Dangerous Proposition (14 page)

He smiled. “Odd twist of fate.”

“Fate,” she repeated, grateful to see that there were so many people around. Looking back in his direction, she said, “I think there’s a better word for it. Some might call it stalking.”

“Not that I wouldn’t stalk you, ’cause I certainly think you’re worth the effort. But this really is a chance meeting.”

And if she believed that, then she deserved whatever she got. Coming back on her heel, Julia raised her arms, getting into
Renoji Dachi
position. “Kid yourself not. I’m a third degree black belt. Meaning I’m fully prepared to kick your ass if you push me to it.”

Griffin snickered. Looking at her as though she had six heads, he said, “There’s obviously some sexual tension between us, but there’s no reason to go all Charlie’s Angels on me. We’re on the same side, sweets. I told you what I did last night because I’m looking out for you.”

“Even the part where you told me to stay away from Colin Westwood?” Julia’s heart pounded in her chest. “Tell me how you knew who I was before we met.”

“Tell me where you got the idea I was dealing drugs. Then maybe I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

Julia thought quickly. Turning to Griffin with a composed smile, she said, “Some of my friends told me it’s a good way to make a fast buck. I was told there might be dealers at the party last night, and I thought with that thousand-dollar smile of yours, you had the look.”

Griffin was thoughtful a moment. He closed in on her, displaying a smile that reeked of suspicion. “Westwood trained you well in the lying department. But unfortunately for your sake, your boyfriend is about ten steps behind me. If you want your daddy dearest back, I strongly suggest you stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

The bastard knew where her father was! Which meant he wasn’t dead, and he was more than likely being held against his will. Either Griffin knew the man who’d taken him, or else he’d done the job himself.

Julia sprang forward, trapping Curly Sue in a headlock. Seeing there was no one else around, she twisted his neck just hard enough to make him whimper. “Tell me where my father is, you son of a bitch! I have no problem going straight to the cops about all of this.”

“Whoa, take it easy on me, sweets. You’ve got some nice moves. It’s a shame you’re wasting them on the wrong side.”

He thrust his hand between her legs, and Julia was so surprised she released him. Backing away, she was rather livid to see that he was still standing.

“I didn’t take your father,” Griffin said. “But I do know where he is. When you’re ready to save him, come find me.” He shoved a piece of paper into her hand.

Turning it over, Julia saw that it contained an address. It was located in a shady section of the City, which either meant he was trying to throw her off the track, or else he’d just confirmed her worst suspicions.

She opened her mouth to speak. But when she looked up, Griffin was gone.

It was dark outside when Colin decided to call it a night. A significant amount of the sidewalk traffic had eased. Streetlights, billboards, and cars lit the overcrowded city.

Climbing the steps to his apartment, he realized that the day had gone by quickly. He’d asked the security guard on his way out of the building if anyone had recently visited Tucker’s office. He was told that no one had. Hearing this had shaken him up good, and he was supposed to have come back here hours ago to check on Julia. Not that he was concerned per se, but she didn’t have the greatest track record for keeping her promises.

Walking through the door, he was surprised to find that the apartment was dark. The breakfast dishes remained in the sink. The newspaper was where he had left it on the kitchen table.

“Julia!” he shouted.

Had she gone out in search of her father? Was she wandering the back alleys of Manhattan? It was after six thirty in the evening, meaning she was supposed to have been back there over five hours ago. She might have attempted to locate her dad and wound up getting herself abducted in the process. Worse, she could be dead.

Colin paced the apartment, examining the kitchen and the area behind the couch. Unsuccessful, he charged down the hall and began opening doors. He turned sharply as his bedroom door came open from the other side.

Julia stepped through it, hands planted on her hips. “Do you have to scream so loudly you scare the pigeons off the ledge?”

“Why are the lights off?” he demanded, glancing at his shaking hands. Hoping that Julia hadn’t seen them, he shoved them into his pants pockets.

“I was taking a nap,” she said. “Or at least, I was trying to take a nap until you stormed in here like the vice squad.”

Colin took a few calming breaths. Julia was there. She was all right. Her hair was tousled, but she was safe and completely unharmed. And he sounded like an absolute nutcase.

He needed to get a serious grip. That was, before he lost what was left of his sanity.

That afternoon, having taken care of the body of his late security guard, and getting an extensive look at the contents of Tucker’s office, he’d found himself, very much to his astonishment, walking along Fifth Avenue. Entering into a jewelry store, he had done something he still couldn’t quite wrap his head around. He’d made a purchase.

The fact that he’d done this was highly disturbing, not to mention entirely out of character. He’d known the story about Julia’s mother had affected him, but he hadn’t realized how hard. Not that he wanted to encourage Julia’s affection toward a parent who was incapable of love, but he understood where she was coming from. Her admiration toward her mother sounded a lot like his own toward his father. That was, before he’d realized what an absolute bastard his father was.

Replaying their conversation in his mind, Colin had decided he wasn’t entirely convinced that what Julia had told him was the whole story. She put up a front, more so than most people. But there was something more to that deal with her mother. And it was something that affected her at the very core of her being.

Nevertheless, whatever it was about, he’d do best to just forget it. Thanks to Desmond’s asinine advice, he’d taken the role of bodyguard way too far. He would do both him and Julia a world of good if he steered clear of anything emotional from here on out. It wasn’t as though there wasn’t enough of that going around, between having Tucker missing, and whether he was alive or dead still being in question.

Still, this was a difficult time for Julia. And a part of him had felt she ought to have something comforting to help her through it.

“So did you find anything of significance, or did you spend the afternoon walking into another death trap?” Julia lifted her auburn brows.

With a pounding temple, Colin stalked toward her. Anger returning tenfold, he resisted the urge to wrap his hands right around her neck. “Never mind about that. Where are your purchases?”

She shot him a saucy grin. “They’re in the bedroom.”

“Let’s see what I’ll be admiring you in.”

She disappeared. As she shut the door, he imagined her dressed in a short black skirt that showed the contours of her legs. Envisioning himself running his hands along their softness, he became warm. He loosened his collar.

Seconds later, Julia opened the door. She walked toward him, holding up two plastic bags. Catching sight of the cheap red logos splashed across the front of them, Colin snatched them from her hands.

“What in God’s name—” He sifted through the bags. Doing so, he discovered two pairs of jeans and a couple of T-shirts.

Blood boiled in his veins. He forced himself to remain in place as Julia tucked her arms behind her back, smiling an innocent smile.

“I specifically instructed you to purchase things that are pleasing to the eye,” he said, tossing the bag onto the couch.

“They look pleasing to me.”

“It’s
my
eye they’re supposed to be pleasing to, mistress. That was our arrangement.”

Julia smiled. “Then I guess I just broke it, didn’t I?”

She walked away, stopping at the window. Certainly a strange way of gloating. In fact, it didn’t seem like gloating at all, but very much like there was something she was hesitating to say.

Had the clothing been merely a decoy? Perhaps Julia had taken better advantage of her free time than he’d realized. Maybe she’d been out doing exactly what he’d suspected all along—investigating. Striding toward her, he snatched her by the chin. “Where were you this afternoon?”

“What are you, my keeper?”

“Yes, not in so many words. Since this little search-and-rescue, as you like to call it, was my idea, I decide what activities you’ll be involved with during our stay in the City.”

“I bought a couple of T-shirts. It isn’t as if I broke out of prison.”

“I don’t mean that,” Colin said impatiently. “I mean whatever it is you’re not telling me.”

“Are you implying that I somehow got myself involved in something I shouldn’t have?” Julia asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.

“Should I be?” He tightened his fist. Woman or otherwise, he found himself wanting nothing more than to throttle her. She was one of the most infuriating people he had ever known. Worse than Lucas. Worse than his father. Though Colin seriously doubted it was possible for him to hate anyone more than he did those two men.

“Apparently you no longer care about having the inside track on your father’s investigation.” He looked at her, challenging.

Her expression hardened. “I’d do anything for my father. If I thought giving myself to you was the price I had to pay to get him back, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But it won’t help. You’re not calling the shots here and neither am I.”

“So you’ve accepted that I’m not the person who took him?” Colin held his breath.

Julia looked away. Turning back after a moment he thought would never end, she said, “I know you didn’t take him.” She walked to the front door.

“Where are you going?” he asked her pointedly.

She looked back. “I think it’s best if I leave. This was a mistake from the start, and I never should have let it go on as long as I did. I lied to you. I never had any intention of being your mistress.”

“I never doubted that, Julia.”

“Then why in the world did you agree to help me?”

“Because I sensed you weren’t entirely repulsed by our kiss. And because I wanted to help you, and I still do. Tucker’s like a father to me. I’m not giving up on him without a hell of a fight.”

Julia stepped into the light, and he saw that her eyes were red from crying. Colin’s chest tightened. Of all the things he thought she might’ve been doing in his bedroom, crying wasn’t one of them.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked her gently.

She stared at him, as though deciding whether or not to answer.

“You can trust me.”

“Can I?”

He nodded. Slipping his hand into his pocket, he placed his fingers around the ruby bracelet. Studying Julia, he saw pain in her eyes, pain he’d often seen in his own reflection. The red stones sparkled as he placed it into her hand.

She stared at it, paralyzed. “What in the world…”

“I bought it this afternoon,” he explained.

“Like my mother’s bracelet. Only real. Why would you get this for me?”

“I thought the red stones were a little more your color. And I was hoping this could be something of a peace offering. Tucker’s gone because of me. No one else.”

“You can’t blame yourself,” Julia said. She was silent a moment then leaned in toward him. She laid a hand against his arm.

Colin breathed, warming at the feel of this unexpected physical contact. Could Julia really be doing this of her own accord? Desmond was right—he was getting to her. He found this made him feel aroused, powerful, and a little bit guilty, all at the same time.

Julia looked at the bracelet. Was she going to put it on, he wondered, or toss it at his head? She traced the stones with her fingers.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked.

“Because you came back to me when you could just as easily have run. And because, believe it or not, I understand what you’re going through. And I want to help.”

She stretched the bracelet, holding it over her wrist. Not quite letting it go, she asked, “What happens if I accept this?”

“Consider it a promise that I’m going to find your father and bring him home to you safely.”

She hesitated, and Colin wondered whether she was finally going to call his bluff. Call him out for the lying son of a bitch he really was.

“Will you accept it?” he asked, taking the bracelet from her hands.

Julia nodded, and he opened the clasp. Her soft skin felt good as he fastened it around her wrist.

She stared at the bracelet, and he took her hand, holding it in his. Noting her unmistakable smile, he gave it a squeeze.

“Colin,” she said after a moment. “If you really want me to trust you, you need to be completely honest with me.”

Colin sighed. He may have provided a momentary distraction, but it didn’t seem as if he was getting away as easily as he’d hoped. He sat on the couch. “What do you want to know?”

“The truth,” Julia said. “About the assignment my father was on when he was abducted.”

He ought to have known it would come back to this. Julia was a smart woman. And though the story he’d fed her about the FBI was certainly believable, everything coming out of his mouth was a lie.

He’d never wanted to be a contrabandist. Cliché as it sounded, he’d wanted a partnership in Lucas’s operation so that he could help people. People like the ones his father had shunned. Most of his recruits had turned out to be decent employees. And though the cause they were working for was far from ethical, they’d had work and an opportunity to provide for themselves and their families. It was an opportunity they wouldn’t have had otherwise.

But Julia would never see it that way. He was a criminal, and he’d made her father a criminal, too. Tucker wasn’t even one of the afflicted he’d taken under his wing. The man was a mathematical genius, and clearly he’d passed along his intelligence to his daughter.