Virgin in Disguise Page 14

  He leaned away enough to get a good look at her. Anger, pain and doubt intermingled with a hint of fear in her eyes. “This stopped being about client service the first time I kissed you.”

  “Tag, and I’m yours? Is that it?” She pulled out of his arms, squared her shoulders and raised her chin. “Well, guess again, Cabrini. I don’t need you to take care of me or to help me or to protect me. I’m a big girl and have been doing all that on my own for a long time.”

  She crossed the room with long, angry strides. “I don’t need you.” The door connecting their rooms latched shut with a sharp click.

  “Yay for you, Elf,” he whispered. “The thing is, I need you.”

  Angel shed the business suit, scrubbed her face clean and slipped into bed. The exhaustion she’d been fighting all weekend was going to win this battle. She might as well get comfortable for the surrender.

  An hour later, the oblivion of sleep still eluded her. She glared at the ceiling, wide awake, restless. Lonely. She slipped on the plush terry robe provided by the hotel and stood at the window, staring out.

  Many stories below, traffic flowed. Pedestrians crossed the street. Everything looked so normal.

  Would she ever be able to say that about her life? Ever walk down a street hand-in-hand with her partner laughing, stealing a kiss?

  Memory of Cabrini and his kisses, the camaraderie they’d shared over the past three days, taunted her. The independence she’d taken such satisfaction in now seemed hollow and no more real than the partnership budding between them. That had been part of the job for him. She’d been part of the job.

  A soft knock on the connecting door pulled her from the window. She padded across the room in her bare feet and opened the door a crack. “What?”

  “Room service just delivered. I thought you might come join me.”

  She shook her head. “I’m really not hungry.”

  “You don’t have to eat. Just…come keep me company.”

  She raised a questioning eyebrow. “We’ve been in each other’s face for the past seventy-two hours. You expect me to believe you’re lonely?”

  “Seems odd, I know.”

  “To say the least.”

  “Please, will you join me?” The plea in his words pulled at her deep-buried hope. Maybe she could be more than part of a job for him.

  “The sleep thing doesn’t seem to be working.” She opened the door farther. “I suppose I can be awake in your room just as easily as in mine.”

  Mouthwatering aromas drew her across the room. The service cart held two place settings and a half dozen covered dishes.

  “I got a little carried away when I ordered.” Cabrini settled into the desk chair and lifted the first cover. Caesar salad. “If you change your mind about being hungry, feel free to help yourself.”

  He lifted the second cover and revealed angel hair pasta tossed with broccoli, carrots, peppers and tomatoes.

  “I suppose it’s all vegetables.” She lifted another cover to reveal a small baking dish covered with melted cheese.

  “That would be the four cheese and tricolor pasta something-or-other.”

  Oh, Helsinki. He had to have ordered that especially for her. The image wavered as tears welled up in her eyes.

  He reached across the small table and scooped up a forkful. “Not bad, but I’ve had better.”

  “Danube, Cabrini. What am I going to do with you?”

  “Mangi, as my mother always says. Eat. We can figure out the rest after.”

  That wouldn’t be necessary. She’d already figured out too much. Like how much she would miss him when he left.

  Chapter 12

  Frank stacked the empty dishes back on the service cart and pushed it into the hall. “I’d hate to see the damage if you ever are hungry.”

  Elf curled into a corner of the couch. “Okay, fine. I admit it. I had something of an appetite after all.”

  He sat next to her, pulled her feet into his lap and began rubbing.

  After an initial surprised jerk, she relaxed with a little moan.

  He chuckled. “Gets ’em every time.”

  “Do this a lot, do you?”

  “Five sisters, remember?”

  “Yeah, right.” She burrowed her hands into her robe pockets and snuggled a little deeper into the couch. “How long have you known?”

  Through the entire meal, they’d managed to avoid talking about anything pertaining to their respective assignments. Recess was over. “That my client is your mother? I first suspected when you told me your name. During our poker game, when you talked about your mother, I knew.”

  “But you didn’t say anything.”

  “Would it have done any good? You weren’t ready to hear the truth about Dexter. You’re still fighting the idea.”

  She didn’t deny it. “You could have gotten away almost anytime we were at the cabin.”

  “Probably.”

  “But you decided to stick around to see what you could get out of me?” Her expression gave away nothing about her thoughts.

  The visual cues weren’t necessary. He heard her underlying question and knew nothing less than honesty would satisfy her. “Initially, yes.”

  She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her go. “Then, as we got to know each other, I realized we were stronger together, that we needed each other.”

  “For the sake of your case.”

  “No. It goes deeper than that.”

  “I don’t know how—” She looked away from him. “I’m used to working alone. I’m not accustomed to…sharing. Or cooperating.”

  “Me, neither.”

  “We’re a real match made in heaven.”

  “We’ve done all right, so far.”

  “Where does that leave us?”

  “Somewhere on the upside of a steep learning curve. And with a case to solve. Once that’s no longer a factor, then we’ll figure out what’s next.”

  “Professionally or personally?”

  “Either, both. Your choice, Elf.” He hoped she’d choose both. “Right now, let’s discuss our plan for tomorrow.”

  “We have a plan?”

  “Not yet.”

  She studied him with narrowed eyes. “You have something in mind, though, don’t you?”

  He met her steady gaze and nodded.

  She sighed. “I suppose you want to go see Dex.”

  “I considered it.”

  “And?”

  “I decided it wouldn’t accomplish much, other than alerting him that we’re here in town. He’s probably already figured out that we’re working together. It might be worth keeping our exact whereabouts under wraps.”

  A little tension drained from her muscles as he continued massaging, but he was a long way from getting her relaxed. Not that he could blame her. Too much of her world had taken a left turn when he’d revealed his client and her mother were the same person. Forcing her to see Dex’s betrayal wasn’t helping.

  He needed her to trust him, and not just for the sake of the investigation.

  “We could go to the bank.”

  Her words caught him off guard. “What bank?”

  She pulled a small, green envelope from her robe pocket and held it out on her palm.

  A bank name and downtown address were printed on the face of the envelope. He opened the flap and shook out the contents. A single key fell into his hand.

  “Mom passed that to me.”

  Maybe they were closer to trusting than he’d realized. “A safe-deposit key?”

  She nodded. “I think so.”

  “Any idea what’s in it?”

  “No. I’m not even sure which bank it’s in—there’ve been so many mergers the last few years. Facilities were combined, new offices built… Chances are pretty good that address doesn’t even exist as a bank anymore.”

  “I guess that gives us the task for tomorrow.”

  “Finding the right bank won’t do us much good without an authorized signature.”

  The key landed on the triangular glass coffee table with a little “ting.” “We’ll worry about that when we get there.” He resumed rubbing her feet and worked his way up her ankles. She had great ankles.

  Several minutes passed in silence as he continued massaging his way to her knees. He’d nearly reached his goal when Elf sat up. “Maybe this won’t be so hard.”

  So much for his magic touch entrancing her. “How do you figure?”

  “Maybe we do have an authorized signature.”

  “We do?” He stopped massaging.

  “It was so long ago, I’d forgotten about it.” She pulled her feet from his lap and reached for the bank envelope. “There were a million papers, and I couldn’t keep track of them all.” She turned the envelope over and over. “I know I filled out a signature card for the checking account. There may have been others. Including one for this bank.”

  “When was this?”

  “After Dad’s murder. Mom had the lawyers put my name on the bank accounts and a bunch of other stuff.” She flicked a glance at him.

  “If that’s the case, then we’re in, no sweat.”

  She sank back into the couch and returned her feet to his lap. “I’m starting to feel lucky.”

  “Me, too.” He slid his hand around the back of her calf and kneaded.

  “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.”

  “Is it working?” He massaged his way farther up her leg with slow, methodical motions.

  “Yes.” She sighed. “I’m so easy.”

  “Elf, there is nothing easy about you.”

  “Somehow, that doesn’t sound good.” She stretched her arms over her head.

  His chuckle caught in his throat as her bathrobe fell open, revealing more leg. And a c
ow-and-the-moon print nightshirt.

  He broke into laughter.

  She opened her eyes and pushed herself up on her elbows. “Your seduction technique could use some work, Cabrini.”

  “I’m sorry, Elf. I hadn’t considered that a tough bounty hunter would wear nursery rhyme pj’s.”

  “Bail bond enforcer.”

  “Whatever.” He traced the outline of one moon strategically positioned over her breast. “Do these glow in the dark, too?”

  Laughter danced in her eyes as she laid back onto the couch. “You’ll never know unless you turn out the lights.”

  A floor lamp stood next to her end of the couch. He made good use of the opportunity that presented. Inch by slow inch, he worked his way from her knees to her head, sliding his body over hers. By the time he made it within reach of the lamp, he’d forgotten about turning it off.

  Cabrini came out of the bathroom wearing boxers and a contented smile. Water from his morning shower glistened on his skin.

  Angel wore a smile of her own as she watched him. He’d promised that her second time would be better than the first, and he’d spent hours throughout the night to make it so.

  She’d enjoyed every second of it.

  He wandered through the connecting door into her room. “We can get breakfast in the restaurant here, then head over to the bank.” He bent down to nibble on her lips just long enough to knock her pulse into her target workout range. “Or we could order room service and relax a little longer.”

  “I don’t believe you have relaxing on your mind.”

  He winked.

  She pushed him away. “As tempting an offer as that may be, it’s getting late. I’m nearly dressed, and you should be, too.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He sighed and wandered back into his room, stopping at the closet to grab pants and a shirt.

  “I’ll go down and get a table at the restaurant.” She gathered up the accessories for her businesswoman disguise.

  Her cell phone and wallet slid into the black Coach bag she’d scored at a secondhand store. All black was too somber for her mood, so she opted for the deep lavender side of her reversible suit jacket. Her revolver nestled at her back, hidden by discreet tailoring.

  She checked herself in the mirror one last time and ran a hand through her hair, smoothing down an unruly cowlick. The styling and new color, which was actually her natural color, would take some getting used to, but, all in all, the look worked. The image reflected in her mirror would blend in at any of the downtown offices. Satisfied, she headed for the hall door.

  The faint clatter of china filtered into her room. The maid, probably. Habit and training had her checking outside through the peephole. What she saw froze her hand above the doorknob.

  Two men stood outside the door to Cabrini’s room. One pushed the service cart to the side of the hall, then took up a lookout post a couple of feet away. The second guy huddled over the electronic door lock.

  Both wore nondescript dark suits. Like her, they’d blend into any business office. Like her, they were armed. She’d caught a glimpse of the lookout’s gun, holstered under his arm, as he’d pushed the cart out of their way.

  Instinct took over and she tore into Cabrini’s room. She motioned for silence before he could say anything.

  Grabbing his sport coat, she tossed it to him as she whispered, “We’ve got company.”

  He caught the navy blazer and slipped it on. “What’s happening?”

  “Two men breaking in.” She faced the door, watching for the telltale turn of the handle. Her fingers itched to pull her gun, but she didn’t want to do that unless absolutely necessary.

  Cabrini didn’t waste time asking any more questions. He swiped his wallet and room key off the credenza, jammed his feet into his shoes and grabbed her arm as he headed for her room.

  The first connecting door was nearly shut when she remembered. “Bank key?”

  Cabrini’s hissed obscenity answered well enough. She pushed back into the room. The green envelope lay on the coffee table on the far side of the room.

  She dashed across the space. Please, please, please, her silent litany begged, don’t crack the code. A few seconds. That’s all I need.

  The envelope skittered off the table as she grabbed the key. No time, no time. She pushed Cabrini’s newspaper off the table, burying the envelope in a pile of newsprint.

  Her ankle twisted as she spun to make the mad dash back across the room. She bit her lip against the pain.

  Cabrini caught her when she stumbled through the door. He steadied her against his side as he pulled the first connecting door shut. “They’re in.”

  She nodded and leaned against the door frame.

  “Are you okay?”

  She waved off his question as she pressed her ear to the connecting door. The sound came through enough that she could tell they were talking, but not clear enough to make out many words. She relayed what she could hear. “Don’t touch…entrances covered…wait here…” Her eyes widened and she looked at Cabrini. “Other room.”

  He swore.

  “Yeah. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Your ankle?”

  She slipped off her heels, shoved them into her briefcase and pulled on her running shoes. “I’ll be fine. Let’s book.”

  Cabrini checked the hallway and motioned her ahead. He followed, resting his hand on the small of her back, over her gun.

  The warmth of his hand combined with the weight of her gun in an odd, calming effect. She released a long breath as they headed down the corridor.

  The triangular layout of the hotel put the passenger elevators on the hall farthest from their corner room. She spotted another dark-suited man rounding the corner from the elevators.

  “Service stairs,” Cabrini whispered.

  A vague sense of recognition grew as the distance between them and the new arrival narrowed. Two steps away from their escape, he stopped in front of them. “Hello, Angela. You’ve changed. Again.”

  Adrenaline skidded down her spine. “Sorenson. What brings you here?”

  His smiled shifted, taking on a knowing slant. “Your friend here. And you. Dex sent me.”

  Somewhere behind them, a door opened and voices floated down the hall. Sorensen’s hand slid inside his jacket as he looked past them.

  Cabrini laid him out with a rapid jab-and-uppercut combination.

  She froze for a heartbeat, then pushed open the service door. They dragged Sorenson onto the landing.

  “Give me your cuffs.” Cabrini held out his hand.

  She stared at him as he crouched over Dex’s assistant. Dex sent me. Three little words confirmed what she’d been denying since the cabin exploded. She still didn’t want to believe it.

  Dex was involved.

  Reality mashed her heart to the pit of her stomach, and her exhale had a decided catch to it. With shaking hands, she dug into the Coach bag and pulled out a small bundle of plastic zip-tie restraints.

  She avoided Cabrini’s intent look. Thankfully, he didn’t make any comment as he took a couple of ties.

  She forced her fingers to stop trembling as she threaded a restraint around Sorenson’s ankles and pulled it snug. After a few deep breaths, she trusted her voice enough to ask, “Now what?”

  “Now we get out of here.” Cabrini pulled her to her feet and they headed down the stairs at a fast clip. “By the way, who is he?”

  “Dex’s right-hand man.”

  “Did you recognize the other two?”

  “No. I don’t think—maybe.”

  He glanced at her as he swung around the railing, onto the next flight of stairs. “Nice definitive answer.”

  “Yeah, well, I haven’t had any caffeine yet, so it’s the best I can do.”

  Cabrini stopped at the next landing and pulled her into his arms. “Okay. Let’s take a few seconds and assess the situation.”

  She wanted to fight against his embrace. “I don’t need you to hold me up.” Being held felt so good. Too good.

  “No, but I want to, so indulge me.”

  “Suit yourself.”

  He chuckled, and his warm breath teased her neck. “We’ve got Dex’s assistant trussed up in the stairwell four floors above us. There are two thugs in our room.”

  “Plus at least two others covering the hotel entrances.”

  “Right. We need to get by them and open the safe-deposit box.”

  We. She’d never worked as part of a “we.” The ease with which they’d slipped into the process surprised her. They made a good team.