Deadly Interpretations Read online

  “No, Harley. I’m with you, remember?”

  “Fine.” I reached down and handed him a second helmet I kept in the drawer in case I needed it. “Put it on and I’ll see if you’re worthy enough to ride on the back.”

  “I don’t do motorcycles.”

  I never knew a man who didn’t like motorcycles. What was wrong with this guy?

  “Then you’re out of luck,” I said. “Call a cab and I’ll see you later some time.” I headed out of the room, but his hand on my elbow stopped me. He didn’t look very friendly, either.

  “No, you’ll come with me,” he growled. “You’re my job. Someone was kidnapped from this place last week and I’m not taking any chances. If you remember, you’re my job.”

  “Who was kidnapped?”

  “Someone high up. He was a part-time guard and no one really knew him. But he had clout, and if he was kidnapped, anyone can be. No, you come with me.”

  I lifted my chin in defiance. No one was going to mess with Harley Black and win. I already knew I could take this guy on, and so did he. “We’re taking my bike. I’m not leaving it here all night.”

  He studied my eyes and stroked the hair back from my face. “Do you drive safely?”

  I backed away. I hated being touched. “Yep. Never got a ticket.” I never looked away from him, making sure he knew I meant business. In his world, men thought they ruled, but in my world, I ruled, and he’d better realize that.

  “Fine. You can drive then.” He leaned down and kissed me. His skin was hot, and I could feel his minty breath brush over my cheek. “Don’t ever forget you’re dating me, got it?”

  I hated this. “What happens if I do or Billy comes back?”

  He pulled me in for a hug and massaged my back. “You’ll see the inside of a jail cell,” he whispered. “We don’t know for sure if your loyalty is to the U.S. or not, and if you disobey me, you’ll be considered a risk to national security.”

  “Nice threat,” I whispered. “Are you going to hold that over my head for everything?”

  He leaned back with a grin. “I can try.” He took the helmet in his hand. “I’m driving.” He tried walking away with his hand still holding onto my arm, but I stayed put, making him almost fall backward.

  “Not on my bike, you’re not,” I said.

  He moved very close to my ear. “Listen to me or it’s jail for you,” he whispered.

  “Stick me in jail, then. I have rights and no one drives my bike but me.”

  We were at an impasse. He stared me down, but there was no way he could win.

  “Fine,” he finally said. “But you go the speed limit.”

  There was no way I’d do that, because he’d just challenged me. I left a grin cover my face, knowing his weakness.

  As we walked out of the room, he grabbed my hand, leaning up to my ear. “We’re dating, remember?”

  “How could I forget something so wonderful?” I knew my tone was sarcastic, but he deserved it. I even shot him a smile while thinking of ways to kill the guy. I should be so lucky.

  We passed some of the members of the United Nations when Felix Ernst, the German Ambassador, put his arm over my right shoulder. Jim was on my left.

  “Harley, what happened upstairs after lunch?” Felix’s accent was strong, but he was very good at speaking English. Considering German wasn’t one of the languages we interpreted, he had no choice but to use one of the other languages or bring his own interpreter.

  Jim leaned forward to see Felix. “Lover’s quarrel. We worked it out.” He glanced at my face with a snide grin. He’d pay, somehow.

  Felix lifted one eyebrow. “Is this a new boyfriend?”

  “Uh, sort of.” I glanced toward Jim. “I’m breaking him in.”

  Felix laughed, but Jim squeezed my hand. As I darted my eyes toward Jim, he clenched his jaw. I let go of his hand, but he grabbed it again, holding on tightly.

  “Well, then I guess fixing you up with my son is out of the question, since you’re taken,” Felix said to me.

  “For now.” Jim squeezed my hand again. “And probably for a long time.” He stopped squeezing my hand, to my relief. I pulled it from his grasp and massaged it but didn’t say a word. Rotten man.

  Felix chuckled. “Can you both come over for dinner? My wife’s making German sausage and potatoes. That’s my favorite.”

  “Not tonight,” I said. “I hope it’s good though.”

  Felix leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Have a great evening.”

  He left my side and Jim wrapped his arm around my shoulders, leaning close to my ear. “Never again. I’m not going to be whipped by a woman. Got it?”

  “Such a romantic.”

  He moved to stand in front of me, very close to my face, even though he was a few inches taller. “I’m serious. I’m in charge in this relationship and you’re not ‘training me.’” He put his hands on both of my shoulders.

  “Sure.” I smiled to myself. He was like putty in my hands.

  “Good. Now that we have that understood, I’m driving. My masculinity depends on it.” He held out his hand. “The keys?”

  “Nope. My bike and you’ll have to arrest me before you drive it.”

  He shook his head, sighed, and looked at his watch. “Just for tonight. We’ll have my car as soon as we get to your apartment.”

  He took a step toward the door, but I stopped him from walking away. “You know where I live?”

  He leaned toward my ear. “I know everything about you. Your younger brother is Scotty and you have another brother Harold in upstate New York. Your parents died two years ago, when you came back from working at the United Nations offices in Geneva, dating some guy named Claus. He dumped you when you told him you had to take care of Scotty, because Harold wasn’t dependable. I just didn’t know what you looked like, in person. Your driver’s license didn’t do you justice.”

  I was stunned. “How do you know this?”

  “I know everything, remember? Now can we get out of here before everyone wonders why we aren’t leaving?”

  I couldn’t wait to grill this guy. Tying him to my bed and beating him until he talked came to mind, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t stand—or lie—for that. However, I had to keep reminding myself that I could beat him up. Since I had the upper hand in combat, he’d better take me seriously.

  I took him to my motorcycle in the parking garage. After storing my purse in a saddlebag, I pulled all my long hair to the back and yanked on my helmet.

  He stared at me and touched my hair. “You’re beautiful. Do you know that?”

  “Yep.”

  I think I caught him off guard, because he laughed and crossed his arms. “Egotistical, too.”

  “Yep.” I yanked the visor down on the helmet and got onto the bike. He pulled on his helmet and sat behind me, his hands going around my waist.

  “I like this,” he said into my ear.

  I just grinned. He’d have an entirely different idea about this closeness after we made it home.

  Just as I started the bike, a black car spun around the corner, screeching its tires. Both Jim and I turned to watch the car heading straight for us. I moved the bike up as far as I could, and just as the car sped past, the door opened and a body was hurled out of the car. I looked down, horror filling my thoughts as soon as I saw the guy’s face.

  It was Ali.

  Chapter 2

  I hopped off the bike and stared at the bloody body. Jim pulled out his cell phone, bent over Ali, and checked for a pulse. When he shook his head, I knew for sure that Ali was dead.

  Jim returned to the phone. “Yeah. The parking garage. There’s a dead body and the car had diplomatic plates. It looks like he’s been stabbed or shot in the chest.” He motioned for me to get back on the bike, still speaking on the phone. “We’ll try to catch them, but I’m not guaranteeing anything.”

  “We’re going to catch that car?” I asked, pointing outside.

  He nodded, said goodby
e on the phone, and we both climbed back onto the bike. I drove us toward the booth where I flashed my badge. As soon as the security guard smiled and nodded, I took off.

  While passing an ambulance driving toward the garage, I stuck my badge in my pocket. I had to hurry, so I revved my motor, leaned lower, and headed down the street. As we weaved in and out of traffic, I felt Jim’s hands holding on for dear life. I hadn’t even gone over the speed limit—much—but was looking for the car that had dumped Ali’s body.

  “Over there.” Jim pointed. I don’t know how he saw the car, considering his head was buried in my back while he shook in terror.

  I took three lanes at a time, making my way toward the vehicle. Other cars honked at me and people yelled choice curse words, but I worked my way back until I was finally behind it.

  As I memorized the diplomatic license plate number of the black car, Jim leaned up to my ear, shouting so I could hear him. “Get them to pull over.”

  “On a motorcycle?”

  “Yeah. Get in front of them and make them pull over.”

  I wove over a few lanes, barely missing the bumpers of other cars, then returned to a position in front of the diplomat’s car. At least I thought I was in front of the car. I glanced into my mirror but didn’t see it anywhere. “Where did they go?”

  “I have no idea. Did you get the plate?”

  “Yeah.” I recited the plate letters and numbers. “It had a ‘D’ on a right strip under the United Nations indication.”

  “Good memory,” he yelled. “I’ll try to remember that, too. Go home and we’ll call it in.”

  I drove home as fast as possible and finally pulled into the garage, parking in my spot. After turning off the motorcycle, I removed my helmet, and tried to stand up. But I couldn’t move, because I seemed to be held in my seat.

  I turned my head so I could talk to Jim. “We’re here.”

  “Uh-huh.” Jim grunted.

  “You can let go now.”

  “Hunh-uh.”

  “Why not?”

  “You’re a maniac. I can’t feel my hands. They’re numb.”

  I peeled his hands from my stomach. “You’re not a risk-taker, are you?”

  “Not like you. I like my life.”

  I hopped off the bike. “What does that mean?”

  “I’m not arguing with you tonight. You didn’t have a good day, and I’m not going to get slapped or beaten up again.” He pulled out his cell phone as he got off the bike. “I have the number for the car. It was…” He looked over at me. I guess he didn’t have a photographic memory like I did.

  I threw my hand on my hip and recited the plate number, again. “It also had a ‘D’ on the right strip under the words for the United Nations.”

  He repeated it over the phone as I shot him a dirty look. I did have a rotten day and he was making it even worse. I needed a cigarette and a glass of wine, but I vowed not to smoke after seeing Billy at lunch. I had to change my life and make it better. Stopping smoking would be step number one—right after I had a cigarette.

  “I got it.” Jim listened for a while. “Yes, I agree. Thanks.” He ended the call and looked toward me. “Ali was shot and there was a note in his pocket. It was translated to mean ‘world peace,’ written in Chinese. That plate was a U.N. diplomatic plate for the Chinese delegation.”

  “Chinese? That would be Mr. Wing. He and I are enemies, pretty much, but since I have to deal with him sometimes at the job, he’s nice to my face.” I raised one eyebrow. “Do you want me to take him out for you? If I can beat you up, I could certainly take on Mr. Wing, since he’s a few years older than you.”

  With a grin, Jim touched my hair again, twirling it around his finger. “Are you any nicer when you have a normal day?”

  What a scummy man. I didn’t need this from him, or any man. I yanked his hand from my hair, turned on my heel, and headed for the door out of the garage to get to my apartment.

  I hadn’t taken more than two steps when he grabbed my arm and spun me toward him. “No, I want to talk about this. What happened before I got to the U.N.?”

  I stared at him, because I had no other choice. He moved his hands to my shoulders, his eyes darkening. I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes out of defiance—I didn’t owe him any explanation.

  He cleared his throat. While waiting for what seemed like an eternity, he finally spoke. “Let me tell you, then, what happened. Billy told you he was busy tonight, and you’re assuming he’s dating someone else.” He put his hand into my hair again, stroking it ever so gently. “With your looks, he’s an idiot if he’s dating anyone else.”

  I slapped his hand away but he just grinned. “Does that bother you when I touch your hair?” He did it again, so I grabbed his hand and squeezed. He finally let go.

  I was in no mood to be trifled with, and he, of all people, should realize that. It wasn’t every day I was used by a rich stockbroker boyfriend, forced to beat someone up at work, and had a dead body thrown at me. Not having my nicotine fix didn’t help matters, either. I really needed a drink, at least. “What do you want from me?”

  “We’ll talk about that later,” he said. “I want to know what he did. That’s all.”

  “You heard me before. Billy probably has a different girl and I’m out. Plain and simple.” The sentiment of losing Billy filled my thoughts, but I had to be tough. There was more to this than Jim knew, but I wasn’t about to tell him. He couldn’t see that I was weak in any way.

  Jim pulled me in for a hug. “You need someone tonight.”

  “I do?” Even though he was a very hot man, I couldn’t believe he’d assigned himself to be my boyfriend. Men had to grow on me before I’d go out with them a second time. I was pretty sure it had to do with my natural tendency to be in control or something. But this guy did something to the butterflies in my stomach. I think they multiplied or were having a party.

  “Yes, you do need me.” He let go of me and stroked my cheek. “I’m here whether you like it or not, and we’re going to talk about it. You need it. It’s not every day you see a dead body thrown out of a car toward you. We think it was a warning of some type, just like losing the guard I’d told you about. We think Ali got too close to something, but we can’t figure out what it was.”

  “Which guard?”

  “Not your problem.”

  I wanted to know more, but if Jim’s information was right, he’d be saving my life. I had to act as if I was nice, even though my meanness just wanted to come through. “Why would they want to do anything to me? What do I have to be warned about?”

  “It’s all because of what we’re hearing on the underground chatter. It’s a warning that you’d better participate or you’ll be dead.”

  He was so full of it. My name wasn’t on any underground chatter, because I was just a normal person, working from eight to five every day. Normal people weren’t the subject of underground chatter. “I’m not falling for their scare tactics. Now, if you don’t mind, I have to take care of Scotty.” I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm and kept me in place.

  He smiled and leaned close to my face, outlining my lips with his finger. I could see him breathing, feel his eyes penetrate mine, and hear his silent voice plant nasty lustful thoughts in my head before he even spoke. Drat. I’d be anything he wanted, and it wasn’t going to be pretty. I had to fight this, just to save myself.

  “Tonight is about you,” he said in a low sexy tone. “Not Scotty. I need you here with me and not thinking about a dead body or some loser stockbroker.”

  I hadn’t told him what my ex-boyfriend did for a living. I know I hadn’t. “You know about Billy?” I couldn’t stop the confusion on my face.

  “Yes. He’s not for you. We’re keeping an eye on him.”

  “You’re full of yourself,” I growled. “You’re just blowing smoke.” That reminded me. I really needed a cigarette.

  “No, I’m not. I have two guys checking him out as we speak. I can give you the in
formation of where he is and who he’s with if you want me to. With just one phone call, I can have the guy eliminated.”

  I swallowed hard. A man with power. My weakness. “Do you mean killed?”

  “No, I mean removed from your life. I don’t kill people unless forced to.” He studied my face for a moment. “Would you like him arrested?”

  “You’d do that for me? Wouldn’t that be illegal like working with the mafia or something?”

  He smiled, touching his lips to mine in slow motion. It was such a turn-on, his skin caressing mine. Then he moved his forehead to mine in such a hot move, I felt my knees go weak. “Not mafia,” he whispered. “But the good guys. I’m sure we could drudge up something on old Billy to make him sit up and take notice.”

  I was speechless. Who was this man leaning against me, anyway? And why was I powerless when he spoke? Only time would tell.

  Chapter 3

  As soon as we entered my apartment, four armed men stood in front of me with their guns drawn—a blond, a redhead, a bald guy, and a dark-haired man. I raised my hands to show I wasn’t armed, scared out of my mind. Jim not only was powerful, he ruled an entire small army. “What the—”

  Jim stepped into the apartment and walked in front of me. “It’s just us, guys. Resume your card playing or whatever other seemingly important thing you have to do.”

  The dark-haired man approached me and ran some sort of electrical wand up and down my body.

  “She’s clean, sir.” He raked his eyes over my body. “And hot, just like you—”

  “Thanks.” Jim took my hand and guided me toward the bedroom. “I figured you’d be clean.”

  I glanced back at the man, who stared at me in awe, then winked. “What was that comment about hot?” I asked.

  “Nothing. Ignore Chris. He’s on the rebound from about six different women right now.”

  I stopped us from walking and turned to see all of the men sitting around, eating my food and watching my television. “Did you say six?”

  “Different cities,” he whispered, leaning close. “Job hazard.”

  “Why are all these people here and where’s Scotty?”