Hot Lawyers: The Lee Christine Collection

by Lee Christine

  Afterwards, he held her while she slept, content and at peace for the first time in years. Josie might be young, but she was more emotionally mature than many thirty-year-olds he knew. And what did age matter anyway, when you possessed a head full of common sense? Surely once everyone reached adulthood, the playing field levelled out.

  Feeling her skin cool, he untangled her limbs from around his and leaned down to pull the coverlet over them. She stirred, and he tucked her against his side, smiled as she slipped her arm around him.

  ‘How’s your shoulder?’ Her voice was husky, sexy, the voice of a woman who’d just been made love to.

  ‘Can’t feel a thing.’ He brushed the hair out of her eyes. ‘Sex is the best painkiller not on the market.’

  She laughed, cupping a breast and lifting it out from where it lay squashed between them.

  Nate’s throat went dry and he turned hard again, had to move a bit to hide his arousal. He’d never thought of himself as a boob man before, more a general admirer of feminine beauty. But there was just something about Josie, and the shape of her breasts that drove him to distraction.

  ‘Is Dickson okay?’ she asked.

  Nate stretched out his legs. ‘I’d forgotten all about him.’

  She pushed herself up on one elbow, eyebrows lifting in surprise. ‘How could you forget about Dickson? You went to check on him.’

  ‘I did. And then I forgot him.’

  ‘How is he?’

  ‘His pride’s hurt more than his head,’ he said with a scowl. ‘It was a fundamental mistake to leave you alone in the house. We’ll be lucky if he doesn’t get us all killed.’

  ‘Nate.’ She leaned over and kissed his nipple. ‘Did you really forget he was here?’

  ‘Yeah.’ His body tightened, and he brushed her hair back from her face so he could watch her kissing his chest. ‘Sex can drive everything from a man’s mind.’

  ‘Is that why you’re not supposed to get involved with anyone while you’re undercover?’

  Josie felt his body tense, and when she turned to look at him, a frown marred his forehead.

  ‘Dickson told me about the woman in America. Is that her son, the one in your wallet?’

  He nodded, his expression far from pleased. ‘Jonathan. Dickson shouldn’t have said anything. It’s none of his business.’

  From his curt response it sounded like it was none of her business either. ‘I didn’t ask, he volunteered it.’

  He looked away. ‘What else did he say?’

  Now wasn’t the time to ask about the suspension. ‘Just — that you wanted to bring them out here.’

  Nate closed his eyes for a second, a muscle shifting in his cheek.

  Josie’s stomach lurched, and suddenly she felt stupid, naive and nosy. Oh God. She’d asked one question about his past, and now it was going to blow up in her face. She’d been so positive Nate would never have started something with her if he had another woman, regardless of distance.

  But Dickson had put doubts in her mind, and now she wasn’t sure.

  And what had Nate just said?

  Sex drives everything else from a man’s mind.

  ‘There was no question of her coming to Australia.’ Soulful eyes turned her way and he reached out and tugged one of her curls. ‘I didn’t ask. It was never an issue.’

  Josie had to stop herself fist pumping the air in celebration, moving her head onto his shoulder instead. She couldn’t indulge in such juvenile behaviour with Nate, no matter how happy he made her. He was a thirty-two-year-old man with a terrifying job. And he’d cared for this broken family.

  ‘Did you love her very much?’

  ‘It was more a fondness.’ He blew out a breath as if the admission was an effort. ‘She’s a workaholic, divorced, driven. It was a convenience thing for both of us. I was in the house while we worked the case.’

  Sensing he was about to share more, Josie stayed quiet.

  ‘I grew close to the kid.’ He rubbed a hand over his chest, a rough edge to his voice. ‘I became like a stepdad to him, taught him a lot of stuff.’

  Josie’s throat closed over. The pain in Nate’s voice was tangible.

  He’d loved this child.

  She covered his hand with hers, satisfied when he entwined his fingers through hers and squeezed. ‘The relationship will have had a positive effect, Nate. He won’t forget you, I promise.’

  Josie braced herself on one elbow and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. ‘I’m not trying to make you feel better. I had heaps of nannies when I was little. Some were middle aged, some were young European girls out here on a working holiday. All of them enriched my life.’

  He frowned. ‘You’re a bit of an old soul, princess, for someone so young.’

  ‘Well, my family’s not for the faint hearted. Is Jonathan’s father on the scene?’

  ‘Yeah. He’s a good guy, very involved.’ Nate shook his head in disgust. ‘That’s why Dickson’s talking out of his arse. Jonathan’s mum would never take him so far away from his biological father.’

  ‘I’m sorry I listened to him.’ She caressed his face, pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

  ‘I’ll forgive you,’ he said against her mouth, and she was glad to hear the smile back in his voice. ‘It’s your turn now. I want to hear all about this famous family of yours.’

  Josie sighed and flopped back on the pillow. ‘There’s not much to tell really. My Dad’s great, when he’s around — and Mum?’

  Josie’s heart sank. The difficult relationship she had with her mother was never easy to discuss. It was a mystery even to her, and when she’d asked her father, he hadn’t been able to explain either.

  ‘It hurts that we’re not close, especially when I don’t have any siblings.’

  ‘She was nice when I drove you home that night.’

  Nate’s non-judgmental, diplomatic answer gave Josie the confidence to go on. ‘She is, she’s beautiful. Everyone loves her. She’s just always been distant with me.’

  ‘Oh, Josie.’ His arms tightened around her and he began to stroke her back.

  ‘I think she suffered postnatal depression, and we might have had trouble bonding. I didn’t cope well. I remember when I was about three, she used to get dressed up and go out with dad. I thought she was a goddess. I started suffering separation anxiety attacks around that time. They’re common in kids, but mine were severe. I was so terrified something bad would happen to her, and she wouldn’t come back. It affected my learning, delayed my speech, reading, everything. I didn’t catch up until Year 2.’

  Nate didn’t say anything, just continued to stroke her back.

  Not wanting to get all gloomy, Josie tried for something lighter. ‘That’s why I talk so much now.’

  He rolled onto his side with a grin, long, hard length digging into her hip. ‘So what’s your excuse for swearing?’

  She reached under the covers and stroked his velvety hardness, desire building at the look of pleasure that came over his “nine out of ten” face.

  ‘Just another way of expressing myself, Senior Detective. I was so frustrated when I was little, once I learned, I never stopped.’

  ‘I can fix frustrated.’ He flipped her on her back, causing a heady excitement to rip through her body. ‘And I love the way you express yourself, especially when you’re all hot and wet — and underneath me.’

  Chapter 19

  Mid afternoon — Northern Hemisphere

  Simon Poole hockey stopped midway down the Jordanelle run in Deer Valley, edged his skis into the snow and stared at the Wasatch Mountain range, Utah. It was a blue bird day in the “skier only” resort, and behind the polarised lenses of his goggles, he could see his wife about half way to the bottom.

  He stretched out the band of his slightly fogged Oakleys and lifted them onto his helmet. To his left, the chair lift carried skiers back up the mountain, and to his right, a smattering of private cedar mansions overlooked the perfectly groomed terrain. In the dist
ance, part of Lake Jordanelle glimmered in the sunshine, a blue splash in a landscape of silver snow.

  Catching his glove between his teeth, he freed his hand and dug in his pocket for his mobile phone.

  One missed call.

  One message.

  Allegra Greenwood.

  Simon’s heart beat faltered, and he shivered, despite sweating inside his ski jacket. The outcome of this call could determine whether he stayed in the States or returned to Australia.

  Edging his skis deeper into the snow, he listened as the computerised voice gave him the date and time. He waved his ski pole at his wife, who was now waiting for him at the bottom of the run. Most of her life had been spent this way, waiting for him, at home, at sporting events and school concerts, and now at the bottom of a ski run while he retrieved a message on his phone.

  A pall of regret came over him at she waved her ski pole in reply. It wouldn’t be fair on her if he had to cut short their time in America.

  And then Allegra began to speak.

  Chapter 20

  10:00 a.m. Wednesday

  Josie woke, warm, contented and naked in Nate’s huge bed. She stretched out under the covers, luxuriating in the feeling of satisfaction deep within her belly. Dreamily, she trailed her hands up and over her breasts. They ached a little when she cupped them, sensitised and tender from Nate’s focused attention.

  With a little smile, she burrowed deeper into the bedclothes, surrounding herself with his scent. Life had a way of throwing everything at you at once, the good, the bad and the ugly included. Last Sunday night, she’d witnessed Mulvaney’s death, and then amidst the danger and chaos of the last two days, she and Nate had been drawn to each other. And this morning, they’d made love, like they were the only two people on earth.

  She turned over, then stilled as male voices filtered down the hallway, one of them unfamiliar. She sat up and threw off the bedclothes. Nate wouldn’t be joining her anytime soon, and she wanted to find out the identity of the third man.

  Half an hour later, showered and changed, she hesitated at the entrance to the living room. Nate looked up and caught sight of her.

  ‘Josie, come and meet Dario Byrne.’

  He came over and took her hand, led her to where a tall, slim, grey haired man was talking to Dickson. Dressed in a polo shirt, casual trousers and loafers, the man looked to be on his way to the local golf links.

  ‘Josie, this is our ex Superintendant of Police.’ Nate explained. ‘He takes care of things here while I’m away. Dario, Josie Valenti.’

  Ah, the retired member of the force Nate had told her about, though he hadn’t mentioned the ex Superintendant bit.

  Assessing brown eyes swept over her as he grasped her hand, mouth curving in a half smile that didn’t soften the deep grooves in his face. ‘Pleased to meet you, Josie.’

  ‘Likewise.’

  She looked at Nate and wondered what was going on. Despite the horror of the initiation, and their lovemaking in the early hours, he looked fresh faced and invigorated.

  ‘We’re putting things in place for later today,’ he explained. ‘We can’t stay here, not with Barry Simpson’s family aware of the situation. It’s best we move to a hotel in the city, especially with me delivering the cash tomorrow.’

  Nate rubbed a hand up and down her arm, eyes searching her face. ‘If we get a visual of the person collecting the money, we could bring the operation to a head. I could use your help, Josie, provided you’re okay with it. Dickson can stake out the gym, you the drycleaners. Dario’s bought clothes to disguise you.’

  Josie stared at each of the three men in turn. Two days ago she would have welcomed this, but now her thoughts whirled at the thought of leaving their hideaway. She felt safe now Nate was back. And it was her birthday tomorrow. She’d been looking forward to spending at least part of it with him.

  But of course the operation had to come first, and the thought of playing an active role was an exciting prospect. It would be terrifying, venturing into the city with the police searching for her and a half million dollar bounty on her head. But for Nate, she’d walk alone into the Altar Boys compound if it meant avoiding a repeat of last night’s agonising wait.

  She wanted him out, away from the Altar Boys.

  Away from the drugs and lap dancers.

  She wanted him with her.

  Josie brought her gaze back to his, and in that instant knew she’d go anywhere to be close to him. ‘I’ll do it.’

  Nate’s hand tightened around her arm, and to her surprise he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. ‘That’s my girl.’

  Josie’s heart raced, and she didn’t miss Dickson’s smile of gratitude, or the way Dario Byrne’s eyes narrowed as he looked from her to Nate.

  If Nate noticed, he didn’t care, just led her over to the table where she and Dickson had been working yesterday. He picked up her notepad where she’d scribbled down the names of the companies she’d searched.

  ‘Can we clarify what you found yesterday? Run me through it. I want to see how it matches up with what I know.’

  ‘Sure.’ She moved closer and pointed to the messy diagrams she’d drawn. ‘The gym operates under a registered business name, Fit Forever, and the associated proprietary company is Mid City Holdings Pty. Limited. Mid City has two shareholders. Scott Tower, the gym operator holds one share and is also the Director. He has a registered Australian Business Number. The second shareholder, is Transfreight Pty. Limited. I’m assuming Transfreight is the party not involved in the daily operations.’

  ‘It’s the same structure as the drycleaners,’ mused Nate. ‘Registered business name, Uptown Drycleaning, associated company, Clean Holdings Pty. Limited.’

  ‘Clean?’ scoffed Dickson. ‘Clean clothes, dirty money.’

  It was the first time he’d spoken since Josie had come into the room, and she noticed how pale he looked, the bump on his head visible due to his lack of hair.

  Nate continued on. ‘The Director is operator Ong Chung, who holds one share, the other is owned by Clean Holdings.’

  Josie pointed to the list she’d made. ‘I’ve used the companies as a starting point, but it’s getting difficult to follow the trail. Many are interconnected. Some companies have been deregistered along the way, while others have stopped trading. To make things more difficult, new ones have been set up.’

  ‘You’ve done well.’ Nate put down the pad. ‘We’ll get you set up in the hotel this afternoon, see if we can make more headway. I’m still of the opinion our best chance of cracking the case is through some good old-fashioned detective work.’

  ‘It always is,’ Dario Byrne agreed.

  For a few moments no-one said anything, and then Dario turned and spoke to her. ‘If a decision is made to arrest the suspect at the scene, are you able to make your way safely back to the hotel?’

  Careful to look the man straight in the eye, Josie nodded. ‘I know the city well.’

  ‘Good.’

  Nate handed her a large plastic shopping bag. ‘The best disguise is bland clothing that allows you to blend into the crowd. You dress quite trendily, so Dario’s chosen clothes you normally wouldn’t wear. There’s a wig to cover your hair.’

  Josie took the bag, conscious of the sense of urgency in the room. Now that he had her co-operation, Nate was moving quickly, eager to get into the city.

  ‘You need to eat something and pack,’ he said. ‘How long do you need?’

  She only had the few things she’d purchased at Coles that first morning. ‘Half an hour, max.’

  Nate checked his watch. ‘Make it an hour. You might need help with the wig.’

  Then he looked at each of the men in turn. ‘If we leave then, we’ll be in the city by one.’

  Chapter 21

  1:15 p.m. Wednesday

  Two blocks away from the “Sheraton on the Park” hotel, Josie sat in Dickson’s car, invisible behind the heavily tinted windows. Perspiring in the auburn wig and unfamiliar c
lothes, she watched the street from behind black sunglasses. On the footpath, office workers dodged each other in their quest for a hasty sandwich, or to run a lunchtime errand.

  No-one even looked at the regular black sedan.

  Josie searched for a familiar face in the crowd. They were only a few blocks from Grace and Poole, and many of her co-workers would be on lunch break. How strange it would be to sit behind the darkened windows and see someone she knew. Someone who probably believed she’d met a grisly end.

  Her thoughts shifted to her parents, stomach churning with guilt. She imagined them at home, fearing the worst, while here she sat, three blocks from where she normally was at this time of day. If they knew, they would think it cruel and unnecessary. But Nate’s life was at risk, and she had no intention of going public until they could get out of this mess together.

  She recalled his words from the first night. ‘People are stronger than you think. They’ll cope.’

  She believed him. And somewhere deep inside, she hoped that maybe, just maybe, this experience would bring her family closer, though it was a hell of a way to do it. For most of her life, her family had lived under the same roof, her mother vague and disinterested and run off her feet with her charity obligations, her father usually out of the country. Three people rooming together more aptly described them. With parents almost indifferent to her presence, she began seeking out other people. At boarding school, she accepted invitations to spend holidays with friends, usually at their country property. During those visits, exposed to the warmth of a tight, cohesive family, she’d learned another way.

  Josie shifted in the passenger seat. Those holidays had given her hope, and a determination that one day she would have her own family.

  And she’d do better.

  Midday sun filtered through the windscreen, and she yawned, thoughts returning to the present. She watched the crowd again, waiting while Dickson checked into the hotel, and Nate took the WRX back to Surry Hills. Sending up a silent prayer he’d find the Harley where he’d left it, she stared at a young couple sharing a joke over an alfresco lunch. Even if Nate solved the case, would they ever be carefree in Sydney again?