The Angel and the Outlaw

Chapter 3

“Sproule?” Hayley braced her palm against Cooper’s back to lift her head. Her heart was pounding, her palms wet. Had she heard him right? “Oliver’s here?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

She clenched her jaw, fighting a wave of light-headedness as Cooper opened a door and made a sudden turn to his right. By the time she got it under control he was halfway up a staircase. The lighting was dim. Combined with the jostling from Cooper’s pace, it was disorienting.

Hayley stopped struggling and anchored her fingers in his shirt. She didn’t want to send them both tumbling down the stairs. “Why is he here?”

“Because I invited him.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have enough breath to explain and carry you at the same time.”

Hayley knew that wasn’t true. He was taking the stairs two at a time and wasn’t even breathing hard. She could feel the strength in his hands and in the corded muscles along his arms and shoulders. “Put me down,” she said. “I want answers.”

He didn’t comply until they reached the landing at the top of the stairs. He bent his knees and let her slide off his shoulder until her feet touched the floor.

There was a varnished wood door in front of them that looked identical to the one at the front of the building. A lock with a numbered keypad was set into the wood below the knob. Hayley had barely registered these facts when Cooper punched a combination into the lock and swung the door open. He grabbed her hand and pulled her inside with him.

After the dim staircase, the brightness of the room they entered made her squint. The place was big, appearing to stretch away from her the entire width of the building. She glimpsed a large unmade bed on a low platform in the far corner, some overstuffed couches and a leather recliner in the center of the room and the gleam of stainless-steel kitchen appliances set into a U-shaped counter to her right. Dominating everything was a long wall with three multi-paned warehouse-style windows that overlooked the same overgrown orchard she had seen from Cooper’s office.

But she had no chance to take in more detail. Cooper grasped her cheeks and turned her face to his. “Hayley, you have to stay here,” he said. “Keep away from the windows. Don’t open the door to anyone except me.”

Out of principle she didn’t like taking orders any more than she allowed anyone to manhandle her, but she could see the anxiety on Cooper’s face was genuine. “What’s going on?”

“I didn’t want you involved in this. I warned you that you’re out of your league. You should have stayed away.”

“Cooper—”

“I’ll explain later.” He dropped his hands and returned to the door. “I’ve got to go.”

She ran after him. “Cooper, wait!”

He paused in the doorway, his body hard with tension. He looked at her over his shoulder. “I can’t, Hayley. It’s already been set into motion.”

“But what are you doing?”

“Applying for a job.”

“With Oliver? I thought you wanted to see him punished.”

Cooper’s gaze was like ice as it bored into hers. “I’m an ex-thief with a criminal record and a public grudge against the man Oliver murdered. Those credentials will get me places that you and the law could never go.”

She stopped before she reached him. She tried to think, but it was hard. Too much was happening too fast. “I still don’t understand.”

“You’re a bright woman, Hayley.” He turned away. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

Oliver Sproule sat completely still, his hands folded neatly on his crossed legs. Two of his men stood behind him, their bulk a marked contrast to Oliver’s greyhound-slender frame. Against the dark backdrop of their suits, his hair shone like platinum.

He hadn’t moved since he’d taken the chair Cooper had offered. Not one fidget of his manicured fingers, not one rustle of his silk suit, not even a scuff of his hand-stitched shoes. He was as composed as a corpse.

Cooper didn’t like it. He’d never met anyone who was so difficult to read.

Yet by his very composure, Oliver revealed something basic about his character. He was a control freak. That’s why he’d shown up three hours early. It was also why he’d elected to have their meeting in the barroom at a table of his choice rather than in Cooper’s office.

The fact that he’d chosen to meet in Cooper’s territory instead of his own had provided yet another opportunity for one-upmanship. A second car had arrived while Cooper had been busy with Hayley. In addition to the two goons at the back of Oliver’s chair, there were several more at each exit and another four in the parking lot. Oliver’s men outnumbered Cooper’s by more than four to one. He’d essentially turned Cooper’s turf into his own.

Cooper couldn’t let him see how much that part of it bothered him. The Long Shot was his.

“While I’m flattered that you would like to do business with me, Mr. Webb,” Oliver said, “I’m curious to know why.”

Cooper hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and leaned back in his chair, endeavoring to keep his body language casual. “Money. Why else?”

Oliver arched one platinum eyebrow. “Indeed.”

“I figure you could be interested in some extra cash flow now that you fixed your legal problems.”

One corner of Oliver’s upper lip lifted in a barely suppressed sneer. The first chink he’d allowed. “Go on.”

“Congratulations, by the way,” Cooper said. “Nice piece of work on that verdict.”

“I fully support the justice system in this great country of ours.”

“Yeah, I bet. I would have popped Tavistock myself if I’d had the chance.”

“It was an unfortunate accident.”

“Sure. Whatever. The thing is, I’ve been wanting to get some action going but I need a way to move the merchandise. My former associate who used to handle that for me is doing twenty to life.”

“I don’t run a van line, Mr. Webb.”

“I thought you would know the trucks are my specialty, Ollie.”

The nickname brought on an eyelid twitch. Oliver regained control and regarded him stonily.

Cooper decided it was time to get to the point. “Okay, here’s the deal. Say I bring you some TVs. You find a buyer, you take ten percent of the proceeds.”

“Sixty.”

“Twenty, and you provide storage until the merchandise can be moved.”

Oliver snapped his fingers. The men behind him stepped forward and drew back his chair as he stood. “Forty percent and secure space in my warehouse where you can unload.”

Cooper got to his feet. “You’ve got a deal.”

“Agreed.”

Cooper nodded and held out his hand. “Great. I’ll be in touch.”

Oliver slid his palm against Cooper’s and gave him a token squeeze. He moved toward the exit, his bodyguards falling into step behind him.

Cooper waited until he saw the cars pull out of the parking lot, then carefully wiped his right hand on his pants. The groundwork had been laid. He’d established an angle that would get him into the organization, just as he’d planned.

That didn’t stop him from feeling dirty.

It had been seven years since his last job. Four years since he’d made his promise to Tony. He’d become accustomed to feeling…clean.

Soap and clothes won’t change who a person is.

That’s what he’d told Hayley. Had she realized he hadn’t only been talking about her?

He helped Pete finish the preparations for the day, then left him to manage the bar while he headed upstairs. There was no sound coming from the other side when he reached the door to the loft. He didn’t think Hayley could have gotten out—he’d instructed Pete to keep an eye on the staircase during the meeting with Oliver to make sure she remained out of sight. But Cooper had made no attempt to mask the noise of his boots on the steps. He’d expected her to meet him with more questions and demands.

As soon as he unlocked the door, the reason for her silence became obvious. She had fallen asleep in his chair.

Cooper eased the door closed behind him and set the lock, then crossed the floor to Hayley. For a minute he indulged himself and simply looked at her. She had discarded her shoes and was curled on her side like a kitten, her bare feet drawn up on the seat and her cheek pillowed on the chair arm. Her hair hung over the side in a tangle of curls. In the daylight that poured through the windows, the hollows in her cheeks and the lines of strain around her eyes were more obvious than ever.

Was the woman trying to self-destruct? Didn’t she realize she had to start taking better care of herself? When was the last time she’d had anything to eat or had a full night’s sleep? This was probably the only rest she’d gotten since she’d slept on his office couch.

She looked so defenseless, it was hard to believe that she had taken on Oliver Sproule alone. Saying she was out of her league was an understatement. Yet even though her presence was turning into a complication he didn’t need, Cooper couldn’t help feeling a twinge of admiration for her. She had guts, he’d give her that. Despite his attempts to get rid of her, she didn’t scare off easy.

On the other hand, he hadn’t tried all that hard yet, had he? He had to stop thinking with his libido.

He knelt at the side of the chair and picked up a lock of her hair, letting the curls twine through his fingers. His gaze moved to her mouth. Her lips were parted and completely relaxed. It would be a shame to wake her up. If he had the time, he’d let her sleep her fill the way he had before, but they had to straighten this out. For her own safety, he had to convince her to back off.

Besides, he had too much riding on this to allow anyone, including her, to get in his way. “Hayley?”

A frown line appeared between her eyebrows. She sighed, moistened her lips and snuggled her cheek against the chair arm.

Cooper released her hair and leaned closer. “Hayley, wake up.”

Her lashes fluttered. Her lips moved into the ghost of a smile. “Cooper?”

“Yeah.”

He never saw it coming. Later, he would wonder how different things might have turned out if he had. As it was, any good intentions that might have lurked somewhere inside him were swept away when her hand stole around the back of his neck and she tugged his head to hers.

The kiss she gave him was sweet and sleepy. It was the kiss of a woman who wasn’t completely conscious, who didn’t know what she was doing. It didn’t mean a thing. She was probably dreaming, reacting instinctively, reaching for comfort the same way she would reach for a blanket.

Cooper didn’t give a damn. He tilted his head and gave her a kiss that brought her completely awake.

As soon as she felt Cooper’s tongue slide over her lips, Hayley realized it wasn’t a dream. No dream could be this vivid.

Cooper kissed the same way he moved, with a careless sexuality, as warm as the sunlight that poured through the wall of windows beside her, as supple as the leather of the chair that cradled her, as bold as the hair that curled around her fingers where she held the back of his neck.

Yet beneath the sexuality there was tenderness. She could feel it in the way he coaxed her response instead of demanding it. He tilted his head, testing angles until his lips fit perfectly over hers. The pressure was gentle, a sweet exploration, giving more than he took. This wasn’t the brusque-mannered bar owner who had carried her out of his office, this was the protector who had rescued her from the Sproule estate and had seen her safely home.

And for a crazy instant Hayley wanted to pretend she was still asleep. It was so tempting. It would give her an excuse to let the pleasure last a few moments longer.

But this was a man her brother had put in prison. How could she be kissing him? She knew what she wanted from him, and her own needs weren’t high on the list. She let go of his neck, pulled back and opened her eyes.

He was kneeling on the floor, one hand braced on the chair arm, the other on the seat beside her ankles. The sleeves of his chambray shirt were rolled above his elbows. His forearms—and the eagle—flexed. “If I’d realized you woke up like that,” he murmured, “I never would have let you sleep last night.”

Oh, he was dangerous. His voice was soft, as much a caress as his kiss had been. Sunshine gleamed from his spiky black lashes and warmed the startling blue of his eyes with flecks of gold. She wanted to lean forward and lick the moisture that slicked his lips.

What was the matter with her? How could she let him affect her like this? Even worse, how could she have relaxed her guard enough to fall asleep again? Maybe she really was going crazy. She pushed herself upright. “I can’t believe I dozed off.”

“I can. I saw you were still strung out when you got here.”

“But I didn’t intend…” She cleared her throat, uncertain what to say. I didn’t intend to dream about you. Or to enjoy the reality more than the dream.

He stroked his thumb along her foot to her calf. “I hope you’re not going to apologize about that kiss, Hayley, because I sure as hell won’t.”

That was exactly what she should do, but she wasn’t certain where to start. “I didn’t plan any of this.”

“Too bad. This was the first good idea you’ve had.”

“I didn’t mean to give you the impression that—”

“That you’re a passionate woman? Or that you wanted to kiss me?”

“Neither.” She pressed further back in the chair. The recliner was large so she was able to draw away from Cooper’s touch. Yet she still felt the imprint of his thumb on her leg. And his tongue in her mouth. She struggled to focus her thoughts. “Can we just move on? This isn’t why I came to see you today, Cooper. I thought we already established that.”

“Yeah, I know.” He sighed, rocked back on his heels and rose to his feet. His gaze flicked downward. His cheek twitched. “But the way you look, you’re making it hard to remember.”

She glanced at her lap. Like most of her wardrobe, her skirt was too loose on her—she hadn’t realized it had ridden up almost to her hips. She hurriedly tugged it into place over her thighs. “I’m here because of my brother. I want to talk about Oliver Sproule.”

“There’s nothing more to talk about, Hayley. You need to back off. Leave Sproule to me.”

She thought about the last thing Cooper had said before he’d gone downstairs. He’d claimed he wanted a job with Oliver.

He’d also claimed he wanted Oliver brought to justice.

It hadn’t been that difficult to connect the dots. The hard part was concentrating on them when he was still close enough for her to catch his scent. His aftershave was spicy, his soap smelled of pine, and his mouth had tasted warm and sexy and pure male—

Focus, she reminded herself. “You’re planning to gather evidence against Oliver from the inside, aren’t you?”

“I see you figured it out.”

“Some of it. If you’re going to pretend to work with Oliver, I can understand why you wouldn’t want to be seen with me.”

“There won’t be any pretense about it, Hayley.” He backed up a few steps, then walked to the window in the center of the wall. He angled himself to the side of the window frame and scanned the area below. “I’ll be right in the middle of the Sproule organization.”

“That’s going to be dangerous.”

“Bingo. That’s why you have to keep out of it.”

She looked around for her shoes, slipped them on and followed him. Mindful of his earlier warning about keeping away from the windows, she was careful to stay behind him so she wouldn’t be visible from outside. She shifted her gaze to his back. Sunlight filtered through his shirt, silhouetting his broad shoulders and long, lean torso.

She did her best to ignore the view. “Why are you taking this risk in the first place?” she asked. “You’re not working with any law-enforcement agency, are you?”

He snorted. “Nope. I trust them about as much as I trust Oliver.”

“And you made it clear you don’t have any affection for Adam, so you’re not doing this for his sake.”

“No, I’m doing this for me.”

“Why?”

“What difference does it make?”

He’d asked that before. She’d thought about her answer while he’d been gone. “Unless I get an answer I’m satisfied with,” she said, “I have no reason to believe that you’ll do as you say.”

He fisted his hand on the window frame. His rolled-up sleeve tightened across his biceps. “We don’t have time to go around with this again. We’ve got to get you out of here before Oliver decides to send some of his guys back to keep an eye on me. He doesn’t trust me yet, either.”

“Then you’d better answer my question, because I’m not leaving until you do.”

Swearing under his breath, he grasped the cord that hung beside the window and gave it a sharp tug. A Venetian blind clattered downward over the glass, the slats diffusing the sunshine. He moved to the other two windows and did the same, then leaned one shoulder against the frame of the center window. Shifting his weight to one foot, he propped the toe of his other boot against the floor. He studied her for a minute, as if deciding how much to reveal. “Ever hear of a man named Tony Monaco?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“His family used to run an organization that would make Oliver and his friends look like Boy Scouts.”

An organization, she thought, as in organized crime. And worse than Oliver? She swallowed. “Used to run?”

“Tony got out of the business ten years ago, but he’s still not a man you would want to mess with.” He paused. “To cut to the chase, Tony financed the Long Shot. Unless I bring Oliver Sproule to justice, he’s going to call in the loan and I’ll lose my bar.”

“I don’t see the connection. Did Oliver do something to this Tony Monaco? Is that why Tony wants you to go after him?”

“That’s beside the point. You said you were interested in my reasons, not Tony’s.”

“It sounds like a strange way to repay a loan.”

“Tony isn’t a banker. If he was, he wouldn’t have given me any money in the first place. Ex-cons aren’t real high on a banker’s preferred-client list.”

She couldn’t disagree. Anyone with a criminal background would be considered a bad credit risk. As unfair as it might be, there would be few, well, conventional financing options open to someone like Cooper. “It seems as if your business is doing well. Every time I’ve gone by, the parking lot is crowded.”

“It didn’t happen overnight. Tony gave me the loan when I got out of prison. I’ve spent every day of the four years since then building the Long Shot into what it is now. Going straight has been damn hard work.”

“Going straight?”

“Surprised, sweetheart?”

She realized she was. Not by his claim that he’d gone straight—although she was glad to hear him say it, all along her instincts had told her he wasn’t as bad as he seemed, despite his gruff manner. What surprised her was the flicker of hurt in his gaze at her thoughtless response.

But what did he expect? He’d been throwing his criminal past in her face since they had met, as if he were trying to shock her, as if he wanted her to assume the worst about him.

Then again, she had already decided he was full of contradictions. Like his primitively sexy yet ultra-sensitive kiss…

She jerked her thoughts back on track. “I’m sorry, Cooper. I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s admirable that you, uh…”

“Don’t get carried away. I’m not due for a halo anytime soon. Keeping my nose clean was one of the conditions of Tony’s loan.”

There had to be more to the story, she decided. From the sound of this, Tony was a former mob boss. Why would he care whether or not Cooper went straight…unless he didn’t want Cooper’s activities to compromise his investment. Yes, that was probably it.

But as Cooper had already said, she should be concentrating on his reasons, not Tony’s. “Regardless of why, you should be proud of what you’ve accomplished.”