him. 'You keep up the foreplay and you're gonna get a rise out of me.'
'And this is a threat. . . how?' she teased, nestling her chin on his chest. Her dark eyes stared into his. 'You think I can't handle another go? I've got the ovaries to tackle anything you can dish out, bucko. Watch me.'
With a glimmer of the devil in her eye, Raven rolled on top and stared down at him, her legs between his. His body responded to her move. No doubt about it, he was up for the challenge.
'Love to.' Christian cupped her face in his hands, aroused by the warmth of her skin next to his. He kissed her long and hard, his tongue finding familiar territory. With her breasts pressed to him and her hips writhing between his legs, he wasn't sure he could hold back. His hands grasped her body, never getting enough of her.
But like a quick douse of ice cold water, the phone on his nightstand rang, loud and shrill. His heart leapt at the abrasive noise.
'What the hell?' For a split second he thought about not answering, but Chief Zharan had promised to get in touch. He kissed Raven again, saying, 'I gotta take this.'
'Sure.' She nodded and rolled off him, drawing a hand through her hair.
'Hello?'
'Is this Christian Delacorte?' A low quiet voice.
Christian didn't recognize it. Whoever it was sounded nervous and about ready to hang up.
'Yes. Who's this?'
'Hector Salvador. You remember me . . . from the Guia Do Espirito?'
Christian sat up in bed, a sudden jerking motion. The kid had the same last name as Bianca Salvador. A relative? Interesting.
'Of course I remember. What's going on, Hector?' He tried to keep his voice calm and steady. Raven sat up beside him. Her eyes were fixed on his, reading into the importance of the call.
'I have information you might find useful. Very timely, in fact.' Hector let the silence build between them. The kid knew how to milk the moment. 'Your pretty Asian lady friend might consider my call to be . . . beyond price.'
Hector was fishing for money and making no bones about it. And his English had improved . . . immensely. A regular scholar.
'But I bet you have a price in mind. What do you want, Hector?'
'I am a struggling student, working part-time at my aunt's store. In this economy, we could use the money. Perhaps what information I have would be worth your charity, to support my . . . education.'
'Call it what you want, Hector. Extortion is no way to fund your college tuition,' he said, knowing he had to play this right. 'Innovative, yes. Smart? Not so much.'
'This isn't only for me. I am motivated for a number of reasons.'
'Who are you kidding? Your motive is measured in U.S. dollars, nothing more.' Christian found it hard to hide his skepticism.
He knew when he was being played. The kid spoke so low, he barely heard him. Bianca probably stood within earshot, behind a nearby peephole. Or maybe Hector made the call with her complete blessing. Christian shook his head.
'I'm not paying anything until I hear what you have.'
'That means I have to trust you.'
'Smart kid. See? You're learning already. The Hector Salvador college fund is working wonders.' He switched the phone to his other ear and glanced at Raven. She leaned closer and touched a hand to his shoulder, a show of support. 'If you have something good, we'll negotiate your college fund. You need a translator for that?'
'No ... no, I don't.'
'Didn't think so. What's up, Hector? Spill it.'
Silence. Christian pictured him pondering his situation. He all but heard the slick wheels of Hector's brain working, greased by the promise of U.S. dollars. Or maybe he was conferring with his aunt. After a long moment he got back on the line.
'Your lady friend . . . she was arrested outside the store ... on the street. Not ten minutes ago.'
Christian bolted upright, his eyes narrowed.
'Jasmine arrested? By whom? Did you recognize the cop?'
'Cops, but they were led by one man. She called him Captain Duarte. Your friend seemed to know him, and she didn't look pleased to see him. He took her away in handcuffs. Two unmarked sedans full of his men. One gray. One dark blue.'
Now he took a deep breath and shut his eyes. Jasmine had warned him some things were best accomplished alone. After he saw Raven at the suite door, he assumed she had meant accomplished by him. Now, he understood what she really had in mind. Jasmine saw this as her opportunity to go it alone, knowing he'd be . . . occupied.
Now he had no way of knowing where Duarte had taken her. The bastard had no grounds for an arrest, at least none that Christian knew of. If she weren't being held at police headquarters, he'd have no clue where to look. He might need someone on the inside.
'Hector, I appreciate your help. If all this works out, I promise you I'll be plenty generous. You hear anything else, call me.'
Before the kid answered, Christian hung up the phone.
'Bad news.' Raven didn't phrase it as a question.
Christian tossed aside the bed sheets and headed for the bathroom, his brain working on some semblance of a strategy. Without looking back over his shoulder, he answered, 'Yeah. Get dressed. Jasmine's in trouble.'
Dressed in khaki shorts and a carao green tank and hiking boots, Raven crossed the living room to listen to Christian on the phone in the bedroom. He tried to get Captain Duarte on the line, but no one at police headquarters claimed to know his whereabouts. She knew a cover-up when she heard it. Cops across the globe protected each other's backsides, the universal code of her brothers in blue. And by the sounds of it, Christian had his bullshit detector on high gear. With voice raised, he didn't appear to be making much progress. She gritted her teeth, catching glimpses of him through the crack in the door.
And what was up with this grand palace of a penthouse suite? Christian was used to this lifestyle, but the pretentiousness made her uneasy. The whole thing was bigger than her bungalow in Chi-town. And with the second bedroom door closed, she didn't have to guess about Jasmine taking up residence there. That made her downright mad. She trusted Christian beyond a doubt, but Charboneau's version of a female Kato was another story. The Asian beauty grated on her nerves.
No, she didn't think much of Jasmine Lee, but Christian had obviously formed a bond with the woman while searching for his father, or else he would never have lived in such close quarters. Whether she agreed with it or not, she had to respect his feelings. Besides, Duarte sounded like a loose cannon. And a rogue cop made a deadly enemy.
A soft knock at the suite door caught her attention.
A handsome man in a sharp suit stood in the hallway, with another man at his side.
'Yes?' she called out, not opening the door.
'Police Chief Zharan to see Mr. Christian Delacorte.'
'Hold on a sec.' Raven glanced over her shoulder to Christian, who was still on the phone, but she
