Cat Got Your Tongue? (23 page)

“I’m going to see your cat burglar,” she said without flinching, her eyes locked on his. She knew he wasn’t going to like her reply and issued a silent challenge that she simply didn’t care.

All three men had different reactions but the end effect was the same. Had Alex not been so annoyed, she might have seen the humor in it.

“You’re going to see Steven Bryson? Alone?” Dan stared at her, his expression colored with disapproval. “Are you crazy?”

Alex straightened her shoulders. “He should be able to fill in a few blanks.”

“And you really think he’s going to be straight with you?”

“No, but with a little persuasion he’ll give me some answers.”

“Then we’re coming with you.”

“Absolutely not.” Alex glared at Dan, determined not to back down.

Bradley maneuvered himself closer to her side. “Alex, that’s suicide.”

“Steven will run if he sees me arrive with you two on my tail, and besides, you guys need to be with the shield.”

“Then we’ll all go,” Cole said, his tone laced with anger.

“Oh, great,” Alex replied with a sarcastic laugh, “a billionaire and two bodyguards in tow. Now I’ll really be inconspicuous when I bust into Steven’s house.”

“If you’re going to be busting in, then you’re definitely not going alone.”

Alex watched in disbelief as the three men, in all their testosterone glory, spewed out reasons that challenged her decision to see Steven Bryson. It was time to show them that although she was a woman, she had developed testosterone of her own.

Temper flaring, she glared at Cole. “Since I don’t work for you anymore, you don’t get to question me.” She spun around and pinned her partners with a determined stare. “And as for you two, you’ve never questioned me before and I don’t appreciate you doing so now. All three of you back down.”

“Alex,” Dan said, his tone softening, “I never stomp on your turf but there’s no way we’re letting you see Steven alone.”

Alex frowned. Something about the way they were towering over her sparked a new suspicion. Her partners had always trusted her, cautioned her through a tricky situation, but never stepped on her toes. Now, they were all over her.

The disk.
They’d listened to the rest of the disk.

“Oh, God,” she gasped, reeling back, “you know!”

“Alex—”

“How did you find out?”

Cole took a step forward. “I suspected there was more to the disk.”

“Dammit,” she said through gritted teeth, shoving him away.

Bradley held out his hand. “Calm down, Alex.”

“I am calm,” she snapped. “I just didn’t want you to know.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because I knew this is how you’d react! I don’t need you three breathing down my neck. I can take care of myself.”

“But this is different, Alex,” Bradley argued, folding his arms across his muscular chest. “You’re one of the best damn agents we have, but this changes things. You have to admit that you need help here.”

“No!” Alex put her hands on her hips, feeling cornered with the three colossal men in front of her. “You guys are to worry about the shield and let me worry about myself.”

Cole moved toward her, his jaw clenched. “Alex, although their intentions were not spelled out on that disk, it’s enough to prove that someone has an invested interest in us. We have to assume the worst from that conversation, and you need to pull your independent issues out of your ass right now and concentrate on staying alive!” Even though his tone was even and low, there was no mistaking the anger that raged through him. “You are not going to see Steven alone.”

Their gazes gridlocked and thick tension prickled between them.

“Fine!” she snapped and pushed past Cole, heading for the stairs. He grabbed her wrist, but she whirled around with such force that he released her.

“Alex.”

“Back off,” she said, lowering her tone. “All of you.”

With a final scowl, she bolted up the stairs.

****

Half an hour later, Alex slipped quietly out the front door and into the waiting cab. She rattled off an address, which she hoped was the correct one for Steven. Cats generally didn’t stay in one place for too long, but according to Eddie, it was current.

He’d also flipped when she’d called him for the address, but she had blown him a kiss and hung up the phone, not wanting another confrontation. Wow, the men in her life had serious overprotective issues.

She looked around her, checking for any leeches, but no one seemed to be the wiser that she’d flown the coop. She grimaced, knowing she’d receive a lot of heat when she returned, but she could handle them, no matter how exhausting it felt having to juggle and divert all that testosterone. They meant well, but she’d never allowed anyone to dictate her movements before and she wouldn’t start allowing it now. She was stubborn, difficult, and hot headed, but as far as she was concerned, this wasn’t a popularity contest, and until now, her way of life—of being—had kept her alive and made her one of the best bodyguards available.

The cab came to a stop behind a silver Volvo paused at a red light and Alex looked out of the front window, trying to gauge how much time she had before reaching Steven. She knew that seeing him could be dangerous, but she had her gun attached to her hip and hoped he wouldn’t harm her—thief’s honor and all that.

With a sudden force that surprised her, the back door of the cab flew open and Cole casually sank into the seat beside her.

“Cole!” she exclaimed, shock unhinging her jaw. “What are you doing here?” She searched out of the windows for her partners but couldn’t see them.

“I told you I’m coming with you,” Cole clipped with a dry undertone.

Alex was so stunned that she had to shake her head to get her brain moving again. “Great, first you snoop in my bag and now you’re following me?”

“I thought we’d agreed you wouldn’t go alone.”

“So I lied.”

“I knew you’d try pull a disappearing act.”

“You could get hurt coming with me.”

“And so could you, Alex. You’re not invincible.”

“Where are your bodyguards?”

“I left them behind.”

“You can’t come with me, Cole.”

“Alex, this man broke into my home and pointed a gun at me—not to mention that he tried to kill me with it. I think I’ve earned the right to see this bastard face to face.”

“He’s certainly not going to give us any information if you’re going to go all King Kong on him.”

“I’m going to go all King Kong on you if you don’t back down on this one.” His body language offered more warning than his words.

She sighed in resignation. “Fine. You can come with but as long as you remember that this is my stint and I don’t need you waving your caveman antics under my nose.”

“Alex—”

“Cole, no exceptions. I know how to deal with these thugs. I grew up around them, remember?”

He cursed, dragging a hand through his jet-black hair. “Just the thought of you growing up around thieves and murderers makes me want to punch something.”

She shot him a look that questioned if he really wanted to start that discussion now.

Apparently not, as he blew out his breath and gave a curt nod of agreement. “What are you going to say to Steven anyway?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.”

“Great,” he replied, his tone laced with sarcasm. “I’m in the hands of a prepared professional.”

Alex laughed. “You’re here of your own accord. The only one I’m going to be looking out for during this meeting is me.”

“That’s the way I prefer it.”

“You didn’t have to fire me, you know,” she murmured, still agitated that he no longer wanted her working for him.

“The fact that I fired you really bothers you, doesn’t it?”

She lowered her gaze, not wanting him to read any more into it than he already had.

His expression softened, a small smile making his lips curl at each corner. When he pulled her into his arms and kissed her head, she realized it had been several hours since he’d touched her and it was several hours too long.

“For someone so smart, you can really be a nitwit at times,” he told her.

“Thanks.”

He placed his fingers on her chin and tilted her head to look at him. “It was either fire you from my employ or fire you from my bed. As you are the fire in my bed, I chose the first option.”

Alex smiled and settled into his arms, enjoying the feeling of comfort he offered. “What are we going to do?”

“About us?”

“About everything.”

“We’re going to put our masterful brains together and start connecting the dots.”

“Good plan.”

She kissed his chin, delighted to be on even ground with him again. Perhaps having him as a partner wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“We need to figure out whose voices are on that tape.”

Alex nodded. “They’re the key that unlocks this whole mystery. The reason they want us out of their way badly enough to harm us is because you hold their precious Renoir and we’re asking questions about the missing paintings from the museum. They know we’ve made the connection and that’s got them riled.”

“You really think that Steven Bryson will have answers for you?”

“Maybe. He’s a cat and someone sent him in after your Renoir. Let’s start with that.”

“You should have been a detective.”

She flashed him a grin. “You might object to my way of life, but I happen to love my job. Besides, if I were a cop I’d have to stick to the white area of the law. Right now, the grey area suits me better.”

“The grey area of the law is what got us into this mess in the first place.”

“No,” she replied, shaking her head. “The black area of the law is responsible for this mess.”

Cole tilted his head to look at her, his fingers toying in her hair. “Are we going to talk about last night?”

“No.”

“I didn’t think so.”

The cab slowed down and pulled over to the curb, offering a useful distraction.

Alex glanced at her surroundings to ensure that no one had followed them. It didn’t take her long to spot the SUV pulling into a parking bay further down the street. Although she couldn’t see the occupants, she had a sneaky suspicion that the car contained two beefy bodyguards. Great. They’re all in on it.

They went inside the old building and paused at the mailboxes. Alex scanned the names next to the numbers, not surprised there was no name beside Steven’s apartment number. Any cat at the top of his game wouldn’t be so careless. No doubt, he’d probably used a fake name to rent his apartment.

“How do you know where he lives?” Cole asked.

“I called the fence.”

“You’re really dancing in the grey areas lately. Sullivan’s going to eat you alive.”

“Not unless he finds out what I’m up to. And now that you’re with me, you’re my accomplice, so I can’t see you ratting me out.”

The inner door leading to the stairs was locked. Alex glanced at Cole and pulled out a hairpin from her pocket. “Not a word about this,” she said and turned her attention to the lock.

Cole’s expression varied between admiration and amusement. “You never fail to amaze me.”

The door popped open and she flashed him a cheeky smile. “Impressed with my lock picking abilities, are you? I’d be delighted to offer you some lessons if you’d like.”

“I can think of a few lessons I’d like to offer you.”

She laughed, knowing they weren’t talking about jimmying locks anymore.

When they reached the third floor, Alex placed her hand on Cole’s chest and motioned to the door at the end of the hallway. “That’s his apartment over there.”

“How do you know he’s home?”

“I don’t.”

“So he’s simply going to let us in?”

“No. Follow me.”

He had nowhere else to go so he did.

“This is absurd,” he said with a dry laugh. “I’m supposed to be at my office finalizing the deal for my new hotel—not breaking into an art thief’s apartment.”

“Too late to back out now,” she replied, smacking his chest with the back of her hand. “Besides, your muscles and intimidating scowl might be useful.”

“This is another example of how my life has changed since meeting you, Alexis.”

She smiled at him and came to a stop outside Steven’s door. Placing an ear to the wood, she shut her eyes and listened for a full minute before producing the hairpin again.

“I thought we’d be knocking on his door, Alex. Breaking and entering is not quite what I had in mind.”

“Guys like Steven don’t answer their doors,” she whispered, scowling at him. “Ready?”

“You’re going to get us killed.”

“Possibly.” A moment later, the door clicked open and they went inside.

The musty smell of the apartment had Alex wrinkling her nose. The sound of the television playing in the living room hinted that Steven might be home. They moved through the short hallway and peered into the living room, pausing.

He was asleep on the couch in front of the television.

Alex tilted her head to Cole and put her lips against his ear. “Stay here,” she whispered. “He might be more pliable if he thinks I’m alone.”

Cole hesitated, his eyes narrowing in disagreement.

“You’ll know if I need you, Cole.” Alex placed a hand against his chest, realizing she did need him.

He held her gaze for a moment before relenting with a brief nod.

Alex took a deep breath and crossed the room to where Steven slept. She moved with confidence and made no sound, years of practice kicking into action. She scanned for weapons, her eyes zeroing in on the gun beside his waist. Reaching for it with a clean handkerchief she’d produced from her pocket, she tucked the gun underneath the couch cushions behind her. Next, she removed the gun at his ankle and disposed of it. Standing back, she glanced around and surveyed her handiwork before settling her eyes on the sleeping thief in front of her.

Time to wake up.

****

Cole watched Alex with quiet fascination. Although every protective instinct screamed at him to stop her, he forced himself to remain hidden. He kept his eyes on her, completely alert, his body primed to help her should she need it. Although he knew she could handle the thief, he wasn’t taking any risks. He’d experienced firsthand the careless regard that Steven had for another human life.