by Cindy Dees
“Let’s go,” he breathed in her ear. “We’re going to give this guy a head start to get well away from us. When we go, we’ll move quickly and quietly. No talking. Keep up with me or stay as close as you can. If we get separated, I’ll meet you at my car in the parking lot. Don’t go back to our chalet by yourself. Got all that?”
“Yes.” And then she asked the question burning a hole in her tongue. “Did you see who that was?”
His terse answer chilled her worse than any snowbank ever could. “That was your admirer from the restaurant. If I had to guess, that’s one of Eduardo’s men.”
Chapter 6
Julia staggered and might have fallen if Dutch’s arm hadn’t gone around her. As he pulled her close to his side, she shuddered against his solid warmth. She didn’t know how long she stood there, absorbing his body heat and silent reassurance.
“Talk to me.” His voice was low and urgent against her temple. “Who was that guy?”
“I’ve never seen him before. He’s not one of my father’s regulars,” she answered into his chest.
“Tell me what you know about these jokers so I know what I’m up against here,” he urged.
“I can tell you this much. The only contract guys my father hires to do his dirty work are the very best money can buy.”
Dutch’s gaze bored into her, measuring the truth of her words. “Give me the financial information now. I’ll call in the authorities and we’ll take your father down. Then we can nab this guy and call him and his team off.”
She whispered, “It’s not that simple—” Her voice broke.
He gazed at her in entreaty. “I swear, I can help you if you’ll let me.”
How was she supposed to answer that? He’d already declared his intention to hurt her the same way she’d hurt him. She could not tell him about Carina’s situation. She stared back at him wordlessly, watching in dismay as his compassion slowly changed to frustration.
“I want to help you, Julia, but I can’t if you won’t let me.”
His disappointment rolled over her, too much after the emotional drain of the last few weeks, not to mention the last few minutes. She didn’t have the strength to fight him. Nor did she want to. Gazing up at him, she absorbed his terrible tension into herself. Long seconds ticked by. Ever so gradually, the rigidity in his shoulders eased and the flat line of his mouth relaxed.
He finally asked, his voice low and pained, “Are you afraid of me?”
“Should I be?” she whispered.
He stripped off his gloves and his bare hands came to rest on her neck. She shuddered at her vulnerability as he cupped her neck in his powerful grip. His fingertips trailed lightly over her skin to her nape, and his thumbs pressed lightly under her chin, tilting her face up. She fought an urge to let her eyes drift closed and simply accept the caress or the strangling to come. She stared up into the fathomless darkness of his gaze as he battled some private demon.
“You’re trembling,” he finally murmured. He was so close his breath felt warm against her lips. And then his mouth touched hers. Lightly. Again, with a little more authority. And then he was really kissing her, his mouth moving across hers with a finesse that was almost reverent. Her knees melted into jelly, and her hands came up to cling to his broad shoulders as his arms swept around her.
The last ten years melted away in an instant, leaving her feelings as raw and vulnerable as they’d ever been where this man was concerned. Faint echoes of a jungle pressing in around them, all sound and steam heat, rang in her ears.
She moaned low in the back of her throat as he dragged her up against him. The heat of his body seared her, even through their ski clothing. His head slanted and she met him halfway, seeking and finding the best angle to meet his tongue with hers, to devour him as voraciously as he devoured her.
His hands roamed up and down her back and her entire being vibrated with the need to get closer to him. She surged against him, and one of his hands slid under her hair to the back of her head. The other slid lower, cupping her buttocks, lifting and tucking her snugly against him. Were it not for the heavy ski boots she wore, she’d have wrapped one of her legs around his waist, so great was her instinct to feel the hard length of him against her feminine softness.
His tongue plunged inside her mouth and she ran her tongue around his, sparring with him to see who could eat the other alive first. The short hairs at the back of his neck slid under her fingers, and the solid muscles there corded with tension.
And so it was that she felt the moment that his rampant lust shifted into reluctant self-control. No! She wanted more of him! Reluctantly, she forced herself not to cling as he eased back from the embrace. His kisses lightened and then retreated completely, and somehow she found the strength to let him go. It was one of the hardest things she’d ever done.
He stroked her cheek lightly with his thumb. His brooding gaze captured hers in the scant light. He stared at her for a long, pensive moment.
“Maybe you should be afraid of me, Julia.”
A shiver snaked down her spine. Maybe she should, indeed.
Holy hell and damnation. What had he been thinking to kiss her like that? He was not some raw recruit who let his crotch compromise missions.
Of course, Julia was doing her damnedest to compromise this mission all on her own. What was it going to take for her to give him the information he needed to unravel what the hell was going on? He could smell the currents flowing around her like smoke, but he couldn’t see them.
Her soulfully delivered story of the last decade was all well and good, but she was leaving out all the important parts. Why did she still refuse to trust him? He’d been steadily taking care of her, setting aside the past and protecting her just as he’d said he would. What more did she want from him before she started helping him?
He realized he was skiing aggressively, shooting down the trail with reckless abandon. He slowed so he wouldn’t lose her completely. But when he emerged onto the main trail, she was right behind him. Hell of a skier. Either that or she didn’t give a damn if she broke her neck.
She’d told the truth about one thing though. The guys trailing them were pros. How in the hell they’d even found this place, let alone figured out he and Julie were here, baffled him. The United States was such a transparent country it was damn hard to hide for any period of time. But twenty-four hours? How had Ferrare’s men tracked them down so quickly?
Was there a radio tracker in her personal possessions? It would explain a lot. He’d have to check when they got back to the hotel. Surely his gear was still clean. They couldn’t have connected him to her. Unless—
He completed the thought reluctantly. Bitterly. Unless she was setting him up again.
He swore under his breath. He’d always scorned men who let beautiful women turn their heads and wreck their lives, but damned if his neck didn’t feel twisted around like a corkscrew right about now. He was a fool, and that’s all there was to it.
Usually he was the master of knowing when to cut his losses, of knowing how to bend without breaking, of giving up the small defeat now in favor of the greater victory later. But this situation with Julia completely stumped him.
Near the bottom of the mountain, they skied into the lights from the night run at the resort. He let his speed build, burning off a fraction of the rage and lust pounding through him. That kiss had been one for the record books. How could any guy not want more where that came from? He was only human, after all. Looked like another cold shower in store for him tonight.
He headed for the dark side of the main lodge, and made Julia lurk in the shadows with him for nearly half an hour before he was satisfied it was safe to approach their chalet. Either her goons weren’t around, or—scary thought—they were better than he was.
He rushed her inside and tore through all her gear after a hurried apology for what he had to do. Once he told her what he was looking for, she stood by without complaint and let him have at her things. The un
derwear and lingerie brought unexpected heat to his face. But he gritted his teeth and made it through the exercise without dying of embarrassment.
“All clean,” he announced a couple of minutes later.
“Thank God,” she murmured.
“Time to get out of here,” he announced.
To her credit, she didn’t utter a single syllable of complaint. She just sucked it up and repacked her things in about five minutes. Another five to wipe the place down for fingerprints, and two more to call the owners, thank them for their hospitality, and let them know about their abrupt departure.
Dutch scouted around outside while she waited in the dark for long minutes. Finally, he motioned her to join him outside. He tossed her bags in the back of his SUV but conspicuously left his on the ground. Time to call her bluff.
Julia stared at Dutch dubiously. Now what was he up to? He held out his hand and she looked down at it. His car keys lay in his palm.
“You want me to drive?” she asked in confusion.
“No. I’m giving you a chance to run. You’ve been itching to get away from me, and I’m going to let you go.”
Her gaze snapped up to his. He was letting her go? Why? And why was her stomach sinking in dismay and not soaring in elation?
He forged on grimly. “You could’ve left me lying on the floor when I hit my head, but you didn’t. You stayed and took the time and risk to make sure I was okay. I owe you one.” He jingled the keys lightly. “Go on. Take them.”
Her hand moved toward the keys. Then fell back to her side. She looked up at him regretfully. “I don’t want to leave you. I feel safe when I’m with you. I am safe when I’m with you. If only you’d—”
He jumped all over that one. “If only I’d what?”
She winced. “If only you’d promise to give me some time. I won’t take any more than I need. I swear.”
“How long do you need?”
“I have to stay alive until—” She broke off, horrified at what she’d almost blurted out.
“Until what?” he asked urgently.
“I’m sorry, Dutch. I can’t. It doesn’t involve you.”
He ground out, “Look. I’ve been busting my butt to keep you safe. Everything about you is my business right now. If you can’t give me the answers I need, then I can’t do my job. You and I are finished.”
Her gaze snapped to his. That meant he was free to follow through on his promise to kill her. Not yet! Carina wasn’t free!
He had her between a rock and a hard place, and they both knew it. She sighed. “Okay. Fine. I’ll tell you more. But not here. Not now. We’re standing out in the open with my father’s men poking around very nearby. Let’s get somewhere safe and then we can talk.”
Thankfully, he didn’t split hairs over her choice of words. She hadn’t promised to tell him everything. Just more. That left her a lot of wiggle room.
“Please,” she pleaded.
He stared at her for a long time. Finally, he answered heavily, “What you’re asking of me goes against my better judgment.”
She retorted desperately, “I’m asking you to save my life. And I’m offering to hand you my father. None of that has changed.”
Another long pause. A sigh. “All right. You can have some time.”
Thank God. Without thinking about what she was doing, she flung herself against him with all the abject relief of a death-row inmate who’d been given a last-minute reprieve. He caught her in his arms and held her close, sheltering her with his strength the way he always did.
“But you have to promise me something, too,” he murmured against her temple.
“What’s that?”
“You won’t try to run away from me again.”
She’d be crazy to run from the one person who could keep her safe. Even if he did pose a real threat to her safety when this was all over. What a choice. Probable death now without him, certain death later with him. She mulled over the idea for a moment. Ultimately, she’d rather face Dutch’s wrath than her father’s hired killers.
Although his condition did raise the question of why exactly it was so important to him that she not leave him. Was there more going on in his heart than met the eye? Did he still harbor feelings for her? Interesting. All the more reason to stay. She answered solemnly, “I promise. I won’t try to run away.”
He wrapped her tightly in his arms, burying his face in her hair for an instant. So fast she wasn’t entirely sure he’d done it.
He murmured, “We probably ought to get going.”
She sighed and let go of him reluctantly.
With a last, reassuring squeeze, he let her go and unlocked the passenger door, holding it for her as she climbed in. He climbed into the driver’s seat and put the key in the ignition, but he paused before starting the car.
He looked over at her grimly. “Last chance to leave me, Julia. Once we go to ground, we stay together until this thing is over.”
She gave him a grim look of her own and nodded her understanding. “Let’s do it.”
Dutch drove south for a couple of hours, stopping at the first decent-size hotel they came to in Durango, in southern Colorado. He checked in quickly and parked around back. His need to hide her from her pursuers was overpowering. It went far beyond professional concern. And that was a problem.
Somewhere along the way tonight, he’d come to a realization. He didn’t feel nearly the burning need to kill Julia that he had a scant twenty-four hours ago. He still wanted to get justice for his brother, of course, but he had set aside his wrath for now. Just for now, he assured himself.
He hustled her through the door to their room, breathing a sigh of relief when its darkness enveloped them. He felt her move beside him and caught her hand in midair as she reached for the light switch. For caution’s sake, he pushed her down into a crouch by the door, and in the scant light creeping through the curtains, signaled her to stay put. She nodded fearfully, and he reached for his gun.
Bending over at the waist, he raced silently across the room and plastered himself beside the bathroom door. Crouching, he spun into the room, pistol first. Quick scan. No targets. Same treatment to the tiny closet. All clear.
He stowed his pistol and flipped on the lights. In the spill of yellow, Julia looked like a scared rabbit huddled shivering by the door. He strode over to her, picked her up, coat and all, and carried her to the couch. He sat down with her in his lap.
She felt like an ice cube and was shaking like a leaf. He held her close for a long time, gifting her with his heat until her trembling subsided. But then he made a tactical mistake. He buried his nose in her silky hair, inhaling the spicy scent of her until the fantasy spinning out in his head made it all but impossible to sit still beneath her. Business, dammit! It was an act of sheer will to drag his mind back to the situation at hand.
“Okay, Julia. Talk.”
“Before I give you my father’s books, we have to figure out which federal authorities you’re going to hand them over to.”
“I’ll take them to the FBI, of course. And they’ll take it to the IRS, Treasury Department, Justice Department, and the Secret Service, depending on what the records reveal.”
Julia frowned. “That’s what I thought, but here’s the thing. The FBI’s compromised. My father’s got a man on the inside. He could foul up the legal process. Make an intentional mistake to get the case against my father thrown out or something.”
He lurched. “How in the hell do you know Eduardo’s got a mole in the FBI?”
“I’m my father’s banker, remember? I write the checks.”
“Jeez. Who is it?” he demanded, fury simmering in his gut. He and his teammates busted their asses every day in the name of defending their country, while some schmuck at a desk was selling it out behind their backs? Make that fury boiling in his gut.
Julia answered, “I don’t know who it is. I wire the money to an offshore account in the Bahamas. I can give you the account number, I suppose. Your peop
le could track it down and probably get a name.”
“If you’ll get started retrieving your old man’s books, I’ll figure out where to go with them. And you can damn well be sure I won’t hand them over to any traitor. They’ll stay within Charlie Squad completely if they have to. Nobody’s screwing up this case.”
She flinched. Did the idea of Charlie Squad handling the entire case scare her? He had announced that he was going to kill her; she had good cause to be scared of the whole squad. He shouldn’t have threatened her. He’d put her on the defensive, dammit. He knew better than to let his personal feelings get in the way of the mission. Now that he needed her trust, she wasn’t about to give it to him. How was he supposed to earn it back?
He asked as gently as he could, “Tell me a little bit about what you do for your father.”
“If it involves his money, I do it or he does it himself. Nobody else touches it. Ever.”
“How does he make his money?”
“I imagine you know about most of his activities. Drugs, arms sales, smuggling, human trafficking. If it’s ugly and illegal, he does it.”
He frowned at her. “Why wait for his financial records? If you turn state’s evidence with what you know about Eduardo, you ought to be able to get full immunity from prosecution right now.”
“I just can’t.”
He cursed under his breath. They were back to that black hole she wouldn’t let him see into. What in the hell was she hiding? If he didn’t have to stay glued to her side, he might be able to investigate it, figure out what she was holding back. Maybe he should call his boss…see what the squad could scare up on her. Right. Like that wouldn’t send up every red flag in the book back at HQ. He’d have some tall explaining to do about why he didn’t tell the squad the moment Julia had called him to set up their meeting.
He tensed when Julia laid her head on his shoulder, but then he set aside his turbulent thoughts to focus on the woman sitting in his lap. Shockingly, he gradually found himself relaxing. He allowed himself to savor the show of trust from her. A soft hand crept up to his opposite shoulder, her fingers toying absently with the neck of his sweater. He swore to himself. This woman’s slightest touch sent his hormones raging completely out of control. He was rapidly becoming dangerously, excruciatingly aroused. Faced with either embarrassing himself or moving, he chose the latter and disengaged himself from beneath her gently.