A knock came at the door. Becoming aware of the sound, Colin realized that it had been going on for several minutes, and the incessant pounding had woken him from his sleep. Having no desire to wake Julia, he hurried to the door. Opening it a crack, he was stunned to find Desmond on the other side.
Colin’s next-in-command looked even worse than he had the other night. His hair was a wreck, and his clothes, expensive as they were, looked as though they’d been slept in for a week.
Desmond’s bloodshot eyes went wide. They settled against the rope burns on Colin’s neck. “What happened to you?”
Colin urged him into the hall. Lest his houseguest should get any ideas about listening in on his conversation, he shut the door behind them. “This is what happens when someone throws a noose around your neck.” Not wanting to draw the neighbors’ attention, he lowered his voice. “I take it your early-morning visit means you’ve located John Rizzo?”
“Negative, boss.”
“Come again?”
Desmond hesitated. He took a half step backward. “Rizzo’s sort of…gone off the grid.”
Rage boiled in Colin’s veins. He’d given Desmond one simple assignment, and even on that, he couldn’t deliver. Perhaps he should recruit Julia Dyson. At the present moment, he imagined she could do a better job than most of the imbeciles in his employ.
He tapped his foot against the carpet. “That must have been quite a feat for him, considering you’ve been watching his every move since our last conversation.”
“Yeah, about that. I sort of never found him in the first place.”
“You what?”
Desmond held up two hands. “I knew you’d be furious if I told you the truth. I thought Rizzo might surface at the party last night.”
“And?”
“No one there would tell me a damn thing. The furniture, the carpets—everything was gone when I went back this morning.”
Impossible. He’d had a guy over there last night and early this morning. As of 4:00 a.m., they hadn’t moved a thing.
He snatched Desmond by the collar. “You incompetent son of a bitch. Do you have any idea what you’ve done? Do you? Allow me to clue you in. I almost died last night because of your ineptitude!”
“If I’d had any idea they were going to try and kill you, I would have told you not to go,” Desmond said, fighting to break free. “You and I both know that last night was a setup, and that it’s very likely Rizzo’s working with an accomplice.”
“Make that two accomplices,” Colin said, loosening his grip. “There was more than one guy in the room with me.”
“Rizzo,” Desmond suggested, “and someone else. It does seem like a bit of a stretch, the idea that he would have put this whole fake party together alone.”
Colin considered this. It didn’t much seem like something Rizzo would have done on his own. More than likely, he’d been recruited by someone else to do their dirty work.
“What about Tucker’s daughter?” Desmond asked. “How did she take the whole attempt on your life?”
“About as well as you would imagine,” Colin said, recalling all too well the horrified look on Julia’s face. He would have to be a lot more careful next time.
“Well I hope you plan on taking a softer approach with her than you did me,” Desmond said, adjusting his collar.
“It just so happens that Julia Dyson is sleeping very comfortably in my bed.” Colin opened the door to his apartment a crack. Gesturing toward his bedroom, he said, “I’d say I’ve been rather generous.”
“Guess you’ve got it all figured out, then.” Desmond started for the elevator. “Me, if I had a beautiful woman sleeping in my penthouse, I’d take a different approach.”
“And what approach would that be?” Colin raised a brow.
“Seduction.”
“Seduction?” He choked out the word. He’d hit a dry spell for sure, but he had never had any shortage of women in his bed.
“Women are like roses,” Desmond said. “Their stems may be covered with thorns, but we’re powerless to resist their beauty. Water them, and they’ll share their radiance with you.”
“I never knew you were so poetic,” Colin said drily. As if he could care less about roses, or about seducing Julia Dyson. Even on the crazy notion that he had any interest in doing such a thing, he had much more important things to be concerned about, like keeping his ass out of the electric chair. “It’s an interesting theory, but I have to pass. I’ve never seduced a woman. It’s never been necessary.”
“Have it your way,” Desmond said as the elevator doors opened. He stepped inside, looking back briefly. “I only hope your couch still agrees with you after a week of sleepless nights.”
Colin raked his fingers through his hair. “Go do your job, Desmond.”
* * * *
Inhaling the aroma around her, Julia lifted her head. Mmm. Butter and pancakes. Going to sleep on an empty stomach certainly did give her lifelike dreams.
Looking around, she began to recall the events of the previous night. The party, the walk up Madison Avenue. She felt cold, and she tucked Colin’s hefty down comforter under her arms.
She’d slept well. In fact, it had been the best night’s sleep she’d had since learning her dad was missing. She intended to make the most of her energy.
As soon as she got dressed, she was going to insist that Colin take her out to look for her dad. She was moderately convinced he wasn’t the one who’d taken him, but she was certain he could point her in the right direction.
But before they went anywhere, she was making a few purchases, some mace, a foghorn, and possibly a gun. She had no intention of using a gun, but it was sure to frighten the enemy. That was what mattered.
The sound of a grill pan captured her attention. God, now she was hearing things. Though, a little brain food before she began her investigation sounded pretty good. And the noises she was hearing were real. Maybe Colin had a cook out in New York City. It wasn’t as if the guy couldn’t afford one.
Julia fluffed her curls then got to her feet. Wandering down the hall, she entered the kitchen, stopped in her tracks, and wondered briefly whether she was still dreaming. Colin, who was dressed in a pine-green shirt and slacks, was standing in front of the stove, holding a frying pan. He appeared to be making pancakes!
He flipped a flat brown cake into the air. Shooting her a smile, he set the pan down. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. I was beginning to think I was going to have to set the table for one.”
At the sight of the massive quantities of food before her, Julia’s eyes came wide open. There were glasses of both milk and orange juice beside each of two place settings. In the center of the table was a platter of scrambled eggs. Next to it was a plate of bacon.
She could hardly believe a guy as rich as Colin Westwood had cooked a day in his life. But what was even more surprising was that he’d wanted to do it for her. She fought hard for something sarcastic she could say, something that would prove this was some sort of bizarre April Fool’s joke.
But her stomach seemed to have a mind of its own. It growled as Colin carried the pancakes past her, placing them between the other entrées.
“What’s all this?” she asked, unsure of where to look first.
“Pancakes, bacon, and eggs,” he answered with a smile. “I didn’t know what you like best, so I made a little bit of everything.”
His smile was warm, and Julia wondered what his intention was. To keep her from exposing his secrets? Or to poison her?
She suddenly remembered she was wearing lingerie as Colin’s mischievous eyes scanned the length of her figure. They grazed her bare legs and torso. She cleared her throat, storming down the hall.
A towel would be more conservative, she thought. At least terrycloth wasn’t transparent.
Reaching the farthest end of the apartment, she scanned Colin’s extravagant bathroom, examining both the towel rack and the shower. Her search didn’t take long. Opposite th
e glass doors hung a large white bathrobe. She threw it on and secured the belt around her waist. Satisfied, she walked back to the kitchen.
Colin smiled from his seat at the head of the table. He took a long sip of orange juice. “You’ve been exploring.”
“You might’ve mentioned you had a bathrobe last night,” Julia said. She pulled back her chair and sat down.
“I couldn’t have you getting overheated, Julia. These apartment buildings get warm in the summertime.”
“Please. You and I both know the reason you didn’t tell me you had a bathrobe is because—” She was cut off as the sound of high-heeled shoes scuffed across the floor behind her. A young woman with long black hair and violet eyes had entered the room.
The woman, whom Julia wasn’t entirely sure hadn’t been a contestant during the last Miss Universe pageant, was carrying a bag of groceries. She wore a tight black dress and knee-high leather boots. As she walked past them, her smooth white skin, raven mane, and deep-red lips came into view. She set the bag of groceries she held onto the counter.
Colin walked toward the girl. He took a bottle of maple syrup from the bag she’d put down. “Adrianna, you’re a doll. I swear I’d be completely lost without you.”
The young woman beamed, displaying an array of pearly white teeth. “It’s no trouble at all,” she said, her voice drone-sweet.
Colin reached into his pocket, taking a fifty dollar bill. Holding it out to her, he said, “For coming over here at the crack of dawn. And”—he looked Julia’s way—“just for being you.”
Julia snatched a piece of bacon. Rolling her eyes, she finished it in two bites.
“Colin, this is too much,” Adrianna said, holding up her hands in protest. “All I did was buy you groceries.”
Colin was thoughtful a moment. He nodded, stroking his chin. “Well, then. Perhaps you can come back and earn the rest tonight.”
“What?” Julia and Adrianna exclaimed at the same time.
He chuckled, removing the contents of the grocery bag—strawberries, bananas and a container of cream cheese. “I’m sure the place will be in need of a good cleaning at that point. My guest has a tendency to”—he glanced Julia’s way—“touch things that don’t belong to her.”
Julia clenched her teeth. For God’s sake, it wasn’t as though she wanted to be trapped there. And as far as her touching things that didn’t belong to her, all bets had gone off the minute he’d handed her the latest edition from the Victoria’s Secret catalog.
Done watching the disgusting display of flirtation before her, she got to her feet. She turned toward Colin’s so-called housekeeper, displaying her sweetest smile. “Adrianna. Gosh, that’s such a pretty name. Let me walk you out, since you were nice enough to bring us breakfast so early on a Saturday morning.”
Adrianna shot Colin a strange look, almost as though asking his permission to go. After a moment that seemed like it would never end, she followed Julia into the living room, leaving their host alone in the kitchen.
Julia walked to the front door and placed her hand around the knob. Turning to Adrianna, she kept her voice low. “I see Colin really likes you.”
“He was the first person I met when I moved to the City,” the young woman said, her eyes glassy and faraway. “I guess you could say he was my self-appointed tour guide.”
Julia fought a wave of nausea. She supposed it couldn’t be doing her any good that she’d only eaten a piece of bacon. It was almost ten o’clock. “That’s so sweet. I guess he just couldn’t bring himself to tell you.”
“To tell me what?”
She straightened her posture. “I’m afraid we won’t be needing a housekeeper anymore.”
“We?” Adrianna’s porcelain cheeks grew scarlet. “Are you Colin’s girlfriend?”
“God, no.” As if anyone with a brain would believe she’d date such an arrogant piece of work. Fiancé? That sounded even worse. The woman carrying his child? Totally preposterous.
Adrianna’s violet eyes filled with tears. “I don’t understand. I’ve worked for Colin for years. Is he letting go of the apartment?”
Julia’s head was spinning. She could care less whether Colin had a thing for his housekeeper. Why was she letting it get to her?
“It isn’t that,” she stammered. “I’m Colin’s…cousin. And it looks as though I’m going to be staying with him for quite some time. Naturally, Colin likes his guests to be comfortable, but I’m a girl who insists on pulling my own weight.”
“So, this is only temporary? After you’re gone, I get my job back?”
Julia bit her tongue. She hadn’t thought that through very well, had she? It only made sense that the woman would expect to get her job back after she was no longer living in the apartment. She couldn’t think of a single reason why she shouldn’t have it.
“Of course,” she said, doing her best to maintain an even expression.
“All right then,” Adrianna said after a moment. “Colin has my number. I’ll be in touch.”
She turned back as she stepped into the doorway. “You should know, cousin Julia, that Colin doesn’t generally go for redheads. Or country bumpkins.”
Julia nearly told the woman exactly what she could do with all that eyeliner. But the sound of footsteps stopped her from doing any such thing. “It was so nice meeting you,” she choked out. “Take care, Adrianna.”
Her breath was caught in her lungs. She double-bolted the door and turned to find Colin behind her.
He raised his thick black eyebrows. “That was rather long for a thank you.”
“Just trying to be polite,” she said, avoiding his eyes. She stepped around him, walking back to the kitchen.
She went to the table and pulled back her chair. Eager to dig into the stack of pancakes before her, she put two on her plate and began cutting frantically.
“I suppose you were only looking for a way to compensate me for your living expenses,” Colin said, leaning over the head of the table. “Pulling your own weight by, say, firing my housekeeper.”
Her mouth became dry. “I swear. I didn’t—”
“Lies don’t become you, Julia.” He snatched her by the chin. “There’s no sense pretending you did this out of some sort of moral obligation. You and I both know the reason you were so bothered by Adrianna.”
“She rubbed me the wrong way,” she said, pulling free.
“Because you were jealous when I flirted with her.”
Julia stared at the bottle of syrup in her hand. “I have an especially low tolerance for airheaded women who bat their eyelashes to earn a tip.”
“If you say so,” Colin said, the smile on his lips not really indicating whether he believed what she’d said or otherwise. “Now that that’s settled, you ought to finish your breakfast. You have a big day ahead of you. You’re going to be needing your strength.”
She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, thank you very much. And what did he mean by she had a big day ahead of her?
“I thought the whole point of this search and rescue was that we work together—your know-how and my feisty persona, or something of that nature?”
He cracked a cynical smile. “Not until we get you some better clothing, my dear. Not only do your wardrobe selections leave a great deal to be desired, but they caught the eyes of my brother and sister-in-law the night you crashed their party. If amateurs can spot you, the enemy will know you’re not a New Yorker for sure.”
She’d been a New Yorker for seven years. It didn’t mean she needed to carry a Prada bag. “Assuming I agree to spend my morning taking a stroll down Fifth Avenue, where will you be exactly?”
Colin took his credit card from his wallet. Placing it into her hand, he said, “You haven’t told me what you think of the pancakes.”
“They’re fine.”
“Fine?” His fork hit the plate. “I make damn good pancakes. Admit it.”
“Well.” Julia tapped a finger to her cheek. “They say what doesn’
t kill you makes you stronger.”
“I can’t say I’ve had many complaints in the breakfast department.”
Ignoring the not-so-subtle insinuation, she cleared her throat. “You cooked pancakes. Not a five-star gourmet dinner.”
“Maybe so. But I think you’re enjoying them more than you’re willing to admit.”
Julia stood, adjusting the enormous belt on her robe. It slipped from her fingers. Colin’s gaze nearly burned a hole in the fabric as the robe came open, revealing the lingerie. She pulled it tightly closed.
“My brother bought that for Lena,” he said.
“So you told me.”
He called after her a moment later. “Straight there, straight back. Talk to no one. If anyone gives you a bad feeling, you call me immediately.”
Julia smiled to herself. She could hardly believe that Colin had given her his credit card. He clearly trusted her more than he cared to admit, as she could easily walk away with a good chunk of his money and never come back. Better, she could run a background check on him. Which she would do, if she had the slightest idea of how to run a background check.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you actually care about what happens to me out there, Westwood. And you still haven’t told me where you’ll be.”
“I’m going to check in with a few of my contacts,” Colin said, focusing on his plate. “Meet me back here at one o’clock. I’ll let you know if I find out anything significant, and we can plan our next move.”
Seeing that he was still sitting at the table, Julia looked at him. “Aren’t you leaving?”
“I thought I’d have a cup of coffee first. Then a shower.” Colin smiled. “I don’t suppose you want to join me?”
Julia swallowed. A helpless image of Colin, broad shouldered and muscled with soap and water all over him displayed in her mind. She set her eyes against the floor.
“That’s a shame,” he said, opening up the newspaper. He buried his eyes in an article.
Dangerous Proposition Page 9
