Captain's Paradise by Kay Hooper Page A

just a few hours later when she got her chance. Sheand Michael finally had found the tavern Dane told them about.
    The bar rejoicing in the name Gold Coast turned out to be just what Dane had called it—a dive. Sandwiched between two pawnshops with heavily barred windows and located on a side street in the worst part of the city, the tavern was dank, dark, filled with smoke, and echoing with the harsh sounds of coarse laughter. There were several rickety tables around which card games were going on; the long wooden bar was stained and splintered; and the bartender boasted the tattoo of a naked woman on one corded forearm and a ship’s anchor on the other.
    Standing beside Michael outside and peering cautiously through a dirty window, Robin shivered inwardly. The man they had come to see was easily visible at the far end of the bar, and he looked more dangerous than any other man in the room. Just as Dane had described, “Jack” was huge, massive really, heavily bearded, and when he ordered another drink, she could see that several of his teeth were missing.
    She could feel Michael tensing even though his face remained expressionless, and when he began to move toward the door she quickly grabbed his arm. “Wait!” she whispered.
    His voice was low as well. “You stay here. And keep in the shadows. If anything happens to me—”
    Robin wrapped both hands around his muscled arm and held on grimly. “Michael, you can’t go in there. We’ve been standing here ten minutes, and there have already been three fights. There’s no way you can expect to go in there asking suspicious questions and still come out alive!”
    He looked down at her, mouth tightening. “What choice do I have, Robin?”
    “You’re not even armed.”
    “They’d kill me for sure if I was.”
    “Wait,” she insisted, turning her head to look back into the tavern. “Let me think a minute.”
    Michael drew a deep breath. “It won’t be the first time I’ve gone into a place like this. I can handle it.”
    “I’m sure you can,” she said almost absently, staring into the tavern with her eyes suddenly narrowed. “But there’d be some kind of fight. You’re too dangerous; it shows too plainly. You’d be a threat to them.”
    “Robin—”
    She looked back at him quickly. “We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves, do we? That’s the last thing we need.”
    “Agreed. But there isn’t a choice.”
    She lifted her chin and struggled to hide the terror she felt. “Yes, there is. I can go in.”
    “You?” He laughed shortly.
    Robin hoped he was strong enough that he didn’t feel a need to prove it with macho stand-back-little-woman-and-let-me-do-it determination. Steadily she said, “I’ve done something like this before. Please, Michael, trust me. I know what I’m doing. But I’ll need a couple of props.”
    “Props?” He was staring down at her, frowning.
    “Yes. That pawnshop over there is still open. Try to find a necklace with a crucifix on it—thebigger the better. And if they have any clothing, get a pair of long pants for me; it’ll be better if they don’t fit.”
    He was still frowning a little, but understanding had dawned. “What if it doesn’t work, Robin?”
    She managed a faint smile. “Then you’re the rescue team.”
    Michael hesitated, but he had a good idea of what she had in mind and there was a chance it would work. If he had been partnered with a female agent on an assignment, he wouldn’t have hesitated at all; as it was, he was worried about Robin and uncertain of her abilities. “Are you sure you’ve done something like this before?” he asked finally.
    “Yes. And for the same reason. To get information.”
    “Wait here,” he said, and headed next door to the pawnshop.
    Robin closed her eyes briefly and commanded herself to stop shaking. Still, it took a ridiculous amount of time to remove her shoelaces becauseher hands trembled so. She arranged her long hair in two ponytails and used