At the Spaniard's Pleasure Read Online Free PDF Page B

cash in, and hopefully we will get the whole gang.’
    â€˜It still does not alter the fact you lost him,’ Nick almost groaned.
    â€˜Hey, it’s not that bad, Nick; as long as you still have the girl, the police can question her—she is bound to know something.’
    Nick’s whole body tensed. His immediate reaction was one of outrage at the thought of Liza being taken to a police station and body-searched before being questioned and probably ending up in a cell. The outrage was followed by a completely alien emotion for him—fear, and then a surge of cold, hard anger. Not if he could help it, he vowed. He closed his eyes briefly and counted to ten, fighting to stay calm before responding casually, ‘You can safely leave the girl to me, Carl. If she knows anything at all I will tell you—I am meeting her for dinner later.’
    â€˜You’re what?’ Carl’s voice rose a notch. ‘Are you crazy? You’ve left her on her own; she could be miles away by now…she could warn Brown, and the whole deal will go pear-shaped.’
    â€˜Come on, Carl, I can assure you Liza will be ready and waiting when I go to pick her up. Have you ever known my Menendez charm to fail?’ Nick drawled mockingly. ‘A woman has never run away from me in my life, and I can assure you that, after spending the day with Liza, she is no exception.’ And he prayed his friend would buy it. He didnot question why. He just knew he did not want Liza falling into the police’s or Carl’s clutches, friend or not.
    A husky chuckle greeted Nick’s comment. ‘You’re right, but this is vital, Nick. Make damn sure you get the woman. We need to know where Brown has gone and when he will be back.’
    â€˜Don’t worry.’ Nick ran his free hand distractedly through his dark hair, and was glad they were not on video-phone. ‘I’ll do what it takes to get the information and call you back later with the information you want.’
    â€˜You’re being very noble. “Do what it takes”,’ he mocked. ‘Good-looking, is she?’
    â€˜Certainly no hardship,’ Nick joked back. ‘Speak to you later.’ And he cut the connection, his face as black as thunder.
    Striding into the living room, he poured a large measure of whisky into a crystal glass, raised it to his mouth and took a long, fiery drink.
    But still a cold knot formed in Nick’s belly. Liza Summers; he was not sure if she was guilty or not. The child he had known had been embarrassingly honest. But the beautiful, sophisticated woman of twenty-five she had become… That was a different question. It was perfectly possible she lived by her wits and stunning looks, and her job was just a cover for stealing. On the other hand she could be completely innocent, and, as she had implied, simply following her boss’s orders…
    He knew he had to question her tonight about Henry Brown, and he also knew he should instruct his people to look into the state of her finances, but somehow he could not bring himself to do it. Maybe because he still held cherished memories of the child she had been.
    Nick snorted in disgust and spun round. Who the hell was he kidding? He had taken one look at Liza today, and his body had reacted like a teenager. He had kept her out of the way all day for her own sake, and his if he was honest. Carl would have quite happily had her arrested thismorning. Liza was beautiful, granted, but then all Nick’s women were beautiful, and he had never felt the slightest need to protect them. So why Liza Summers?
    He could tell himself it was for her mother’s sake, to avoid the embarrassment a court case would cause, but that was only part of his reasoning. There was no point in pretending; along with surely every man on the planet, he wanted Liza for himself. He had walked around all day in a semi-permanent state of arousal, and he ached with