable, I know. Go on in, make yourselves at home." TJ rolled the luggage cart in, parked it at a bumper ten feet inside the door.

  Dana couldn't believe her eyes. The suite was a loft space, with high ceilings, hardwood floors, and a view of the harbor. The huge, tinted windows were framed by elegant drapes which hung from iron rods. A long wooden pole hung down as well, and Chaz jogged over and took hold of it.

  "Isn't this fabric yummy? Irresistible texture to it. But I needed a ton of it. It took me forever to get these things mounted, too. Anyway, when you're ready to block out all that water, tug on this," he grasped the pole and demonstrated. The drapes, their iron rings jingling, easily closed.

  "The bedroom's in here," TJ added, pointing to a walled off area with double doors where an enormous bed floated on a sea of gorgeous red Persian carpet. "Bath's over there," he waved to a second set of double French doors which stood open.

  "And for you, young Master Mike, the couch here pulls out into a very nice sofa bed. Far more comfortable than what you're thinking, believe me. TJ and I have slept on every bed in our establishment. There are no uncomfortable beds here, m'boy." He shook Xavier's hand, then headed for the door.

  "You ring us if you need anything, you hear? Dinner's at seven. Oh," he turned as he almost reached the door. "And don't take handsome Rover there outside. We have a most magnificent courtyard where he can, uh, make use of the facilities, shall we say. The plants won't mind, and neither will we."

  "I'll clean up after him," Xavy said, immediately, eager to be sure his beloved Shadow wasn't considered a nui-sance.

  "But of course. We'll find some bags for you, have them handy. All right?"

  "Yes, and thank you," Dana began, resting her hand on Xavy's shoulder.

  She saw both men suddenly tense, and to her shock, each produced a weapon. "Get behind the wall there, with the boy, Mrs. Peterson," TJ said, his voice no longer languid and somewhat vapid. Now it was brisk, businesslike. "It's steel."

  Chaz had moved with equal alacrity to flatten himself on the wall by the entrance.

  Now she heard what they had. The sound of footfalls on the polished wooden floor of the hallway.

  Chapter Twelve

  "It's me, Ca ... Mr. Peterson," she heard the caution in Caine's voice.

  "Ah, dear boy," Chaz said, holstering the weapon he'd been brandishing seconds before and swinging wide the door. "Welcome, welcome. We've been showing your lovely bride the suite. Such a handsome son you have. Smart as a whip. Bring them down for a bite before you go out. The dog can have a romp in the atrium and stay with us while you shop."

  "Thanks, guys."

  Chaz gave him a comradely buffet, and Caine staggered under the impact. TJ smiled, rubbing the same spot as he passed, as if to say, "Sorry for the hit, old man." Then he too disappeared, pulling the three-inch-thick wood and steel door closed behind him.

  "Hey, Mr. Caine," Xavy said excitedly. "They showed us an escape route and everything. And there's this chute, for laundry and stuff? But they said if we had to break and run, we dump our luggage down it so it comes out downstairs. Cool, huh?"

  "They think of everything. Good men, Chaz and TJ."

  "Chessie cats," Dana said, still puzzling over it.

  "Damn. You figured it out. Took me three years."

  "Have you ever read the books?"

  "No."

  "That's the answer, then. It would be hard if you hadn't read them. Xavy has, but he likes Harry Potter better."

  "So do I," Caine said, giving Xavy a conspiratorial wink.

  "Yeah, my teacher said that Alice in Wonderland guy was smoking something," Xavy giggled the words and Caine responded with a snort of laughter. As the two of them joked, Dana checked out the amenities.

  The bathroom was worthy of a five-star spa. The tub was a small pond, and the counters gleamed with granite. Soaps, towels, perfumed bath oils, and candles abounded. The spacious cabinet held more luxury items side by side with bandages and packaged, sterilized instruments. There were drugs, and even a splint, all neatly packaged and labeled.

  In a carved trunk under the bedroom window, its ornate design reflected in the glass, she found an emergency ladder, a purse, a wallet, and a loaded gun, holstered with the safety on, extra magazines
in the purse. She shut the trunk, wondering once again who their hosts really were. That undetected escape, or a spare weapon, was an amenity, the way a spare toothbrush or a razor from the front desk would be anywhere else.

  "Find anything interesting?" Caine asked, coming out of the bathroom in clean jeans and one of the new shirts they'd picked up at Costco.

  "An escape ladder and an extra weapon, if we need it."

  "We might."

  "Hey Mom, check this," Xavier ran in, brandishing three game boxes he'd found in the TV armoire. "The new Badger Man game and a couple others I haven't even seen, ever. Can I try them?"

  She glanced at Caine to see if he thought Chaz and TJ would mind. He seemed to read her mind, flipping her a thumbs up.

  "They're okay," she handed them back. "Take a look while I get a shower. You can play them all later." Xavier gave a whoop and plowed into the plastic packaging.

  "Are you going to check in with Sears?" she asked Caine.

  "Not yet. I'll call from the aquarium. I can use a scrambler on a public phone. I want to avoid the cell."

  "A pay phone? Are there any left?"

  "You can use my cell, Mr. Caine, if you need to," Xavy said, as he came back in for help with one of the cartons. He pulled a sporty yellow and black cell phone from his sweatshirt pocket. "I charged it last night."

  "Thanks. I may need to. And don't forget, I'm Charlie now." When Xavy nodded, he continued, directing his comments to both of them. "I don't want to click into the FBI network from a cell. There's a chance it's how we were traced."

  They game-planned a bit more, and scouted a route for their shopping trip. Xavier was ecstatic to get time to play. Caine joined him on the floor as Dana took her bags into the amazing bathroom.

  She felt instantly better when she stepped into the luxurious stall. Who wouldn't, with all the jets and cascades, not to mention the lotions and potions available in the cavernous shower? It was meant for two, with dual controls and a long, wide bench seat. The images the set-up conjured in her mind would have boiled water all by themselves. Shower sex with Caine, steamy and amazing, was her first and foremost thought.

  Wrapped in a thick terry cloth robe, her body still a-tingle from the erotic images, Dana dried her hair. She struggled to push the sensual feelings away, lock them down. She had more immediate concerns than making love with an awesome, hard-bodied, sexy . . .

  She flicked the dryer off, leaned on the counter. "Stop it, right now, Dana. He's not your friend, he's not your lover, and he's not your husband. He's an agent, you're a tool to get Walker. Nothing more, nothing less."

  Faced with her reflection, she forced herself to make a long, hard assessment. She was in her thirties, a mother. No sex kitten, la-dee-dah girl to attract a man of Caine's experience. She scrutinized the circles under her eyes, the fine lines at their corners. But, her traitorous mind prompted, her legs were long and her body and breasts firm, in spite of having a child. She wasn't gorgeous, but she wasn't a hag either.

  Dammit. She wasn't in the market, nor was he. They had a job to do.

  "Keep that in your mind, Dana," she told herself. "It's all about the job. This is no time for a crisis of femininity or hormones."

  With a soft knock, Caine opened the door. "You okay?"

  Strengthening her resolve, she gave a curt nod. "I'm fine. Just talking to myself."

  He started to say something, but hesitated. She realized he was staring. "Well, ah, let me know if you need anything."

  Where was the confident Agent Bradley?

  "Okay, but I'm fine." Crap, now she sounded unsure. She needed to be firm. Competent. Ah, hell.

  "Dana..."

  "Caine?"

  He met her gaze. The moment seemed to draw out forever. His eyes were searching, for what, she didn't know. She wanted to fling herself into his arms and have him tell her it would be okay. Even if it was a lie, she needed to hear it. He must have seen something of what she was thinking in her face.

  "If you need—"

  "It's all right," she lied, striving for a brisk demeanor. "I sometimes get tired of it all. The running. The hiding." She congratulated herself on being so matter of fact. Who cared if he thought she was being weak or female? As long as he didn't guess what she was really warning herself about. "It gets harder and harder."

  "Tell me about it," he said, coming in.

  "Caine, you shouldn't be in here," she gripped the robe, sure that if he didn't leave immediately, she might forget her resolve and drag him to the floor.

  "Okay. But, Dana?" He stepped back, closing the door, half shielded by its bulk.

  "What?" she peered around the wood, wondering what he was hiding.

  "You should know something."

  "What?" she clutched at the robe, concern making a cold knot in her belly, where only heat had been before.

  He glanced back, eyes shooting to her hands, then flicking to the juncture of the robe where it parted over her thighs. His fiery gaze returned to hers. Everything in her responded.

  Holy shit. "What? What is it?" she demanded, unable to stand the tension, the sexual fire between them any longer.

  "I want you." He closed the door and was gone.

  "Oh, my God."

  Dana made her way to the toilet and sat with a thud. "That's supposed to help?" she nearly wailed the words. "All this craziness, and he hits me with that?"

  Resting her head in her hands, she let her damp hair shield her from the omnipresent mirrors. The strange thing was that when she took internal inventory, his words, the revelation of such stark desire, did help.

  Ephemeral as it was, in her changeable world, it was a solid, palpable thing to hang on to. She began to laugh.

  When she walked into the main room, Caine and Xavier were storming the walls of an alien castle. She broke up the fun and wrestled Xavier into clean clothes. He made a token protest, but all three of them were hungry, so it was mild.

  Within minutes they had found their hosts in an elegant drawing room.

  "Ah, TJ, dear," Chaz drawled. "Here are the Petersons and steadfast Rover come down for a late lunch. You look refreshed, my dear," TJ said, holding a seat for Dana. She took it and he offered her a napkin and a basket of fresh rolls. The others sat, and Chaz began piling food on the table. Pot pie with a flaky crust joined fresh fruit and a crisp salad. Everything tasted divine.

  "There now, that will satisfy the body for a bit," TJ indicated their empty plates. "To satisfy the soul, you should go play." He pointed toward Shadow, who was chasing butterflies in the atrium. "The pup has the right idea."

  Chaz chuckled along with them at the sight, before saying, "Now, Macy's and the boutiques are too far to walk. Best get a cab. The aquarium is three or four blocks on foot." he winked at Caine. "It's a good time to go, midweek, midday. There may be a school group or two at the aquarium."

  "Walking on this foot," Dana indicated the one she'd cut, "is probably not a good idea. Same for you, Caine. Better to save your strength."

  "Good thinking, Mrs. Peterson. You ready to go, Mike?"

  Xavy was taken aback by the name, but quickly caught on. "Yessir, Mr. TJ."

  "Good lad," TJ praised. "I'll have a cab here in a flash."

  They rode to Macy's in the comfort of a yellow cab. The driver didn't look at them when they got in and hardly spoke. He accepted cash with a nod, then drove off.

  "So what are we looking for at Macy's?" Dana asked.

  "High-tone casual. Think CEO and his wife on vacation. We got top accessories at Costco. We need the threads too."

  "Got it."

  "You have a credit card, Mrs. Peterson. Use it. Don't stint. We need to look the part," he said quietly. Speaking in a normal tone, he put a hand on Xavy's shoulder. "C'mon, Mike, let's get those shoes for you. I know your mom wants to shop without us in the way." He smiled warmly, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Have fun, honey. We'll meet you in the men's department in ... what?" he looked at his watch. "An hour? Is that enough time?
"

  "Plenty," she said, then nearly choked. That probably wasn't in character. She wasn't a shopper, and it had been a long time since she needed dress clothes. Crap. "Well, maybe not plenty," she amended sweetly, and saw the approval in Caine's smile. "So why don't you two come find me?"

  Xavy rolled his eyes, and they both laughed. "Okay, hon. See you in a bit." Caine used the scene to press another kiss to her cheek. "Good save," he murmured, for her ears only.

  "Thanks."

  They dropped five shopping bags at Chessie's before making their way to the aquarium.

  "How come we need all that stuff?" Xavy said as the cabbie pulled into traffic, seeking another fare.

  "Character, Mike. It's all about character," Caine pontificated. More quietly he said, "Dress like Mike, you feel like Mike. You act it. Harder to see Xavy, if he's acting like Mike."

  "Got it," the boy managed, losing interest in the discussion as the passed a group of street singers practicing on a park bench.

  "They're pretty good," he said, taking the hand Caine held out to him. It made Dana's heart clench to see how quickly and easily Xavy had accepted Caine as a father figure.

  He wanted her. He liked her son. The knowledge alternatively delighted her and pissed her off. Why couldn't anything just be normal?

  The Baltimore aquarium was minimally attended. They strolled through, and Xavy "oohed" and "ahhed" over the sea creatures. At the show, they sat close enough to get splashed, and Dana stayed with their things while Xavy and Caine went poolside for a picture with the killer whale after the show.

  Caine was the perfect attentive father, making Xavier laugh and chucking him on the shoulder when he burped and didn't say excuse me right away. And toward her, Caine was full of warm glances and light touches.

  It was killing her. Her attraction was real, and so intense, that every touch, every glance was piling fuel on the fire. She knew better, she told herself. It wasn't real. But it felt so damn good.

  "That was great," Xavy enthused as they left the enclosure. "Wow, I've never seen anything that big. And did you see me feed it, Mom?"