Silencer. Cosmo ducked and hit the gas. The back window exploded in a rain of glass as he popped the clutch and peeled around the corner out of the line of fire.
He slowed down as he left the parking deck, waiting to be sure Turner would follow him. By the time he saw headlights in his rearview mirror, he’d already mapped out his route.
And Bernie was right-in this car, Turner was never gonna catch him.
Iris woke to find sunlight infiltrating the plantation blinds to leave narrow slats of brightness striping the carpet. Pushing the hair from her eyes, she tried to roll over but hit a solid wall of muscle. She held her breath as memories of their night assaulted her.
Realizing her companion still snored softly, she dared to glance his way.
Mickey sprawled across her pink sheets with the sinewy allure of a sated jungle cat. With one arm flung above his head, the planes of his face now relaxed in slumber, he had the guileless quality of a small boy. This was his triumph, the ability to be strong yet ingenuous, to pull in someone’s emotions and gain confidence. He was a criminal who made you want to believe the best in him.
She must have been insane to make love with him.
A smile cracked her lips. Maybe, but insanity never felt that good.
She sobered. What she’d done was impulsive, selfish, potentially dangerous. God, she’d started telling lies, and now she’d cheated on her fiancé. Her warm glow cooled as she confronted the cold hard facts. She couldn’t trade away her future for a one-night stand-no matter how good it felt. With a final glance at Mickey’s profile, she slipped from the bed and stole to the bathroom for a bracing shower to wake herself.
Thirty minutes later, sensibly dressed in a yoga ensemble of light blue, Iris closed the bedroom door so the coffeemaker’s spitting wouldn’t disturb him. Jealously, she guarded his sleep, allowing him to prepare himself for whatever today held in store. She wasn’t sure what to say to him when he awoke. Of one thing she was certain-whatever the conversation, it was bound to end with Mickey saying goodbye as he walked out. Just like Cosmo always had.
And her standing here, wondering if and when she’d ever see him again. She’d always believed she deserved better than that.
A gentle knock upon her door surprised her, and she padded over to peer through the peephole.
David. All spit-shined for a Monday morning at the office. One look was enough to reel her back with guilt.
Iris drew a breath. She swore to pocket last night as a keepsake and live with the consequences. A single night of passion was one thing, but she needed stability in her future. Hoping to hell she could count on Mickey to lie low, she unbolted the door. “David, what are you-”
He hurried through the doorway, his briefcase clutched in his hands. “Thank heavens you’re safe. I couldn’t reach you at all yesterday, and then last night your phone didn’t seem to ring at all, it just sent me directly to your voice mail.” As an afterthought, he stopped to peck her on the cheek.
“I’m fine, really.”
“Yeah? Why is there a policeman at your door?”
“What?” Iris blinked at him. In the hopes of proving him wrong, she went back to the door and reopened it. Standing a few feet from the threshold was the officer she’d met the night before. “Are you still here?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Why?”
“Detective Hunter’s orders.”
“Ah, right.” She started to close the door, then peeked back out. “Do you want some coffee or anything-” she squinted to read the name on his uniform, “-Officer Foote?”
“No, ma’am. Not while I’m on duty. But thank you.” More than a uniform, he was young and earnest.
“How long do you intend to stand there?”
“Detective Hunter said he’d be here by eight.”
Apparently she’d get a chance to ask Hunter all her burning questions in thirty minutes. She’d have to warn Mickey before Hunter arrived.
But first she had to deal with David. “Thank you,” she said to the officer before closing the door. Pushing a stray curl from her vision, she turned to David. “Apparently I’m being watched. When Hunter gets here, I’ll ask him why.”
“I’ll tell you why-they’re waiting for your father to turn up. If he contacts you, Iris, you need to turn him in.”
It occurred to her that in David’s mind, it was that simple. The police wanted her father, so she should turn him over. No questions asked. Taking a good hard look at David, she wondered if he ever questioned anything after he’d made up his mind.
Then she wondered why she was questioning it.
Her best rejoinder was a noncommittal grunt. “Would you like some coffee?” Not waiting for a response, she padded past him to the kitchen.
David followed, laying his briefcase on the counter while she poured his coffee into a mug.
She handed it to him without making eye contact. Would he know by looking at her that she’d-? Thank heavens she’d showered.
David was droning on about his golf game. “You should have been there to watch us. Hank got Cubbins to fill in as our fourth, and his handicap is a fifteen. He was all over the place. I haven’t laughed so hard in ages.”
She smiled in his general direction, but he picked up on her preoccupation.
“Are you sure everything is all right?” he asked in a quieter voice.
“Just tired, is all.”
He sipped his coffee, watching her. “Long day at the store yesterday?”
“No, as a matter of fact, I-”
“Good God, what’s that?” David set his coffee down so sharply it splattered over his cuff.
Iris looked wildly around for men with guns but then realized he was pointing at Edgar. The rabbit, all white and fluffy, hopped across her living room. He’d managed to lose his collar some time during the night.
“It’s a rabbit,” he said.
“That’s Edgar. He’s Cosmo’s rabbit from the magic act.”
“Oh, Iris. No.”
David was shaking his head at her as if she were a troublesome child who’d crayoned on the walls. She’d seen that expression before, though never directed at her. Right now, it was irritating as hell.
“Is that why the police officer is here?”
“What?” Now she was totally confused.
“Your father’s here, isn’t he? You promised me you wouldn’t get involved in his escapades. You know how detrimental any legal problems will be to my career, my future as a politician. How could you do to this to me?”
“To you? To you?” Iris had always been so careful to curb her temper around David, but this was too much. “Do you want to know what I did yesterday? I was abducted from my store. I was taken at gunpoint by two men and hidden in an apartment and tied to a chair. I was threatened with bodily harm if I didn’t hand over some mythical jewels. I escaped by sheer determination and with the help of a jewel thief who barely managed to get us out of the building before hired killers came for us.”
Dumbstruck, David stared at her uncharacteristic eruption. Finally, he said, “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about my day yesterday, David. But you’re not interested in me, are you? You’re too worried I might be hiding Cosmo somewhere in this apartment and that it will harm your career.” She drew a breath and recklessly jumped off a cliff. “Well, you can relax. I’m not hiding Cosmo. I’m hiding someone else entirely.”
David eyed her warily. “I think maybe you’ve had enough caffeine this morning.”
“Enough that I’m finally waking up.” She planted her hands on her hips. “Remember my cousin Mickey? Well, what if I told you he’s not my cousin. He’s my lover. And he spent last night here, with me. In bed. What do you say to that?”
“I’d say you’re being ridiculous.” He straightened his tie, letting her know he found her whole tirade distasteful.