by Rebecca York
Inside were the apartment’s furnace and air conditioning system.
“In there,” he whispered, entering and pulling Emma inside, before reaching behind her to shut the door.
They were plunged into instant darkness in a confined space, pressed front to front. As they both stood rigid, Cole strained his ears. His hearing was excellent, and he picked up the sound of footsteps in the apartment. A guy, or at least someone who walked heavily. Probably not a two-hundred-pound woman.
In the darkness, he could feel tension coursing through Emma. The same tension that had his guts twisting, making him feel like he was caught between heat and cold.
Heat because he wanted her with a surge of need that made his whole body tighten, and cold because they weren’t playing some kid’s game of hide and seek in here. If whoever was in the apartment tried the sliding glass door, they might come out here. And if they came outside, the next step was the utility closet.
In the car, he’d thought of Emma’s reaction if he changed to wolf form. There wasn’t room to do it in here, yet the idea had a strong appeal—at least from the tactical point of view. Whoever was in the apartment probably had a gun, but he wouldn’t be expecting a wolf to leap out of hiding.
As the heavy footsteps reached the balcony, Cole slipped his arm around Emma, wanting to slide his hand up and down her back to reassure her. But that wouldn’t do either one of them any real good. Instead, he pulled her closer and turned her around so she wouldn’t have her back to danger. Next he reached behind her with both hands to grab the inside doorknob. He braced his feet and kept his grip firm as he heard the guy coming steadily closer.
The man walked up to the door and tried to twist the knob. Cole struggled to prevent it from turning, at the same time exerting a firm pull to keep the barrier in place.
Whoever was on the other side yanked hard. Feet planted firmly on the cement, Cole kept the door from moving. When the guy finally gave up and the footsteps receded, Emma sagged against Cole, but it wasn’t over quite yet. The intruder could be waiting for someone to emerge from the utility closet.
Seconds ticked by. Then minutes of silence.
“Do you think he’s gone?” Emma whispered with her mouth close to Cole’s ear.
“Let’s hope.” Cautiously Cole eased the door open and looked around, seeing no one.
When he started to step out, Emma gripped his shoulder. “Don’t. It may not be safe.”
“Are you worried about me?” he asked, hearing the roughness in his own voice.
“Yes,”
Suddenly it felt like she was saying yes to a whole lot more than just his flippant question. Or maybe holding her in his arms had breached the barrier he’d struggled so hard to maintain with her.
Without giving himself time to think about what he was doing, he lowered his mouth to hers. They’d known each other for a year, but it seemed like he’d been waiting an eternity for that kiss.
Had she been waiting, too? It seemed like it because the moment his lips touched hers, everything turned frantic.
In the darkness, he pulled her more tightly against himself, his hands moving up and down her back, sliding lower to cup her rounded bottom as his mouth devoured hers.
She opened for him, and he drank in the sweet taste of her. Marveled at the softness of her lips. Reveled in the twin pressure of her breasts against his chest. Shuddered at the sensation of his aching cock pressed to her middle.
She moved against him, increasing the ache.
Her hands were no less restless than his, stroking over his shoulders, his arms, reaching up to tangle in his thick hair, the intimacy of that touch increasing his arousal.
Desperate for more intimate contact, he slid his hands inward, cupping her breasts, letting their weight rest in his palms. They weren’t too big. Or too small. Just right for his hands.
As he stroked his thumbs across the tightened crests, she made a moaning sound.
The first real intimacy between them, and he wanted to see her, see the passion he was certain would be shimmering in her eyes. He wanted to tear off that provocative pink sweater and her bra because they were in his way. But there was very little room in this confined space to maneuver.
Moving backwards, he pressed against the door again. But this time he wasn’t holding on to the knob, and the barrier swung open, making him lose his balance.
He might have toppled onto his butt on the cement balcony, but Emma grabbed his arm, steadying him, her beautifully dilated eyes meeting his for a frantic moment before she looked away.
They were both breathing hard, and he realized that he’d been on the verge of going too far. Much too far. Which was inexcusable under the circumstances.
She let go of him abruptly, gripping the edge of the doorframe, her dilated eyes searching his face.
“What are we doing?” she asked in a strained voice.
He might have answered with a sharp comment. But that would give away too much.
Instead he straightened and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”
“It wasn’t all your fault.”
Nice of her to say so. He didn’t voice that comment either.
When he backed up, she followed him onto the balcony.
“There’s a lot riding on this assignment. We were both on edge and worried about getting caught here” she said, making excuses for the inexcusable.
He returned his focus to the immediate situation. What if someone was still out there in the apartment?
At least they sure didn’t look like a couple of private detectives.
Emma ran a shaky hand through her hair. “Who was trying to get into the utility closet, do you think?”
“Could be one of the kidnappers, making sure nobody’s been in her apartment. Or one of her friends—looking for her.”
“In the closet?”
“If they’re worried that someone offed her and hid the body.”
“What kind of lifestyle does she lead?”
“Maybe on the edge of dangerous.”
Emma nodded. “I wonder how many people have her key.”
He shrugged. “We’d better get out of here.”
“And see what we can find out at that club. Temptation.”
He moved to the sliding glass door and yanked at the handle. It was locked.
“Just great,” he muttered.
oOo
All Karen wanted to do was sleep, lulled by the rocking of the narrow bed where she lay. That way, she could escape from . . .
She didn’t let herself finish the thought. Instead she squeezed her eyes closed, trying to shut out the noises around her.
People walking past. Some of them laughing and commenting. On her. And somewhere in the background, rock music played. Proud Mary by Creedence Clearwater Revival, of all things. The bunk rolled, imitating some of the song lyrics.
A man’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “I know you’re awake,” he said. “Stop pretending.”
She slitted her eyes and saw that she was in a cage. In the middle of a lounge area. Like a lion she’d seen in Las Vegas. Only there had been barriers to keep the gamblers from getting mauled.
Looking through the bars to her left, she saw tropical greenery and a waterfall. As if this place were outside. Only she knew it wasn’t. From the swaying of the bed, she thought she might be on a large ship.
She could see brightly colored parrots on stands and hear their occasional cawing.
About fifty feet from her was a structure made of bamboo. With people sitting on tall stools, drinking.
“How do you feel?”
The question brought her gaze to the man who had spoken. He was standing a few feet on the other side of the bars, staring in at her with a satisfied expression that made her stomach knot.
Dressed in gray slacks and a short-sleeved silk shirt, he was about six feet tall with medium length steel-gray hair and icy eyes.
“I said, how are you doing?”
She swal
lowed, trying to moisten her dry mouth enough to speak.
“Sorry about the drug. I know it’s left you feeling a little rough.”
He sounded pleased with himself, not sorry.
“We’ll get you fixed up a little later. Hair and makeup and such. We’re having a private showing tonight.”
She blinked. “What?”
He let his gaze slide over her body, making her skin prickle. “You like to show off for your friends—and men who would kill to get into your pants.” He laughed. “We’ll give you a chance to strut your stuff tonight. Nothing too demanding. At least to start with.”
She swallowed, trying to interpret what he was saying as she cautiously pushed herself to a sitting position.
“I’ll have some breakfast brought around. You should eat—to keep up your strength.”
“What do you mean?”
He laughed again. “More fun if you let your imagination run wild.”
When he turned away, she called out. “Wait!”
Her heart raced as he kept his back to her.
When he finally turned, there was a speculative glint in his eye. “What do you want?”
“Where am I?”
“On my ship, the Windward.”
“I want to go home.”
“Of course you do, but I went to a lot of trouble to bring you here.”
“Why?”
“Your father and I have a score to settle.”
“What score?
“That’s none of your business.” He kept his gaze on her.
“Please, let me talk to him.”
“That might be an interesting idea. Or perhaps something personal to you would be more effective,” he said before turning away.
CHAPTER THREE
Emma walked to the railing and looked over. They were on the second floor of the condominium complex. Directly below was a cement patio bigger than the balcony.
“Not too bad a drop,” she observed.
Cole eyed the hard surface. “Not under ordinary circumstances, but you don’t want to twist an ankle getting down. I’ll go first and help you.”
She didn’t want help. In fact, she didn’t want him touching her again after the way they’d sent sparks flying in the closet. Unfortunately, he was right about getting injured. If she hurt herself, she wasn’t going to be much good on this assignment.
That line of reasoning had a certain appeal. If she hurt herself, she could bow out and get away from Cole Marshall. Only she wasn’t a coward, and she wasn’t going to leave Karen Hopewell in terrible trouble. Because deep down she had a bad feeling about Karen.
She watched Cole’s incredible agility as he climbed over the railing, turned, and lowered himself on strong arms to the bottom of the balcony before letting go. He was taller than she, and his feet were only dangling a yard above the ground before he landed lightly on the patio.
He looked around the area, then turned to her, holding out his arms.
She eased one leg over the barrier, then the other, standing so that she was facing the apartment. He had worked his hands down the upright posts, but when she tried to imitate him, the metal scraped her palms.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Cole moving behind her, and she was glad she was wearing slacks instead of a skirt.
Reaching up, he grasped her hips. “It’s okay. Let go. I’ve got you.”
She loosened her hold, letting him take her weight, then slowly lower her to the ground, the back of her body sliding against his front.
Gritting her teeth, she tried to ignore the intimacy of the contact, but that was impossible. She was sensitized to him now, and she had the conviction that if they were alone and free to follow their impulses, they would end up fucking each other’s eyeballs out.
What a way to put it!
Yet that was as good a description as any.
Her feet had touched the ground, but he held on to her for another moment before dropping his hands. Gritting her teeth, she willed herself to steadiness.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said in a thick voice that told her he was as affected as she.
She was all for splitting. When he started around the building, she followed, then slammed into him as he stopped abruptly.
A young brunette woman was striding up the sidewalk, heading toward the back of the complex.
Cole pulled Emma out of view and they waited for the woman to pass.
When she had disappeared from sight, he stepped out and walked toward the street like they had every right to be there.
Back in the car, Emma breathed out a sigh.
“You think that woman was just a resident?” she asked.
“Odds are good, but we don’t want her to remember us if anybody asks.” He started the engine and headed away from the complex.
“What do we say we’re doing in a nightclub at . . .” She looked at her watch. “Noon.”
“Maybe we think we can get some lunch.”
“Doubtful.”
“I wish we could go during evening hours so we could absorb the atmosphere of the place. Only Karen doesn’t have that kind of time.”
“Probably like any other nightspot,” Cole muttered.
“Which is what?”
He laughed. “Okay, you got me. I’m not into the club scene.”
“Neither am I.”
“So what do you do for fun?” he suddenly asked.
“Outdoor stuff. Jogging. Rock climbing. Jumping out of planes. Scuba diving.”
“I haven’t tried the jumping part.”
“But the rest?” she asked, thinking that they’d hardly talked about their private lives.
“You thought I stayed home and watched football?”
She laughed. “I guess not.”
“I have some property on the Eastern Shore. Near Easton. I got it cheap because it was pretty run-down. I spend the weekends there fixing the place up.”
“Nice to be handy.”
“Yeah,” he answered, his tone telling her that the personal conversation was making him edgy.
They drove in silence the rest of the way to Temptation—which had a black slab front with no windows and no hint of what was inside except for the name of the club in silver letters across the door. Which probably meant that the place didn’t need to advertise.
After circling the block, they drove up the alley, noting the exits before they parked.
“We’re friends of Karen’s,” Cole said before they got out. “We’re worried about her because we were supposed to get together today. And she’s talked about this place, so we thought we’d see if anyone knows where she is.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Act casual.”
As they walked toward the door, he reached for her hand. She might have jerked away, but she told herself the posture was part of their cover.
Still, his calloused fingers against her softer ones sent tingling sensations all the way up her arm.
“You do the talking,” she said.
“Okay.”
Inside, it took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the dim light.
It turned out that there were a few customers at the bar, even this early in the day. Across the room were some tables and low-backed chairs. Above a large dance floor metallic streamers dangled. Probably at night they glittered. At noon, they just looked limp.
“Help you?” the bartender asked. He was a tall guy with a thick mane of dark hair who probably doubled as a bouncer. The sleeves of his white button-down shirt were rolled up to the elbows.
Cole gave the story about Karen that they’d agreed on.
“I saw her here last night,” the bartender said.
“Did she leave with anyone?”
“I wasn’t paying attention.”
A bleached blond waitress wearing a low cut black top, black miniskirt and fishnet stockings joined the conversation. “She wasn’t with anyone, but when she left, a guy hurried right out after her.”
&
nbsp; “Good to know,” Cole said. “You think she’ll be back tonight?”
“Might be,” the bartender said.
“Could you let her know Jimmy and Pam are looking for her,” he asked.
When the bartender looked doubtful, Cole handed him a twenty, which he slipped into his pocket.
There was nothing more they could do. Bombarding the staff with questions was going to look out of character for the casual friends they were supposed to be.
“Jimmy and Pam,” Emma said in a low voice as they stood on the sidewalk. “That’s not going to get us anything for your twenty bucks.”
“You think he’s going to call?” Cole shot back. “She’s not coming back here because she’s not free to, but tipping the bartender for information reinforces our cover.”
“Okay,” she murmured, acknowledging his logic.
As they walked toward the car, a flicker of movement caught her eye, and she looked around to see a big guy who could have been a Mr. Universe contender heading purposefully toward them. He was over six feet tall wearing jeans and a tee shirt that showed off his bulging muscles. From the heavy way he walked, he could be the guy who’d checked out the apartment.
Cole had seen him too. He glanced quickly back toward the club. “Get back inside. I’ll lead him away.”
She didn’t like that option, but the look on Cole’s face told her that an argument would simply waste precious time.
And she understood the wisdom of the ploy, especially if they were supposed to be Karen’s friends and not trained security operatives. Civilians would flee—not stand and fight.
Teeth gritted, she reversed directions, ducking in the side door of the club, while Cole took off in the other direction.
Mr. Universe hesitated. Probably he thought the woman was a better target, but he wasn’t going to get her without alerting the staff.
She found herself in a service hallway.
“Hey!” a guy in a waiter’s uniform exclaimed. “If you’re looking for the little girls’ room, it’s not back here.”
“Please let me stay for a minute. Some guy came after me in the parking lot.”
