Cat Got Your Tongue?

by Rae Rivers

  “And the Renoir?”

  “Part of my list.”

  “If your intention was to come for the paintings in the basement, why bother planning a separate heist for the Renoir?” Alex asked. “Why not lift the Renoir the same time as the others?”

  He waved a dismissive hand. “When Cole wouldn’t sell, I decided to turn the heat up a notch.”

  The burglary, the fire, and the bomb—all attempts to encourage Cole to sell.

  “And Cole wasn’t biting. You disappoint me, Barry,” she scoffed. “You’re not quite the mastermind, after all. If you were behind the heist at the museum, then how come you lost the paintings?”

  “Stop antagonizing me, Alex,” he said with a disgruntled frown, taking aim. The gun went off; the bullet flying past her head and lodging in the door behind her. In reflex, she fell to the ground and rolled—straight into John Farrell’s feet.

  “John!” Alex blurted, scrambling to her feet. “What are you doing here?”

  “I ... came to see Cole.”

  She hadn’t heard him come in, which meant he’d been hiding. What on earth was going on?

  Barry pointed the gun at Alex. “Take me to the basement.” He nudged his gun in John’s direction. “You too, and remember who has the gun.”

  Alex headed toward the stairs with the two men behind her and grimaced at the thought of what would happen once they got to the bottom floor.

  “You should never have started digging around in my stomping ground, Alex.”

  “You guys threw the first shovel when you started stomping on my ground. Both Cole and Mike were clients of mine. They were out of bounds.”

  “Well, let’s just say money always talks, Alexis. Always.”

  Alex dragged her feet on the way to the storage room, her mind scrambling for a way to distract him long enough so she could get out the aim of his gun. Having a gun pointed at her lower back creeped her out more than she cared to admit.

  “Where’s the billionaire and his watchdogs?” Barry asked as they walked into the storage room.

  Alex felt the first fluttering of hope. He thought she was alone.

  “I don’t know,” she lied. “I don’t work for Cole anymore. I came to pack up my stuff and started snooping. That’s when I found the hidden paintings.”

  “So in one night, the billionaire loses his basement stash and his woman and won’t even see it coming. Serves him right.” He glanced at the hole in the wall and gave a brief nod of approval. “Not bad, Alex. Show me the paintings or you’ll end up like your mother.”

  Alex froze. “What are you talking about?”

  His smile was sly and wicked. “Your mother was great entertainment. The fact that she stole art for a living was the best damn turn on I’ve ever had.”

  “You and Jennifer were lovers?”

  “Yes, for a while. She didn’t appreciate the fact that I was using her—to fill my gallery or warm my bed. No, she was not a happy cat.” His eyes narrowed at the memory of her mother and a muscle worked in his jaw. “The bitch got what she deserved in the end.”

  “What did you do?” Alex asked, fear settling in the pit of her stomach.

  “I made sure she got what she deserved.” He grabbed her arm and pushed her toward the opening in the wall. “Now it’s your turn.”

  Alex reared back in a desperate attempt to avoid being forced into the basement with him. Once she was down there, her life was over.

  “Get down the hole, Alex,” he said, jamming the gun into her lower back.

  “No!”

  Using all her strength, Alex tilted her body and rammed her elbow into his stomach. When the sturdy, large man crouched forward, gasping for air, Alex punched him, but with lightning speed, he brought his hand up and tried to hit her back. She ducked, stepping out of his reach, and aimed a hard kick at his shin. He grunted and whirled toward her.

  “Bitch,” he seethed, swiping at the blood on his lip.

  “Leave her alone,” came a slow, steady voice from behind Barry as Cole stepped into the storage room, the sledgehammer clasped in his hands.

  As Barry spun around in surprise, Cole swung the hammer toward him. The heavy tool connected with Barry’s chest and sent the man flying against the wall behind him. The gun slipped out of his hand and slid across the floor toward John.

  Alex dove after the gun, but John was closer. “John, give me the damn gun!”

  He looked at them in silence but wouldn’t relinquish the gun.

  Heat prickled through Alex as realization hit her with a force that made her gasp. “You’re in on this.”

  He waved the gun at her with unsteady hands. “Back off!”

  Alex held up her hands and stepped back, sensing that John was more terrified than dangerous.

  “John, what the hell have you done?” Cole roared, spinning around to face his assistant.

  Barry started to laugh as he got to his feet. He limped over to John and reached for the gun. “Well, done. I knew you’d have your uses.”

  Cole clenched his fists and glared at his assistant. “That’s how they knew our movements! You and Julie are the only two people who know where I am at any given time and you simply passed that information along to Barry, didn’t you?”

  John fell silent and Barry nodded. “I’ve been watching you for a while, Cole. Having your assistant on my payroll simply made that a lot easier.”

  “I just want my share, Barry. Let’s end this,” John said softly, bristling with tension.

  “Yes, let’s.” Barry turned and fired a shot into John’s chest.

  Alex jumped and stared in stunned silence as he slumped against the wall behind him, his expression twisted with surprise and fear.

  Cole moved with lightning speed and swung the hammer at Barry, overbalancing him. Barry cursed as he fell backward through the hole in the wall behind him and grabbed out to the closest hold that could steady him—Alex.

  And as he sunk through the hole and down the steps, Alex went hurtling down with him.

  “Alex!” Cole shouted, bolting after her.

  Barry recovered quickly and staggered to his feet as Cole appeared at the top of the stairs. Barry had lost his gun in the struggle and plunged toward Alex with a sickening roar. She whirled around and aimed a hard kick at his groin, her aim meeting her intended mark. The air whooshed out of his lungs as the heel of her foot caught him between the legs and he stumbled backward in surprise.

  Alex scrambled for the stairs but he lurched forward to grab her, overbalancing her with his weight. She swung around to face him as she fell, her back slamming into the stairs. She tried to aim another kick in his direction but Barry lunged forward, arms outstretched.

  Alex screamed and in one swift movement, she reached between her legs and whipped out the gun clasped to her top thigh. Before Barry could react, she aimed and fired at his shoulder, hitting her mark.

  The sound of three gunshots echoed in the silence of the stuffy room and he fell backward, eyes wide in stunned horror.

  Her aim had been swift and although intentionally not fatal, brutal.

  Alex fell limp against the stairs as Cole tore past her toward Barry. He delivered two solid punches before Barry slumped backward in a puddle of his own blood.

  “Is he dead?” Alex asked softly, dragging in a few deep breaths in an attempt to steady her choppy breathing.

  “No. He’s still breathing, but out cold.”

  Cole retrieved the gun, took two strides, and dropped at Alex’s feet. “God, Alex. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she ground out, her voice raspy.

  Cole’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the man on the floor behind him. “I’m going to make sure he pays for what he’s put us through. How the hell are we going to explain this to Sullivan?”

  Alex gasped and groped in her pocket. Pulling out her phone, she put it to her ear. “Sullivan, you there?”

  “Damn right, I am!” Sullivan replied, sounding breathless as though h
e’d been running. “I’m around the corner.”

  “In true cop fashion, you’ve missed the action,” Alex said with a weak smile.

  “Yeah, yeah. But I heard it all. Hot damn, Alex!”

  Alex hung up and dropped her head against Cole’s shoulder. “It’s over,” she whispered and shuddered from the first crack in her armor. “Cole, he …” Her words trailed off as a soft, strangled sob escaped her as she remembered how terrified she’d felt when faced with the fact that this might be one man, one enemy, that was too strong and powerful for her to fight off.

  “Sssh, it’s okay. He can’t hurt you anymore,” Cole soothed and tightened his grip around her shoulders. He pressed his lips against her forehead, dragging in a sharp breath. “God, Alex. Seeing you at his mercy like that … I could have killed him.”

  She heard the fury in his voice and lifted her head to offer him a weak smile. “Good thing you decided to go all King Kong on me. Your man tool came in handy.”

  Cole leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “So did your gun. Remind me never to argue with you when you’re armed.”

  Standing up, Cole held out a hand to her. “Let’s get you away from him.”

  “Barry Jenson was responsible for everything.”

  “Yes. John too,” he murmured, his eyes drawing together in a tight frown.

  Alex knew that his assistant’s betrayal had rattled him and would be hard for him to accept. Cole demanded a lot from his staff, but honesty and loyalty was foremost.

  “How the hell did he know the paintings were down here when no one else did?”

  Cole helped her out of the splintered hole in the wall. “Damned if I know, but I intend to find out.”

  “Cole,” Alex whispered as they headed up the stairs to the rest of the townhouse. “This is over.”

  He pulled her against him. “Yes,” he said and pressed a kiss against her brow. “It’s finally over.”

  “Thank God,” she said and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “You’re trembling.”

  “Give me a break. We just took down a murderer and a thief.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Friday morning

  Alex sauntered into the hotel living room in search of Cole and found him sitting at the lavish desk on the far side of the room, his concentration on his computer as he checked his emails. Her breath caught and she hesitated. He wore a white shirt, unbuttoned, his hard and naked muscles peeking out from behind the seams of his shirt. Damp hair, freshly shaven, looking devilishly dark and sexy.

  She’d never stood a chance.

  Though she still wondered how a man like him had fallen into her life.

  She hadn’t had the courage to clarify her relationship with him yet, but for now, she knew that her life was richer since she’d busted into his home on that first night and saved his life.

  Cole tilted his head as if sensing her presence.

  Alex smiled, tightened the belt of her robe, and moved to his desk. “What are you doing?” she asked, catching sight of the email on his computer screen. It was a picture of a private beach resort with sandy white beaches, plentiful sunshine, breathtaking scenery, and a promise of a surreal escape from reality.

  He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. “You think your boss will give you some time off work?”

  Alex smiled. “I’m sure I could twist her arm. Why?”

  “I’m taking you away.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “A vacation?”

  “A few days in a private house on a beach resort without our world exploding around us would be good for us, help us to figure it all out.”

  “Figure what out?”

  “Us,” he replied and brushed her hair away from her neck. Tilting his head, he kissed her in the nape of her neck, breathing her in. “I don’t know what it is that’s happening here, but you feel what I do—I know you do.”

  Alex hesitated before replying and then decided to throw caution to the wind. After all, being with the billionaire so far had rocked her world beyond anything she’d ever imagined. “Yes.”

  Cole beamed at her reply and kissed her, his mouth gentle and warm on hers. “And one of these days when you’re a little less skittish at the idea, I’m going to tell you that I love you.”

  Alex sat back, stunned by his words. She waited for her stomach to clench, for the walls to close in, or for something to explode—and then couldn’t help but smile at herself. Nothing happened and she found herself thinking that maybe—just maybe—having a piece of Cole Anderson was not that bad after all.

  In fact, it felt damn fine.

  “You might change your mind when you realize what you’re in for.”

  “I think I have an idea.”

  Alex straightened, thinking of all the times in the past when a relationship had failed because of her work. “I still have to work, Cole. I love my job.”

  “I know. I understand that, Alex. Although it might be hard for me to know that the woman I love is putting herself in danger every day to protect another person, I’m okay with that.” He put his forehead against hers. “Simply because I have to be.”

  She lived for her job and was good at what she did, her instincts ripe, her body primed, and her mind programmed, and he simply had to trust that.

  “Remember that the next time I come home with blood on my shirt.” Alex said, a small smile playing on her lips. She touched her hands to his face, cupping his cheeks. “So when do we leave for our trip?”

  “As soon as we’ve tied up things here. Sullivan’s on his way to see us so you might want to put some clothes on.”

  “Talk about ruining a beautiful morning.” She wrinkled her nose and started to slip off his lap, but he stopped her.

  “He’s on our side, my love. And with the type of work that you do, with your mother’s background, and with everything that’s gone down recently, having a cop on our side is a good thing.”

  “It’s going to take some getting used to.”

  “I could stall him for you if you’d like.”

  “No, let’s get it over with.” Standing up, she leaned forward until her face was level with his. “You rock, Cole Anderson.”

  ****

  Cole chuckled as Alex disappeared into the bedroom, pleased she’d agreed to take some time off. They needed it. The bust on Barry Jenson two days earlier had created enough heat from the cops to destroy the threat against them. Without payment from Barry and with the risk of ending up in a cell beside him, Barry’s associates had all disappeared.

  The press had gone crazy and every news station, newspaper, and magazine had run the story as their main feature. Cole and Alex had long since turned off the television, tired of hearing the same story and seeing their faces repeatedly splashed across the screen.

  Cole shook his head in disbelief. Who would have thought that all these years he harbored the ten missing paintings from the museum in his basement? The thought, although absurd and unsettling, delighted him at the same time. At least this way, the museum would have their paintings returned.

  He walked toward the balcony door and stood in the doorway, looking out over the city below him. The air was crisp, the sound from the street below muffled from the distance he stood.

  His breath caught as a black figure dropped soundlessly from the roof above him and landed gracefully in a crouched position on the balcony floor.

  What the hell?

  A petite woman, dressed in figure-hugging black clothes with a black baseball cap and a black ponytail, quietly straightened and stared at him in surprise.

  “I didn’t know you were here,” she said, taking a step back.

  Clearly. He scowled at the woman, unaccustomed to being caught off guard. One look at her and he knew immediately that he was staring at Jennifer Foxley.

  “I’ve come to see Alex.”

  She eyed him with careful scrutiny, trying to gauge his reaction at her unexpected presence, her body pr
imed to flee if necessary. She reminded him of a cat, almost feline in the way she moved and the way she stood, pranced, ready for flight if needed. Alex had inherited many aspects from her mother. The similarities between the two women were startling, the relation obvious.

  “Is she here?” Jennifer asked, seemingly irritated for having misjudged her timing.

  Cole simply stared.

  “Hey, Anderson,” she said with a small smile, amused by his silence. “Cat got your tongue?”

  Cole’s lip twitched in response. Good God. “You startled me.”

  “I apologize. I’m not one for using front doors all that often.”

  “I see that.”

  “Is Alex here?”

  “She’s getting dressed. Sullivan’s on his way here.” He saw the flash of fear that flickered through her eyes at the sound of the cop’s name. “I believe you two are old friends.”

  “He’s an ass,” she replied with a smirk.

  He’d heard that before, several times in fact, and hearing it again made him smile. “He said he’d be here in an hour so you have time.”

  Before Jennifer could reply, Alex appeared. She’d changed into a V-neck white blouse and jeans. She looked gorgeously feminine, her long black curls loose around her shoulders. She looked up as she approached and gasped.

  “Mother!” Alex exclaimed when she saw her mother standing next to Cole. With rapid speed, she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around her mother. “Where have you been? Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?” Her expression clouded, the intense worry she’d felt over the last few weeks edging forward. “Are you okay?”

  Jennifer nodded, taking a step back. “I had to stay away, Alex. They thought I was dead and I needed them to believe that long enough for me to figure out what Barry was up to.”

  “He said you two were lovers.”

  “We were,” she replied, sadness flickering in her eyes.

  “You loved him,” Alex breathed.

  “I did, yes.”

  “What happened?”

  “I suspected he was dirty and began sneaking around his villa. I got to know his security system so well that in time, I could move around his villa without detection.” Jennifer’s voice was even as she spoke, but worry lined her features. “I eventually realized that he was the buyer liaising with the fence and sending me out on jobs.” Her brief silence and harsh frown indicated that the discovery still stung. “He worked through my fence under a false name and sent me—his lover—out on jobs, knowing the risks involved. I searched his villa and found a locked room beneath the basement. A gallery, something I’ve never seen before, and it consisted of every stolen piece imaginable—paintings, statues, tablets, weapons, you name it.”