Pure Dynamite (49 page)

Jake had been on the west coast the last four months, working undercover out of the Seattle office. She understood it was what he did, but still she'd been glad to hear the job had ended.

After returning from Willy's compound, they'd stayed in touch, talking mostly by phone. The awkwardness, the anger, she had expected to feel toward him never surfaced. And while Jake lived in Baltimore, he'd flown to Durham several times. For dates. He'd brought her roses. Taken her to dinner. And was a perfect gentleman.

"We'll take it slow this time," he insisted. "To make certain your feelings are real."

Then he'd been temporarily assigned to Seattle. The distance, the time apart, indeed made her heart grow fonder. She'd counted hours until he came back to Baltimore, secretly determined that his days as a gentleman were over. And then he'd called, wanted to fly to Durham to see her.

Renata had enlisted Janet's help in planning a special night. Janet had come up with a role-playing, kidnap-your-lover-for-a-night-of-ecstasy idea.
Turnabout's fair play
had been her logic. "He kidnapped you first, right?"

Janet had offered to meet Jake's plane and abduct him, but at the last minute, Renata had decided to ask
Zach for help with the actual
faux
kidnapping. To keep it a surprise. Jake would have suspected something if Janet had showed up at the airport. Zach had agreed to have his brother picked up in a limo, then blindfolded and brought to her door.

"I owe you a favor," Zach had said. "Remember?"

Renata had stayed with Zach after he'd been shot in Idaho. Fortunately, his wound had been minor. And she hadn't said anything when he'd slipped away from the emergency room before authorities could question him.

She understood that Zach's background was checkered, his past dark. Jake promised to explain it some day.
Some day soon,
she thought, recalling the news she'd received earlier in the week.

Lyle McEdwin, the only surviving member of his family, had recovered and ended up accepting a plea bargain to avoid the death penalty. He'd been given a life sentence, with no chance of parole, for murdering his father. There would be no trial.

Thanks to Stan and Willy's files, Ethan Falco's tangled past was neatly documented. With Falco dead more people came forward with accusations, prompting a congressional investigation. An ugly chapter of history was about to be closed.

All that remained now was for her to convince Jake that she truly cared for him. The circumstances of their meeting be damned.

"I'm out of here," Janet shouted from the living room. "You've got thirty seconds!" The front door slammed.

Renata walked—carefully—into her living room. She didn't recognize it. With the help of a hundred strategically placed candles, and four miles of thumb- tacked gossamer netting, Janet had converted her apartment into a gauzy fantasy.

"God, what was I thinking?" She grabbed a piece of the netting and yanked it down just as the doorbell rang. "Great!"

There was no turning back now. Squaring her shoulders, she went to the door, glanced out the peephole.

And nearly died. Two men stood outside, one with a bouquet of flowers. The bell rang again. Damn it! She needed to get rid of them before Jake arrived.

Grabbing a trench coat from the hall closet, she threw it over the corset and yanked open the door. The wind blew snow inside. It wasn't supposed to start snowing until later, which gave her hope that Adam's plane would be delayed.

"Renata Curtis? We got a delivery for you. From a Zach Ryan."

Puzzled, she accepted the flowers.

The man nodded his head to one side. "Where do you want this?"

She looked around the corner, saw a rolled up carpet. A very large
carpet... lumpy ...
complete with bare feet sticking out one end.

"Oh no! Get him inside. It's freezing out here!"

The men picked up either end of the rug, and carried it inside.

"Get him out of there. Now!"

"Yes, ma'am." The men held the edge of the rug and let the rest drop. Jake hit the ground and rolled across the floor, his hands and feet bound, duct tape over his mouth.

Renata dropped to her knees, and tried to pry the tape loose. One of the deliverymen bent over and ripped the tape free in a single yank. "It hurts less that
way."

"The hell it does," Jake growled. "And quit looking at her!"

Renata glanced down, noticed the front of her coat had come open. She snatched the edges together.

"If you don't mind, we'll leave before you untie him." Grinning, the men took the carpet and left. "Zach sends his regards, by the way."

"Tell my brother to watch his back," Jake snarled at the slamming door. "Untie me."

Renata grabbed a kitchen knife and began sawing through the cords. "This was not supposed to happen."

The gold flecks in his eyes glittered dangerously. "Don't tell me you're dressed like that for someone else?"

She shook her head. "It was for you. I
was ...
trying to get you here for a romantic fantasy, but I see now it wasn't such a great idea."

Free of the rope, Jake stood. Grasping the lapels of her coat, he opened if and stared. "Anything that involves you in black lace is a great idea. So exactly what was this fantasy?" He looked around her apartment, seeing it for the first time. "And what's burning?"

Renata caught a whiff of smoke and turned. The piece of netting she'd torn loose had blown too close to a candle and was now going up in flames, melting and crackling like spun sugar.

Jake reacted swiftly, vaulting over the sofa and yanking the netting down from the ceiling. Blazing pieces dropped to the carpet. Renata took off her coat and smothered the flames just as the smoke alarm started beeping.

Swearing under her breath, she wrenched open the French doors that led to the small second story balcony and began fanning her arms. Her apartment smelled like burnt nylon, the smoke thick and acrid.

"Come on," Jake pulled her outside, onto the balcony. "Flames are out but those fumes will kill us."

Renata sucked in frigid air, coughing as the corset hampered her ability to draw a deep breath.

In the distance, sirens echoed.

"The smoke alarms. They're wired into the alarm system," she said. "I need to get dressed before they— tell me you didn't shut the door all the way."

Jake hovered close, caught her chin. "Why?"

She reached behind him, tried the doorknob. "Because it locks automatically."

Fire trucks roared into the complex, their sirens growing louder. They'd be there any moment. Mortified, Renata closed her eyes. "Do you have any idea if Mercury went retrograde today?"

Jake laughed and brushed snow from her hair. She had no business being outside, dressed like this.
Dressed like this,
she should be in his bedroom.

"I can't believe you did all this for me."

She frowned. "Well, believe me, it won't happen again."

"God, I hope you're joking." He ran a hand along the top of the corset, his fingers brushing the swells of her breasts.

Removing his shirt, he pulled it over her shoulders. It went to her knees. He would have preferred it went to her ankles, but it would do until the fireman freed them. He tugged her into his arms.

"I don't know about retrogrades, but my horoscope said I'd find love today. I always thought those columns in the paper were kinda
lame ...
until now. I love you, Renata."

A ladder crashed against the side rail of her balcony. A moment later a fireman appeared. "You folks okay?"

She smiled. "We're perfect."

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