Rogue Diamond (7 page)

His hand shot out and snapped the envelope
from her fing
ers. "Dam
n
woman! You are im
pos
si
ble
.
I’ve got your money.
Now,
si
t down."

"If you think you're going to talk to me like that, you're crazy
.
" She took another step in the rain.

"Alex!" His other hand grabbed her arm. "Do you want my help?"

Her eyes lifted t
o his, questioning their
si
ncer
ity. For a second his eyes pinioned her. She read more than
si
ncerity in them, something fiery and combustible. More like controlled animal lust, she told herself, but decided not to repel him further. She needed his help too much. "Yes."

"Then
si
t down.
Please.
"

Dropping her eyes from his riveting gaze, Alex sat
. I
n a quiet tone
she said
, "Okay. We'll try again, Nick. Now, where should we start with th
is
search?"

He pulled his chair a little closer to hers and grumbled, "Uh,
let’s see. W
e should start by questioning those closest to Teresa and your home, then branch out."

"But the police have already done that."

"Well, I'd like to conduct my own inquiry."
Nick controlled his breath and his temper.
Damn her, a
nyway
.
Who was this woman, push
ing him into something he had no bu
si
ness doing, then telling him how to do it
.

"Could we start now?" she asked eagerly. "The rain's almost over."

"First, do you have a photo of her? One I can keep?"

"Yes, right here." Alex fumbled in her purse and drew out a child's snapshot.

Nick looked at
the photo of a very pretty Mexi
can child with large dark eyes and soft curls that framed a small face. She smiled jauntily at the camera.

"This pictur
e was taken at school," Alex ex
plained.

"Do you have others? A more somber shot?" Nick knew that if
they found the child, she prob
ably would not be smiling. However, he didn't want
to say that to
Alex.

Alex turned a puzzled look at the snapshot in his hand. "I thought this was the best one. But I'll see. What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing. I'd just like to have another. You said this picture wa
s taken at school?" Nick contin
ued. "She doesn't look old enough for school."

"Jenni's not qui
te two. She's enrolled in a pre
school program for toddlers at the Univer
si
ty. I took her to work with me three days a week and her mother picked her up after lunch."

"So she was exposed to a lot of people?"

"Yes, Jenni's very bright," Alex said proudly. "We feel she should be exposed to as much as pos
si
ble. That's all part of the learning process."

"Sounds as
though she almost had two moth
ers."

Alex nodded
si
lently. "Almost."

"Can you tell me anything else about her? Anything unusual or interesting. Any scars or handicaps?"

Alex studied for a moment. "She's bilingual."

"Bilingual? She talks?" A frown deepened in Nick's forehead. Everything Alex had said so far
could work against their chances of ever finding this child. But he couldn't say that. Alex's blue eyes were already too full of pain. And he was fighting hard to stay objective.

"She has a
good vocabulary for an eighteen
month-old child. Jenni's mother spoke Spanish, and I speak both Spanish and English, so it was only natural for Jenni to pick up words from both languages. I told you, she's very bright. Anything else you need to know?"

"No, that should just about do it for a start."

"Then let's go."

"First, I'd like for you to make me a list of everyone who knew Jenni. Especially those who might have a reason for wanting to take her . . . and keep her."

Alex looked shocked. "Who would want to do something so cruel and heartless?"

He drew the words out slowly. "Think about this from the oppo
si
te perspective, Alex. Who would desperately want a
child? Someone, per
haps, who's lost a child recently; or someone who's lost ano
ther loved one and needs the un
conditional affection a child can give; or maybe someone who lost a baby at birth." He wondered did he dare add "or someone who wants to make money"?

"But you're talking about almost everyone I know," Alex nearly wailed.

Nick leaned closer. "Desperate is the key word, Alex. Someone who's desperate. Who would want a child badly?"

She
si
ghed. "Well, I don't know about that. I'll have to think."

"Go home and make me a list. Think about it. We can meet tomorrow and discuss—"

"Tomorrow? Why not today? Now! The rain's almost stopped
.
"

She was rushing him again. "Give me a chance to investigate this on my own," Nick said slowly. "I'd like to check out a few things and I'll be back in touch. Tomorrow, I promise."

There was distinct disappointment in her face, but Alex smiled f
aintly. "You know, you're sound
ing more and more like a private eye. Are you sure that's not your bu
si
ness?"

He shrugged and returned the grin. "I've just seen lots of
Law and Order
reruns. I'll need your phone number."

Alex scribbled her number on a slip of paper then handed it to him. "Well, I'd better go make that list." Although Alex preferred to
si
t and talk with the enigmatic Nick Diamond, she stood up and tried to
straighten her drenched and rum
pled clothes.

"I'll call soon, Alex." He offered her his hand.

She took it and smiled warmly. "Thank you . . . Nick.
I’m glad you decided to help me.”
Her indigo eyes grew soft, and she looked at him frankly.
“I've changed my mind about you. You aren't the mercenary Yankee I originally thought you were. Maybe more of hero material."

Nick laughed off her admiring gaze. "Don't fool yourself, Alex. I'm no hero."

She gazed at him stubbornly, her eyes defying his remarks. "Oh, yes you are, Nick Diamond.
You're th
e
only one who
’s willing to help. That’s hero material to me.
"

“I’ll try.”

“You’ll do it. I know you will.”

Nick stood in the rain, watching her hail a cab. He was so
mewhat dumbfounded by her asser
tion. It was like a mandate he had to live up to.

As she got into the cab, he rubbed the scar on his cheek reflectively. Alex Julian was a damned attractive woman, good legs, nice body, beautiful eyes, just the kind of woman who might be sent to seduce him. He wondered if he was risking his hard-earned reputation by agreeing to meet her again. He'd have
Jose
check he
r out. Know
ing his wily Mex
ican partner, Nick figured
Jose
would want to shadow her.

As the cab pulled away from the curb, Alex glimpsed the ma
sculine and mysterious El Capita
n. His damp pea
sant clothes clung to his trian
gular frame, empha
si
zing broad, prominent shoulders and narrow hips. After meeting him, she couldn't believe he was as shady a character as the rumors would have her believe. He was even appealing. Not handsome in the clas
si
cal sense, but strong and powerful and rugged. He exuded a kind
of raw masculinity she found im
pos
si
ble to ignore. Plus, he had resources.

Alex felt a distinct sense of exhilaration for the first time in days. She had accomplished what she set out to do. Nick Diamond was going to help her find Jenni!
Yes!

But the exhilaration was short-lived, as other questions crowded her mind. Why did this man agree to help her? It certainly wasn't money he
was after. He never even looked at the envelope he'd tucked in
si
de his shirt. Was it the plight of Jenni, a poor homeless waif? Or because Alex was an American ... a woman? Could Nick be trusted? According to rumor, she should beware.

Nick’s partner,
Jose
tapped a pen on the notepad before him. "Her story checks out. At least, so far. The Mexican woman who was killed was her maid. And the woman had an illegitimate daughter about a year and a half ago."

Nick listened
as he changed clothes in the ad
joining bedroom of the upstairs flat. "What about her job? Any subver
si
ve activities?" He slid his long, muscular legs into
a
clean, dry pair of
jeans and zipped them
.

"Works at th
e Univer
si
ty in the Early Child
hood Department as an exchange professor from Arizona State. Does a good job. Speaks fluent Spanish. Works well in the field."
Jose
clicked off Alex's brief history in Mexico. "Her job's in jeopardy."

"Why?" Nick buttoned the clean camisa across the breadth of his chest
and left it hanging casually out
si
de his waist
.

"Tight budge
t at the Univer
si
ty. Her depart
ment will pro
bably be cut. Some teachers pre
sented a petition
to the pre
si
dent today. Threat
ened to strike."

Nick raised his dark eyebrows. "Is she a part of that?"

"No. She attended a funeral today."

"Can I trust her,
Jose
?"

"If you can trust yourself,
Capitan
."
Jose
smiled intuitively as he leaned against the door frame, his powerful body filling the doorway. "Just don't look too deeply into the senorita's eyes."

Nick laughed roughly. "Don't worry,
Jose
. I won't let this woman get to me. But I'm making no promises that I won't get to her. She could warm a bed nicely."

"
Si
,
Capitan
. You can take care of yourself." He chuckled deep in his huge chest. "Ready to go?"

"Yep." Nick moved toward the door. "Let's see if there's a baby for sale out there. This might be just what we've been looking for."

Jose
followed Nick. "You think this one might be involved in a baby ring?"

Nick nodded, his expres
si
on turning grim. "Selling Mexican babies is a big bu
si
ness. Let's hit the street and check with some of our contacts. Somebody, somewhere, knows about this kid."

CHAPTER FOUR

Nick called Alex the following afternoon. "Meet me in an hou
r," he said. "Our Lady of Guada
lupe. Bring the newspaper clipping, along with your list of suspects."

"What suspects? They're friends! Why?"

"I'll explain later. Just be there."

Alex was on time. Nick Diamond was late. She sat alone in the church, nervously twisting a handkerchief. Maybe he wasn't even coming. Maybe he just wanted to get rid of her today by sending her to
the church. Maybe he had no in
tention of finding Jenni. How did she know if he was trustworthy
? She had been foolish to disre
gard the rumors. Maybe they were true.

She bent her head and looked at the row of empty wooden pews, then let her eyes travel to the rear of the church. Her gaze moved along the
Stations of the Cross
, where brightly colored murals decorated the walls. The biblical figures in the ancient pictorial, including the Christ, were
portrayed as
dark-skinned Mexicans.

Two robed figures moved
si
lently to prepare the altar for the next mass; an old woman knelt in
prayer near the front. A constellation of candles flickered, projecting shadows on the somber murals.