Bravo, Tango, Cowboy

by Joanna Wayne

  “By we, I assume you mean you and that soldier cowboy posing as an investigator.”

  So that’s what his attitude was about. He was still angry that she’d brought Hawk in on the case.

  “There is no way I can turn over confidential information to you or Hawk Taylor, especially when it doesn’t concern your daughter.”

  “How can you be sure it doesn’t? Did you ever consider that this woman may have had Lucy abducted and sold on the black market?”

  “In the first place, Alonsa, there is no credible evidence tying anyone in Houston to a baby theft ring. If there were, that person would still be under investigation making it even more imperative that I not leak details about the situation. In the second place, there’s no credible evidence that such a ring operates in this country.”

  This wasn’t working. She should have gone to New York and talked to Craig face-to-face. Since she hadn’t, there had to be a way to get through to him.

  “I know Todd was on the case, Craig. The attorney exists. If nothing else, just give me her name.”

  “Let it go, Alonsa. If Todd was on such a case—and I’m not confirming that he was—he was removed from the investigation due to lack of evidence. Considering that and the fact that he was already dead at the time Lucy went missing, what possible reason would this attorney you’re talking about have for abducting Lucy?”

  “Because Todd believed she was guilty and he told her he was going to take her down.”

  “And how would you know that?”

  “I just do. And the woman’s incredibly vindictive. She killed a man’s entire family just because he crossed her. What’s one abduction to a woman like that?”

  “Do you have proof of any of this?”

  “Just give me the attorney’s name, Craig. You’ve said yourself time after time that you’d do anything to help me get Lucy back.”

  “And I will, Alonsa. I’ll look into this myself, I promise. But I can’t flagrantly disregard Bureau policy.”

  She had a few suggestions for what he could do with his Bureau policy. It was a struggle not to hurl them at him. She would have if she’d thought they would help. She had to have the name of that attorney.

  “You know how I feel about you, Alonsa, how I’ve always felt about you. Fire that bozo and come back to New York where I can see you. I’ll work with you personally on this.”

  Her stomach roiled and her resolve turned to solid steel. “Give me the attorney’s name, Craig, or I’ll go to your wife and tell her about our affair. I’ll give her names and dates and details. And then I’ll tell her how you’ve hit on me constantly since Todd’s death.”

  “Don’t be ludicrous. You know you wouldn’t do that to me or to Ginny. You’re letting Hawk call the shots. I’ll bet he’s there right now listening to every word you say and egging you on.”

  “The name, Craig, or I hang up this phone and call Ginny right now. Don’t push me because I’m ready to break. I want my daughter back and if that costs you a divorce, then that’s just the way it is.”

  Noises came through the phone as if he were choking or gasping for breath. He could be having a heart attack. Her breath balled in her throat.

  “You bitch, and after all we’ve meant to each other.”

  Apparently he hadn’t had a heart attack. He had no heart. “The name, Craig.”

  “You’ll regret this.”

  She waited.

  “Caroline Wardman, but if this gets out, I’ll swear on a stack of bibles you didn’t get it from me.”

  Alonsa’s hands shook as she broke the connection and punched in Hawk’s number, praying that this was finally the break that would bring Lucy home.

  ALONSA HAD ASKED Hawk to give her an hour to get Brandon fed and down for his nap. He’d obliged and kept busy every second, researching Caroline Wardman.

  The attorney had an office in the Heights, a community near downtown Houston just north of Buffalo Bayou. According to his research it was an area of older homes, many of which had been restored. A few had been turned into offices.

  Her age was fifty-two, or fifty-six, depending on which site you believed. She had served on several cultural arts boards and hosted numerous political fundraisers. A wealthy woman with clout. Easy to understand why the FBI hadn’t gone after her without solid evidence of wrongdoing.

  Needless to say there was no indication that she was engaged in illegal activity or had ordered anyone killed. She did specialize in assisting with foreign adoptions but her practice was not limited to that.

  She’d be a hard nut to crack. That didn’t deter Hawk. Challenges made life interesting. But to him this was another avenue to be explored in the search for Lucy Salatoya.

  As always, it was more than that for Alonsa. Her spirit lived and died with every lead, and he dreaded watching her plunge into despair if this didn’t work out. Caroline Wardman was a long shot at best.

  He drove up in front of Alonsa’s house at five minutes after one knowing that he’d have to work to keep her expectations within the bounds of reality.

  Hers were not the only expectations he’d have to watch. He’d spent far too much time reliving the passion they’d tasted down by the creek and the fury-fired kiss she’d left him with that same night.

  Every sane thought reminded him that making love with her would put them on a slippery path to disaster. There was nowhere for the relationship to go. Alonsa would want more than he could give. She deserved more.

  He embraced the self-lecture as he walked to her door. His resolve transformed into rapid-fire blasts of arousal the second she opened it.

  She was wearing her hair different, pulled up on top of her head with wispy tresses escaping the knot. The front slit in her straight black skirt showed enough smooth thigh to make his mouth water. Delicate silver hearts dangled from her earlobes and called attention to the smooth column of her regal neck.

  Finally, he let his gaze focus on those full, tempting lips that had the power to knock him totally off his feet. Not wise to trust his instincts with Alonsa today.

  He had to play this cool.

  He managed a hello that he hoped revealed none of what he was feeling. He followed her to the family room. The view from the back was equally as devastating.

  There was no sign of Brandon or Carne, but there was a cheeseboard laden with several varieties of cheese, slices of apple and pear and a bowl of wheat crackers. A tray sitting next to it held napkins and cups waiting to be filled with drink from colorful carafes.

  “Are we celebrating?” Hawk said, helping himself to a hunk of cheddar.

  “I wasn’t sure you’d had time for lunch and I didn’t want us to stop for food until we’d had time to map out our strategy.”

  He chewed and swallowed. “Sounds good except for that little word our. I work alone in my capacity as investigator. Did I not mention that?”

  “I got the name of the attorney,” she reminded him, as if that meant he owed her. “There’s coffee or hot tea. Which would you prefer?”

  “A cold beer.” He figured he’d better veer from her ground rules before this went too far and she really believed she was going to have a say in the strategy.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t keep it on hand. I have wine.”

  “Not a problem. I have a six-pack in a cooler in the back of my truck. How about you? Can I get you one?”

  “I suppose, if you’re going outside anyway.”

  “Two beers coming up.”

  He sauntered back to the truck and got three while he was at it. He had a feeling he was going to have a fight on his hands and might need the fortification. Granted, Lucy was Alonsa’s daughter, but his methods weren’t up for a popular vote.

  If it turned out Caroline Wardman was behind Lucy’s disappearance, they’d be dealing with a powerful, vindictive woman and he was taking no chances with Alonsa’s safety.

  When he returned with his beverage of choice, they went over the facts that they knew for certain. It all
boiled down to Caroline Wardman being an attorney who specialized in foreign adoptions who had once been investigated for possible involvement in a baby smuggling ring.

  The investigation had been called off due to lack of evidence. And she might have been threatened by Todd. They only had Mitch Gavin’s word on that.

  Hawk helped himself to more cheese and a handful of the mini crackers and washed it down with a swig of beer. “I appreciate your getting the name, Alonsa. I’ll keep you posted as to how this progresses.”

  She shot him a look that was painfully void of sensuality. “I’d like to know your plan of action.”

  “I’m thinking I’ll just get a bunch of my buddies together and we’ll pick up some AK-47s and storm her office with bullets blazing.”

  “You can’t do that. It’s—” She exhaled sharply. “This isn’t funny, Hawk. We’re talking about my daughter. This woman knows where Lucy is. I’m sure of it. We can’t make mistakes.”

  “Okay, calm down. I don’t have a game plan yet. I’m Special Ops trained. We check out every element of a mission before we dive in. Surprises do not make for happy endings.”

  Alonsa crossed her shapely legs. “How will you check out these elements?”

  “The old standby, snooping. I’ll find out everything I can about the attorney and her background. Then I’ll make an appointment and meet her on her turf. That way I can get a look at her operation. I don’t try to judge a book by its cover, but I can tell a lot about people just by observing them in their own little fishbowl.”

  Alonsa set the beer she’d been nursing on the edge of the tray. “Make an appointment to do what?”

  “Talk to her about adopting a baby from Mexico. I’ll see what kind of information she gives me and who she hooks me up with. Then I’ll go from there.”

  “Good idea. I’ll go with you.”

  “Bad idea.”

  “I don’t see why. It’s not like you could adopt a baby by yourself. You need a wife or rather someone to play the part of your wife.”

  “You’re Lucy’s mother and Todd’s wife. If the honorable attorney is behind the abduction and the phone calls, she’ll recognize you.”

  “Not if I go in disguise. I can wear a wig and glasses, big-rimmed glasses. And I’ll use stage makeup. I know how to add acne scars to my face. I had to do that before when I played a wicked old hag in a show.”

  Talk about your screwed casting.

  “I had moles with long hairs protruding from them as well,” she continued, “but that’s probably taking things a bit too far.”

  “A bit.”

  “I even know how to dress so that I look twenty pounds heavier. I can do it, Hawk. I know I can. You won’t even recognize me. And I need to be there. I’ll hear or see something that will help us find Lucy. I feel it deep inside me.”

  “I’d need to spend the night,” he said, “to check the lay of the land after dark and determine what it would take to pull off a successful break-in.”

  “I could find someone to watch Brandon for one night. Linney or Ellen, or even Merlee. We can get two rooms, and except for when we meet with Caroline Wardman, you won’t even know I’m there.”

  It would take considerably more than glasses, acne and twenty extra pounds for that. When he needed his wits about him most, he’d be distracted by considerations for her safety. And he didn’t even want to think about the stress of controlling his sensual cravings with them staying in the same hotel.

  “I’ll think about it, Alonsa.” Which was better than arguing with her.

  “I can be ready to go tomorrow.”

  “I can’t. I’ll get back to you when everything is a go. We’ll talk then.”

  She stood and her mouth drew into a tight line, her gaze piercing. And then she delivered the clincher.

  “Okay, Hawk, you decide whether or not you want me to go with you or if you’d rather I go to see Caroline Wardman by myself.”

  He groaned. Just like in the military, the easy way was always mined.

  THE WOMAN WOKE to a house that was pitch dark, not even a glow from the hall night-light to illuminate the shadows. The electricity must have gone out during the night. She hated the dark. It made her shaky. Her nerves were a mess as it was.

  She kicked off the covers and reached in the drawer beside her bed for her flashlight. Her fingers brushed the tiny thin metal key. She clasped it and pulled it from the drawer. It slipped from her fingers and she slid off the edge of the bed and onto her knees, fumbling until she recovered it.

  Aiming a narrow beam of light into the darkness, she padded to the bathroom, reached to the top shelf of the linen closet and unlocked the metal file box. The pills were in the front corner, locked away so no one would see them or ask about them. She held the bottle, unscrewed the lid and poured two round white pills into the palm of her left hand.

  They were getting harder and harder to come by. The doctors were nervous these days about writing prescriptions for mood-altering drugs. Too many side effects. Too many lawsuits, or so they claimed. She swallowed the pills then turned on the faucet and cupped her hand beneath the spigot, collecting enough water to make the drugs go down easily.

  In the old days, she’d injected it directly into her vein. That was before she’d made the horrifying decision that haunted her still. That night, she hadn’t been the one holding the needle.

  Pushing her fingers to the back of the file box, she located the CD. Her hand rested on top of it, but she didn’t pick it up. Its days of bringing her satisfaction were soon to come to an end.

  One more little surprise and then Alonsa would pay the ultimate price for what she’d stolen. It had always been the plan and now everything was falling into place.

  It would be the perfect gift for the little girl whose birthday would never come.

  Chapter Eleven

  The appointment with Caroline Wardman was set for Tuesday morning. By the time Hawk and Alonsa drove to Houston on Monday afternoon, Hawk had heard back from Mitch. He thought the woman in the sketch looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place her.

  If the sketch had been more distinct he might have been able to help, or so he’d said. He’d promised to give it more thought.

  Hawk had also collected enough information to conclude that while Caroline Wardman’s business methods would likely not win her any awards for ethics, she probably wasn’t doing anything entirely illegal, either.

  Yet she’d caused enough waves that the FBI had her investigated, so he wasn’t ruling anything out. All you had to do was listen to the evening news to know that the world was full of people who pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes—until they were caught.

  Caroline Wardman could turn into a case in point, which was why Hawk had given in to Alonsa’s insistence that she come with him for tomorrow morning’s appointment. If he hadn’t, she would have made good on her word to visit the attorney on her own.

  In spite of the evidence he’d collected, Alonsa still had high hopes that they were about to discover the yellow brick road that would lead them to Lucy.

  At Linney’s suggestion, he’d booked rooms for them at a bed and breakfast in the Heights area, just a few blocks from the attorney’s office. His treat this time, although Alonsa had balked at his not letting her pick up expenses as they’d agreed on initially.

  But a woman who tangoed through all his dreams and whose kisses haunted his every waking moment shouldn’t pick up the tab for his room.

  The B and B was a sprawling turn-of-the-century house filled with antiques and smelling of lilacs. To call it romantic would be a gross understatement. The place reeked of it. And temptation was only a door away.

  Not that he had any plans for a midnight seduction. Nothing had changed between them. Alonsa was still vulnerable. He was still bad news in jeans and neck deep in this investigation.

  He was meeting her for dinner in a matter of minutes and for once it would be much appreciated if she didn’t look so damned irresis
tible.

  He stuffed his wallet in his pocket, grabbed his sport coat and turned out the light, closing and locking his door behind him. Alonsa’s door was open. He tapped anyway.

  “You decent?” Please be.

  “Hawk, glad you’re here. I need some help with this zipper.”

  She waltzed out of her bathroom in a black dress with a skirt that swung enticingly just above her knees and a pair of gold stiletto heels that did mind-boggling things for her shapely legs.

  The real killer was when she turned her back to him. The zipper had gotten stuck just above her waist and her bare back glistened in the glow of the lamps. She wore no bra.

  Every part of him reacted to the sight. Playing it cool was no longer an option. He shrugged out of his jacket, crossed the room and took her in his arms. When his lips found hers, and she kissed him back, he knew that dinner was going to be very, very late.

  ALONSA MELTED INTO the kiss and her mind grew giddy with the thrill of it. She’d tried to talk herself out of wanting Hawk this way after his rejection, had worked to convince herself she didn’t need him or his kisses. The denial dissolved the second his lips touched hers.

  Her body vibrated now with a need so intense she couldn’t think or reason. Her pulse was racing, her heart beating to a rhythm that rocked her soul.

  Hawk’s mouth left her lips and seared a wicked hot trail down her neck. The slow burn was maddening and hot flushes ran rampant through every cell of her body. Her head swam. Her heart felt as if it were on the verge of bursting from her chest.

  She knotted her fingers in his hair, pulled him closer while his lips pushed away the loose neckline of her dress and kissed their way down her bare chest. Her nipples grew erect and hard, pulsing and pointing, begging for more as his tongue teased and his lips nibbled and sucked.

  She needed this so badly, needed Hawk with his virility and determination, his smile and his strength. Needed to unleash the swirl of wanton emotions that were coursing through her. She needed passion.

  He slipped his right hand beneath the skirt of her dress and slid it between her thighs, slowing working his fingers upward until they dipped inside her panties and rolled across the sweet core of her desire. The intensity of the pleasure became liquid fire. She ran her hand down his body, gingerly massaging the hard length of his erection.