Dangerous Proposition (21 page)

Had they gone so far as to hire a stripper for this thing? Or had an especially promiscuous female attendee simply had too much to drink?

Making his way toward the center of the group, Colin felt his temperature rising. It was a female all right, and she had one of the sexiest bodies he’d seen in a good long time. From the angle at which he stood, he could see only see the back of her. But she was wearing a very revealing cocktail dress, and she had long white legs and a taut little ass.

Good God
. He had come there tonight for a reason, and a very good reason at that. But with his eyes glued to the goddess in blue, he couldn’t seem to remember what that reason was. He traced the outline of her long, sensuous curves with his eyes and tried to imagine the color of her hair. A woman with such an incredible body would be beautiful with any shade. Electric blonde, beautiful brunette, firecracker…

No, it couldn’t be, Colin assured himself. Julia would never come there. Not after he’d warned her so strongly about the danger, not after he’d torn up the address and taken the car, leaving her without so much as a penny to buy a subway ticket.

But there had been that credit card. The one he’d given Julia that first morning in the City, when he’d suggested she buy herself some decent clothes.

He nearly stopped breathing as the woman in the cocktail dress turned around, revealing her stunning blue eyes, freckled cheeks, and firm, abundant cleavage. That was Julia Dyson all right. She’d pinned up her wild red locks, revealing her swanlike neck, showing way more of her skin than she ought to have in front of a crowd like the one they were standing in the middle of. Her arms, shoulders, and the tops of her high-peaked breasts were all on full display for every bastard in Manhattan to see.

His blood pressure shot through the roof as she turned from one bloodsucking leech to the next, favoring each with her brilliant red smile. Each man looked her up and down as though she was a piece of meat, smothered in honey glaze. Just one hour ago, he had tasted that meat. He wasn’t in the market to share.

Taking three gigantic steps forward, Colin moved to where Julia was standing. Reaching his way between two horny amazons, he snatched her by the arm. He held her wrist, pinning her in place.

Oh, yes.
I’ve got you red-handed this time, legs
. He tugged her sharply backward as a man in the crowd bumped against him, causing him to loosen his grip.

It took Colin a second to get his bearings and realize what was happening as his hold on Julia’s arm lessened then broke. Reaching in a second time, he fumbled against an empty space, realizing that her shoulder wasn’t where it had just been. Neither was she. Swiveling his head, he found no one besides the lot of perverted leeches he’d been bumping against for the last several minutes. There was no sign of the vixen they’d all been eyeing.

“Julia!” he shouted, forcing his way through the mob. He scanned the faces of everyone around him, finding no one he recognized.

Making his way through the roadblocks, Colin checked the opposite side of the room and the area beside the bar, where he had been standing with Ian. There was no sign of Julia. And he had no idea where she could be.

“Goddammit!” he exclaimed.

Julia was gone. And in a place like this, that definitely wasn’t good. Swallowing, he took up his cell phone, heading for the corridor that led away from the mob.

* * * *

Julia smiled as she strayed from the crowd, the object of her intention hot on her tail. As she made her way down the hall, her confidence, as well as her nerves, grew. She was taking quite a risk, walking into a private room with one of the goons who had kidnapped her father. But so far, her luck appeared to be holding out.

Moments earlier, after telling the bouncer that she was there to see Dylan Rossler and making up a lie only an idiot would believe, she’d been escorted right into the center of action. More specifically, she’d been taken to the bar. Of course, she had been careful to accept only one drink. And after carefully watching the bartender pour it, she’d taken only a few sips while she waited for her target to approach.

It hadn’t taken long. Dylan Rossler, who was dark-haired, tall, and very clearly drunk, had walked up to her within seconds, sporting a very assumptive grin. After a bit of eyelash batting and some tongue-in-cheek flattery, she’d gained his full attention, as well as that of every other drunken male within a hundred feet. This hadn’t been her intention, but at least the cheers and whistles had kept her target from asking her the very obvious questions,
who are you, and what the hell are you doing here?

Looking over her shoulder, Julia observed that her information source was close behind her. Very close behind, in fact. The pig—who looked as if he hadn’t shaved in a month—was practically pinned against her body. He was grinning like a football player who was about to lose his virginity to the head cheerleader.

The plan, she reviewed, was to go into one of the rooms with him and get whatever information that she could. Namely, she wanted to know what sort of operation these sleazebags were running. And they weren’t dealing drugs. Griffin Strycker’s eyes had confirmed that much when she’d suggested it.

Turning to take an assessment of her competition, she saw that Dylan Rossler was about six foot four and had spiky brown hair. There was a tattoo on his left arm, which seemed to stand apart from the others.

That had certainly been difficult to see in the dark lighting. With a jolt of her eyes, Julia gave the large, black mark a double take. Squinting, she struggled to remember where she’d seen it before. Her pulse quickened. It was a cougar painted on his bicep, the one on her father’s card. The one Lena had worn around her neck!

A rough cheek brushed against hers. She jolted abruptly forward.

“What’s your name, sexy?” Dylan Rossler asked, pressing his hands against her rear as they entered one of the vacant bedrooms. He shut the door behind them.

Julia looked around. Short of a wooden floor, the room contained only a window and a bed. That didn’t exactly give her much to work with if things went awry.

Glancing toward the window, she cleared her throat. She looked at Dylan Rossler, smiling her sweetest smile. “Delilah.”

“Well, Delilah. Let’s say you and I get to know each other better.” He clasped her waist with his enormous hands, easing her in the direction of the bed.

“On second thought…” Julia pressed her palms against his chest. “This room is a little claustrophobic for my taste. Got anything”—she smiled coyly—“bigger stashed away?”

“I might.” He turned, then hesitated. “But I’ve never known a chick like you to be so particular.”

“Oh, honey. I’m the reigning champion of particular.”

“Yeah?” He dipped his head, bringing his cold, wet tongue against the groove of her neck. “How do you like this, huh, baby?”

“Oh, that’s…real good,” Julia said, emitting a dry laugh. Fighting the urge to punch the bastard’s lights out, she told herself that she needed to seriously steer this ship back on course. That was, unless she planned on ending the evening by losing her lunch. “Your place is nice. You must be very rich.”

He stiffened. “I do all right.”

“Do you, now?” She forged her sexiest expression. “I just love a guy with money. It really turns me on.”

“Good to know.” He tugged at her dress, freeing her right shoulder. Suckling it, he urged her onto the bed.

Julia tried to hold him off, but the guy was too fast. She said a silent prayer, bracing the block of lead beneath her. “Where do you get it from, slick? Stock market? Poker games?”

“I do have an excellent hand.” He flashed a grin of crooked teeth.

“Mmm,” she said. “I just love a man who can work the backroom.”

“How am I doin’ so far, baby?”

“Ooh. Watch it there, Speedy Gonzalez!” Inching backward, she avoided his hand before it grasped her butt cheek. She eased into a smile. “I like taking things slow. Makes things so much more interesting that way.”

“Whatever you say, baby.”

As Rossler continued to poke and prod, Julia heaved an uneasy breath. She’d hardly gotten the guy to admit a damn thing, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold him off. She needed to revamp her plan—fast.

“Oh, crap.” She urged him back. “I left my cell phone in the ladies’ room. I’ll be back in just a sec.”

“No need, baby. I’ll get your phone for you.”

“You will?” She twitched. Not what she’d had in mind, but perhaps it was for the best. She was going to wait until he was gone then make a break for it. Clearly this guy wasn’t talking, and all she was getting from him was a headache.

With a smirk, Dylan Rossler went to the door. No sooner did he shut it than Julia heard something. A sound that was distinct and very, very frightening. Springing from the bed, she made a dash for the door.

“Hey!” She jiggled the knob. Unable to turn it, she rammed the door hard with her arm. She did it again, causing her shoulder to throb. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

The buffoon didn’t answer her, but he laughed hard on the other side of the wall. Julia’s insides quaked. She kicked the wooden frame as hard as she could, not making as much as a dent in it, not causing it to budge an inch.

Silence settled around her. The room spun, as did her insides. Clutching her stomach, she turned and looked out the window. They were on the fourteenth floor, and it had to be a hundred feet up. There was no way out, not without jumping, that was.

“I’ve got Dyson’s daughter,” Rossler said, his voice sounding loud in spite of the barrier between them. “The bitch came to me just like you said she would.”

He’d known who she was all along. They all did. Colin was right—this party was nothing but a setup.

Just what had she been thinking by coming there? She was trapped, and there was no one there who knew where she was. Except perhaps for the mob boss who’d kidnapped her father. And
he
was on his way to come get her and take her back to his palace in hell.

Backing away from the door, Julia looked around.
Think, Julia, think!
She could lift the bed, but she seriously doubted she could break the window with it.

Why hadn’t she told anyone where she was going—these men were going to kill her! Or maybe they would take her to the place they were holding her father then kill them both.

Just who were these psychopaths? What score did they have to settle with her family? Was her father really FBI? Or was there more to it than that, and was whatever secret he’d been keeping about to cost both of them their lives?

Collapsing onto her knees, Julia wrapped her arms around her shaking body.
Focus, Julia.
She needed to focus. What would Colin do if he were in this situation?

Who was she kidding? Colin would be a dead man.

She’d known from the beginning that rescuing her father might cost her her life. But how could she not have tried? Her father had always been there for her, no matter what she’d done and no matter what sort of mess she’d gotten herself into. If she died tonight, at least she would know that she had done everything she could to try and save the man who had always been her family, the one person who had loved her unconditionally.

Only…she didn’t want to die!

In one last ditch effort, Julia raced to the window, taking off one of her high-heeled shoes. As hard as she could, she banged the plastic wedge against the glass. It didn’t break. Not so much as a crack formed in the glass.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She tried to stop them, but the droplets flowed at will. A sob caught in her throat. It echoed in the empty room.

Seconds later, a noise louder than her crying brought Julia to her feet. Realizing it had come from the hall, she got beside the door. There was grunting, and it sounded as though two men were on the other side of the wall, struggling. She put her ear to the barrier, getting a loud blow to her eardrum as something banged hard against it.

The sound of a punch rang out then another. It was as though whoever was on the other side of the door was being beaten to a pulp.

The fighting grew louder, more intense. A very hard punch was thrown, and it sounded like one big whack. A long period of silence followed.

The pounding in Julia’s heart intensified. Whoever had won was standing out there, and the lunatic was coming for her. She clutched her stomach, fighting the urge to keel over and pass out.

“Get back, Julia,” a deep voice said.

At the recognition of it, extreme tension seeped from Julia’s body. She sprang back as the door was kicked open. Dylan Rossler, covered in bruises, lay in a heap on the ground. The man responsible stood beside him, shirt torn, collarbone drenched in sweat.

Tears flooded Julia’s eyes. She charged forward as Colin pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly against his banged-up body.

They were both worse for the wear, but they were alive. That was all that mattered. Not the stupidity of what she’d just done. But the fact that they were safe. The fact that
Colin
was safe.

Julia closed her eyes, inhaling Colin’s scent and letting it soothe her. She had almost died tonight. And she had almost lost Colin. But he was there. No one could hurt her. Colin had saved her.

She buried her face against his chest. He smoothed his hand over her back.

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” he said emphatically.

Julia had never heard a better suggestion spoken. With Colin’s strong arms around her, she turned and the two of them walked from the party.

As he stepped into the hotel elevator, Colin loosened his hold on Julia. She was clearly terrified, but he didn’t suppose he was going to help her any by crushing her to death. Wincing at the sight of her tearstained face, he pressed the button for the second floor.