Cat Got Your Tongue? (18 page)

Her pensive expression brightened when she saw him. “You’re back.” She raised an eyebrow. “And you’re smiling. Must mean that your negotiations went well?”

“Of course.” He moved toward her, glancing at the brochures scattered across the bed. “What are you reading?”

“Some literature on the Taylor Museum.”

“You planning a heist there?” he teased and laughed at the steely look she gave him. He slid behind her, reaching for her, and kissed her head. “I missed you today.”

She turned her face into his and smiled. “You’re just horny.”

“That too.”

She laughed and he kissed her again.

Yip, the high spirits had everything to do this gorgeous woman.

He took the catalogue from her and paged through it with interest. “Where did you get all this?”

“From the museum. It’s exquisite.”

“You were there today?”

“Yes.”

Another reason why he liked her—most of the women he knew would have gone shopping, not visit art museums. “Have they taken down the empty frames from the burglary yet?”

“No. I found them rather eerie.”

“How many paintings were stolen?”

“Ten.”

“Worth a fortune.”

“Two hundred mil.”

He gave a low whistle. “Seems a lot for ten paintings.”

She pointed to the pictures of two paintings in the brochure. “The Matisse was said to be worth forty million and the Picasso was worth sixty million.”

“That’s a hefty sum for a Picasso.”

“It was one of his paintings from the Marie-Therese Walter series.”

“Ah, Picasso’s famous mistress. Christie’s recently sold another one from the series. It was called—”

“—
Nude, Green Leaves, and Bust
,” she interrupted. “It sold for over a hundred mil. I almost gagged when I heard.”

Cole smiled at her before turning his attention back to the catalogue. “It would be a shame if the ten paintings from the Taylor Museum were destroyed.”

“I don’t think they were destroyed.”

He lowered the catalogue and lifted a brow. “What makes you say that?”

She shrugged. “The police reckon it was a botched job to begin with and that the thieves pulled the pieces at random, but they’re wrong. They planned and orchestrated that heist with care and then made it look like they were fools.”

Cole went to pour them a drink. “Do you know this for a fact or is this one of your theories?”

“No art thief in his right mind would steal a painting without being able to fence it straight away—especially paintings worth that much money. They were very specific with what they wanted. I suspect they were working off a hit list from a mastermind collector.” She pointed to the catalogue, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. “I’ve studied the entire museum’s art collection in detail and I’m surprised at what the thieves took. Besides the Matisse and the Picasso, there were far more valuable paintings that were left behind.”

“It sounds similar to your theory about the Renoir and the Monet,” Cole said, handing her a glass of champagne. “You think it could be related?”

“It could be, but I don’t know how.”

“The Renoir and the Monet don’t have anything to do with the Taylor Museum, so how could they be related?”

She frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe they also form part of the collector’s shopping list. Do you know where the Renoir came from before it went to Christie’s to be auctioned off?”

“No, but I could make a couple of calls to find out if you’d like.”

“It wouldn’t have come from the Taylor Museum as it was never on the inventory list and according to Gabriella’s will, none of her paintings may be sold.”

Cole hesitated before asking his next question. “And your mother? Does she have any theories on this?”

She stiffened and he sensed the change in her mood.

“Does she?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never asked her and she’s never mentioned the museum.” Her eyes darkened and he saw a brief hint of sadness.

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know,” she replied with a shrug. “She left a couple of weeks ago, and I haven’t heard from her since. No one seems to know where she is, and I doubt we’d find her if she doesn’t want to be found.” The sadness vanished and she straightened. “I’d like to chat with her about everything that’s happened. I might have some random theories, but every instinct in my body is telling me I’m onto something. I simply need to connect the dots. She could help me do that a little faster.”

“And what about the cat that broke in for the Renoir?” he asked softly, sensing he was treading on unsteady ground. “Are you going to tell me his name?”

Alex wouldn’t look at him and took a large gulp of champagne. “No.”

“Alex.”

“No, Cole.”

She drained her glass and their eyes met in an unyielding challenge.

“We might both have a natural inclination to stick to the legal side of things, but I often bend the rules. Not because I like to, but because I have to. We might be sleeping together but I’ve no guarantee that you won’t ruin me with any information I give you.”

“That’s downright insulting, Alexis.”

She discarded the champagne glass and scurried off the bed. “I have to watch my back and until I know where my mother is, I can’t start ratting out her friends.”

“Fine,” he said, reining in the frustration that prickled. “Don’t tell me the damn name.” He went to the bedroom door and turned to look back at her. “You’re so adamant not to rat him out and that makes me wonder what you think he may know.”

Alex averted her gaze. “I don’t know, which is why I’m considering paying him a visit.”

Cole’s stomach lurched and he clenched his jaw, reaching for control. “You think that’s wise?” It pleased him that his voice was calm, even reasonable. Inside, he wanted to throttle her for having suggested such an absurd thing.

“Maybe not, but I’d like to question him about the heists he’s been pulling.”

“I don’t like it.” Cole walked into the living room and she followed, hanging back in the doorway.

“It’s not for you to like, Cole.”

“It could be dangerous, Alexis.” God, the thought of her conversing with the man that had shot at him drove cold shivers through his entire body.

Alex stepped forward, eyes flashing. “Everything I do is dangerous, and if we’re going to be doing this sex thing between us, then you need the balls to understand that and back off so that I can do my job!”

He took four wide, smooth strides and closed the gap between them. “You don’t think I have the balls to handle you?”

“You can’t be with me if you can’t handle what I do.”

“I can handle you.” When she tried to move away from him, he stopped her. “I’m fine with what you do, Alexis. It’s crazy and scary and downright makes me wonder what the hell I’m doing with someone that wants to rub shoulders with shady creatures, but at the end of the day, that’s who you are.” He paused, trying to hide his smile at the look of surprise on her face. She’d been steaming ahead on one of her runaway trains and he’d just removed the steam. God, he loved it when he surprised her. “I never said that you couldn’t talk to your art thief. I said that I don’t like it.”

Alex stared at him for a long, silent moment before sighing softly. “You really mean all that?”

“Yes.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to lecture me every time my job makes you uncomfortable? I refuse to alter my life or my career because of you.”

Cole drew in a deep breath. Right now, another negotiation seemed easier than dealing with her. “You know that I attract a lot of public attention and with you in the picture, that attention will only increase twofold. I can’t afford any bad publicity and neither can you. So besides asking you to exercise a little more caution on your choice of associates, I’m not asking you to change anything right now.” He caught her chin in his fingers and tilted her face toward his. “Although, could we lower your testosterone levels a notch or two?”

A flash of amusement sparkled in her eyes and she exhaled slowly. She slid her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Perhaps you do have the balls to handle me after all.” Before he could reply, she pulled away and went for the menu on the dining room table. “Are you going to feed me tonight? I’m starving.”

Cole smiled and shook his head. That was Alexis all right—changing gears in a second flat. Fortunately, he was a sharp man and liked the challenge of keeping up with her.

But most of all, he was enjoying the ride.

Monday morning

New York

Cole glanced up from his desk when Alex walked in the following morning. She looked composed and professional in a dark blue tailored suit but appeared to be charged with either anger or energy. He wasn’t sure which but knew he would soon find out.

“Are you crazy?” she asked, closing the door.

Cole blinked. “Excuse me?”

Alex dumped her bag on the chair opposite him, planted her hands on her hips, and looked at him. “Why did you leave without waking me?”

After a late flight home and little sleep, leaving her sleeping in his bed when he’d left for work had seemed the obvious choice. “I had an early meeting.”

“You should’ve woken me.”

“You were sleeping.”

“I work for you, Cole. My job is to make sure that you stay safe. I can’t make that happen if you traipse off to work and leave me behind in bed.”

Cole leaned back in his chair. “You didn’t get much sleep last night, Alex. I didn’t want to wake you and besides, I don’t need you to babysit me everywhere I go.”

“I’m not here to babysit you. You hired me to be your bodyguard. I can’t do that if I don’t have a body to guard.”

He sighed, searching for patience. “Although I agree that I do need some sort of personal protection, I can still take care of myself. As much as I enjoy having you around, I really don’t need you to traipse down to the office with me.”

“Have you forgotten that you were marked twice in the last week? You shouldn’t be taking any chances right now.” She blew out her breath. “We’ve crossed a line, Cole. You’re starting to treat me more like your lover and my job has become secondary.”

“Alex,” he said, knowing she was right.

But he wouldn’t change it for anything.

Angry eyes met his. “I warned you that things would get complicated once I became your bodyguard with benefits and that’s just what this is—complicated.” She shook her head and looked away. “You know there’s something weird happening. I’d feel better if we back off each other for while so that I can do my job in keeping you safe and figure out how you fit into all of this.”

“I still want you, you know,” he said, not liking her suggestion.

“You want my body. Our initial agreement was supposed to be just business, but the sex changes everything.”

He raised a brow. “You’d really walk away from this? From us?”

“I work for you, Cole,” she said, producing her phone. “You need someone to have your best interests in mind and right now, our wires are way too crossed for that. I’m going to schedule a meeting with you and Dan to discuss your requirements and fill him in on what we know.”

Cole went to her, snatched the phone out of her hand, and tossed it into her bag. “I don’t want Dan, Alex. I want you.”

She looked at the phone and sighed. “I can’t work for you and be in your bed. Surely you’ve figured that out by now?”

“Yes, I have.”

“Then meet with Dan.”

“No.”

Their eyes met and held, the challenge on.

“Cole.”

“We can meet with your partners, Alex, but I still want you a part of this team.”

She exhaled slowly and then nodded. “Then we do this my way. From now on, where you go, I go.” She held up her hand when he started to protest. “I’m serious, Cole. Any resistance from you and you’ll be sleeping with Dan tonight.”

Cole chuckled. “I think I’d prefer that bodyguard to come without the benefits.”

“Don’t be smart. Just think about what I said, okay?”

He caught her wrist, tugged her closer, and kissed her. When he pulled away a moment later, he was smiling. “You have to admit, Alex. The sex does complicate things, but it’s the best damn sex we’ve ever had.”

Alex laughed. “You’re so full of it. What makes you so sure it’s the best sex I’ve ever had?”

“Because if it wasn’t, you wouldn’t still be here.”

“Mm, that’s the problem. We’re so going to get you killed.”

“No, we won’t. We’ll figure this out, okay?”

Alex rolled her eyes. “You keep saying that but we never do.”

****

Alex blew out a breath and slumped in her chair. Three hours of studying all the available material on the museum heist and the robbery attempts of the Renoir and the Monet and still no answers. Nothing added up and nothing made sense.

Maybe she was way off. Maybe there was no connection between the robberies and the museum, but it seemed odd that the museum’s name had resurfaced at the same time that her clients were marked. Co-incidence?

No. There had to be a connection.

Her phone vibrated on the table, and she fished it out from beneath the scattered documents.

Cole.

She smiled. “Is everything okay?”

“Of course. What are you doing?”

“Working. Do you need something?”

“Besides you?”

“Cole.”

His soft chuckle rumbled through the phone. “I need food. I’m starving.”

“So eat.” She cast a quick glance around the hotel restaurant, surprised at how busy they were.

“But I want company.”

“So get John or Julia to eat with you.”

“No,” he replied, his tone playful and light. “I’m looking for some decent arm candy.”

“Are you breaking for lunch?”

“Yes. Can you come?”

She grinned. “With you, baby? Always.”

“Alex.”

She laughed, pleased with the sudden strain in his voice. “I’m downstairs in the restaurant.”

“I’ll see you in five,” he said and the line went dead.

When Cole walked into the crowded restaurant five minutes later, his presence brought a stir to the room that had her smiling in amusement.

He flashed her a smile as he sat opposite her. “You’ve been working here?”