Thieves Like Us Read online

  “Westfield residence.”

  “Hey, Mr. Peters, it’s Rocky. Did Mrs. Westfield have you arrange for security patrols around the property?”

  “Yes, sir. Chief Thatcher did.”

  “Well, I’m about to cut through the hedges on the west side, and I’d appreciate it if they didn’t shoot me.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll let them know. Do you need assistance?”

  “No, thanks. Just tell them the Hispanic man in the blue-and-green Hawaiian shirt isn’t a prowler.”

  He pocketed the phone as he neared the dense hedge of rhododendrons and lilacs that screened the property from the street. From behind the house female voices floated on the humid breeze, punctuated by laughter and squeals. And splashing. Janet and Libby were obviously in the pool.

  A peek over the low fieldstone wall confirmed his suspicions—the Mercedes was parked a few dozen feet into the neighbor’s long driveway, out of sight of the house and inconspicuous from the street. From there they could wait for him to drive by without fear of arousing anyone’s suspicion. If the homeowner showed up, they’d just claim to have the wrong address, apologize, and drive on.

  He needed a stone. Searching beneath the lilacs, he cursed Elizabeth’s dedicated lawn service for removing all the rocks from the area. After a couple of fruitless minutes, he gave up on the immaculate ground and used the nail to pry and wiggle a stone loose from the mortar of the old wall. Perfect.

  The Mercedes had backed in, waiting for him to pass by on the street. He probably didn’t even need the dense cover of spruce, maples, and oaks in the neighbor’s yard that sheltered his approach from behind; the occupants were looking straight ahead. Both men jumped when Rocky tapped on the driver’s door beneath the open window.

  He leaned down to take a close look at the two startled faces. Black hair, white skin—he was betting on Spanish extraction, similar to his own. Colombians. Shit.

  “Morning, gentlemen. Sorry to bother you, but I thought you might not be aware you have a flat tire.”

  Both men had stiffened, then looked confused when the information registered. “Flat tire?” the driver said.

  Decent English, but a slight accent. He tried not to jump to conclusions, even though he already had. “Yeah, back here.” As the driver stepped out of the car to examine the tire, Rocky pulled the nail from his pocket, held it against the tire, and rapped it with the stone. It drove in nearly to the head.

  “See, that’s not gonna last long. Especially if I do this.” Wrapping his fingers under the head, he pulled the nail out. A sharp hiss of air followed.

  The man released a string of angry Spanish and lunged toward Rocky. He blocked the outstretched arm and whirled with one strategically placed kick, slamming the man just below the rib cage. He fell to the ground, clutching his midsection and gasping.

  “Be glad I’m a nice guy and hit your diaphragm instead of your cojones,” Rocky muttered.

  The passenger had watched through the window, hesitating for the two seconds it took to dispatch the driver. Finally realizing what was happening, he jerked the door open. Through the tinted back window, Rocky saw him open the glove compartment. In another two seconds, he’d be facing a gun.

  Dashing around the back of the car would take too long; he’d round the trunk just in time to meet a bullet head-on. Better to use the shortest distance between two points: a straight line over the roof. Using both hands, he vaulted himself onto the trunk. The second man opened the passenger door and stood, turning toward the rear of the car looking for Rocky. But the man never completed his turn. Rocky slammed into the back of his head, carrying them both into the open car door. The man’s skull broke the impact.

  Staggering and groaning, they both fell to the ground. Rocky rolled free, jumping to his feet. The other man didn’t. In fact, it looked like he wouldn’t be getting up for a while. Blood ran freely from his suddenly crooked nose, and a long “Ahhhh” died into a hoarse sob.

  The gun lay several feet from the man’s outstretched hands. Rocky picked it up, checked the safety, and tucked it into the back of his waistband.

  “Hijo de puta!” The low, gravely words in Spanish made him look back. They matched the deadly look in the man’s eyes. Or one eye rather, since one side of the man’s face still lay against the cement.

  “Yeah, yeah, tell it to the cops.” Not that any one of them was going to report this little scuffle.

  “Mataré tú,” the man snarled, his words a little more distinct this time.

  The words weren’t even necessary; the hate in his narrowed eyes made the death threat perfectly clear. Rocky made sure to step on the man’s outstretched fingers as he walked away.

  Cutting through the overgrown and upward-sloping backyard, Rocky listened eagerly for shouts and laughter from the pool. The yard was quiet save for the rushing sound of the fountain in the koi pond.

  Mr. Peters met him at the front door. “Problem taken care of, sir?”

  “Yes, thanks. Where can I find the ladies?”

  “They’re waiting for you in the solarium.”

  A loud meow came from the floor near his feet and he looked down to see Fluff arching her back and rubbing on his leg. “Hey, there’s my girl. How ya doin’, Fluff? You miss me?” He bent down to offer the expected scratches and pets.

  “She’s adjusting quite well,” Mr. Peters said, answering for the cat.

  Fluff’s purr turned into a hiss and Rocky followed her evil glare to where Jingles stalked behind a large potted fig tree.

  Never one to back down, Fluff slunk forward, ears pinned and tail twitching. Before Rocky could scold her, Mr. Peters reached into his pocket, drew a small gun, and took aim at Fluff.

  Rocky gave the gun a startled second glance but didn’t have time to speak.

  A thin stream of water shot out, hitting Fluff on her furry butt. With a yelp, she ran for the stairs. Jingles split just as quickly toward the kitchen.

  Mr. Peters pocketed the squirt gun. “Except for a few territorial disputes,” he amended.

  Rocky lifted an eyebrow. “Nice shot,” he muttered. “They teach that in butler school?”

  “No, sir. I queried a private loop for butlers on the Internet and received several tips about dealing with multiple cats in the household.”

  He studied Mr. Peters’s implacable expression. “You’re kidding.”

  The proper look never altered, but Rocky thought he noted amusement in the way Peters cocked his head. “No, sir.”

  “Huh.” Rocky supposed that level of resourcefulness was expected, but the man never ceased to amaze him.

  With cat control covered, his thoughts returned to Janet. “Solarium,” he repeated aloud, before he set off through the house.

  Libby was nowhere to be found; she’d probably gone up to her bedroom. Janet greeted him as he approached the kitchen, hair toweled half dry and swimsuit concealed by a beach wrap covering her in a loose white material from neck to knees.

  “You got out of the pool.”

  Janet looked confused at his comment. “Of course. Mr. Peters told us you called and said there might be a security problem. We thought it would be safer to wait inside.”

  Rocky started as Elizabeth got up from a chair. He hadn’t even noticed her. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing, now. Here,” he said pulling the gun and holding it out to Elizabeth. “You can give this to Ben.”

  She stared it as if it were a snake. “Where did you get that?”

  “Off one of the men in the car that was following me. I’m sure they have others, but maybe Ben can trace this one.” Rocky held it out until she took it, two fingers gingerly gripping the barrel.

  “Won’t there be prints?”

  “Hopefully.” He doubted it mattered, though, and he cared even less. He had a good idea what the men wanted, and that was enough for him. No matter what he or Ben did to protect Janet, the thieves wouldn’t give up until they got what they were looking for.

 
Janet scrunched her eyebrows and shot Rocky a suspicious look. “What happened?”

  “I had a little confrontation with my lemmings. Probably the same ones who chased you and trashed your place. They weren’t very friendly, and I think they’re even less inclined to be after our talk.”

  “They were here?” Elizabeth looked outside, scanning the yard as if men might be hiding in the shrubbery. “On this property?”

  “At the neighbor’s. You should have Ben send a patrol car around, make sure they’ve left the area. Tell him it’s two men in a silver E-Class Mercedes. And they might be changing a flat tire.”

  Elizabeth’s mouth had tightened into a thin line and Rocky had a feeling he’d crossed into hostile territory. “Or I could call Ben,” he suggested.

  For a few seconds he felt anger radiating from her hot gaze. Then her features set with determination. “I’ll have Peters relay the message.” With a dignified turn, she left.

  Rocky looked at Janet. “What’d the poor sucker do to her?”

  “He wants her to sell the house.” At his confused look, she dismissed the topic with a wave of her hand. “Later. Forget Ben for now. I’m more worried about you. Did they hurt you?”

  He smiled, relieved to have the conversation back where he wanted it. “No. But just to be sure, you can kiss me and make it better.”

  “Good idea.” She stepped forward without hesitation, her arms circling his neck in a move that felt so natural he couldn’t believe he could still count the number of times he’d kissed her. He needed to work harder at losing track, starting now. He pulled her hips against his while she kissed him, feeling her damp bikini bottom through her cover-up. When her lips finally parted from his, he murmured, “What color is your bathing suit?”

  She gave him a sly look. “Subtle, Hernandez. I’ll show you if you tell me what happened.”

  “I already did. I confronted them, warned them off. Your turn.”

  “Not yet. You took their gun. Does that mean you went all macho on them?”

  He squinted one eye, trying to calculate her reaction. She was tough, but he knew women often favored talking over using force. “Something like that.”

  He was afraid she was going to lecture him about not using violence to solve problems, but she just nodded.

  He didn’t want to scare her, but she had to know what was going on. It looked like kissing time was over. He led her to a wicker love seat and pulled her down beside him on the vine-patterned cushion. “Janet, these guys are not professional thieves, at least not in the way you think of it. They’re Colombians.”

  “You mean Banner’s Colombians?” He saw understanding flare in the depths of her eyes. “They’re after the diamonds, aren’t they? Not the ones Banner bought with the Pellinni Jewels, but one of those other deals Sleazy told us about. Payment for the drugs they smuggled. Except maybe he didn’t pay off the last shipment before he was arrested.”

  “That’s what I think, too. The Pellinni Jewels were probably part of his money laundering as well. When word of the necklace got out, I think these guys figured that you had their diamonds, too.”

  She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Yeah, like I might have found a bag of diamonds laying around and kept them. There were federal agents crawling all over my house and the Westfield-Benton offices. They didn’t leave a paperclip if they thought it might somehow be connected to the case. I think they would have found diamonds if there were any.”

  Rocky shrugged. “Even inside golf balls?”

  She paused to think about it. “I’m pretty sure there weren’t any others besides the empty ones I found. I watched the FBI go through the house. If there was a gold golf ball ready to be delivered to his Colombian contacts, I never saw it.” One eyebrow rose. “But you can be sure I’ll ask him about it this afternoon.”

  “What?”

  Her sly look was definitely a smirk. “I just got a confirmation from his lawyer; I’m on the visitor’s list.”

  He hadn’t expected her to act that fast. “Janet, I don’t want you seeing him alone. Hell, I don’t want you to see him at all.”

  “I know.” How could she be so calm when he felt like he was going to explode? “I appreciate your concern, but we have no choice. Banner is the only one who might have the answers we need, and only one person can see him at a time. I’m going.”

  She was right, though it still didn’t make him feel any better. What did help was the fact that he was familiar with the visitation process at the Oakland County Jail: Banner wouldn’t be able to touch her, and she wouldn’t be alone with him.

  He had to admire her determination and guts. The man was evil personified and had gone to great lengths to arrange her death; it couldn’t be easy to look him in the eye and ask for information.

  I’ll go with you. I don’t like the idea of you driving there alone, especially after I just pissed off your Colombian tail.”

  “Thanks, but Ben already arranged for a security guy to go with me.”

  He bit back any further objections. “Call me when you get back.”

  She smiled. “I will. Thanks for being so understanding.”

  “I’m faking it.”

  Her smile widened. “I know.”

  It was impossible to stay upset when she looked at him with that mixture of amusement and affection.

  “So what happened when you talked to the Colombians?”

  He shrugged. “We didn’t have much to say to each other, outside of what sounded like some nasty threats.”

  “What do you mean? What did they say?”

  “Just what you’d expect, something about killing me.”

  “What! What about killing you?”

  Rocky smiled. He liked that she was concerned for his safety.

  “I don’t know exactly. It was in Spanish, but I got the point.”

  She blinked and gave him an odd look. “Are you telling me you don’t speak Spanish? You, Roberto Hernandez?”

  “Hey, I’m like, fifth-generation American. I know how to order burritos at the drive-through. I think my grandmother speaks a little Spanish.”

  She stared, then laughed. “Sorry, I know it’s a stereotype. You’re right, I have a lot to learn about you.” The smile lingered, then faded a bit while she bit her lip, thinking. Her blue eyes took his measure. “And I think I’d like to.”

  The soft, innocuous words drove into his heart like an arrow.

  Her carefully erected defenses had dropped, allowing him in. It meant more than her willingness to jump into bed with him—far, far more—and he had to be careful not to scare her back behind her barricades.

  “Whatever you want to know.” He hadn’t meant for it to come out so low and rough, but his voice was suddenly gone. Great, he beats up the bad guys and a wisp of a girl knocks him speechless.

  He felt an urge to touch her, to remind himself of their connection. But she was still learning to open up, so he had to be careful. Lifting his hand slowly, he touched the tendrils behind her ear. He fingered the short strands, winding them absently around his finger and delighting when it made her eyes go hazy and her lips open slightly. It was good to know he could have that effect on her, especially since she seemed to have a greater effect on his emotional balance than he’d expected.

  “That’s not a commitment or anything.” Her voice didn’t seem that strong, either, despite her defiant words.

  “I know. You want to get to know me better, that’s all.”

  “Right. I mean, if we’re still going to keep sleeping together.”

  “Damn right we are.” He was practically growling now. He cleared his throat. “As soon as we give the cops time to either pick up those two SOBs or scare them off. We don’t need them tailing us and parking outside while we—” his voice stopped as another thought clicked into place. They’d been tailing him because they were watching Janet, to either threaten her or see where she went. To see if she might lead them to the diamonds.

  He stood abruptly.
“Shit, shit, shit!”

  She stopped in the middle of licking her tongue across her full lower lip, and rose beside him. He must have looked alarmed, because she’d picked up his expression. “What?”

  “Sleazy. They were probably following us when we went there. We led them right to the pawnbroker who sold Banner the jewelry and the diamonds. Shit!”

  Her eyes widened as she realized the ramifications faster than he could explain them. “They’ll hurt him, won’t they? They want information. He’s dumb enough to refuse to give it.”

  “Exactly.” He held her shoulders, kissing her more briefly than he wanted to. “I have to go.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “Not this time.” He held up his hand as her brows drew together. “No. He’s either okay and I’ll warn him, or they’ve already gotten to him. Either way, you don’t need to be there. And I need to know that you’re safe.” He paused. “Besides, you have an appointment to see Banner.” For once he was grateful to have Banner come between them.

  After several seconds of clenched teeth and pressed lips, she conceded. “All right. But you call me. I mean immediately. I know how long it takes to get there, and I’m going to worry about you for every second you make me wait after that.” Moisture gathered in her eyes and she slapped his chest. “Damn it. Look what you’re doing to me. I hate you.”

  Warmth surged in his chest. He grabbed her, cupped her face in both hands, and kissed her hard, giving them both a few furious seconds’ taste of desire. He stepped back, then stopped at a sudden memory. “Show me,” he ordered, motioning at the wrap that covered her swim suit.

  A tiny smile curved her lips as she opened three buttons and shrugged the thing off her shoulders. It fell at her feet. Rocky drank in the black bikini with gold swirls that followed the swell of each breast and dipped low between them. His eyes moved down her flat stomach to the gold-and-black triangle that smoothed across her lower abdomen and stretched into little more than strings across her hips. Following the long, tan line of her legs, his eyes caught the shine of gold around her ankle.

  He skimmed his gaze back up, slowly, grinning. “Thank you, God,” he murmured, and ran out the door.