The Protector. Jule Mcbride
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he said, rifling his fingers through the sweat-dampened strands.
She clucked her tongue, and for a second, his eyes were mesmerized by the crimson mouth. Even in this heat, her lip liner hadn’t melted. “Poor baby,” she commiserated, her mouth quirking. “Now that you mention it, Steele, I can actually see the gray.”
“Better than a receding hairline,” he retorted a bit defensively.
“You’ve got a point there.”
He sighed, getting down to business. “I hear you gave Rex a hard time on the island.”
Now that they were back on topic, she gaped at him, her bottom lip edging over the top, where sweat was starting to bead. It was Sully’s only consolation. Apparently, in her ridiculously dressy jacket, she was as miserable as he. “Your brother was interfering in my investigation. I warned you before I left that if he—”
“He was looking for our father,” Sully interjected. “Somebody had to do it.”
“I was doing it,” she shot back. “And if your brother found out anything, he didn’t share the information.”
“Information moves on a two-way street.” It wasn’t the first time Sully had said it.
“I called you. And I’m standing in your office right now. How much more goodwill do you want?” She blew out a short breath. “What have you found out since we last spoke?”
“Not a thing,” he replied lightly, though he knew his father was alive. Sully wanted a chance to speak with him before he was found by Internal Affairs. “You?”
Looking as if the heat wasn’t doing wonders for her disposition, either, she crossed her arms over her chest. “So, that’s the way you’re going to play today?”
“I’m not playing.” Suddenly rising to his feet, he circled the desk, moving lithely for a man of his size, and then leaned against it. “You want the truth, Judith?”
Her eyes turned hungry. “Yes.”
She thought he was going to divulge information about his father. Instead, Sully said, “The truth is, it’s been a helluva week. I’m hot and tired, and while it wouldn’t be apparent to anyone on Seduction Island, the wheels of justice in Manhattan have ground to a halt because everybody’s on summer vacation. I can’t get warrants, and I’m battling a heat wave that’s doubling the number of complaint calls.”
“The whole city’s having a heat wave, not just you, Steele. I’m trying to get courts orders, too. And if it bothers you so much—” she nodded toward his chest “—why don’t you take off the jacket?”
Because she was wearing one. No doubt, this was Judith’s way of finagling how to take off hers without losing face. “As a precinct captain,” he said, shooting her a quick smile, “I have a certain image to project.” Image? he thought. Of what? A sweating pig? Every man in the squad room knew Sully never wore a jacket unless the parking attendant called to say Judith was on her way up.
“Isn’t it substance we need to concern ourselves with?”
“I guess, if you feel a lack of it.”
“Which brings me to your father.”
“Nice segue.”
“Thanks.” With a sudden sharp inhalation, Judith took him by surprise and did the unthinkable: she shrugged out of her jacket. When Sully saw the airy white, short-sleeved blouse beneath, he suddenly felt much more amiable. It was nearly transparent, and the white lace of a bra was visible beneath. The temperature in the room, already boiling, seemed to crank up another few notches, not that Sully minded now.
“That’s why I came up to see you, Steele,” she reminded him. “Your father.”
He wished she had some news. Rex had found a man on the island who’d talked to their pop after the Destiny exploded, but nevertheless, Sheila was beside herself. Trying to keep emotion from his voice, Sully said, “Honestly, have you found something out, Judith?”
“Not really. After withdrawing the money from People’s National, your father went to Seduction Island.”
Sully’s gaze drifted over her, as if seeking to pinpoint a chink in her armor, while she continued, “I traced the boat to the mob. The Destiny was owned by Tommy the Jaw. He was part of the Genovese crime family before he went legit.” After a heartbeat, she added, “Supposedly.”
“You don’t believe he did?”
She shook her head. “Once dirty, always dirty,” she pronounced.
His jaw clenched. “Just like Pop, huh?”
Her steady gaze seemed to confirm that that was her point of view. “Your father would have known Tommy from the old days,” she continued. “Apparently, Tommy the Jaw loaned your father the boat.”
“Or maybe my father’s working with the mob,” Sully suggested, his tone dripping irony.
Unfortunately, she actually considered that. “It’s not far-fetched.”
“Oh, please,” Sully said, groaning.
She shrugged. “I found an abandoned estate on the island. The locals call it Castle O’Lannaise, after a pirate named Jacques O’Lannaise, who supposedly haunts it. I’ve got requests in for court orders also…” She shot him a brief look of sympathy. “I’m having trouble getting paperwork through, too. So it’ll take me a couple more days to find out who holds the title. For some unknown reason, the information’s protected.”
Sully knew exactly how her mind worked: deviously. He never knew whether to be angry or impressed. Especially since his brain worked in the exact same way, putting them on the same wavelength. “You’re thinking that, in addition to the boat, the property belongs to Tommy the Jaw and that Pop went to the island to hide out?”
“You’re quick.”
“If I’m ever worried about my IQ,” Sully assured her dryly, “I’ll know where to turn for an ego boost.”
“Oh, not to worry,” she replied. “If in doubt, just start with mine and count down a few notches.”
“That’s what I like, Judith. Your mature, seasoned wit.”
She merely shrugged. “Castle O’Lannaise has been owned by a number of famous people in the past.” The expression in her eyes turned serious. “The property’s handled by a law firm, and even the Realtor, Pansy Hanley, doesn’t know who owns it. It’s been up for sale for a while, and now Ms. Hanley’s got a buyer. The place is expensive, worth millions.”
Somewhere in the neighborhood of four-point-five, according to Rex. Sully wasn’t about to share the information with Judith, but it was Sully’s brother who was doing the nibbling. While looking for Augustus on Seduction Island, Rex had fallen in love with Pansy Hanley and proposed. Once they were married, Rex intended to leave Manhattan, move to the island and use his part of the lottery money to restore Castle O’Lannaise.
Which meant, in addition to everything else plaguing Sully’s life, the pressure was on for him to find a bride. How had his little brothers—two men with absolutely no prospects—gone from committed bachelors to being engaged in just a matter of months?
His mind straying even further afield, Sully thought of the letters he’d been exchanging with his mystery woman. Who would have imagined a local woman would find the bottle he’d tossed into the Hudson? Maybe this really was destiny. Maybe she’d be the one. The woman who was writing to him sounded so alive and passionate, and in his last letter, Sully had asked her to consider meeting him.
“Steele?”
He realized Judith was peering at him with uncharacteristic concern. “Hmm?”
“Are you paying attention?”
He refocused his