by Debra Webb
Ian watched Nicole pick at her chef’s salad. She looked preoccupied, which, in this business, was a dangerous state of mind. Remaining alert at all times was top priority.
“How’s your salad?” he inquired casually.
Nicole’s gaze shot up to his. “Perfect,” she responded quickly, flatly.
Ian studied her blank expression for a time. “Then why aren’t you eating it?”
Nicole laid her fork aside and pushed her plate away. She leaned back into the padded vinyl upholstery of the wide booth and gave him a sardonic look. “I’m not hungry.”
Ian fingered his sweating water glass. “Why?” he asked eventually.
“I don’t have to have a reason, Michaels,” she returned, an impatient edge in her voice.
Michaels. Ian understood now. She was closing him out. Building a wall around herself so he couldn’t touch her. Preparing mentally for whatever fate lay in store for her. He supposed that was wise, the right thing to do even. But he didn’t like it.
He looked straight into her eyes, and, to her credit, she didn’t look away. “This may not turn out the way we’ve planned. He may not show at all,” Ian suggested quietly.
“If he wants Solomon, he’ll show.” Steely insistence laced her tone, her gaze remained emotionless.
Ian dipped his head in acknowledgement. “If he wants Solomon,” he agreed.
“He wants Solomon.”
“You’re certain of that?”
Nicole adopted a look that said she was bored with the subject. “We’ve been over this already.”
Ian gestured for the passing waitress and then to his empty coffee cup. “Do you have a problem with going over it again?” He smiled his appreciation when the waitress filled his cup.
Nicole watched the woman walk away, then shifted her gaze back to Ian. “I’m bored with the subject.”
“This could all be related to a different case,” Ian suggested, choosing to ignore her comments.
“The only significant case Daniels and I had in common was Solomon’s. Daniels thought the same thing, he said so in his note. That’s proof enough for me.” She sipped her lemonade and turned her attention to the pedestrians passing on the other side of the plate-glass window.
She was right. Not a single doubt existed in Ian’s mind about that. The cartel never forgot, and they damn sure never forgave. If Solomon was found, he would die, slowly and painfully. The man playing with all the explosives knew that Nicole was the key—the only one left who could lead him to Solomon. Ian was certain that if Nicole made no move to lead the shooter to Solomon, he would eventually come after her to get what he wanted. Ian’s gut clenched. That thought scared the hell out of him, but he knew it was the only way. They had put the ball in the other guy’s court. He had the next move. Ian and Nicole only needed to wait for him to make that move. But waiting was proving nearly unbearable.
With Nicole still staring out the window, Ian took a moment to study her. She was beautiful. His chest constricted. And he wanted her again more than he had ever wanted anyone or anything in his life. But she was on the defensive now. She wanted this to be business, as it should be. Not allowing physical intimacy would make walking away easier. Ian had to remember that. Because he would walk away. He would not give Nicole the opportunity to hurt him again. He would protect her, but nothing more. Right now, Nicole was vulnerable and she needed him. When this was finished and she no longer needed his help, she would return to her life, and, just like before, she wouldn’t look back. Not once.
This time Ian wouldn’t be looking back either.
Ian swallowed hard. Somehow he would put aside all that drew him to Nicole. He had never met a woman like her. She was the only one who could hold her own with him…his match.
Let her erect her defensive barrier. She was only doing him a favor. Ian had a life to get back to as well. He enjoyed his work at the Colby Agency, and he liked living in Chicago. Nicole’s home was in Washington. She lived for the bureau. When she’d had time to really consider all that had happened, she would only be more determined to remain loyal to her chosen profession.
“Are you ready?”
Nicole’s sudden question jerked Ian back to the present. She was watching him, trying to discern his thoughts. “Yes,” he answered. He placed the appropriate amount of cash on the table, then stood. Ian followed Nicole out the café door; the bell jingled, announcing their departure. The warm golden sun reigned supreme over the soft blue dome of the sky. Ian carefully surveyed the street and the dozen or so meters between them and the rented SUV. The packages from their earlier stops were already stowed in the back of the vehicle. Milk, eggs and cheese were stored in a cooler Ian had found in George’s small storage building.
Ian suddenly found himself wondering if George and his girlfriend were all tied up in the lodge down the street. A smile teased his lips. The image of Nicole in leather that fit exactly like skin abruptly filled his head. Every muscle in his body contracted at the vivid visual stimulation. Ian’s gaze immediately darted to Nicole’s softly swaying hips. Her long, shapely legs were nicely defined by her body-hugging jeans. And then there was that silky veil of long, blond hair swinging against that sexy red sweater. Ian moistened his lips. The memory of waking up, their bodies entangled, aroused him further.
Nicole whirled around unexpectedly. She stepped back at the intensity she met in his eyes. “What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me that way?”
Because he wanted to take her right then and there. Ian advanced the step she had retreated. She faltered back another tiny step, but the SUV stopped her.
“I’ve been thinking,” Ian began, the idea gaining momentum even as he spoke. He leaned in closer, and placed one hand against the vehicle on either side of her. He inhaled her gentle fragrance—sweet, succulent peaches. A rush of renewed need made his next breath a chore. “If we want this to work, we have to make sure our guy believes it’s for real.”
Uncertainty flickered in those pretty blue eyes that exactly matched the day’s perfect sky. “Agreed,” she said hesitantly.
Ian leaned closer still. “Then we have to appear distracted,” he whispered discreetly. “Distracted with each other.”
She swallowed, the effort visible along the slender column of her throat. His fingers burned to trace that delicate terrain.
“I suppose so.” Her words were barely a whisper.
The walls she had erected only this morning crumbled around her. Ian saw it in her eyes as a distant flame of desire kindled, and he felt it in her posture, she leaned forward, ever so slightly, without even realizing it.
“Then you agree,” he suggested, his lips almost brushing hers, his gaze devouring every perfect, up-close detail of her lovely face, “that I should kiss you right now, just to be certain this looks authentic.”
The tiny hitch in her breathing undid Ian completely. His mouth claimed hers. He kissed her, softly at first, absorbing the essence of citrus scent and hot, sweet Nicole. Desire pounded him brutally, and his kiss grew equally savage. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, pressed his arousal into her soft body. Fire surged through his veins, urging him on, compounding his need. His fingers splayed on the sun-warmed glass of the rear passenger window. His assault was relentless, until Nicole whimpered helplessly beneath his siege, then and only then did Ian pull back. His breath raged in and out of his lungs. Nicole’s breathing was just as ragged. Her lips were pleasure-swollen, her eyes glazed with desire.
Enough, he ordered silently.
Ian opened the front passenger-side door. “Let’s go,” he ordered quietly, ignoring the look of disbelief swiftly claiming her features. He did another quick scan of the street as she climbed into the vehicle.
“You’re a real bastard, do you know that, Michaels?” she hissed, daggers shooting from those piercing blue orbs.
Ian allowed her a half smile. “Yes.”
He closed the door.
Chapter Seven
Nicole l
iterally seethed. She donned her new sunglasses and glared out the tinted passenger-side window of the SUV as Ian slid behind the wheel. Damn him! All morning she had worked hard at distancing herself, setting boundaries. She knew what she had to do, and she had done it for the first time since laying eyes on the man. Forced herself to concentrate on anything but Ian and the heat that lingered between them. She snapped her seat belt into place with a little more force than was needed as the engine roared to life. What had he been trying to prove with that kiss?
…we have to make sure our guy believes it’s for real.
But it wasn’t for real. The emotions his every look, every touch evoked inside her weren’t real. At least not for Ian. He was simply doing his job. Once he had decided to help her, that was a given. Ian Michaels never failed. He would do whatever it took to ensure her safety and catch the bad guy. If he personally enjoyed the kiss, that was just a perk. And why not? Nicole closed her eyes and shook her head grimly from side to side. She had done it to him, hadn’t she? Ian would never forgive her for what had happened between them three years ago. What she had thought might be his lingering feelings for her were probably only his way of exacting his revenge. Well, she wasn’t falling for it again. Ian Michaels had better keep his distance, because Nicole damn sure intended to maintain hers.
The chirping of Ian’s cell phone jerked Nicole back to the present. Still in the parking slot, Ian shifted back into Park. She handed him the compact phone he’d asked her to carry in her purse.
“Yes,” he answered, then listened for what seemed like an eternity.
Nicole studied his face carefully, looking for any subtle change in expression that might give the subject of the call away. But Ian was too good at masking his emotions. Nicole huffed a breath of exasperation. She hated being at anyone’s mercy.
“Yes, that’s sounds like the next logical step,” Ian told the caller. Another long pause. “Keep me posted.” He flipped the mouthpiece closed and turned to Nicole. “That was Alex Preston.” Ian waited for Nicole to recognize the name of the other agent Victoria had recommended. “So far nothing has turned up on any of the cartel members. No one seems even remotely involved in what’s happening to you. But,” he qualified, “Alex has only scratched the surface at this point.”
“What about Solomon?” Nicole kept her gaze steady on his, feeling more confident behind the concealing glasses.
“Martinez checked in this morning. Solomon is fine, a little testy about his accommodations, but otherwise fine.”
“Good.” Nicole directed her attention straight ahead. Unless Ian had additional new information, there was nothing else to discuss. She was still enormously annoyed with him about the kiss.
“Alex has decided to call in an outside source to obtain a more detailed report on the cartel.”
Nicole stiffened. She wasn’t sure she wanted anyone else brought in on this case. The fewer people who knew, the safer Solomon would be. “Who?”
“His name is Sloan. He’s good.”
Nicole considered the name. If it should ring a bell, it didn’t. “What makes her think that this Sloan can get any closer to the cartel than she did?”
“Because Sloan plays as dirty as they do. He’s a mercenary of sorts.”
That got Nicole’s undivided attention. She gave Ian a long, sideways assessment. “Since when does a firm like the Colby Agency deal with mercenaries?” Nicole couldn’t picture Victoria Colby with a character resembling early Sylvester Stallone work in her elegant office. “Is she certain he can be trusted?”
“I don’t know him personally, but if Victoria trusts him…” Ian offered, allowing the rest of his statement to trail off. A hint of a shrug lifted one broad shoulder. “That’s all I need to know.”
Victoria obviously lived up to the reputation that preceded her. Ian didn’t trust easily. “I’d like to borrow your phone.” Nicole held out her hand. “I want to make sure George made it back to his girlfriend last night,” she explained when Ian hesitated.
He placed the phone in her open palm. “Make it brief.”
Nicole rolled her eyes and punched in the telephone number she had memorized from the menu jacket in the café. Several local business logos were displayed on the plastic cover, including the River Lodge.
“Hello.” The greeting was a breathless rush of syllables.
Nicole smiled. “George, just wanted to make sure you didn’t want to come have dinner with us this evening.” Her brows furrowed as she listened intently in an effort to decipher the strange background noises accompanying George’s heavy breathing. From the corner of her eye, Nicole saw Ian’s fingers curl into a fist on his thigh. Two could play the game of pushing the other to the edge.
“Sorry, Nicole, but I’m a little busy at the moment.” The pitch and intensity of the muffled sounds on the other end of the line increased. “How about we get together another time?” George suggested, his voice strained as if he were struggling.
“Okay. See you soon.” Nicole closed the phone and offered it back to Ian. His glower was lethal.
“Don’t play games with me, Nicole,” he told her, in an equally lethal tone. “You know we have to do this alone.”
Nicole shrugged innocently and dropped the phone she still held into her bag. “Who’s playing games? I only wanted to make sure George was okay. I knew he wouldn’t accept the offer.” She faced forward again. “He was otherwise occupied.”
“Look at me, Nicole.”
The order was almost soft, but the skin on the back of her neck prickled with warning. Ian was deadly serious. Slowly, reluctantly, Nicole turned her head in his direction, her chin parallel with her shoulder. Resisting the urge to flinch, Nicole sat perfectly still as one long-fingered hand darted up to her face and plucked off her sunglasses. She blinked at the sudden brightness.
“Don’t test my patience,” he warned, pressing her with a gaze that reiterated his words.
Nicole sighed and faced forward again. “Whatever,” she said flippantly as she grabbed back her eyewear. Ian would not tolerate her indifference well she knew. That thought pleased Nicole inordinately.
Several tense seconds passed before he shifted into reverse and, watching over his right shoulder, slowly backed from the parking slot. Nicole stared, not really seeing but looking through the tourists strolling past the quaint shops. She would never be, had never been like those people. Nicole had spent her entire adult life training or working for the bureau. The bureau was her life. Regret, abrupt and unbidden, trickled through her. She was twenty-nine years old. Wasn’t there supposed to be something else? Ian’s whispered words in that language she hadn’t understood as he made love to her echoed through her mind.
She would never have that either.
Something familiar in someone in the crowd they passed grabbed her attention. Nicole frowned and spun around in her seat. “Wait!”
Ian braked to a stop in the middle of the street. “What’s wrong?” A horn blasted behind them.
“Park,” Nicole commanded as she unfastened her seat belt. By the time Ian had killed the engine in their new parking slot, Nicole was climbing out the door. “Over there.” She pointed to the sporting goods shop on the corner across the street. “In the alley between the buildings.”
Without question, Ian sprinted across the street, dodging traffic. Nicole followed, ignoring the irritated shouts and blaring horns. She concentrated hard on the image that had caught her eye. She had only seen the back of the man, but something about the way he moved seemed familiar. Instinct niggled at her even now. She knew him.
They reached the corner of the sporting goods shop. “He’s wearing a navy blue jacket. Medium height and build, dark hair,” she said quickly. “I know him,” she added thoughtfully. Ian paused briefly to assess the situation and Nicole focused inward on the slow, deliberate walk of the man she had seen.
“Stay behind me,” Ian commanded as he started forward.
Halfway down the alley, Ia
n reached beneath his sweater to the small of his back and withdrew his gun. Nicole’s heart pounded with the anticipation flowing swiftly through her veins. Her fingers curled around the butt of the Beretta cradled in the back of her waistband. She withdrew her weapon and kept it pointed toward the ground as she trailed Ian through the shadowy, deserted alley. She turned around slowly from time to time to ensure they weren’t being followed. Fear for Ian welled in her chest, suffocating her with its intensity.
They reached the end of the alley, and Ian waited, listening. Slowly he moved around the corner of the building.
Nothing.
Nicole swore hotly.
She shook her head, fury replacing the fear she had felt only moments before. “I know what I saw.”
Ian studied the architecture of the buildings on either side of the alley as he spoke, “I don’t doubt you, Nicole.”
Ian’s supportive response did nothing to slow Nicole’s growing agitation. He was here. She saw him. Every instinct told her he was the one. Nicole followed Ian’s gaze as he traced the landscape that rose sharply behind the buildings. The overgrown grass appeared undisturbed. To their left the alley abruptly dead-ended.
Ian started moving again. “This way,” he said quietly.
Nicole followed, her hopes rising again. A door on the far end of the building to the right had captured Ian’s attention. As they approached, Nicole could see that the door led into the sporting goods shop. Concealing his weapon once more beneath his sweater, Ian opened the door and entered the shop. Nicole did the same. The door led to what appeared to be the shipping and receiving section of the store. Another door, standing wide open and marked Employees Only, led into a short, narrow hallway which emptied into the large store.
“Stay right here,” Ian instructed, before disappearing into the men’s room.
