by Marie Astor
“Yes, Armand.” Leonard bowed sheepishly.
“I would say it was a pleasure knowing you, except it wasn’t,” Bassand said dryly, looking down at Janet and Dennis. “Smalltime amateurs like you don’t make deals with someone like me. Oh, and don’t even bother trying to call for help. This room is sound and signal-proof. No one will ever know you’re here.” Bassand offered his arm to Nicole. “It’s time, my dear. We don’t want to keep our host waiting.”
“Yes, Armand.” Nicole took Bassand’s arm and together they walked out of the room without as much as a glance at Janet and Dennis.
“Et tu, Brute?” Dennis asked once the door closed behind Nicole and Bassand. “How could you betray us after everything we’ve been through—”
“You don’t exactly inspire loyalty,” Leonard snapped. “But you’ll be glad to know—”
“What do you plan to do with us now? Gas us, feed us to the stray dogs?” Dennis went on.
“Stop giving him ideas!” Janet exclaimed. Even now Dennis couldn’t stop needling Leonard—in all fairness, she could hardly blame him for switching allegiance to Bassand.
“Shhh!” Leonard pressed his index finger to his lips. “Keep it down. Are you sure they’re gone?”
“They’re gone all right,” Dennis carried on. “So what now? Are you going to do your master’s bidding and dispose of us? The only question is, are you prepared to serve a life sentence while Bassand enjoys himself somewhere in the Caribbean or the French Riviera?”
“Stop winding him up,” Janet cut in. “You’re making it worse.”
“No I’m not. I’m making him realize that he doesn’t have the guts to go through with this and that he should untie us and let us go. And then maybe, just maybe we’ll put in a good word to the FBI for him and he might still get the deal he struck with the feds.”
Dennis was so busy talking, he failed to notice that Leonard was hard at work undoing Janet’s restraints he’d tied so meticulously just a few minutes ago.
Once Leonard had removed the rope, Janet rubbed her wrists. “Thanks. My hands were beginning to get numb.”
“Sorry about that,” Leonard said guiltily. “Nicole was watching my every move. I had to make it believable.”
“You’ve certainly succeeded in that,” Dennis snapped. “Wait, what’s going on here?”
“Leonard’s on our side, that’s what’s going on,” Janet explained. “Isn’t it, Leonard?”
Leonard nodded and started undoing Dennis’s restraints.
“So you didn’t tell Armand about us working for the FBI?” Dennis asked, looking dumbfounded.
“Nope.” Leonard shook his head, busy untying the ropes on Dennis’s wrists.
“So what did Nicole mean when she said she and Armand were on to us?” Dennis demanded.
“Just that—they think you plan to cheat them out of their share of the Eternal Light. They don’t know anything about the feds being on to them.”
“How do we know you’re not lying?” Dennis eyed him suspiciously.
“Would I untie you if I were lying?” Leonard shot back.
“Maybe you’re playing both angles. Why didn’t you warn us about this if you knew it were going to happen?” Dennis countered, staring him down.
“I didn’t know. I swear,” Leonard protested. “Bassand and Nicole told me about their plan minutes before you arrived. They gave me an ultimatum—do this or get out. I figured it best to cooperate to keep my cover going.”
“Good thinking,” Dennis praised him.
“And by the way, since I didn’t say a word to Armand about the feds, my deal with them stands,” Leonard added.
“Of course it does,” Janet assured him. “Now let’s call Agent Norris for backup.”
Chapter 19
At six forty five p.m., Tina walked down the winding staircase to the ground floor of Daniel Garrett’s mansion. She had to take extra care not to trip on the floor-length ballroom gown she was wearing. The flowing, ruffled skirt and the exquisite silk material made her feel like a princess rather than a bodyguard, but the gun she had strapped to her thigh reminded her of the real reason she was playing dress up in Daniel Garrett’s mansion. And if that were not enough, the stylish, but also extremely practical side slit in the gown’s skirt would make it easy for her to pull out the gun at a moment’s notice.
In about fifteen minutes the most notorious art thief in the world was going to walk through the door, and it was her job to make sure that no harm would come to Daniel. Still, despite the somber nature of her task, it had been hard to ignore her reflection in the mirror after her transformation into Daniel Garrett’s fiancée had been completed. The bureau had sent over a beautician to do Tina’s makeup and hair, and she had to admit that she was pleased with the result. The emerald green silk of the gown made a striking contrast with her auburn hair, which was pinned up elaborately and brought out the color of her eyes, artfully accented with makeup. She felt giddy at the thought of Daniel’s reaction—she was going to take his breath away, even if it was going to be only as a pretend fiancée. Dammit, she bit her lip, wishing she could get these ridiculous thoughts out of her head. It was all the dress’s fault. How could a girl keep a cool head in a dress like that? She wished she had jeans and a T-shirt on—this way she could concentrate on her job.
“Wow!”
She turned around at the sound of the familiar voice and felt her face grow warm under Daniel’s admiring gaze.
“You are truly a vision tonight.” He smiled at her—the old flirtatious smile of their first encounter rather than the perfunctory, cool one he’d been hiding behind of late.
“You’re too kind.” She felt her throat tighten, as her eyes locked on Daniel’s. He looked dashing in a tailored tuxedo and bowtie.
“But I believe there is one thing missing—”
“What is it?” She ran her hand through her hair self-consciously, wondering if her updo was too casual or her makeup not glamorous enough for the occasion.
“This.” He held up a velvet jewelry case, popping it open and revealing a diamond necklace with an oval sapphire centerpiece.
“It’s beautiful,” she gasped.
“But don’t you think the gown is enough?” she asked, mesmerized by the striking necklace. The sapphire had to be at least twenty carats. It had to be worth a fortune. What if she had to get into hand-to-hand combat and the clasp got loose or something? She already had so much to worry about.
“It would give me great pleasure if you’d wear it tonight. Please, allow me.” He held the necklace, taking a step closer toward her.
Breathless, she turned around for him to fasten the necklace clasp.
“Stunning,” he said, taking a step back for a better view.
“It is incredible.” She nervously patted the heavy pendant.
“Just one of my latest acquisitions. It used to belong to a famous movie star in the fifties, but I dare say, she couldn’t hold a candle to you.”
“I’m sure that’s not true.” She smiled shyly at him.
“You’ll just have to take my word for it.” He checked his watch, looking concerned. “It seems our guest of honor is delayed. I certainly hope he’s going to show up.”
“It’s probably just bad traffic—not everyone has a helicopter at their disposal.”
“I’m sure Bassand could afford one if he wanted to. In any case, we’re going to enjoy this gala, with or without his presence. Should we take one more tour of the grounds to make sure everything is in order while we wait for the guests to arrive?”
“Great idea—one can never be too careful.” She nodded.
Just then the doorbell rang and Garrett’s butler hurried to answer the door, but Daniel waived him away. “I believe this is our guest of honor arriving—I will greet him personally.”
“Of course, Sir.” The butler stood back respectfully.
“Wait for us in the display room,” Daniel murmured to Tina, squeezing her hand.
>
“See you soon,” Tina said softly, feeling the jolt of electricity as she returned the pressure of his fingers with hers.
A few moments later, Tina was in the room that contained the display case for the Eternal Light. The same room where she and Daniel had their first dinner together during the extravagant visit to his mansion he’d sprung on her after their first meeting. But unlike then, this was real action and she couldn’t afford to blunder. For all intents and purposes, she was Daniel Garrett’s fiancée—an independently wealthy socialite with little else to do but to collect art and be completely devoted to Garrett. The successful outcome of the entire case depended on her playing her role just right, while keeping her vigilance the entire time. Should something go wrong, she had to be ready to act in a matter of seconds to neutralize any potential threat to Garrett. She knew if it came to it, no fancy gown was going to hinder her martial arts moves, and if worse came to worse, there was a gun strapped to her thigh.
She positioned herself to admire the display case, while still having a clear view of the door—an old instinct that was ingrained in her.
A few moments later, the door opened and Daniel appeared on the threshold. Instantly, Tina felt a warning feeling in her stomach. It took less than a fraction of a moment for her to tell from the slightly strained look on his face and the constraint in his stride that something was wrong. Strangely enough, all previous nervousness and misgivings fell away from her, and she felt cool and collected, ready for action. She smiled easily, her face a pleasant mask, as she inwardly geared up for action. Daniel entered the room, very closely followed by a young woman in a black off-shoulder gown whom Tina guessed to be Nicole Sheridan, Bassand’s closest associate. Behind them walked an immaculately dressed man looking to be in his fifties whom she instantly recognized as Bassand himself. After the three of them entered the room, Bassand closed the door behind them. There was no sign of Janet or Dennis, who were supposed to be accompanying Bassand and Nicole. Tina instantly knew that her initial haunch had been correct—something had gone terribly wrong.
“And you must be Christina. How lovely to meet you,” Bassand articulated every syllable in a way that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
“Mr. Bassand, it is truly a delight to meet you.” Tina flashed him her brightest smile, her gaze traveling briefly to Daniel. Should she act now? She could see the warning in Daniel’s eyes, telling her to stand down, and a second later she spotted a glistening object in Nicole’s hand—she had a gun pressed into Daniel’s back.
Bassand intercepted Tina’s gaze and smiled like a cat that had just swallowed a canary. “I see you are a very perceptive young lady, so we might as well dispense with the pleasantries. If you’d be so kind as to open the safe for us and hand over the Eternal Light, we’ll be on our way.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Tina stammered to buy herself more time. “Daniel, darling, is this a joke? Are you planning to have a mock robbery during the gala to make it more exciting?”
Bassand laughed and clapped his hands theatrically. “A conclusion only someone born with a silver spoon in her mouth could come to.”
“Enough of this nonsense,” Nicole spoke up for the first time, cutting off her mentor, and Tina noticed her pushing the barrel of the gun into Daniel’s back. “Move it, or your fiancé here is going to get it,” she snarled, throwing Tina a menacing look.
“So this is for real? You have a real gun?” Tina faked her best squeal, looking helpless, as she inwardly assessed Nicole. If Nicole didn’t have a gun pressed into Daniel’s back, Tina could take her out with one hand, but that was a big if.
“Darling, please open the safe,” Daniel said weakly.
“Do as your fiancé says,” Bassand said soothingly, “he’s a smart man. And while this no doubt puts a dent into his charitable plans, I assure you, I will take very good care of Eternal Light. It has eluded me for far too long, and it is time it came to its intended owner.”
Suddenly, Tina had a plan—it was a risky plan, but she was going to give it a try nonetheless. Her hands deliberately shaky and her movements purposely clumsy and slow, Tina proceeded to open the Eternal Light display case. Carefully, she reached inside and took out the tray that contained the Eternal Light.
“Now hand it to me, dear,” Bassand instructed her.
She was about to hand him the tray that contained the diamond when her hands shook deliberately yet again and she dropped it on the floor. “I’m so sorry,” she muttered, already planning her next move.
“It’s all right, dear. I understand,” Bassand said in an almost kindly tone. “These things can be stressful.”
“Armand, don’t! It could be a trap—” Nicole cried out, taking her attention off Daniel for a split second, as Bassand bent down for the diamond.
This was exactly the move Tina had been counting on—in a flash she had her gun out and pointed it at Bassand. “Drop your gun, or your mentor gets it,” Tina said in a steely tone to Nicole. But Daniel beat her to it—taking advantage of the momentary confusion, in a series of quick, well-practiced hand combat moves, he turned on Nicole and knocked the gun out of her hand, kicking it to the far corner of the room.
“FBI. You’re under arrest.” The man Tina thought to be Daniel Garrett was pointing his gun at Nicole Sheridan. “Nice work, partner.” He winked at Tina.
“We have to call for backup,” she managed to say. Now was not the time to mention the fact that the man she thought she knew had turned out to be a liar, even if his lies were justified.
“I think backup is already on the way.” He jerked his head at the door.
Just then there was a sound of boots storming down the hallway—it had to be the FBI backup.
“I told you we couldn’t trust those two weasels, Bassand,” Nicole seethed. “I bet they had us followed since the Monet—”
“Shut up, you fool,” Bassand snapped. “You’re giving them evidence.”
“Oh, trust me, we have more than enough evidence to put you both away for a very long time,” said the man Tina had known as Daniel Garrett. Now that the case was over, she realized that she didn’t know anything about him except for the fact that he was with the FBI.
Just then the door was swung open and the FBI troops filled the room, followed by Agent Norris. The armed agents quickly cuffed Bassand and Nicole.
“Nice work, Agent Connelly,” he addressed the man Tina had known as Daniel Garrett up until a few minutes ago.
Agent Connelly, she thought, her head still spinning after everything that just transpired, his name is Agent Connelly.
“We’ll take it from here,” Agent Norris added with an air of authority that Agent Connelly clearly disliked.
“Now that we’ve got everything under control, I think you can handle the rest,” Connelly agreed.
“Excuse me a moment.” Agent Norris stepped away to instruct the FBI agents to take the apprehended prisoners to the transport van waiting for them outside.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you!” Nicole attempted to wrestle free as she was being escorted out of the room. “We have your friends—if you ever want to see them—”
“Shut up, you dumb cow!” Bassand exploded. “I have no idea what she’s talking about,” he added in a very polite tone, checking himself. “I believe this lady is not in the right state of mind from all this excitement. This is all very confusing. I was invited to this party by who I thought was Mr. Garrett. I was about to admire the Eternal Light diamond, and the next thing I know I’m being arrested. I need to speak to my lawyer. I’m an old man and I’ve been having memory lapses. I’m starting to feel very confused here.”
Agent Norris cracked a quick smile at Bassand’s theatrical performance—the man was a con artist through and through. “Rest assured, Mr. Bassand all the protocols will be followed and you will have ample opportunity to consult with your lawyer.”
“I understand.” Bassand held up his hands theatrically. “W
hatever this is, I’m going to cooperate until we get to the truth of this,” he added mournfully.
“I’m sure he’s not going to like the truth of it,” Agent Norris said with a wink once Bassand and Nicole were escorted out of the room.
“What was it Nicole said about our friends?” Tina asked worriedly. “Did she mean Janet and Dennis?”
“Don’t worry—they are both fine. We have them. Bassand and Nicole thought they might cheat them out of Eternal Light, so they had Leonard tie them up in Bassand’s soundproof room in his townhouse. Good thing Leonard really valued his immunity deal. The minute Bassand and Nicole left, he cooperated and let Janet and Dennis loose. They’re waiting for you outside.”
“Good.” Tina breathed with relief.
“Excellent work, both of you,” Agent Norris praised them.
“Tina was great—I could’ve never done it without her,” said Agent Connelly, looking straight at Agent Norris to avoid eye contact with Tina.
“We heard everything through the receiver.” Agent Norris pointed at the necklace on Tina’s neck. “It was Connelly’s idea, and I gotta give to him—it worked out great.” He paused. “I apologize for the whole Daniel Garrett charade, but we thought you’d act more naturally if you didn’t know that Connelly here was an FBI agent—”
“Special Agent Brad Connelly,” Connelly cut in.
“Special Agent,” Norris conceded. “We also wanted to protect Connelly’s identity and that of Garrett’s.”
“So there is a real Daniel Garrett?” Tina asked, trying to do her best to maintain a neutral expression when all she wanted to do was to slap Special Agent Brad Connelly across his smug face, hard. All that flirting and romancing he’d carried on with, making a complete fool of her the entire time. The very nerve of him! She was just dying to use one of her martial arts maneuvers on the bastard—the thought of getting him into a headlock sounded heavenly.