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But, she was forced to remind herself, nothing in life was black and white.

‘You may not find me fascinating but you’re impressed enough by my money,’ Javier murmured, his voice soft, amused and cool enough to let her know that what Carlos had always said about him thinking that money could buy anything was completely on target.

‘I’m not at all impressed by your money,’ Hope said with equal coolness. ‘I have my reasons. One of which is that if I’m going to put my life on hold for a week and a half, at this time of the year when I’m rushed off my feet, simply so that I can do you the favour of trying to find your brother, then I’m not doing it because you’re a great guy. I’m doing it for your brother. But, if I’m to do it, if I’m to rearrange my work schedule to fit in with you, why would I say no to being compensated for my effort? If you really think I’m an opportunist, then you’re welcome to walk away right now and do whatever it is you feel you need to do.’

‘Well spoken,’ Javier murmured. ‘Honest. I like it. Get past the arguing and we might be able to rub along with some semblance of civility. And as for thinking that you’re an opportunist? I know exactly where my brother’s money goes. If you were an opportunist I would have seen evidence of that a long time ago and would have already dealt with it.’

He went silent as their food was brought to them. Somewhere inside there was a stirring of reluctant admiration.

His experience with members of the opposite sex, or at least those he hadn’t met across a boardroom table, included the easy expectation that they would fall in line and agree with everything he had to say.

Frankly, very few people bucked the trend.

With the exception of Gerry, his driver, and some selective family members.

But this woman… Those clear green eyes that met his and didn’t look away. She was definitely not like anyone else.

It suddenly struck him that it was more than that.

This woman didn’t actually like him very much…

He inwardly winced at the way his body had responded to her earlier. The way he’d been, just for a fleeting moment in time, fired up by her attractiveness. Even though, on the surface, she was the last sort of woman he would go for.

He flushed darkly at his own weakness and began eating, glancing across at her as she toyed with the pasta on her plate and chose to completely ignore him.

At least for the moment.

He wasn’t used to being ignored. ‘Let me fill in the gaps,’ he eventually said with just an edge of irritation. ‘I know I said five but, on reflection, I expect that if my brother has taken refuge in one of the Mendoza properties, it’ll be in one of just two. The one in the Caribbean and the one in Mexico. He won’t go to my place in Madrid—it’s too close. The properties in New York and Hong Kong are apartments with uniformed security in the foyer. If Carlos was there, I would have been informed, even if he had sworn whoever was on the desk to secrecy.’

‘Can I just say, there’s something a little Big Brother about that?’

‘Needs must,’ Javier said dismissively. ‘I do what I have to do to look out for my brother. Next question?’

‘Okay. So, how long should all this take? You mentioned something before about ten days?’

‘I would work on a week but yes, to be safe, allow for a week and a half.’

‘And to clarify, how would this situation actually…unfold? We fly over, get a cab to wherever these houses are, have a quick check to make sure all the rooms are empty and no one’s hiding in a cupboard or under a rug, and then leave for destination number two? Quick question, don’t you have staff in either of them who can just tell you whether or not Carlos is there?’

‘I repeat, the fewer people who know that I’m looking for my brother, the better.’

‘You’re very private, aren’t you?’ Hope coiled some pasta round her fork and ate it, dabbing her chin in the process and wishing she’d chosen something less messy.

‘You have sauce on your chin.’

Hope blushed and dabbed a bit more. She wasn’t looking at him, but she could feel him looking at her. She felt suddenly self-conscious in her outfit of faded jeans and jumper, sitting opposite a guy who could have stepped straight out of a magazine.

What on earth was she signing up for with this crazily attractive, arrogant, unbearable man?

She sneaked a glance at him and felt the thrill of something very much like danger.

And excitement.

Frankly, this was the most exciting thing that had happened to her in a long time.

After her one so-called Big Romance, which had crashed and burned two years previously, excitement for Hope had largely been along the lines of movie nights with her girlfriends, hanging out with Carlos in her role of close friend and ad hoc therapist, and watching Netflix with her cat.

Men had been firmly put on the back burner and, until she got her emotional house back in order, she was determined they would stay there until further notice.