She looked kind of cute when she was angry, Boyd thought. Unable to stop himself from doing a little teasing, he said, “That's a good idea.”
“Ridiculous!” she seethed under her breath and turned and stalked down the hall.
She was a handful, he thought and his palms itched to test how she would feel in them. In the next instant he was cursing himself.
You keep letting yourself think things like that and you could end up dead.
As soon as she was in the bathroom, Boyd made a quick trip to his car and got his suitcase from the trunk. When he returned to the house, he opened the bathroom door just enough to peek inside and see her silhouette behind the curtain. Satisfied she was still there, he closed the door and leaning against the wall in the hall, he listened. The running water made even more noise than he'd expected. He glanced at his watch. He'd give her fifteen minutes more.
Ten minutes later, Katrina stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Seeing him there, she was too infuriated to be embarrassed. “I can't believe you actually stood out here. Where was I going to go? You saw yourself that the window sticks.”
“My father always warned me never to underestimate a determined woman.”
Shaking her head at the depth of his cynicism, she entered her bedroom, pulled down the blinds, then switched on the light. Feeling a pricking on her neck she looked toward the door to see Boyd there. “I would like a little privacy.”
He scowled and held up the scanner reminding her the room could be bugged. “I won't see anything I haven't seen before,” he said, continuing to play the part of the boyfriend.
Mentally Katrina kicked herself. Boyd Logan was such an irritant, he'd made her momentarily forget about Garduchi's surveillance.
Boyd schooled a husky apology into his voice as he closed the door, then wandered around the room searching for listening devices. “Look, I tried to satisfy you. I've never seen you so tense.”
“I've got a lot on my mind right now. Go sleep in the guest room. I want some time alone,” she returned with a curt demand.
He gave her a “forget that idea” look. “You don't really mean that.” The scanner showed one bug on the back of a picture frame on the wall. Reaching her in one long stride, he leaned close and whispered in her ear. “If you want this room cleaned, stay angry with me and play along.”
Staying angry with him would be easy, she mused and nodded her agreement.
He moved into a position near the picture with the bug. “Why don't you let me give you another massage. Maybe after your shower, you'll be able to relax.”
“And why don't you go find that redhead from the party the other night and give her one,” she retorted.
“So that's what this is all about. I told you, she's the one who came on to me.”
“A likely story!” Even as she tossed back this reply with cynical disbelief, she guessed he was used to having women hit on him.
“I swear.” He motioned for her to pick up something and throw it at the wall beside the picture.
Realizing what he was up to, she picked up ajar of hand cream. “Get out! You're lucky I'm letting you stay in the guest room.” She heaved the jar as hard as she could. It hit the wall about an inch from the frame causing the frame to bounce in place.
Boyd grinned at the sound that had to have been made on the other end as he used this opportunity to remove the bug. “Now, sweetheart...” He motioned for her to throw something else.
She was tempted to aim for him as she picked up a book and moved closer for a better shot. Controlling herself, she again hit the wall.
Boyd dropped the bug on the floor. “Look, you know I love you,” he said with a husky plea. “Forgive me,” he mouthed to her.
She breathed an exaggerated regretful sigh. “You're right. I'm overreacting. I suppose another massage would be nice.”
“I guarantee that this time you won't be disappointed.” Boyd stepped on the bug smashing the device to bits.
In spite of the hold she'd maintained on her towel, it was threatening to come loose. “Now, I'd like a little privacy,” she snapped in hushed tones.
Boyd turned so that his back was to her. “You've got it.”
“This is absurd,” she grumbled, crossing to her bureau and pulling out a cotton nightgown. After slipping it on, she got a robe out of the closet
“It goes against my grain to keep my back to a woman for too long,” Boyd said. “Are you decent yet?”
“Yes,” she replied curtly. Sitting on the side of the bed, she began to dry her hair.
Boyd frowned. Nature was calling. And that shower had sounded refreshing. Unplugging the phone, he carried it across the room and set it on the bureau. Then taking out his handcuffs, he reapproached the bed. It was an antique brass affair.
“What the devil are you doing?” she demanded as he snapped one of the bracelets around her wrist and one around one of the poles making up the headboard of the bed.
“Making certain you don't use the phone or leave while I'm showering,” he replied.
Her gaze narrowed on him. She'd taken about as much of his insinuations as she could stand. “I have no intention of going anywhere. I've got my own personal reasons for wanting to see Garduchi behind bars. And, in case you've forgotten, the phone is bugged.”
The hatred toward Garduchi Boyd read in her eyes was real. But that didn't mean she and her aunt weren't up to something together. “I'm sure you and Leona have a code.”
Katrina frowned. “No, we don't. Until she called me last night, I hadn't spoken to her for nearly ten years. Besides, I don't even know how to contract her. She's the one who's going to contact me.”
Boyd was tempted to believe her, but again his cynical side won out. “I don't want you doing anything I don't know about.”
“Has anyone ever mentioned that you're a real control freak?”
“I'm simply guarding my backside.”
With a wry smile, Katrina watched him exit. The thought that he had a nice backside to guard crossed her mind and she frowned at herself. At the moment, she wasn't in the mood to allow herself to think there was anything nice about him.
Boyd returned to discover her standing at the bureau brushing her hair and his handcuffs lying on the bedside table.
In the mirror she saw his reflection. He'd pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt after his shower. His still damp hair had an ebony sheen. His shoulder holster was slung on one shoulder and his satchel was in his hand. At that moment, he looked so handsome it nearly took her breath away.
He's a rotten bore who thought you might even be helping Garduchi,
she reminded herself and her breathing returned to normal.
With cool haughtiness, she said, “My father had great hopes for me. By the time I was five, I could pick any lock. And you did leave me with a whole array of possible tools near at hand. It was hardly a challenge.”
Outwardly Boyd scowled at her. Inwardly he found himself thinking she looked kissable when she thought she had the upper hand and he'd never seen a woman look so sexy in a simple cotton nightgown and robe. “Sexy” and “kissable” were not words he should be associating with her, he cautioned himself. “Get into bed,” he ordered. “I don't know about you, but I need some sleep.”
She pointed toward the door. “You can use the bed in the guest room.”
He would have preferred to do just that, but he couldn't stop wondering if she had any other tricks up her sleeve. “I'm not letting you out of my sight for that long.”
The determined expression on his face told her that no amount of arguing would change his mind. She considered sitting up all night but her body ached to lie down. “You stay on top of the covers,” she ordered.
“Yes, ma'am.”
She heard the “if I had my preference we'd be sleeping in separate countries” implication in his voice. Well, that suited her just fine.
As she climbed in under the covers, he replugged in the phone. Hanging his shoulder holster on the foot railing of the bed, he removed his gun and put it within easy reach on his bedside table. Then he lay down.
“Comfy?” she asked dryly.
“All comfy,” he returned.
Switching off the light, she snuggled into her pillow. She wished she hadn't pulled the handcuff stunt. He already distrusted her enough as it was, but she hadn't been able to resist. His attitude had rankled her too much. Too tired to care anymore, she slept.
Chapter 4
K
atrina awoke sometime midmorning, her back pressed against something solid. Turning over, she came face-to-face with Boyd Logan.
“Morning,” he said in an easy drawl.
His mussed hair...that lazy morning look on his face...the heat of his body coming through the sheet...they all blended together causing a fire to spark to life inside her.
How could anyone so irritating be so sexy? And in the morningâwhen most people looked their worst?
“Morning,” she returned stiffly and quickly scooted to her side of the bed.
Damn, she was adorable in the morning, Boyd thought. Immediately pushing that word from his mind, he rose, stretched and headed to the bathroom.
Katrina was out of bed in an instant, dressing quickly before he returned.
Entering the bedroom, Boyd said, “And now it's time for you to call in sick.”
Katrina reached for the phone, but Boyd caught her wrist stopping her. The urge to pull her into his arms and taste her lips was close to overwhelming. Releasing his hold, he took a step away. “Wait until we're in the kitchen. We'll do a little set up for Garduchi's men. Just follow my lead.”
His touch had felt like a hot brand against her skin. But the way he released her and stepped away as if he found the contact distasteful, turned the heat to ice. With a frosty expression, she preceded him out of the bedroom.
A few minutes later while she was scrambling some eggs, Boyd said, “I've got the next couple of days off. Why don't you call in sick and spend them with me? You look like you could use a break.”
“I could,” she agreed, fighting to keep her tone romantic when what she really wanted to do was to order him out of her life.
Her hostility was obvious and, if she was an innocent like she claimed, Boyd couldn't blame her. If she wasn't, she was one hell of an actress. Again he was tempted to believe her and try to make friends. But he stopped himself. Maintaining his cynicism was the best way to keep them both alive.
As soon as she dished out the eggs, Katrina phoned Drake. She trusted him, but hadn't enjoyed hanging around the station all day yesterday. Her fellow officers hadn't asked why the captain had taken her off the streets, but she'd read the hint of suspicion in their eyes. Since her aunt's disappearance, she'd guessed that most of them thought she knew where Leona was and was helping her aunt get away. She hoped they weren't as cynical as Boyd and thought she might actually turn Leona over to Garduchi.
“You take good care of yourself,” Drake admonished her.
He sounded sincere, but she was skeptical. The distrust she'd seen in his eyes still stung. “I will.”
Sitting down, she ate her breakfast without even tasting it. With the phone call from her aunt, all the effort she'd put into proving herself to be trustworthy had been destroyed like a shack in the path of a bulldozer. The walls of the house felt as if they were closing in on her. “I feel like sight-seeing today,” she announced abruptly.
Boyd raised a questioning eyebrow.
“We'll start at the art museum. My mother used to take me there often and I haven't been in years,” she continued, putting her dishes in the dishwasher.
“Whatever you want,” Boyd replied, wondering what she was up to.
A few minutes later as Katrina drove toward Forest Park, Boyd checked her car for bugs. There were none inside. “It's my guess they planted a tracer,” he said.
“I'd say that's a good guess,” she replied.
He studied her narrowly. “Is there some purpose to this sight-seeing?”
She grinned mischievously. “It'll give you a tourist's tour of our fair city and Garduchi's men and anyone else following me some exercise.”
Boyd found the twinkle in her eyes enticing. He frowned at himself and at her plan. “I think we should go back to the house. What if your aunt tries to contact you while we're gone?”
“She said two days, she meant two days.”
The determined set of her jaw let Boyd know that arguing would be useless.
“Besides, a little culture can't do you any harm.” The tone of her voice suggested that he had more than a few raw edges that could use some smoothing out.
He gave her a dry look. “Nobody's perfect.”
She heard the insinuation behind his words aimed at her. “I've never claimed to be perfect, just honest.” A sudden thought occurred to her. She'd been so concerned about people not trusting her, she hadn't considered the other side of the coin. “How do I know I can trust you?”
Boyd's gaze turned to ice. “My father and his father before him were Texas Rangers. My older brother currently is a ranger. I had just finished five years in the Texas Department of Public Safety, working my way to becoming a ranger when my father was killed on the orders of a man just like Garduchi. That's why I broke with tradition and joined the FBI. I wanted the chance to hunt down the Garduchis of this world and put them behind bars. That's the only reward that interests me.”
The cold hatred she heard in his voice made her believe him. She recalled that he'd mentioned knowing her father's family had, for generations, worked for the Garduchis. She guessed he also knew they had served as enforcers. That made them the same brand of men who had killed his father. “I didn't follow my father's family tradition either,” she said firmly.
Boyd studied the hard set of her jaw. “I hope you're telling the truth.”
They were at a stoplight. She turned to him. “I am.”
Again he was tempted to believe her.
Don't let a pair of pretty brown eyes fool you!
he ordered himself, and turned his attention to the traffic.
It was clear to Katrina that he didn't want to trust her. Casting the hard set of his jaw a haughty glance, she too turned her attention to the traffic.
For the rest of the way to the art museum, they rode in silence. As they entered the huge old building, Boyd took hold of her hand.
His touch was warm and sent a current of heat up her arm. Furious with the way her body continued to respond to contact with him, she started to work her hand free.
Boyd's hold tightened and he leaned close to whisper in her ear. “We're sweethearts, remember.”
His breath on her neck again had an erotic effect and her self-directed anger increased. “That doesn't mean we have to hold hands.”
“I intend to make certain you don't suddenly slip away.”
“I won't. I'm the one who talked my aunt into turning herself in to the authorities,” she reminded him in a curt whisper.
“That's your story. All I know is that I saw you going into Garduchi's compound and I told Drake. You had to tell us something. Now smile and look like you're enjoying yourself.”
She gave him a sticky-sweet smile. Knowing his hold on her was the same as a handcuff quelled the warmth and turned his touch into an irritant.
After an hour of slowly surveying the exhibits, nature called. “I have to use the ladies' room,” she informed him.
Boyd was feeling the call of nature himself, but he didn't like letting her out of his sight.
“I've counted four of Garduchi's men. The two watching me must have called in for reinforcements. My guess is that there's more outside. I doubt I could give all of them the slip.”
She had a point, Boyd admitted. “I'll meet you here.” Releasing her, he headed to the men's room.
Leaving the ladies' room, she found him waiting for her. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her slacks before he had a chance to get hold of one.
Boyd allowed her her freedom.
But even with him not holding on to her, the prickling on her neck caused by Garduchi's men made her again feel closed in. “Time for the zoo,” she said.
“Time to go home,” Boyd corrected. “Garduchi's men have gotten a good look at me. Could be one of them recognized me from that encounter with those two hoods in front of your house yesterday and my cover has been blown.”
Katrina gave him a wry look. “Only Dominic and his driver saw you up close and they think you're out-of-town talent. Of course, they would start wondering why I was letting you hang around with me, but they haven't been around and, I bet, they won't be. Dominic will want to keep his distance. I'm certain these goons have orders to snatch Leona if she shows up, or, if they can't do that, take her out. Either way, Dominic will want to be as far away from the scene as possible.”
Boyd had to agree she had a point and sitting around her house for the rest of the day didn't appeal to him either. “Okay, next stop the zoo.”
The zoo was just down the hill from the art museum. They parked in the lot and entered. As they strolled through the open air exhibits, Boyd set out to find out as much as he could about his companion. Deciding to play dumb about what he'd heard about her mother's family, he said, “Your personnel file lists no close relatives. What about your mother? Didn't she have a family?”
“She came from a religious, law-abiding family. My father was a handsome man and could be very charming when he wanted to be. My mother was young and naive and fell in love with him. She thought belonging to the mob was romantic. Her parents knew better. They wanted nothing to do with the Garduchis or anyone connected with them. They disapproved so strongly of the marriage, they refused to attend the wedding. Then fearing retaliation or being caught up in my father's activities against their will, they moved to California and severed all ties with my mother.”
“I'd say that if they didn't want to be tainted by Garduchi, they didn't have much choice.”
“Yeah, that's for sure. But it hurt my mom pretty bad. Still, she was in love. It wasn't until after my brother was born and she realized that my father intended for him to follow in his footsteps that her maternal instincts caused her to take a closer look at my father and the life he led. Once her eyes were opened, she wanted out of the marriage, but it was too late. She could have left, but she would have had to leave without my brother, and she refused to desert her child. So she stayed.”
“And gave your father another child,” Boyd noted dryly.
Katrina shot him a hostile glance. “A man like my father would not allow his conjugal rights to be withheld. She did try not to get pregnant again but accidents happen. By the time I was born, she knew she'd lost the battle to save my brother. He already considered my father his hero. So she began to work on me, to make me see that the kind of âwork' my father did was wrong and sinful. I was young, too young to understand I should keep my mouth shut. One night I blurted out something about him killing people. I don't know what he said to my mother, but after that she stopped trying to discourage me and turned to alcohol. Then one night she took a couple of bottles of pills along with the gin, went to sleep and didn't wake up.”
Boyd was surprised. That was a stupid lie. She had to know death records were easily accessed. “I looked up the record of her death. It said she died in a single car accident.”
Katrina drew a harsh breath and her voice hardened further. “Suicides are bad for business. Those that don't leave notes get investigated by the police, and my mother didn't leave a note. The Garduchis fixed it. But I was there. I know the truth. I saw the empty liquor bottle and the bottle of pills, and I heard my father making the arrangements over the phone. They staged the accident and made certain the car caught fire and the gas tank was full so that it exploded. There was very little left to bury.”
Boyd had to admit her explanation sounded plausible. It was exactly what he'd expect Garduchi to do under those circumstances. He studied the woman walking beside him. She'd been ten at the time of her mother's death. That was an impressionable age and the hatred he heard in her voice and saw on her face toward her father and Garduchi seemed genuine. But he recalled the knife wound in his back and warned himself not to be too trusting. She could be an accomplished liar and have made the whole story up. Her parents could have been deliriously happy.
Katrina read the continued skepticism on his face. “I'll be glad when this is over,” she said in a low growl.
“That makes two of us,” Boyd replied.
Â
“Where to now?” Boyd asked as they left the zoo.
“I'm getting hungry. There's a restaurant on the south-side of town I've been wanting to try.”
Boyd wondered if she'd lied to him and there was a purpose behind her movements. He found it difficult to believe Leona would meet with her in such public places, but maybe Officer Polenari was looking for a chance to get word to Garduchi. He found himself hoping this wasn't the case and she was on the level.
A while later he was again warning himself to never let down his guard. Their food had just arrived and they'd begun to eat when he'd noticed a man in his late twenties enter. The man sort of lazily surveyed the room while waiting for a table. Suddenly his gaze leveled on their table, and grinning with recognition, he headed their way.