LITMIR.BIZ

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      “No. Let me meet you elsewhere.” Amanda’s thoughts were racing. Trouble seemed to follow Tony Ramos, and her business didn’t need his kind of publicity. “I’ll meet you in the little park north of the cathedral. How much time do you need?”

      “Fifteen minutes.”

      “I’ll be there.”

      Amanda leaned back in the chair, trying to collect her thoughts. Why was she being used to contact Ramos? The only connection between them that she could think of was the flyer that he left here every few months. But he left an identical one at every other day-care center in the city, as well as many other places. Perhaps none of the other day-care centers could match the reputation for excellence hers had acquired. Or maybe it was just that hers was the largest ad in the Yellow Pages. At this point, it was just too hard to venture any reliable guesses.

      Ten minutes later, Amanda picked up the envelope on her desk. As she started toward the door, the buzzer on her desk sounded. Ignoring it, she continued out to the reception area. “Whoever it is will have to wait, Bernice. I’ve got to leave right now.”

      “No, you don’t. I’ve come to you,” a deep, masculine voice said.

      Amanda saw the tall, dark-haired man stride around Bernice and come toward her. Nothing could have prepared her for the raw, muscled masculinity and vitality this man exuded when seen up close. For a moment, all she could do was stare.

      “I was about to tell you,” Bernice said, “that Mr. Ramos had arrived.”

      “We should talk privately,” Ramos said, then, maneuvering past Amanda, led the way into her office.

      As Amanda watched, Tony stalked across the room and sat in the chair across from her desk. Anger and disbelief mingled disturbingly inside her. With great deliberation, Amanda walked around to face him but didn’t sit down. Trying to look as intimidating and commanding as he did, she leaned against her desk and regarded him boldly.

      Instinct told her that he was a man who was used to getting his way. He lived in a world of violence where his wits and his fists were his two best allies. Amanda couldn’t afford to let him get the upper hand. She fixed him with an unblinking glare, and he gave her an arrogant half smile, as if he knew precisely what she was doing. Every inch of her body began to tingle. She felt as if lightning were about to strike.

      “Mr. Ramos.” She forced herself to use that special tone she’d found particularly effective against people who challenged her authority.

      “Please, sit down and relax,” he said cordially. “I’m really quite harmless.” Ramos’s voice was surprisingly soft. “You said you had something for me?”

      “Mr. Ramos, I asked you specifically not to come here.”

      “I was in the area, and I wanted to save your valuable time,” he countered evenly.

      “I appreciate that, but you should have respected my position.” She slid the padded envelope over to him. “Here’s what arrived in our mail today.”

      Ramos read the note, then pulled out the small package inside the envelope. As he opened the box, an infant-size gold ID bracelet slipped out. His hand shook briefly, then stopped.

      The tiny bracelet had affected him, but he brought himself under control in the blink of an eye. Amanda couldn’t help wondering what kind of life would require that a man develop such complete emotional control.

      “Exactly when did you get this?” His gaze was shuttered as he glanced up, his voice low and steady.

      “Less than half an hour ago. I called you right after I read the note.” Amanda looked away from the coal black eyes that were now trained on her. Ramos’s attention made her feel nervous and self-conscious. She glanced back at him furtively, noting the way his shirt clung to his broad shoulders, accentuating his muscular build. Sensual awareness flickered to life within her. The unexpected reaction took her by complete surprise. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt the primitive surge of desire. She suppressed it quickly. This kind of hormonal rush was the last thing she needed now.

      “Has anyone called you and followed up on the note since we spoke? I expect someone will call to confirm whether or not you received it.”

      “I haven’t heard from anyone.” She could feel the anger he kept in check with his iron will. She suspected it wouldn’t take much to have it come crashing to the surface.

      He studied the closed box. “This bracelet belonged to my daughter. I recognize the little nick over the letter C. My father inscribed it for her. His hands shook at the time. Parkinson’s,” he added, glancing up. His gaze drifted down her body, lingering for a moment on her throat, then her breasts, searching and gaining knowledge far too intimate for strangers.

      On impulse, Amanda used the silence stretching out between them to study him as thoroughly as he’d done her. She had to fight not to smile when she saw the glimmer of surprise on his face.

      Ramos quickly drew back into himself, growing somber. “After all these years, the kidnappers finally get in touch. But the real bottom line is that they’ve chosen to contact me through you. Why do you think that is?”

      “Maybe they want someone less...shall we say, unpredictable to deal with? I’m known in this town and have a very solid reputation as a businessperson and an active citizen.”

      “Meaning I don’t.” He smiled, but it never reached his eyes.

      Amanda shrugged. “You asked for a guess. I gave you one.”

      Tony’s eyes were as dark as a summer storm. Finally he moved over to the window and glanced at the children playing outside. “I hope you’re playing straight with me, Amanda.” His tone made his words half prayer, half threat.

      The way he said her name made a shiver course up her spine. “I am.” An unspoken challenge charged the air between them. She tried to appear in control, but her heart was racing with excitement. “I’ve told you all I know.”

      “Good, because I can be very unpleasant when someone crosses me.” Ramos turned and trapped her gaze. “Given a choice, that’s not the way I’d like things to be between you and me.”

      Amanda forced herself to remain very still. “Tell me, Mr. Ramos, which part of that was a threat, the first or the second?”

      The corners of his mouth twitched, but he didn’t crack a smile. “You don’t rattle easily.”

      “I can’t afford that luxury. I run a day-care center filled with toddlers,” she said, reminding herself to stay cool. Despite his charm and soft voice, he was a man of violence. She couldn’t allow herself to forget that.

      “I wish I could tell you that I know precisely what being around toddlers is like, but I can’t. My child is gone, and that’s a situation I intend to rectify, no matter who I have to walk over or how long it takes.”

      Amanda heard, as well as felt, the steel-hard determination in his voice. She was a good judge of character and, right now, all her instincts were telling her that Ramos meant trouble. He would do whatever was necessary to get his child back, regardless of the consequences. She could understand that, even support it, but she had to make sure he didn’t run roughshod over her and jeopardize everything she valued in the process.

      Tony eased the note and the box back into the envelope and picked it up by the edges. “I’ll be back after I run this by a few of my sources.”

      “No, you won’t. You can call me here, but I do not want you coming by again. Is that clear? I won’t refuse to help you, though your reputation precedes you. However, I cannot afford to have the parents of the children in my care getting nervous.”

      “The more people I make nervous, the sooner I get my little girl back,” he said coldly.

      After Tony left, the room felt oddly empty. His intensity and rough

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