Dangerous Proposition (11 page)

Colin stood beside her. Bracing his hands against the rail, he said, “There aren’t too many places in the City you can really see the sky from. Tonight is exceptionally clear.”

“I never would have pegged you for a stargazer, Westwood.”

His pearly white teeth shined in the moonlight. Taking her hand, he aimed her pointer finger toward the sky. “Right there,” he said, moving her finger so it traced the dots. “See how that cluster of stars forms the shape of a swan?”

“No kidding,” she replied.

“It’s called Cygnus. According to the myth, Phaethon, son of Helios, got his father to let him agree to drive his sun chariot. But his reckless driving threatened to destroy the earth. So Zeus hurled a thunderbolt at Phaethon, and he fell into the Eridanus River. Phaethon’s friend, Cygnus, dove into the water in search of the body. That’s why Apollo took pity on Cygnus and changed him into a swan, placing him in the heavens.”

“Come on,” Julia said, warming at the realization that he was still holding her hand. “You don’t actually believe in all that mythical hooey, do you?”

“Personally, yes. I think we can learn a lot from mythology.”

“Well, if you ask me,” she said, taking a respectful step back, “Phaethon was lucky to have a friend as good as Cygnus. If the guy hadn’t been so irresponsible, Cygnus never would have had to come to his rescue.”

Colin’s hand grew cold around hers. “If you ask me, Phaethon’s only wrongdoing was wanting to be anything like his father.” He released her, striding to the end of the balcony.

Instantly, Julia felt the loss of his touch. She watched him walk away, getting the distinct feeling she’d struck a nerve. She was surprised the impenetrable Colin Westwood even had one. “I’ve always been partial to Hercules myself.”

“Hercules?”

“The guy who was assigned the twelve labors,” she explained, searching for the constellation so that she could point it out to him.

“I know who Hercules is,” Colin said. “I just thought I was the only geek who cared about the constellations.”

“You are,” she answered with a grin. “But it just so happens that I know a thing or two about them myself. My mother and I used to look at them together when I was little.”

He nodded. “The two of you must be close.”

Julia rubbed her chilly arms. Avoiding Colin’s eyes, she said, “My mom used to wear this bracelet my dad bought for her. It was made of diamonds, or at least, some imitation stones that looked like diamonds. She said they were like the stars, only better, because she could always keep them close to her. I told her I wanted a bracelet like hers.”

“Did she get it for you?”

Tears stung in Julia’s eyes. She blinked, fighting to keep them inside. “Actually, my dad did. He does always come through for me.”

“People tend to do that for someone they love,”
Colin said thoughtfully.

Julia fought to keep back the bile that threatened to rise in her throat. Her dad
had
always been there for her. Even when her Mom had walked away, when she thought she would never be whole again. Now his life was in danger. She wasn’t sure if she would ever see him again.

She realized that Colin had placed a hand on her shoulder. He was smiling, urging her to open up to him.

She never would have believed the guy had a soft side. Or whatever this was. She took an uneasy breath. “Are you and my father close?”

He nodded. “You could say he’s my right arm.”

“In other words, you couldn’t get along without him?”

“Everyone needs someone they can depend on,” Colin said. “That’s how the strongest men survive.”

“Strongest, huh? And just how do you get to be one of those? Keeping those beneath you in line while they follow through on the dirty work surrounding your latest whim?”

“I didn’t bring you out here to take a stroll down memory lane,” Colin said, his handsome features darkening.

“I wasn’t asking you to.”

His blue eyes turned to stone. He released her, striding to the end of the balcony. “The bedroom is yours tonight, but don’t be lulled into a false sense of security. I’m not about to consent to an interview, and I’m not someone you want to make friends with. Push me again, and I will hold you to your promise. One way or another, I will have you in my bed again, Julia.”

At the sound of his words, Julia shivered something fierce. She came back a step, looking away as Griffin’s words came into her mind.
Colin Westwood isn’t someone you want to make friends with.

She clasped tightly to the railing. Other than the pieces Abigail had provided, she knew nothing whatsoever about Colin Westwood. Nothing, that was, except what he had shown her. The gentleman who talked about constellations. And the barbarian who’d forced her to stay with him against her will.

Night air settled around her. She rubbed her bare arms briskly.

With a wicked grin, Colin turned on his heel. He opened the door, stepping quickly past it. “Pleasant dreams, Ms. Dyson. Try not to lay awake thinking about me for too long.”

With that, he left her standing on the balcony.

The morning light reflected against Colin’s half-awake eyelids. Sitting up, he clutched his stiff back, the compliment of a very long night on the couch.

When he’d offered Julia his bed, he’d thought only of putting an end to her prodding. In no way whatsoever had he considered his own comfort. Rubbing his sore muscles, he seriously regretted that decision.

With a yawn, he stood and walked around his living room. His efforts to ease the tension in his muscles didn’t help, and his lack of success only added to his frustration. That was, if he could be any more frustrated.

After several long moments the pain began in his back began to ease. And as irritable as he was feeling, he understood why he’d done what he had. Each moment that he and Julia spent together, every time she laid out the facts about their presumed arrangement she came that much closer to learning the truth. That Colin wasn’t FBI. That he was a crime boss, sole chief operator of one of the most profitable diamond smuggling operations across the globe. And her father was nothing but his pawn.

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.