Come Toy with Me

Tucking her notebook back into her pocket, Cat firmly pushed all thoughts of the attractive stranger, the upcoming ball and the questions shewould have to handle from her stepmother firmly out of her mind. She had much bigger problems.

Those missing dolls. Striding to the small space behind the cash register, she opened a manila folder and thumbed through the orders she’d removed from her files earlier in the day. Twenty-four children were going to be disappointed if Matt Winslow didn’t get the shipment out of Paxco. And right now twenty-four unhappy customers were waiting to hear from her—and she didn’t have any news to give them. Closing the folder, she tucked it into her tote bag.

She hadn’t been able to get through to Matt all day, and he hadn’t answered any of the messages she’d left on his voice mail. She also hadn’t been able to contact Juan Rivero, the man who’d called her yesterday to tell her the shipment of dolls might be delayed.

Taking out her cell, Cat punched in Matt’s number again. Listening to the rings, she paced back to the window and scanned the street for her FedEx man. There was still a chance…But the only truck she spotted was delivering soft drinks to the bar across the street.

Cat closed her eyes and swore under her breath. The same bar where she was supposed to be meeting her father right now! Whirling, she dashed back to the counter and grabbed her tote. She was about to close her cell, when she heard the faint voice in her ear.

“Cat?”

She raced to the second step of the spiral staircase where reception for her cell was usually clearest.

“Matt, where are you? Tell me you’ve shipped the dolls.”

The only reply she received was a burst of static.

“Matt? Are you there?”

“Bad…”

“What?” Please not bad news, Cat prayed.

“Connection…terrible.”

He was right about that. His voice was fading in and out. Cat bit back on her impulse to ask him why he hadn’t called all day. Only one thing mattered now. “Tell me you shipped the dolls.”

“…tomorrow…Thursday…”

Therewas another burst of static.Whichwas it? Did he mean that they wouldn’t ship until tomorrow? Or that they would arrive tomorrow? Thursday was two days from now. Cat swallowed her disappointment. Starting tomorrow afternoon, there could be delays because of that Nor’eastermoving up the coast.

“…want to be there…to open them. Need to…”

“Did you ship all of them?”

There was another burst of static and then the connection was broken. Cat punched in Matt’s number again, but this time she was transferred to his voice mail.

“Call me back with the tracking number,” she said.

She’d feel better once she had something more concrete to go on.

In the meantime, her father was waiting, and tardiness had always been an issue with him. She set the security alarm, locked the door behind her, dashed toward the curb and quickly threaded her way through traffic to Patty’s Pub. Through the window, she spotted her father already seated at one of the tables.

For the first time all day, she had time to wonder just what urgent matter had brought her father all the way down to this end of town.

THE PHONE RANG, and the hand that reached for the receiver trembled slightly. Breathe. Don’t panic. “Hello.”

“Where are the dolls?” The voice on the other end of the line was soft and chilling.

Ashudderwas ruthlessly suppressed. “They’ve been delayed. They should arrive tomorrow—Thursday at the latest.”

The long silence caused a fresh flutter of panic.

“You’ll be in the shop when the shipment arrives?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“I’ll expect the doll I ordered no later than Thursday. Otherwise…”

The line went dead.

3

JAMES MCGUIRE ROSE as his daughter threaded her way through the packed restaurant. The crowd was a lively one, and the noise level nearly succeeded in muting the tinny-sounding Christmas carols that poured through the speakers. He’d arrived half an hour early and tipped the hostess to find him a table.

This wasn’t the type of place hewould have chosen, but he’d learned years ago to pick his battles with his daughter. And a pretty little waitress named Colleen had informed him that the Mulligan’s stewhere had been written up in the Zagat’s guide.

A rush of love moved through him when Cat wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug. When he drew back, he held on to her for a moment and studied her face. Just as he’d suspected, there were circles under her eyes. Even as a child, she’d always given every project she worked on her all. It was high time she had something in her life besides that toy store. “It’s been too long, little girl. You have to get away from that store sometimes. I miss you.”

“You could always come down to this end of town and visit me in the Cheshire Cat,” she said.

McGuire winced a little. “Touché. One guilt trip deserves another. Sit down. I ordered you a glass of your favorite wine. Pouilly-Fuissé, right?”

“Right.”

“Colleen here recommended the Mulligan’s stew, so I took the liberty of ordering that, too. I’ll bet you didn’t take time for lunch today.”

Cat narrowed her eyes on her father. “You want something. Why don’t you just come out with it?”

“Now, Cat, can’t you believe your dad just wanted to see you?”

Her eyes narrowed even more. “Maybe when pigs fly.”

He threw back his head and laughed. “Never could put one over on you, could I?”

“Maybe when I was six.”

He raised his glass. “At least take a sip of that wine. It costs the earth.”

Cat’s brows shot up as she reached for her wine. “And that single malt Scotch you’re drinking doesn’t?”

He merely smiled as he touched his glass to hers. “To a very happy holiday season.”

Cat sipped her wine. “You’ve got that gleam in your eyes. You’re up to something. If you came all the way down here to make sure I’m going to Gianna’s big charity ball on Thursday, I’ll be there. I also bought tickets for Adelaide, Josie and Matt. He should be back from Mexico by then.”

“Mexico?” He had to tread carefully. He wasn’t supposed to know much about her store.

She smiled as she took another sip of wine. “He’s in this little village. I’ve told you about Paxco, haven’t I?”

“Remind me,” he said. She actually started to glow when she talked about her business. It was something she rarely spoke of when the family gathered because of Gianna’s preference that she get out of retail. His wife had even gone so far as to offer her a job at Merceri Bank.

“Matt had to fly down there yesterday because this one shipment of dolls has been delayed. If it doesn’t get here, there are going to be twenty-four little girls who won’t get what they want from Santa.”

No wonder she was worried, McGuire thought. Her mother had died on Christmas Eve, and ever since then, Cat had put a lot of effort into making sure that everything was perfect at Christmastime. He’d done the same for her. But he couldn’t read any sign that she suspected something other than dollmaking was going on in Paxco. He placed a hand over hers. “Don’t worry, little girl. They’ll get here.”

She lifted her chin. “I know that, and that’s exactly what I told my worried customers. I’m hoping they shipped today and they’ll arrive tomorrow or Thursday. Friday at the latest.”

She sipped more wine. “Still, I’ll feel better when Matt calls back and gives me a tracking number. The connection I had with him was very bad.”

McGuire studied his daughter. He didn’t like it one bit that one of the shipments from Paxco was delayed. If something happened to prevent the drugs from arriving, or even worse, if someone at the other end had gotten greedy, it might very well increase the danger to Cat.

Thank heavens, Dino Angelis would be at her side beginning tomorrow morning.

“About Gianna’s ball…”

Cat met his eyes. “I told you I’ll be there.”

“But you don’t have a date.”

“And just how do you know that?”

Hearing the thread of annoyance in her tone, he took a drink of his Scotch. “A smart army man never reveals his sources.”

Cat regarded him steadily as she took another taste of wine.

“All I want is a favor. I’d look upon it as your Christmas gift to me. And you can check Gianna off your list at the same time. I’m offering you a two-for-the-price-of-one deal.”

She still said nothing. McGuire wondered not for the first time why she couldn’t have taken more after Nancy than him.

“C’mon, Cat. Your daddy shouldn’t have to beg.”

Cat threw up both of her hands. “Okay. I’m not agreeing to anything yet. Just what is it that you want me to do?”

“Just get engaged for Christmas.”

CAT STARED at her father. She sincerely hoped that her mouth hadn’t dropped open because she knew that was just the reaction he was hoping for. Her mom and dad had always played chess together, and after her mother had died, she’d asked her father to teach her the game. But even after she’d joined the chess team at school, she’d never been able to beat him. He was a master strategist. Just what was he up to? “You’re joking.”

“I couldn’t be more serious.”

She glanced at his drink. “How many of those did you have while you were waiting for me?”

He shook his head sadly. “Is that anything for a respectful daughter to ask her father?”

She sipped her wine and leaned back in her chair. “Are you going to tell me what you’re up to?”

“Thought you’d never ask. Gianna has gotten herself into a little scrape.” He told her the same story he’d told Dino Angelis and watched her eyes widen. Unlike the navy captain, she’d had the experience of meeting Lucia Merceri.

“So the Queen of Hearts is going to arrive tomorrow and catch her daughter in a lie?”

“Unless I solve the problem.”

“How?”

“It’s simple. I’ve hired you a fiancé for Christmas.”

“You’ve what?”

Several people in the immediate area sent glances her way, so Cat clamped down on her emotions and hissed, “You’ve hired me a fiancé? And where, pray tell, did you get him—some kind of escort service?”

Colleen appeared at their table and set down two bowls of Mulligan’s stew. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

Cat managed a tight smile. “No.” But she would have liked to order a bucket of cold icewater to pour over her father’s head.

As if sensing the tension at the table, Colleen’s bright smile wavered. “Enjoy your meal.” Then she scurried away.

“You’ve scared that poor little waitress.”

Keeping her voice pitched low, Cat leaned forward. “Don’t you put that on me. If you don’t tell me what you’re up to, you may end up wearing what’s left of my very expensive wine.”

He spread his hands, palms outward. “I’m just trying to make everyone happy for Christmas.”

He wasn’t lying about that. If anyone had ever captured the essence of the spirit of Saint Nick, Colonel James T. McGuire had. From the time she was little, even before her mother’s death, he’d always tried to figure out what she wanted most and then he’d put all his efforts into getting it for her. Within reason, of course. But since he’d married Gianna, he’d shifted his focus to his wife.

“I thought Gianna already had her Christmas wish. Lucy is due to deliver little Merry any day now.”

“She’s trying to hold off until after the charity ball.”

That didn’t surprise Cat. If Lucy managed to pull it off, her stepmother would have all her family around her at the ball and still have her first granddaughter by Christmas.

Her father laid his hand over hers. “Lucia Merceri will only be in town until New Year’s Day. And as soon as little Merry arrives, her attention will be diverted.”

She managed not to grit her teeth. “And how is Lucia Merceri going to react when she discovers the whole thing was a trick?” Cat jabbed a finger in his direction. “I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes when she figures out we lied to her.” She frowned. “Matter of fact, I wouldn’t want to be in my shoes.”

“Not to worry.” Her father picked up a fork and dug into his stew. “We’ve got that all worked out. Gianna will just weave her mother another story. A month from now, you’re going to have a falling-out with Navy Captain Dino Angelis.”

Cat had scooped up a bite of her stew, but the fork slipped from her fingers and clattered back into the bowl. “A month? You can’t expect me to carry on this masquerade for a month. I won’t.”

Her father wiggled his fork at her. “Relax. You’ll get through the month just the way you got through the last month—the secret dating and engagement part.”

Cat’s hands fisted on the table. “The secret dating and engagement part?”

Her father took a manila envelope out of his pocket and pushed it toward her. “The back story is all in there—exactly what Gianna told her mother—from the first time you met to your romantic trysts at the Waldorf right up to when he popped the question on the skating rink at Rockefeller Center.”

Cat’s eyes narrowed. Her father knew her weaknesses. She loved to skate, but she barely had time for it anymore. “He doesn’t skate.”

Her father beamed a triumphant smile at her. “He was captain of his hockey team in high school.”

She wanted to bang her head on the table. He was outmaneuvering her at every turn. “And just where did you dig up this navy captain who skates?”

“Captain Angelis works for your godfather, Admiral Maxwell. I’ve already filled the captain in on his back story.”

“And he agreed to go along with this charade?”

“Your godfather persuaded him.”

Bribed him, Cat thought. Though she’d experienced firsthand just how persuasive Uncle Bobby could be. He was almost as gifted as her father was at making people dance to his tune. She could feel herself weakening.

“Captain Angelis has a two-week leave which he intends to spend with you meeting your family. But who knows? Something might come up, and Bobby could call him back early. The important thing is that we get through the Christmas season and send Lucia Merceri happily back to Rome.”

Cat liked Gianna, and she could fully understand the desire to placate Lucia. The woman was scary. She reached for her wine, took another sip, and gave up. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

“Atta girl. I knew you’d come through for your old dad.” Her father dug into his stew. “Eat up. You’re wasting away.”

Cat ate a carrot, then said, “When do I get to meet Navy Captain Dino Angelis?”

“Tomorrow morning. He’s scheduled to arrive at The Cheshire Cat no later than eleven hundred hours.”

Cat shifted her attention from her stew to her father. “The store is going to be packed with customers. Shouldn’t we meet privately first?”

“When?”

Cat sighed. He was right of course.

“Besides,” he continued, “you’ll have plenty of time to talk. I’ve arranged for him to stay in the apartment next to yours.”

“He’s staying in my building? What about the Waldorf? Isn’t that where you said we had our little romantic trysts?”

Her father’s brows shot up. “That was when you were keeping your relationship a secret. There’s no need for that anymore. Now your job is to convince everyone that your relationship is real. He’ll be able to walk you home at night. To all outward appearances, he’ll be staying with you.” He cleared his throat. “Which is what I assume would be happening if he were your real fiancé.”

He reached over and patted her hand. “Besides, with your busy schedule, you wouldn’t have any time to go uptown anyway.You couldn’t even meetmefor drinks at theAlgonquin.”

Cat mulled it over in her mind.

“The two of you are going to have to spend time together. Lucia Merceri is a sharp woman. She’ll be grilling you separately on how you met, when you first fell in love.”

Cat stifled an inward sigh.

“Spending time together will give you time to get your stories straight. Make sure you’re on the same page. And think of the upside.”

Cat’s tone was dry. “If there’s an upside to this, don’t keep me in the dark.”

Her father grinned at her. “You’ll have an extra person to help out in your store just when you need it the most.”

For the second time in as many minutes, Cat badly wanted to bang her head on the table. But she didn’t. Her father was right, of course. She could use some help in the store. But he wasn’t going to have it all his way. “This navy captain can move in for eleven days. That will get us to New Year’s Day. Then Uncle Bobby is calling him back to the Pentagon.”

“Deal.”

James McGuire held out his hand, and Cat shook it.

4

FROM HIS POSITION in the short alleyway that ran along the side of the Cheshire Cat, Dino had a clear view of the window in Patty’s Pub that framed Cat McGuire and her father. When he saw father and daughter shake hands, he knew that his fate had been sealed. He dug his hands deeper into the pockets of his bomber jacket. The sky was clear and the temperature was hovering at the freezing mark. But watching Colonel McGuire persuade his daughter into accepting a fake fiancé had proved highly entertaining.

Dino had arrived while Cat still had customers in her shop—so he could familiarize himself with the area, he’d told himself. Along with his detailed cover story, McGuire had provided a hand-drawn map, so Dino knew that the alleyway emptied into a courtyard that backed into Cat’s apartment building and that Cat used it to get to and from work. Not the safest route, he mused.

McGuire’s conversation with Cat had not gone smoothly. His daughter had a temper. He’d read it in her body language and in her gestures. There was a lot of raw, pent-up passion in Ms. Cat McGuire, and he knew that was part of the reason he was drawn to her.

Keeping Cat safe was a trickier assignment than any he’d ever taken on under Maxwell’s command. It would have been a far easier task if he were just going to be her bodyguard. But the other role McGuire had required—acting the part of Cat’s head-over-heels-in-love fiancé and lover—was going to challenge his ability to remain coolly objective.

Even through a plate glass windowand at a distance of some fifty yards, he felt the steady beat of desire in his blood. For the first time in his life he wondered if he would be able to control it. He wanted her with an intensity that he couldn’t fathom. Nothing, no one had ever pushed him to the edge like this.

Oh, he might tell himself that he had a job to do, and mixing business with pleasure would distract him and possibly jeopardize Cat’s life. But no amount of lecturing could erase the vision that he’d had earlier of the two of them making love. Was it a premonition of the future or simply a fantasy? He’d always believed that the Fates offered choices, but he was beginning to wonder if he was going to be able to make the right one where Cat McGuire was concerned.

The other problem—as if his intense attraction to Catwasn’t enough—was he had a strong feeling that James McGuire hadn’t told him everything. And going into an operation without all the intelligence that was available was dangerous.

Thatwaswhy he’d contacted his navy buddy Jase Campbell right after he’d spoken with his mother. Dino not only needed some backup, he also needed Jase’s high-tech expertise.

The question was what was McGuire hiding? The most obvious answer was that Cat McGuire was up to her neck in a highly profitable smuggling operation. James McGuire might not believe she was involved—but his opinion was biased.

Dino had to make sure that his wasn’t. Cat McGuire might not be aware of the fact that the profits were being funneled to terrorists, but she was the obvious prime suspect to be on the receiving end of the smuggled drugs.

Otherwise, how could it all be happening under her nose? Unless she was stupid, and Dino didn’t think she was. Neither did the feds.

At least McGuire hadn’t lied about that. There was at least one other person watching Cat and her father tonight. Dino had spotted the man huddled in the doorway of the shop next to the Cheshire Cat when he’d strolled down the street and into the alley. The guy had been too well dressed to be homeless, and he hadn’t even bothered with some kind of disguise. Of course, the feds had never been known for their creativity. He himself had brought along a camera, a guide book, plus a shopping bag stuffed with gifts.

When a tall figure moved in the shadows at the mouth of the alley, Dino closed a hand around the gun in his pocket and slipped behind one of the Dumpsters that flanked the alleyway door to Cat’s toy store. It wasn’t the fed he’d spotted earlier. That guy had been shorter, stockier. He listened, not breathing, for any sound at all. An engine grumbled as a truck rolled past on the street.

The voice when it came was low-pitched and uncomfortably close. “I come in peace. Don’t shoot me.”

Dino drew his hand out of his pocket. Jase Campbell could move more quietly than anyone he knew. “That was a risky move. I might have shot you.”

“Nah.” There was a wealth of humor in Jase’s hushed voice. “I would have taken you down before you ever drew your weapon. Remember that time in Afghanistan?”

“Yeah.” Dino never forgot the times he’d almost bought it. “You saved my life.”

“It was a mutual saving that time. Your hunches and my moves. They’re a pretty unbeatable combination.”

“I hope so.” Dino moved out from behind the Dumpster to where he could once more see Cat and her father. They were eating, and the tension he’d seen earlier had eased. “I need more than your pretty moves this time around. I need your high-tech expertise. Any possibilities on who’s leaking information on an ongoing CIA investigation to Colonel James McGuire?”

Jake’s chuckle was low-pitched as he materialized out of the darkness. “No proof. But I have a prime suspect. You know, there’s a nice little pub across the street. We could have a beer while I report.”

“My job and her father are sitting in the window right beneath the Guinness sign.”

Jase turned to look and gave a soft whistle. “She’s certainly a looker. I wouldn’t mind playacting the part of her fiancé.”

“You want to bodyguard someone who can’t know you’re bodyguarding her?” And touch her and kiss her in public and still retain a clear head?

Jase sighed. “There’s always a catch to these dream jobs.”

“That’s where you come in. I need a second set of eyes.” He’d filled Jase in earlier on everything he knew about the case—which was limited to what McGuire had told him. Jase was going to provide backup twenty-four-seven. “There’s a fed in the doorway next to her shop.”

“Not anymore. He took off when I asked him for a match.”

Dino grinned. “He’ll be back.”

“Hopefully, he’ll find a more, shall we say, subtle hiding place.”

“Where’s your man stationed?”

“He’s already in her apartment building. I figured you and I could see she got inside safely. You think the danger is imminent?”

“I don’t think anything yet. I’m not even willing to believe she’s as innocent as her father says she is. I’m just playing it safe. Drugs, money and terrorists. There could be some pretty ruthless people involved in this.”

Cat and her father had risen from their table and were pulling on coats as they threaded their way to the door of the pub.

“So who’s your prime suspect at the CIA?”

“You’re going to love this. Jack Phillips, Cat’s uncle and McGuire’s brother-in-law by his first wife, is a career man at the CIA. He’s never risen up through the ranks because he has a reputation of being a bit of a rogue. He and McGuire aren’t on the best of terms, but I figure Phillips might be feeding information to McGuire to ensure his niece’s safety.”

When Cat and McGuire appeared at the mouth of the alleyway, Dino and Jase faded back behind the Dumpster.