The Secret Brokers (24 page)

She pulled her hand from the running water and walked up to his side. “I found it in the bathroom closet.”

Her round eyes carefully inspected his semi-naked body. He had a black and yellow bruise under his right eye and along his right cheekbone. His entire left shoulder, part of his left upper back, and all along his left upper ribs were also sporting black and blue patches.

“You look like the other guy won,” she quipped as she came alongside of him and placed her arm about his waist.

“What are you doing?” he asked as she began guiding him toward the shower.

“Getting you into a hot shower. You’re sore and the shower will help. Then I’ll put more of that yam cream on you. I promise you’ll feel much better.”

Gwen helped him step out of his pajama bottoms. She tossed the pajamas aside and
boldly explored his nude body with
her
blue-green eyes.

“Care to join me?” Dallas whispered.

Gwen slipped the white, fluffy robe from about her body and let it drop to the floor. “Someone’s got to help you scrub your back,” she added with a saucy grin.

Dallas marveled at her slender waist, the swell of her small breasts, and her narrow hips. The color of her skin reminded him of sweet cream: pale, velvety, and delectable. He reached for her, longing to run his lips over every inch of her, but Gwen stayed his hands.

She pushed him back into the shower. “Why don’t you leave everything to me
?”

When the hot water hit him, Dallas closed his eyes and reveled in the relief the heat instantly brought to his aching muscles

“Now I’m going to show you something that I’m really good at,” Gwen said beside him.

Dallas opened his eyes to see Gwen settling in next to him under the powerful jets of warm water. She turned him around and ran her hands over his sore left shoulder as the hot water beat down on his skin. She gently kneaded his neck and left shoulder with her agile fingers.

“You’re killing me,” Dallas groaned, as her hands only seemed to increase his discomfort.

“Relax,” she softly said to him. “Let me take care of you for a change.”

Dallas tried to loosen up as her fingers manipulated his tender muscles. He remembered her naked body and longed to pull her into his arms, but as the hot water pulsated against his skin, he reconsidered his plans. Deciding to enjoy the moment, he let his mind empty as he surrendered to her skillful hands. For the first time in several months, Dallas August had finally found a few moments of peace.

Dressed only in his jeans, Dallas stood at the island
cook top
in
the
center of Carl’s gourmet kitchen cooking scrambled eggs. The clock on the microwave read a little after eleven as he added some chives and finely chopped green peppers to their breakfast.

He could not help but smile as he thought of their morning in the shower together. Gwen was nothing like Nicci. He stopped in the middle of adding some Gruyere cheese to the eggs. Nicci. He realized he had not thought of her in some time. He had been so caught up in his assignment with Gwen that Nicci had not even entered his mind. Then he thought of the assignment and what Carl had hired him to do. He had the information Carl needed and the proof of a safety deposit box key to allay Carl’s concerns. All he had to do was take the key and leave. But he didn’t want to leave, not just yet.

“How’s the shoulder?” Gwen inquired from the kitchen doorway.

“Better,
”
he replied.

“I fed the fish in the saltwater aquarium,” Gwen said as she walked into the kitchen, holding up a small can of fish food. She was dressed in jeans, and one of his long-sleeved shirts. “I think Lance got the instructions on the cans backwards. It seems like a lot of food to feed those fish,” she added as she placed the can on the counter next to Dallas.

Dallas nodded at the can of fish food. “Do you want me to put that on your eggs?” he asked.

Gwen frowned. “No.”

“Then remove it from the counter,” he stated and pointed to the sink with his spatula. “Put it over there away from the food.

“You don’t have pets do you?”

“No, why?” He picked up a plate on the counter and started placing a portion of the scrambled eggs on it.

“Because if you have kids or pets, things like fish food on the kitchen counter doesn’t really bother you.”

“Coming from a woman who spends all her time in a barn, that comment doesn’t surprise me.” He took two plates filled with scrambled eggs to the kitchen table.

“You ever been married?” she asked, making her way to the table.

“No,” he stated.

Gwen took a seat at the table. “Ever come close?”

Dallas stepped over to the counter behind him and picked up some toast he had sitting on a plate. “No,” he told her.

“What about Nicci Beauvoir?” She picked up a fork next to her plate. “There was a rumor that you two were going to get married.”

Dallas nodded as he joined her at the table. “It was just a rumor.”

Gwen tilted her head slightly to the side as she watched him pick up his fork and reach for a piece of toast. He took a precise slab of butter from the butter dish and spread it out evenly on his toast. She noted the meticulous way he held his fork and lifted a carefully selected measure of scrambled eggs to his mouth. After a certain amount of chewing, he took a bite from his toast.

Gwen picked up a piece of toast in one hand and her fork in the other. She loaded the scrambled eggs on to her toast. Once the toast was overflowing with eggs, she folded it in half. Gwen then slapped the creation in the middle of Dallas’s plate.

He sat back from his plate. “What did you do that for?”

“Eat it,” she demanded as she waved to the scrambled egg sandwich on his plate.

“Gwen, I have my own plate of food and I don’t want—”

“Eat it that way, Dallas,” she ordered, cutting him off. “For once in you
r
life, do something spontaneous, unplanned, and messy.”

He glared at her. “And what is that supposed to prove? That I can choke back a meal like you
?”

“No,” Gwen replied as she took another piece of toast and piled it up with scrambled eggs from her plate. “It will prove that you can let yourself break free of those calculated, predetermined confines you live in.” She folded the bread over and took a bite out of her sandwich. She chewed up her food and swallowed it down. “I think you do what you do, because you keep your life so well-ordered that the only excitement you get is from going out on these jobs of yours. The danger is what excites you, but you’ve blinded yourself to the simple thrill of being alive.”

“Stop it, Gwen. Stop trying to pry me open like a can of sardines. I promise you won’t like what you find.”

She leaned in closer to him. “You need to let go Dallas, before you have nothing left to hold on to.”

“You’d better take a good look at your life, Gwen, before you start handing out advice. You hide yourself away on that farm, for what? Because you are afraid of men, people, the world? At least I am living my life. What are you doing with yours?” He abruptly got up from the table.

When he was about to pick up his plate Gwen reached for his hand, stopping him.

“I’m sorry. I have no right to tell you how to live your life when I’m not doing such a bang up job with mine,” she conceded. “But I was just trying to prove a point, not ruin your breakfast.”

Dallas scowled. “Congratulations, you at least accomplished half of your task.”

He was about to turn away when she stood from her chair and eased her body up to his. “Don’t walk away angry because I was trying to help you.”

“I don’t need your help, Gwen. I’ve made it just fine the way I am for the past thirty-eight years without your interference.”

She ran her hand along his muscular chest and traced her finger down his flat stomach. “Yes, but you can’t spend another thirty-eight years being the way you are—unless you want to spend all of that time alone.”

“You don’t know what I want or who I am, so stop trying to analyze everything I do.”

She held up her hands. “All right, I’ll stop. But don’t think this conversation is over.”

Dallas shook his head as he glimpsed
at
his plate. He picked up the sandwich she had slapped together for him and took a bite.

Gwen smiled, happily. “See, you’re letting go.”

Dallas shook his head. “No, I’m getting indigestion.”

She patted her hand against his flat stomach. “It’s a step.”

Dallas placed the sandwich back on his plate as he observed the way Gwen’s nose crinkled when she made her funny smile. He was pleased that something as simple as taking a bite of her sandwich could make her happy. He quickly checked himself and realized that his emotions were interfering. He took a step back from her, picked up his plate, and took it to the sink.

“You’d better see to the other fish after you finish eating. God knows we don’t want Carl Bordonaro pissed with us for killing off his pets. If you need me, I’ll be in the study.”

Not waiting for her reply, Dallas exited the kitchen as fast as he could. He needed to get his mind off Gwen Marsh and stay focused on the task at hand. As soon as possible he had to get the hell out of the New Orleans before he found himself wanting to never leave again.

***

After a late lunch, Dallas was at the kitchen table enjoying a cup of one of Carl’s specially imported coffee blends when his cell phone rang.

“Any word?” he said into his phone.

“They just came out with the verdict five minutes ago,” Lance answered over the phone speaker. “Guilty. The judge remanded Robertson into custody right away. It seems the feds think he’s a flight risk.”

Dallas took in an uneasy breath. “Now what?”

“I guess you can take Gwen back to her farm in the morning. The feds are pulling out as we speak.”

“Their job is done. They don’t see any reason to stick around. Who is going to keep an eye on Ed and Gwen now? ”

“Our mutual friend has already made arrangements for them to be looked after until the sentencing. He’s putting men around Ed’s house and will send two men to cover her place until Robertson is out of the picture.”

“And what if Robertson orders someone to make a move on Gwen and her father from prison?”

“Don’t worry, they’ll be protected. You
r
job is done, or at least our friend said he hopes it’s done. Did you get what he wanted?”

“Yeah, I got it,” Dallas replied, looking down into his black coffee.

“Then I’m sure he will be real appreciative,” Lance stated. “Any idea when you’ll be heading back to New York?”

“I’ll make reservations as soon as I get back to Gwen’s. I‘ll let you know when I’ll be flying out.”

“I’ll be waiting for your call. Have a good night, Dallas.” Lance paused and Dallas could almost hear him grinning on the other end of the line. “Enjoy yourself,” Lance added and then hung up the phone.

Dallas looked down at his cell phone, shaking his head. He felt as if he were leaving in the middle of a job, not at the end of it. But his job was to get the information Carl wanted from Gwen. All that was left was to take the safety deposit key from her purse and hand it to Carl. Then he could walk away and forget about Gwen and New Orleans. But the steady burn he felt in his belly told him that was not quite true. On some level the woman had gotten to him. Maybe it was her looks or her personality, but there was something about Gwen Marsh that was very alluring.

“Maybe she just doesn’t put up with your bullshit, August,” he said out loud as he tossed his cell phone on to the table.

He was about to go in search of her when Gwen walked into the kitchen. She was still wearing his button down shirt from earlier that morning.

“I thought I heard a phone ringing,” she remarked.

“Lance called,” he informed her as he stood from the table. “Verdict came in a few minutes ago. They found Robertson guilty. The judge remanded him into custody right after the trial,” he added as he picked up his coffee mug.

“So I can go home?”

Dallas nodded. “We can go first thing in the morning.”

“Why not now?”

Dallas shook his head. “Can I at least finish my coffee?”

Gwen smiled. “I want to get back and check on Rotolo.”

Dallas walked over to the sink. “Go and pack.”

Gwen quickly turned and headed for the doorway. “And when we get back, you can cook a celebratory meal. In the morning, I’ll teach you how to ride.” She turned back to him. “I figured you don’t know how since you never asked to get on one of my horses. We can spend the next few days—”

“Gwen,” Dallas cut in as he stood by the sink. “I’m not going to be able to stay. My job is done. The trial is over and it’s time for me to get back to New York. I’m going to try and get a flight out tomorrow.”

“Oh.” The smile fell from her face. “Of course. I understand. You’ve got to get back.” She turned to go, but Dallas caught up to her as she stepped into the hallway.