Laws of Attraction (12 page)

Paul visibly paled.

Interesting. Esteban had a public reputation for gallantry toward women, a trait Dallas reluctantly acknowledged they shared. Montoya obviously had clout here. So Dallas would use the weapon at hand. “You seem real chummy with the little lady.”

“She’s only a receptionist.” Paul shrugged. “They’re a dime a dozen. You know how it is.”

“Afraid I don’t.” Dallas stared into the other man’s shrewd hazel eyes until Grayson shuffled from foot to foot. “Looked to me like she didn’t share your enthusiasm. I believe the law calls what you were doing sexual harassment.”

Paul stiffened. “Janet has a young son to support all by herself. She doesn’t want any problems with her job.”

“Is that right? Even more reason for her not to have any, then.” Dallas moved in, crowding the other man. “I believe I’ll be having a chat with Janet whenever I visit the office here with
Señor
Montoya. If she’s happy with her job, I’ll be happy. Montoya will be happy. In fact, since she has a little boy to support, I’ll bet a nice fat raise would make her downright ecstatic.” He arched a brow. “Is my message coming through?”

“Crystal,” Paul snapped. “Now I have clients to see.” He pivoted and strode down the corridor, passing Janet on the way. “Send my schedule to my office, and make it snappy.”

Dallas cleared his throat. Loudly.

“Please,” Paul gritted, before stalking into an office and slamming the door.

A wide-eyed Janet handed Dallas his coffee before returning to her chair.

“Thank you, ma’am.” He took a sip. “I have a feeling your working conditions are about to improve.”

She blanched. “You didn’t say anything to Mr. Grayson? He’ll fire me. I have a little boy and—”

“Don’t worry. Grayson’s not gonna fire you. In fact, he’s giving you a raise.” He set down the cup, then reached inside his jacket and pulled out a business card. “If he causes trouble for you, call me, you hear? Any time.”

She studied his card. When she looked up, tears glistened her lashes. “I don’t know who you are, Mr. McQuade, or what you just did … but if you ever need anything—” She fumbled a tissue out of the box on her desk.

He smiled. “Buy your little man something special with the extra money.”

Before he could return to The Wall Street Journal, Esteban exited Harper’s office. Dallas concealed his frustration. He’d missed his chance—for today.

The limo whisked them to the airport, where the chartered plane from Central America arrived on schedule. Montoya introduced Dallas to Soledad’s birthday guests, including Soledad’s bombshell look-alike cousin, Isabel. “My niece Isabel manages our main Costa Rican outlet.”

“
Hola, Señor
Dallas,” Isabel cooed. “A pleasure to meet you.” Her dark, liquid gaze devoured him like he was the last double-fudge brownie at a PMS support group.

He knew that look, and it only meant one thing. PITA supreme.

As they traversed the concourse, she squeezed his ass. Frowning, he turned to see her mouth curled in a come-and-get-me smile.

He inclined his head at the automatic doors. “Let’s get y’all to the cars. I’ve already arranged to have the luggage sent to the house.”

The guests departed for the mansion in their limos. Dallas called an additional armed guard to meet him and Montoya at the jewelry store where Esteban picked up Soledad’s gift, then kept one hand on his gun while shepherding Esteban back to the car. The elegant silver and white package in Montoya’s hand contained half a million dollars in emerald jewelry.

They arrived back at the mansion without incident, where Isabel immediately cornered Dallas in a hallway. “The window in my room seems to be stuck. Surely a virile
hombre
such as yourself could raise my sash?”

Yeah, she wanted her sash raised all right. But the exotic, model-perfect beauty didn’t turn his crank. Unlike a certain impish lawyer who managed to stagger him with one alluring whiskey glance. “Certainly,
Señorita
. I’ll send someone at once. If you’ll excuse me, I have a lot to do before the party.” He strode away before she could comment.

Five hours later, his shouldered G19 disguised under a tuxedo jacket, his backup G26 tucked beneath the pant hem, and his knife sheathed in his dress boot, Dallas arrived at the Riverview Country Club. Ninety minutes until kick-off. He inserted an earpiece with the miniature mic that would keep him in constant contact with the platoon of bodyguards.

He performed a final sweep of the grounds and then searched every room, checking every detail. From a security standpoint, this shindig was a nightmare. His gut was seldom wrong.

And he had a bad feeling about tonight.

At nine p.m., the band surged into an energetic Latin number and glamorously dressed party-goers began to filter in.

By ten-thirty, the place was packed, and Dallas was sweating like he’d run a hundred yards for a touchdown with four seconds on the clock.

He stood with his back to the wall, watching Soledad and Esteban chat-up their guests. Begrudgingly, he admitted the man had charisma. Everywhere Esteban went, ladies flocked around him, and men hung on every word.

Isabel slinked toward Dallas on red beaded four-inch heels that matched her cut-to-barely-legal gown. He rolled his eyes.
Not again
. He’d spent the whole evening dodging her.

“Would you like a drink, Dallas?”

“No thanks, I’m on the job.”

She sashayed closer, the musk of her cloying perfume making his eyes sting. “Perhaps afterwards,
sí
?”

“I’m a married man,
Señorita
.”

“Of no concern to me.” She leaned in, giving him a panorama of her impressive cleavage all the way to Central America. “A
grande hombre
such as yourself must have
mucho
stamina for many ladies. Like a bull, no?”

Compared to Mia’s fresh, fair beauty, Isabel was a gaudy bouquet of hothouse lilies. “I don’t cheat.”

“You’ve been neglecting me all evening.” Her lips pursed in a pout. “When I am upset,
Tío
Esteban is upset. Dance with me.”

Maybe if he paid attention to her for a few minutes, she’d quit pestering him. Besides, he couldn’t afford to irritate Esteban by being rude to his niece. He could keep an eye on the party from the dance floor. “One dance, that’s all.”

He led her to the crowded floor and she plastered her body to his like his tux was made of Velcro. He ignored her undulating against him while he scanned the room. The back of his neck prickled. Something felt off.

Dallas steered Isabel toward the perimeter where he had a clearer field of vision. She gasped and stumbled in his arms, only his quick reflexes saving her from falling. “Isabel?”

“Oh, I feel faint.”

“I’ll have someone escort you to the Ladies’ Lounge.”

“No. No. I need air, now. Outdoors. You take me.”

He’d seen better acting in a Jessica Simpson movie trailer. But he’d use the opportunity to make another sweep of the grounds. “I can spare five minutes.”

He alerted his men to his change of locale. Isabel clung to him as he led her to the splashing fountain in the center of the moonlit garden. A full moon spotlighted a sky wheeling with stars, and the fragrance of blooming roses overshadowed her perfume. The scent immediately reminded him of Mia. They’d been apart barely twelve hours, and although he couldn’t,
he shouldn’t
, he already missed her.

Isabel sidled closer, trailing scarlet nails down his cheek and across his lips. “You have such a tempting mouth, Dallas. I have wanted to kiss you all night.” She flung herself at him, wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a liplock that would do a piranha proud.

Tingling foreboding he usually only felt just before a tornado hit rippled up Dallas’ spine. Goose bumps prickled his skin, and every hair on his body stood on end.

“
Señorita
,” Mia’s icy voice said from behind them. “I hate to interrupt your international goodwill effort. But I’d appreciate it if you’d stop pawing my husband like he’s hanging on the clearance rack at Macy’s.”

Dallas’ heartbeat punched into overdrive as he peeled Isabel off him.
Not friggin’ possible
.

She was supposed to be fifteen hundred miles across the country.

He turned to see Mia staring up at him, arms folded, her glower blacker than the midnight sky. She’d changed into her wedding dress, presumably so she could infiltrate the party.

“This is your wife?” Isabel stabbed Mia with a venomous glare. “You need to teach her some manners.” She wheeled and flounced back into the country club.

“Emily Post for the morally-challenged,” Mia gritted.

Dallas had—barely—enough presence of mind to shut off his mic before he spoke. “What the
hell
are you doing here?” Gripping his wife’s upper arm, he towed her through the garden, across the lawn, and around the side of a large potting shed. He let her go, pivoted to face her. “And what the
hell
happened to Zane?”

Her chin angled up. “I found a loophole. No thanks to
you
.”

“Damn it, I told him to— I’m gonna bust his balls.”

“Good luck with that. He’s handcuffed and locked in a VIP restroom in the Phoenix airport.”

“
What
? How did you manage to get the jump on Wolfe?”

“Easy. While we were waiting in the terminal to change planes, I very convincingly ‘got sick.’ He took off the cuffs and helped me into the bathroom. I knocked him out, cuffed his arms around the john, bound his ankles with his belt, and gagged him with his tie. Then I jammed the door lock from the outside and taped up an ‘out of order’ sign.”

Dallas closed his eyes, then immediately snapped them open. Closing his eyes around Mia wasn’t smart. “Anything else I should know?”

“I took his wallet to pay my way back. And borrowed his cell phone. Oh, and his gun is in a dumpster outside the terminal—minus the clip, which is in a different dumpster.”

Jesus
, Zane would be livid. “Are you insane?” He stabbed his fingers through his hair. “No, don’t bother. Rhetorical question.”

“
Me
?” She advanced on him, eyes liquid fire in her pale face. “Where do you get off handcuffing and extraditing me like I’m a wanted felon?”

Fury whipped through him. “You’re in deep over your head, and walking around with a neon target pinned to your back. But apparently that doesn’t faze you. I’m busting my ass trying to
keep you alive
—and
that
gets your tail in a knot.” He backed her against the shed. “If keeping you safe means sequestering you until this is over with, so be it.”

She shoved him hard enough to make him stagger. “You can’t hold me hostage, it’s against the
law
.”

“I’m your husband, I’m responsible for you.”

“No,” she shouted. “
I’m
responsible for me.”

“You think you’re a tough little cookie, don’t you? Well let me enlighten you, Mia. These people grind tough cookies into crumbs.
Everything
I’ve done is for your protection, including sending you away.” He scowled at her. “But you keep getting in my way, just keep turning up like a bad penny.”

Hurt creased her face. Her mouth wobbled. Then she spun and stalked across the lawn in the opposite direction toward the parking lot.

Aw, hell
. He jogged to catch up. “Mia, stop.”

She walked faster. “I’m not exactly thrilled to have you underfoot, either. You stay out of
my
way.”

“Mia.” Harnessing his rare lash of temper, Dallas softened his voice. “That was out of line, and I apologize. Stop and talk to me.”

She slowed. Eventually halted. Dallas waited through a long, uncertain pause.

When she turned around, anger still stiffened her body and hurt pinched her features, but she wasn’t afraid.

Relief washed over him. Although she could’ve hardly failed to see his rage, Mia trusted him not to hit her.
Progress
.

Moisture sheened her eyes in the moonlight. “I thought, maybe … after we talked and ate and laughed, and almost …” She inhaled sharply. “… in Vegas …” Her lips trembled again. “But you only pretended to be attracted to me, pretended to care—so you could betray me.”

“I
don’t
kiss women I’m not attracted to. I definitely don’t—”
Lose control, drag them to the floor and strip their clothes off
.

He flung out his hands. “I
do care, dammit
! Way more than I should … although God only knows
why
.” He shook his head. “I was sending you to my family’s ranch in Tyler. I want you to stay with them until this is over.”

“Y-you were … Your family?” For a moment, she appeared stunned. “I am not going to Texas. Not going anywhere. Deal with it.”

Dallas grasped her upper arms and hauled her close. “You want me to deal with it after the Esteban cartel’s wet work team
butchers
you?” He bent down, got right in her face. “When the savage fuckers gang-rape and torture you first to make you spill what you know … and then just keep carving you up, piece by bloody piece, because it’s their idea of
fun
?”

She blanched parchment white. Even her lips drained of color. “If … why—” She swallowed hard. “If they’re so ruthless, so evil,
why are you working for them
?”

He released her and took a step back.
Pull your act together, McQuade, before you say something you’ll regret
. Breathing rapidly, he looked at her. “I have my reasons.”

“Tell me. Make me understand, Dallas.”

“It’s … complicated.”

“Fine.” Mia planted her hands on her hips. “Now you listen to me. You have no concept of my capabilities. How strong
I
am. Or what they’ve already stolen from me.”

“All right, make
me
understand.”

“I …” Another swallow. “I can’t.”

He clenched his jaw. “Then you’re going to the ranch in Tyler.”

“Argh!” Mia paced in an agitated circle. “If you try to kidnap me again, I swear, I will find a way to escape,
and
I’ll have you arrested! I’ll do whatever’s necessary in order to put these monsters away. I
will
take back my life.”