Daring Time

"I didn't get a chance to tell you how nice you look in your tuxedo," she said when Ramiro and Gail passed out of hearing distance. Her gaze lowered over his bow tie and wide chest. She swallowed with difficulty, but the great lump in her throat didn't prevent her from speaking the truth. "You're the handsomest man I've ever seen."

"It's not fair to tease me while I'm working."

"I'm not teasing you!"

Ryan's crooked grin and laser-like stare caused a tingling sensation of excitement in her breasts and belly.

"You've got a lot to learn, honey. You think seduction is all about taking your clothes off in a bedroom, but you get me hard with just a glance. Never mind what you do to me with your kindness."

He leaned down and seized her lips in a quick, fierce kiss. Hope craned up for him, forgetting where they were or who might be watching them immediately when she registered the firm press of his molding lips and inhaled the clean, spicy scent of his cologne.

He kept his dark head lowered over her upturned face when he finally broke their kiss.

"I wasn't being kind, Ryan. It was the solemn truth."

He brushed a curl off her cheek. "I've asked Gail to look out for you at the party, and Ramiro will be there whenever he can be."

"Don't worry about me. I like Gail very much. Imagine—a career woman. I could talk to her about her work at the police station all night. I'll wager that's why police officers are so hardworking and dedicated in your time versus mine—because women are allowed to work alongside them. At any rate, you have important work to do. You know I have as much interest in you arresting Jim Donahue as anyone," she said, giving him a significant look. She'd been amazed to the point of muteness (a rare occurrence) when Ryan had told Ramiro and her this morning that Diamond Jack Fletcher lived in this time period—and was as corrupt and evil as ever.

"I do," he said quietly, his eyes wandering over her face intently. "But it would help me a great deal to know you weren't getting into any trouble. Stay away from Jim Donahue or anyone who looks like they're associated with him. Do you understand?"

"Of course! I'm more than happy to let you and Ramiro capture that woman-hating, white slaving, rotten-to-the-core, vicious, kidnapping scoundrel who—"

"Hope?"

"Yes?" she asked, a little flustered at being interrupted in the midst of her tirade.

"I don't want you wandering around this museum alone gawking at the exhibits or anything. I'll bring you here another time. Stay with Gail and Ramiro."

"I will. Ryan, please don't worry about me. I promise to stay away from Diamond Jack Fletcher. Or any of his future or past incarnations. Lord knows I wouldn't actually choose to be around that lout or any of his henchmen," she added under her breath.

"Nice to hear. I probably won't be able to speak with you again until after all this is over.

Ramiro will have to leave at some point as well, but you and Gail are going to catch a cab to my mother's place."

Hope nodded. "Be careful, Ryan."

He put out his arm for her. "I always am."

"Nice of you to show up, Daire," Crenshaw said pointedly when he met Ryan and Hope in the high-ceiling entryway.

Ryan thought it was best just to ignore Crenshaw's disgruntle-ment at his absence at the briefing yesterday and go ahead and introduce Hope.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Crenshaw," Hope told him with her perfect elocution and a smile tailor-made to immediately melt even a hardened federal agent's tough hide.

"Where you'd find that girl? Fairyland?" Crenshaw asked after Gail suggested to Hope that they check their wraps at the coat station. They'd arrived early at the Field Museum in order to check out the lay of the land and to get wired up with their own invisible surveillance devices so that the task force could communicate amongst themselves.

Ramiro would remain on the first floor of the museum where the gala was taking place along with eight other members of the squad while Ryan would be stationed someplace covert where Donahue wouldn't notice his presence.

"You'd never believe me if I told you."

Crenshaw's wiry, graying blond eyebrows went up on his head. "You know, I just might believe you. You don't find women that look like that on every corner." He inhaled and got back to business in a split second. "Agent Pearson will take you back to the room we're using for tactical communications. A couple agents are fitting up Chirnovsky with the recording equipment as we speak. We have a van set up for mobile surveillance as well, just in case Donahue should leave the party with Chirnovsky before he says anything of importance. I'm not expecting that to happen, though. According to Chirnovsky, Donahue specifically asked him to meet here tonight along with Manny Gutierrez in order to discuss their plans. Gutierrez is making a rare visit to Chicago. He usually works exclusively in Mexico procuring men for cheap labor and women for the slavery ring."

"Yeah. I'm familiar with Gutierrez's work," Ryan said dryly. "I'd make extra certain that the mobile unit is ready to roll."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Ryan shrugged. "I just have a hunch Donahue won't say anything substantial until he's at his nightclub—the Sweet Lash."