Read Online The Fall of Maggie Brown by Anne Stuart - Free Book Online
Authors: Anne Stuart
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son of a—”
“Watch your mouth, Maggie,” he drawled. The word hung between them, loaded. He’d done more than watch her mouth. And she’d responded, to his everlasting shock.
“Wait till we get back to the hotel,
niña
,” Elena murmured. “You never know who might be listening.”
It was dark enough in the alleyway that Frazer didn’t have to conceal his surprise. Elena was one of the shrewdest, toughest women he knew, and she didn’t have much use for the rest of her gender. And yet she was surprisingly solicitous of his pain-in-the-butt companion. Not like Elena at all.
He waited until they were inside the small lobby of Elena’s hotel. “What the hell did you mean, bringing her there?” he demanded in his fluent San Pablo dialect.
“Speak English, Frazer,” Elena admonished him in that language. “It’s rude to hold a conversation that other people can’t understand.”
He was not only fluent in San Pablo Spanish but adept at swear words, and he let loose with a torrent that would have made a sailor blush. Elena only smiled. “Behave yourself,” she said sternly. “The
niña
would have gone out alone looking for you, and heaven knows what kind of trouble she would have gotten herself into. It was lucky I decided to look after the poor baby.”
“She’s probably older than you,” he growled, lapsing into English.
“Only in years, Frazer. She’s as innocent as a babe when it comes to men like you.”
“You may as well speak in Spanish if you’re not going to include me in the conversation,” Maggie broke in, clearly irritated.
“Go up to bed,” Frazer growled.
“Not until you answer some questions. Who’s El Gallito? And why were we heading south when my sister is in the mountains?”
“That’s what Salazar says. What makes you think he’s to be trusted?” Frazer countered, annoyed. He’d hoped she’d missed the reference to El Gallito.
“What makes you think I’d trust you?” she snapped.
“Because you were fool enough to come with me. If you don’t trust me then why the hell did you hire me?”
“Because I didn’t have any choice. Now I do. I imagine Señor Salazar could find someone to help me—”
“You know what Salazar said when we left?” he asked her in a silky voice. “He told me to do you one time for him. And that if he were ten years younger you wouldn’t have left the room. He wasn’t talking about choice, either, sugar. You go back there and he’s not going to give a damn about those ten years.”
She looked shocked, and he muttered another, obscure curse word. Elena was right—she was an absolute infant in the ways of San Pablo. If he wasn’t there watching out for her she might disappear into one of Salazar’s cribs and never be heard from again.
He didn’t like to think what The Professor would say to that. He didn’t like to think how he’d feel about it himself, either. He didn’t like her, that much was sure. She was prissy and annoying and inconvenient, and the last thing he wanted to do was play nursemaid.
Of course, the first thing he wanted to do was take her up to that bed, strip off her clothes and spend the rest of the night helping her grow up. The fact that he wasn’t going to touch her again wasn’t helping his thoroughly bad mood.
“Go up to bed, Maggie,” he said again, weary now. “If we want to get a decent start you’ll need to get some sleep.”
“Where are you going to sleep?”
“Are you offering to share the bed?” He didn’t bother waiting for her outraged denial. “I’ll be sleeping on the floor. Don’t worry—I’ve slept in worse places.”
“I’m not worried. I just don’t want any unexpected visitors.”
He allowed himself a slow, lazy grin, one that effectively terrified most men. She blinked at him, uncertain what to think. “They won’t get past me. Tomorrow we’ll head south…”
“West,” she said. “Salazar said she was in the west, in the mountains.”
“And you
“Watch your mouth, Maggie,” he drawled. The word hung between them, loaded. He’d done more than watch her mouth. And she’d responded, to his everlasting shock.
“Wait till we get back to the hotel,
niña
,” Elena murmured. “You never know who might be listening.”
It was dark enough in the alleyway that Frazer didn’t have to conceal his surprise. Elena was one of the shrewdest, toughest women he knew, and she didn’t have much use for the rest of her gender. And yet she was surprisingly solicitous of his pain-in-the-butt companion. Not like Elena at all.
He waited until they were inside the small lobby of Elena’s hotel. “What the hell did you mean, bringing her there?” he demanded in his fluent San Pablo dialect.
“Speak English, Frazer,” Elena admonished him in that language. “It’s rude to hold a conversation that other people can’t understand.”
He was not only fluent in San Pablo Spanish but adept at swear words, and he let loose with a torrent that would have made a sailor blush. Elena only smiled. “Behave yourself,” she said sternly. “The
niña
would have gone out alone looking for you, and heaven knows what kind of trouble she would have gotten herself into. It was lucky I decided to look after the poor baby.”
“She’s probably older than you,” he growled, lapsing into English.
“Only in years, Frazer. She’s as innocent as a babe when it comes to men like you.”
“You may as well speak in Spanish if you’re not going to include me in the conversation,” Maggie broke in, clearly irritated.
“Go up to bed,” Frazer growled.
“Not until you answer some questions. Who’s El Gallito? And why were we heading south when my sister is in the mountains?”
“That’s what Salazar says. What makes you think he’s to be trusted?” Frazer countered, annoyed. He’d hoped she’d missed the reference to El Gallito.
“What makes you think I’d trust you?” she snapped.
“Because you were fool enough to come with me. If you don’t trust me then why the hell did you hire me?”
“Because I didn’t have any choice. Now I do. I imagine Señor Salazar could find someone to help me—”
“You know what Salazar said when we left?” he asked her in a silky voice. “He told me to do you one time for him. And that if he were ten years younger you wouldn’t have left the room. He wasn’t talking about choice, either, sugar. You go back there and he’s not going to give a damn about those ten years.”
She looked shocked, and he muttered another, obscure curse word. Elena was right—she was an absolute infant in the ways of San Pablo. If he wasn’t there watching out for her she might disappear into one of Salazar’s cribs and never be heard from again.
He didn’t like to think what The Professor would say to that. He didn’t like to think how he’d feel about it himself, either. He didn’t like her, that much was sure. She was prissy and annoying and inconvenient, and the last thing he wanted to do was play nursemaid.
Of course, the first thing he wanted to do was take her up to that bed, strip off her clothes and spend the rest of the night helping her grow up. The fact that he wasn’t going to touch her again wasn’t helping his thoroughly bad mood.
“Go up to bed, Maggie,” he said again, weary now. “If we want to get a decent start you’ll need to get some sleep.”
“Where are you going to sleep?”
“Are you offering to share the bed?” He didn’t bother waiting for her outraged denial. “I’ll be sleeping on the floor. Don’t worry—I’ve slept in worse places.”
“I’m not worried. I just don’t want any unexpected visitors.”
He allowed himself a slow, lazy grin, one that effectively terrified most men. She blinked at him, uncertain what to think. “They won’t get past me. Tomorrow we’ll head south…”
“West,” she said. “Salazar said she was in the west, in the mountains.”
“And you
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