“You take the time to have dinner with Susanna and Rip.”
“That’s a different relationship from the one you’re talking about, and you know it. If I had canceled at the last minute because I had to meet someone—and I would have, if anything had come up—they wouldn’t have been upset. There’s friendship, but our lives only intersect every now and then; they aren’t all wound together.”
“So you’re saying we can’t even be friends.”
She snorted. “As if I believe that’s what you want.”
Despite his annoyance, he grinned. “Damn, you’re tough. But I like a challenge.”
“I’m not challenging you. This isn’t a dance for position. I resent that you’re putting me in exactly the spot I wanted to avoid, which is making you angry by not doing what you want. If I don’t go out with you, you won’t like it; but if I go out with you but don’t put you first, you won’t like that either. It’s a lose-lose situation.”
His jaw set. “What if I promise to help you look for your son? What if I go along with you when you’re chasing down whatever rumor you hear? If you’re dealing with coyotes and other slimy bastards like that, you need protection anyway.”
“I never go alone to any meeting.” She stared through the windshield. Less than two weeks ago she would have jumped at any chance to have his aid, but that was before she met Diaz. Despite his money and connections, she simply didn’t think True would be as effective as Diaz in finding Pavón. Maybe she was wrong. She might be making the mistake of a lifetime, but she had made her choice and she would stick with it, no matter how inherently dangerous that choice was.
He swore under his breath, then said, “If you take someone with you anyway, then why shouldn’t that someone be me?”
“Because you have strings attached. Tell me the truth: Will you stop sponsoring Finders if I don’t go out with you now?”
He drew back as if she’d slapped him. “Hell, no!”
“Then my final answer is no.”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel, but he didn’t say another word until he turned on her street and said, “Which house is yours?”
She directed him to her condo, which was the last unit on the left, and he pulled into the short driveway, the headlight beams flashing over her front door. Her neighbor’s garage butted up against hers and their driveways were separated only by the line where the sections of concrete were poured. Because she was the last unit, the right side of her condo was graced with trees and shrubbery that somewhat softened the blocky lines of the residences. Her small backyard had privacy fencing around it, to separate it from her neighbor’s. Her front door was recessed in a small alcove, and she had put planters of bright flowers on each side. The yellow porch light made the flowers look more orange than red. Her house was neat and well maintained, but she knew True was comparing it with his own house and probably wondering what she used for brains.
“Thank you for bringing me home,” she said as she unfastened her seat belt and opened the door.
He shoved the gear lever into park and got out of the big SUV, but he wasn’t fast enough to make it around before she got out. His hand closed around her elbow as he walked with her to the front door.
“All right,” he said abruptly. “I’ll back off. But if you need anything, call me. Day or night. I mean it. No strings attached.”
The offer touched her, and she smiled up at him. “Thank you.”
He stared down at her; then he swore softly again and before she could step back she was in his arms. Even with her three-inch heels he was about six inches taller than she was, and when he bent over her, she felt overwhelmed. His hand flattened against her back and his mouth covered hers.
She put her hands against his shoulders and pushed, trying to lever herself away from him. Under other circumstances, she might have liked his kiss, might have returned it. He knew how to kiss; his mouth was warm, his breath was pleasant, his tongue intimately teased but didn’t intrude. Where her hips were molded to his, she felt his erection grow.
She pulled her mouth away and shoved even harder; he dropped his arms and stepped back.
“I thought you said you’d back off,” she said, angry that he evidently wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“I am backing off.” His expression was hard, his eyes narrow. “But I wanted a taste of you, and I wanted you to taste me. If you change your mind, all you have to do is tell me.”
That male arrogance wasn’t completely unattractive, but his intensity made her wary and she wasn’t at all tempted to linger. She took out her keys and unlocked the door. “Good night,” she said as she stepped inside, and she closed the door and locked it in practically one motion.
She was so unsettled that it took her a moment to realize the lamp wasn’t on. She froze, and as the darkness pressed down on her she realized that she wasn’t alone.
13
Instead of going home, Rip had the cabdriver take him to the hospital. He used his parking card to gain entrance to the physician’s parking lot, and he told the driver to wait. As he got out of the cab, he checked the vehicles in the lot, and wasn’t surprised to see that his own car wasn’t there. He was disappointed, but not surprised. Still, he clipped on his identity badge and went inside to the emergency department.
“Has Felicia D’Angelo checked in?” he asked the admissions clerk, who checked the computer.
“No, sir, we have a Ramon D’Angelo, but not a Felicia.”