Dangerous Proposition (30 page)

Having walked back through his father’s office building the way he’d come, Colin got into his car. He sped down the country roads to Portland Airport, wasting no time in doing so.

He made the jet ride back to the City then raced down Broadway and left his car with the valet. He entered the hotel and went upstairs, unlocking the door to his room. Looking toward the bed, he halfheartedly expected to find Julia shouting at Sunday evening politics. But the blankets and pillows remained untouched.

He shut the door, eyeing the table in the corner of the room. In one sweep, he thrust its contents onto the floor. He pounded his fists against the table’s surface.

Julia was gone. He had no idea where she was or how to get to her. The last hope he’d had of finding her had gone up in flames. Julia, the one person who had ever really known him and understood sides of him that no one else did, could die.

She was one person he would have given his own life for.

Kill—he wanted to kill those sons of bitches with his bare hands. Rizzo, Rossler, Strycker. He didn’t know how he would do it, but they were going to pay for what they’d done to Julia. He was going to see to that personally, no matter what psychopath was pulling their strings.

Julia Dyson was at the center of his nightmare. Sweet, innocent Julia, whose only crime had been loving her father too much. She’d risked her life, not only for her father, but for him as well. Him, a man who’d lied to her about everything and forced her to agree to sleep with him against her choosing. Not that he’d had the gall to follow through on such a preposterous request.

Julia had stuck by him through the insanity. She’d risked her life, knowing he might be the man responsible for her father’s abduction, maybe even his death. This was how he repaid her. This was how he showed her his gratitude.

Colin clasped his aching temples. Feeling as though he was going to die of a blood pressure spike, he collapsed onto the bed. Something striking lay in the middle of the comforter. He eyed it, scooping it into his hand.

It was Julia’s pendant necklace, the oval-shaped locket she always wore around her neck. In the time he’d known her, he had observed it was the one thing she was never without.

She must have lost the necklace last night and not realized she hadn’t had it on when she left the hotel this morning. He clutched it in his fist, rubbing the golden medallion with his thumb. It was almost as though he believed he could bring her back by squeezing the metal until it cracked.

A knock came at the door. Barely noticing, Colin stared at Julia’s necklace, feeling closer to her by doing so, wishing with anything that she would come walking through the door. Seconds later, the knocking became pounding, and the sound of it brought him back to reality. Hope flooded through him. He charged to the door.

As he opened it, his eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. A stubby man wearing a baseball cap and a denim jacket stepped toward him.

“Desmond?”

“I know I’m not welcome here,” his former employee said, taking a hesitant step in Colin’s direction. “It’s just…well. I’ve been doing some thinking.”

“I’ve never been happier to see anyone in my life,” Colin said. He embraced his friend, giving him a swift pat on the back. “Man, I can’t believe you’re here. How did you know where to find me? I’m not even sure why you wanted to when you had every reason in the world to walk away.”

“Except the promise I made to you twelve years ago,” Desmond said.

“Promise?” Colin blinked.

“When I signed on to Project Gemstone, I made a promise to you that I would stand behind the cause no matter what danger came my way. That was right after
you
made a promise to protect my welfare, as you said you would protect the welfare of all those in your employ. So long as we were faithful to the principals the organization stood for, we would always have a place on your team.”

“I remember,” Colin said, thinking back on the moment he’d said those words. Desmond had been just twenty-one and had a wife even younger than he was. He’d been laid off from his position tending bar, and with his wife’s high-risk pregnancy, his bills were stacking up fast.

After pointing Desmond in the direction of one of the best OB-GYNs at Memorial Hospital, Colin had wanted to do more. And so he’d made Desmond an offer he couldn’t refuse. After signing on his newest recruit to Project Gemstone, he’d promised him that neither he, nor anyone else in his trust, would ever be dismissed for any reason that wasn’t a reflection of his actual job performance.

After Desmond entered the room, Colin double-bolted the door. He grabbed two waters from the refrigerator and handed one of them to Desmond. “Tucker’s in even more danger than we thought. Griffin Strycker, John Rizzo, and Dylan Rossler are all working together. My security team has been searching for weeks, unable to get a lead on their whereabouts.”

“Jesus Christ, Colin.”

“There’s more,” Colin said, taking a gulp of water. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think there’s a very real possibility that someone has replaced Lucas in the organization. The bastard is very likely the mastermind behind this entire thing.”

“Replaced Lucas? That’s whacked, Colin, he—”

“Fell from a cliff? I know it sounds preposterous, but certain things have happened in the last few months. Things that fit the bill for Lucas’s twisted way of thinking. Like the noose at that party. And yesterday, I went over to the house where I signed on to Project Gemstone. I found Lucas’s cougar ring in the box under the floorboard.” Feeling as though the contents of his stomach were going to come into his throat, Colin said, “Julia disappeared from this hotel room earlier this morning.”

Desmond swallowed visibly. “Do you think Strycker has her?”

“Not unless she went straight to him. But I have a funny feeling that that’s exactly what she did.”

“Man. That woman has balls—I told you she was something else. But don’t worry. ’Cause while you were keeping Julia Dyson cozy, I found myself working a little overtime of my own. I think I may know where Griffin Strycker is hiding.”

“You do?” Hope flooded Colin’s veins.

“I’ve narrowed it down to two locations. It didn’t even take me very long. Of course, it couldn’t have hurt that Strycker and I worked together for almost a—”

“Desmond—”

“Putting it together was really quite simple. I mean when you take into consideration the way the guy always used to hang out in those—”

“Desmond!”

Colin’s second-in-command paled. “Sorry, boss.”

“That’s all right. Where are the locations?”

Desmond took a piece of paper from his pocket. On it were two handwritten addresses, both located in shady parts of downtown Manhattan. They wouldn’t be especially hard to get to, but it was going take a good twenty minutes. Colin only prayed that would be enough time.

“Say the word and I’ll notify the security team,” Desmond said. “Knowing how fast those guys can operate, I’m sure they can meet us there in less than half an hour.”

“I’m sure they can,” Colin said, “except that I have no intention of waiting for them.”

“What exactly do you plan on doing?” Desmond asked. “Searching the locations yourself?”

“Not exactly,” Colin answered with a smile. “More like I’ll be searching one, while you’ll be searching the other one.”

* * * *

Approaching a high-rise building with only one window, Colin hesitated. He ought to be afraid—this was a trap intended for him, and it was more than likely that Strycker’s men were standing inside, waiting to shoot him in cold blood. But he didn’t care. All he cared about was Julia.

Taking a bit of comfort in the knowledge that Desmond was searching the other building, and that the place was only a few blocks away, he hurried toward the entrance. As he placed his hand around the knob, he realized that the door was locked. He kicked it with his foot, stunned to find that it wouldn’t budge.

Why would the door be locked, he wondered, glancing up at the window. Had Desmond gotten the address wrong? The street number? Or was this just a part of the game?

Eyeing the building more closely, Colin raised a thoughtful eyebrow. There was a drainpipe that ran along the side of the building. It went as far as the roof, and it was positioned very close to the window.

On second thought, it would be suicide to climb so high. The building was over a hundred feet tall, and he couldn’t tell whether the window he was looking at was open or closed. But it appeared to be his only hope of getting inside. And he supposed if it was locked he could always shoot it open.

Assuring himself that if Julia Dyson could climb the side of a building that he sure as hell could do it, too, Colin took a few steps forward. He clasped the white metal pole and leaned back. Taking a step up, he proceeded to climb the rest of the way, keeping his eyes on the window all the while.

When he reached the top, he made his way onto a low section of the roof then grasped the rail of the balcony. Pulling himself onto the cement slab, he found that the barrier behind it was sealed. He pulled his handgun from his pocket and shot it. The glass smashed into pieces.

Stepping onto a hard floor, Colin looked around. The place was set up like the inside of a warehouse, with large crates stacked in the corners. Not bothering to see what they contained, he hurried toward the door.

Keeping his gun in front of him, he made his way into the next room. It was small, dark, and quiet. There was no furniture, which gave him a very bad feeling, as it probably meant Strycker and his men had only been there a short while. If that was the case, they may only have rented the place for the purpose of holding hostages.

Hearing something that sounded like footsteps, Colin turned around. No sooner did he do so than something struck the back of his neck.

Dizzy but standing, he turned, giving the bastard behind him, whom he recognized as John Rizzo, a swift punch in the face. A second attacker, who seemed to come from nowhere, delivered a hard blow to his stomach.

Colin stumbled back as his attacker dove on top of him, taking him to the ground. The man, whom he vaguely recognized as Dylan Rossler, threw a punch at his jaw then another.

Blood from the gash on Colin’s face trailed into his mouth. He attempted to lift his aching head, and his eyes shut. He forced them open as Rizzo and Rossler dragged him to his feet.

“Dr. Colin Westwood.” Griffin Strycker entered the room. Leaning over Colin, he said, “This is certainly interesting. Though I can’t say it’s a surprise, considering how many bread crumbs we planted between here and Hicksville. Kind of difficult to pull the strings when you can’t move your arms, isn’t it?”

Colin wheezed as John Rizzo lunged at him, punching him in the gut. Nauseous as all get-out, he forged a twisted smile. “You’re awfully confident, Strycker. For all you know, I have ten men outside.”

“You know, a few months back I might have believed you. But since Dyson’s daughter came into the picture, you’ve gotten soft. You’re so hot for that bitch you’re not even using your brain anymore. But it’s better this way. ’Cause it’ll be worth it, seeing the look on your face when you get the surprise of your life.”

Wondering what that meant, Colin lifted his eyebrows. “Julia Dyson is nothing more than a pain in the ass. More importantly, she has friends, and a job teaching elementary school. If you keep her hostage, you’re only going to draw even more attention to yourself than you already have.”

Griffin smiled. “See, that’s not going to happen. Because apparently Julia’s friends and family all think she’s on some sort of exotic vacation. With
you
.”

Recalling the way he’d torn into Julia the night he was almost killed, how he’d forced her to call Abigail Newberry and tell her that they’d found Tucker, that the three of them had decided to take a vacation to the Cayman Islands together, Colin swore something wicked under his breath.

“Where’s Julia?” he demanded, having lost what was left of his patience.

“She’s safe. But don’t expect that to be the case for long.” Bending to Colin’s eye level, Griffin said, “You know, Westwood, apparently you do have a friend. Came as much of a surprise to me as it does to you, I’m sure. When Tucker Dyson refused to help us kill you, we realized he might be better persuaded if his beloved daughter was in danger. Imagine our surprise when we raided Julia Dyson’s wilderness cabin, only to discover that she was with Dr. Colin Westwood himself.”

“Involving a third party isn’t your style, Strycker.” Colin stared him down. “Who are you working for?”

Griffin’s smiled widened. But no words escaped his lips.

“Since you have me, there’s no reason to keep Julia,” Colin said. “Let her go.”

“Oh, but there is. Because not only would that bitch run straight to the authorities, but I think you care more about her than you’re willing to admit. That’ll make this a whole lot more interesting. Watching you suffer when I shut that mouth of hers for good.”

“Boss’ll like that,” Rossler said.

“Boss?”

“Shut your damn mouth, Rossler,” Griffin snapped.

Colin eyed him carefully.

“Rizzo, Rossler,” Griffin said. “Take our guest to his new…accommodations.”

“Why?” Colin prodded. “Why not just kill me now?”

“Because it’s more fun to watch you and that little slut you care so much about spend the night in fear,” Griffin said assuredly.

Colin attempted to lunge at him, but a third strike to his intestines left him unable to move. With his head forced down, he was dragged from the room.

Julia awakened to a sharp pain in her skull. The sensation was strong, so much so that even after hours after drinking the drugged wine, she could barely move. Her vision was blurry, and it was making it difficult to see two feet in front of her.

As she caught sight of the bedposts and the cheap polyester blanket pooled around her feet, a powerful wave of emotion coursed through her. She’d been wrong about Colin, and she’d let her feelings for him come before saving her dad. She’d warned herself that the guy was nothing but trouble, yet she’d allowed herself to let go of her reservations.