Rogue Diamond

by Engels, Mary Tate

  "No, not now. I'm sorry, Nick."

  His eyes burned with dark desire. "You're giving me double messages, Alex. Don't tease me. We both know what’s happening here."

  "No, Nick. Only one message. Find Jenni. Nothing else."

  "You're hot next to me, Alex. And I'm on fire for you. Feel it."

  "Please, Nick, we mustn't."

  He shoved her away from him. "I don't think you know what you want, Alex. You're a grown woman. When are you going to act like it?"

  She placed a steadying hand on the door as he angrily strode away.

  He was right. Again. She had lured him on, had taunted him, had given him an enticing message. Then, she'd naively denied their sexual attraction. It was the margaritas, she decided sullenly.

  The tequila left her muddle-headed. She almost ruined the working relationship she had with this man she'd hired to find Jenni.

  Quite obviously, he only wanted to get in her bed. If she allowed that to happen now, would he then be satisfied and turn his back on Jenni? No! She couldn't let that happen.

  Alex went inside as Nick's van screeched away from the curb.

  CHAPTER SIX

  "What do you mean, you can't sign your name? You worked on this proposal too. You deserve credit—"

  "Credit is exactly what I have to avoid."

  "But, why?"

  "Sam says—"

  "Sam? What do you think, Rosemary?"

  "Would you please hold it down, Alex? And let me explain."

  Alex clamped her jaws together and rose to pour them more coffee. "Okay. Explain."

  Rosemary shifted in the chair and folded one leg beneath her. "Alex, remember we aren't in the States, and I'm not married to a liberated American man. There are cultural differences, and at times like these, they rear up in our faces. Otherwise, Sam is a wonderful man, and I love him. How would it look if Sam Garza's wife objected to how the University's money is apportioned, especially if Sam's department is getting most of the money? Now, Alex, think about it realistically."

  "I thought we decided together that the Early Childhood program here is of utmost importance. That doesn't mean we're against agriculture."

  Rosemary spread her hands expressively. "That's the way it would be interpreted. At least, Sam doesn't want to take that chance."

  "Nor do you." Alex leaned back, resigned to Rosemary's abdication from the project.

  "That's right. I just can't sign the counterproposal, Alex. I hope you will try to understand it from my viewpoint."

  "Well, how's it going to look when the professora gringa presents this proposal to the University president?"

  Rosemary laughed delightedly. "Like a typical American woman."

  "Thanks a lot, Rosemary, for leaving me holding the bag."

  "Alex, you know I'd do anything I could to help you keep your job. But this petition is something I just can't do."

  "Okay. So you can't." Alex tossed her hands up in frustration and began to pace the floor. "Do you know what losing this job will do to the search for Jenni? Oh, hell, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I don't want to lay a guilt trip on you, Rosemary. This isn't your responsibility. It's mine. It's just that I'm so worried about her, I really don't have time to be bothered with this problem at the University. And yet, it's vital to me staying here."

  "Alex, you don’t have to leave until you want to. You could live with us, if necessary."

  "Oh, Rosemary, thanks. But it isn't just funds for my basic existence. It's . . . it's paying for the search. All of this costs money, you know."

  "You mean, the big guy with the dark eyes?"

  "Well, he's not doing this for nothing."

  "How's the search coming along? Is your private detective earning his fee? Has he found anything substantial?"

  "No," Alex muttered, perching nervously on the edge of her chair. "Nick isn't exactly a private investigator, Rosemary."

  "What is he, then?"

  Alex blinked, wondering silently how many times she had asked herself that very question. "I don't know, exactly. He's ... he and his Mexican partner have been interviewing all the witnesses to the accident. They haven't finished that yet. Then ... I don't know what next. They're out of town for a few days. On business."

  "Do they think Jenni's been taken out of town?"

  "No. This is for their other job. They take people on helicopter tours."

  "Helicopter tours?" Rosemary screwed up her face. "How the hell can they make a living at that?"

  "I don't ask." Alex looked away and didn't catch the astonished expression on Rosemary's face.

  "Well, do they do other things, like this private investigation stuff?"

  "I don't think so. Actually, Rosemary, I don't know."

  "Alex, are you mixed up with some kind of weird scheme?"

  Alex studied the billowing clouds out the window for a full minute. "I don't know what I'm mixed up with, Rosemary. I only know that Nick said he'd try to find Jenni. And that's what I'm hanging onto."

  "I just hope you aren't making a mistake, Alex. If you know what I mean. . . ."

  "So do I." Alex ran an impatient hand through her hair. "What the hell, Rosemary? As a last resort, I was sent by a priest to El Capitan for help. When he agreed to investigate the situation, I didn't ask for his résumé and a list of credentials!"

  "What? El Capitan?"

  "Oh, it's just a name some people around here have tagged on him." Alex shrugged without meeting Rosemary's eyes.

  "Oh, God, Alex. It's sounding worse all the time."

  "Please, Rosemary. Don't make any quick deductions. Don't tell me your fears or opinions on my dealings with Nick Diamond. I have enough of my own. And I won't give you my opinion of Sam telling you what to do at the University."

  Rosemary gave her a slight smile. "Okay, Alex. I just hope—"

  "So do I, Rosemary," Alex finished wistfully, knowing instinctively what her friend was about to say. "I can tell you one thing for sure. I'm going to submit our counterproposal to the University president, with or without your signature. We've worked too hard to let it go down the tubes. And my job along with it!"

  "I'll help you type it," Rosemary offered with a wicked smile. "Sam certainly can't tell me what to type. Or what to do for my friends."

  When Rosemary left, the neatly typed proposal was stacked on the table. What a great friend. She really wanted to help, but like Alex, was hampered by circumstances beyond her control.

  With a crash of thunder, the afternoon rain started. Alex studied the pattern of rain on the flowering hibiscus in her backyard. She was reminded of the times she and Nick had encountered a sudden downpour and the way he looked with a rain-drenched shirt clinging to his shoulders. Shoulders broad enough to provide strength and a refuge for someone who needed help; someone like her, who needed a strong man to lean on. Oh, how she wished he was here right now.

  Reluctantly, Alex admitted there was an overwhelming attraction between them, something neither could deny. Apparently it was also something neither wanted to resist. She remembered their breathless moments together and the hot, surging sensations she felt when he whispered her name. That was a dangerous sign.

  She hugged her arms in frustration, thinking of Rosemary's unspoken fears, for she had them too. They were amplified now that she had felt the magnetism of Nick Diamond's kiss and knew of the passion he aroused in her. She was well aware of the strength of passion she aroused in Nick too.

  Where was he right now? Was he really taking somebody on a tour of the pyramids? And what about tonight? The more she learned about him, the more doubt was cast. Where could he be going overnight? Was he meeting a woman, as Alex originally suspected? Perhaps Lia, with the voluptuous body. Or was he off on a smuggling mission?

  Alex knew she shouldn't care if he was involved in smuggling or other illegal activities. He wasn't the man for her, not a hard-nosed type like Nick Diamond. But it drove her crazy thinking he was in another woman's arms tonight.
/>   What difference did it make? she asked herself. She was only a client to him, regardless of the passion of his kisses. Obviously, he was only interested in getting into bed with her. Why else was he helping her with this search for Jenni? Well, she'd have to make sure that his interest in her remained keen but unsatisfied. Nothing must interfere with the search.

  Email from Hermosillo, Mexico

  To: Carol W

  From: Alex J

  Subject: job at risk

  Hi Carol,

  Well, I did it! I'm out on a limb by myself since Rosemary refused to sign that proposal. The official protest of budget cuts to the Early Childhood Dept. is lying on the University president's desk at this very moment. It may be one of the dumbest things I've ever done, or the wisest, but it was my only alternative. I figured I may as well go down fighting, stubborn American that I am. We should hear something in a week or so.

  Of course, I'm not ready to leave Mexico. Certainly not without Jenni.

  So far, no leads. Nick is pursuing the investigation slowly. Too slowly for me, but he's running this show.

  You mentioned Jack in your last letter. No, I do not want to see him. Please don't give him my address.

  Can you help me find a job in Phoenix? I may need it sooner than I expected.

  Love, Alex

  Nick had only been gone two days, but the way Alex felt, it could have been two long, empty weeks. She thought of him constantly and paced the floor and worried – about him and her darling Jenni. Although she went through the motions of going to work, her mind was often occupied by Nick Diamond. He was her only reassuring hope of finding Jenni. When he wasn't around, she had none of that assurance. She felt completely alone in her fruitless search.

  What if Nick didn't return? What if she was left once again with no one to help her find Jenni? What if she never saw Nick again? Alex tried to stay busy, tried not to think about the what ifs. She was ashamed to admit to anyone her obsession with this ruffian, Nick Diamond.

  It was after dark when she heard the knock. Cautiously, Alex approached the door. "Quien es?"

  "It's Nick, Alex. Nick Diamond," a weary voice rumbled.

  Feverishly, Alex flung open the door. "Nick!"

  Deep in her heart she felt tremendously relieved to see him, though she tried to hide her feelings.

  "Alex, we have to talk." Nick teetered on her doorstep looking so big and rugged and . . . awful!

  "Oh, God, Nick, what's wrong?"

  "Does that offer of coffee still hold?" His eyes looked darker than usual, and tired. Gone was the spark she had seen there the last time they were together. Now she saw only fatigue, and that he needed to talk to her.

  "Of course! Come in!" Instinctively, she reached for his wrist and pulled him toward her into the hall. Then, realizing what she was doing, she released his hand abruptly. "What in the world have you been doing?"

  Nick sighed, his eyes drinking in Alex's refreshing beauty. "You wouldn't believe it. Actually, I'm just very tired. I didn't sleep very much in the past two days."

  She closed the door behind him. "I thought you . . . might not return, Nick."

  "What gave you that idea?"

  She shrugged. "I didn't know where you were or who you were with."

  "You don't have to know those things, Alex. Only that I'll be back." He loomed, rather than stood, in the hallway.

  "How do I know that for sure? I don't know anything about you."

  "You know that you can trust me, Alex," he said quietly. "That's enough."

  She shook her head and her blond hair rustled around her face. "It isn't enough for me. I want to know more, Nick."

  "I thought we made a deal. You don't ask questions, and I'll help you find Jenni."

  She nodded and looked down. "We did. But you haven't exactly held up your end of the bargain either. We're no closer to finding her."

  "Oh yes we are. Investigations take time. We've only been working on this a week. And we're further along than we were at the beginning."

  A week? Only a week? It seemed like a year! "Yes, I guess we are. Sorry, Nick. I'm just so anxious to find her. And these last two days have been long." Without you, she wanted to add. She gulped and left her feelings unsaid.

  "That coffee? I need it, Alex."

  "Oh, yes. And I'll fix you a sandwich. You must be hungry too." She turned away from him and started for the kitchen.

  Nick followed her. "The reason I'm so grimy is that I just flew back into town tonight. Didn't take time for a shower or anything before coming over here. I'm dead tired, but something has developed and I figured you'd want to know."

  The coffee pot clattered to the stove and Alex wheeled around. "You found her?"

  "No. Now, take it easy, Alex. Just listen." He heaved himself into the chair and rested one muscular arm on the table. Even in his near-exhausted state, Nick looked so powerful and sexy that Alex wanted to run to him and soothe his tired body.

  "Father Ramon got a tip that an orphaned child might be found at Guaymas, a small fishing village on the coast. Now, there is nothing definite about this at all. An anonymous tip. There was no specific information. The child could be ten or two, boy or girl. It might not be a valid tip at all. It might be the first of many wild goose chases. Like the hospital. I thought you'd like to go with me and see."

  "Of course I'll go! It might be her!" Alex felt a flush of excitement. "This might be it!"

  Nick shrugged, dousing her enthusiasm with his nonchalance. "At this point, we can't discount it. But chances are one in a million that we'd find her there. And so soon."

  "Soon? My God, she's been gone a week!"

  "Alex! Get a hold of yourself!" He had a mind to shake some sense into her but instead motioned impatiently at the coffee pot. "The coffee? I really need it." Nick looked at her askance, his usually sharp eyes bleary and dull. Just when he wanted to take her in his arms, he was demanding that she fix him a stupid cup of coffee. He must be losing his mind.

  "How can you be so casual about this? So uncaring?"

  "I'm not uncaring, Alex. Just tired. And if I'm going to sit here and stay awake long enough to talk to you, you'd better give me a little caffeine."

  "All right, I'll fix the coffee. You talk." Alex forced herself back to the abandoned task. "Tell me everything. When did Father Ramon get this call? Who made it? Why don't you trace the caller? When are we going to Guaymas?"

  "The only question I can answer is the last one. Tomorrow morning."

  "Tomorrow? Why not tonight?" Alex demanded, her emotions playing havoc with soaring highs and plummeting lows in a matter of minutes. "What if she's there now?"

  "If she's there tonight, Alex, she'll be there tomorrow. Anyway, I'm in no shape to fly anywhere tonight. I have to get some sleep."

  "The claim on your door says you fly anyone anywhere," Alex accused, slapping packages of ham and cheese on the counter. "If you can fly tourists to the pyramids, why can't you fly me to Guaymas now? You fly that . . . that Lia anywhere she wants to go. I've hired you too!"

  He ignored her jealous outburst. "I want you to meet Jose and me at the airport tomorrow around ten. There's a little yellow building off to the right side where we keep the chopper. Jose and I have to go over the mechanics and gas it up. Then we'll check out this rumor. And remember, Alex, that's all it is, a rumor."

  Alex spread mustard on the bread and dug out lettuce and pickles, ham and cheese. Why was he doing this to her? Building her hopes up only to kick them down. The rich aroma of strong coffee filled the room, and she placed a plate of sandwiches and a steaming cup before Nick. "If that doesn't keep you awake for at least thirty minutes, nothing will."

  "Thanks. I'm starved." He dove into the first sandwich without another word.

  Alex fixed herself a cup of coffee and sat opposite him. "You don't think she's there, do you?"

  "I don't know. I told you the odds. But it's possible that they would try to get her out of town. Away from Hermosillo."
/>   "They?"

  "Whoever has her."

  "And you think someone has her? That she's been stolen?"

  "Definitely. I think . . ." He paused and looked into Alex's frightened eyes. "I think she's safe. But they probably don't want to ransom her. We would have heard something by now. They want her."

  Alex froze. "F-for what?"

  Nick took a deep breath. Damn, he shouldn't be telling her this. He was just so tired, he couldn't think straight. He jerked to full awareness when she gripped his arm fiercely. Her fingernails pricked his skin and he felt the sting all the way to his soul.

  "Tell me! What do you think, Nick? Why do they want her?"

  Nick's eyes hardened and he wrenched his arm from Alex's frantic grasp. His angular face grew taut and he rose to pace across the floor. Running a large hand through his dark hair, he turned back to Alex. "Maybe . . . maybe to sell her."

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Alex felt as though someone had stabbed her in the stomach. She stared horrified at Nick. "Sell? Sell Jenni?" Her voice was shrill as her emotions pitched and rolled with another of those roller coaster surges. "Oh, my God, no! Surely not! It just can't be!"

  "Oh, hell! I didn't intend to tell you my suspicions so soon, Alex, but I guess it's time you knew—"

  "When were you going to tell me? After she was sold . . . when it was too late?"

  Nick gripped her arms and shook her roughly. "I didn't intend to tell you because I didn't want a hysterical woman on my hands. Like now. For God's sake, calm down!"

  "How did you expect me to react when you told me something so ... so outrageous!" Her eyes were like blue flames, dancing with panic.

  "Alex, the only way we're going to see this thing through and get Jenni back is by calmly calculating the actions of the enemy. We will get nowhere by losing control."

  "Calculating the enemy? You sound like were fighting a war!"

  He released her. "Well, in a way, I feel as if we are. It's a hard business, taking a child like this. It's cruel and barbaric. We have to be the same if we're going to win."

  "I don't think it's possible for me."