A Golden Betrayal

by Barbara Dunlop

  After a few moments, he came to his feet, brow furrowed. He said something to Tariq in Rayasian.

  Tariq rocked back on his heels. “That’s not possible.”

  “See for yourself.” Raif held the magnifying glass out to Tariq.

  Tariq stepped forward to take it.

  “What?” Ann asked.

  Raif glared at her.

  What on earth could she have done? She was just standing here.

  Tariq crouched down, repeating Raif’s examination. “Son of a bitch,” he spat. Then he straightened and handed the magnifier back to Raif.

  Roark put the statue upright. “I take it there’s something definitive down there?”

  “Each statue has a unique mark,” said Raif.

  “Disappointed?” Roark dared to ask.

  Ann took in the two men’s expressions and body language. Raif had been wrong, and Roark had been right. There was no other explanation.

  “Stunned,” Raif replied to Roark. “Let me see that documentation again.”

  “No problem.” Roark stripped off the gloves, moving to his SUV and retrieving the manila envelope.

  Raif spread the documents out on the table. Each was protected by a plastic cover.

  “Princess Salima really did use it as a bribe,” he said to Tariq. “They never took it on board the Titanic. The guard Zaruri became very rich.”

  “Salima must have loved Cosmo Salvatore,” Tariq noted.

  “Love,” Raif spat, “does not come before duty. What was the matter with the woman? What is the matter with Kalila?” His voice rose. “Do these women have any idea how much trouble they cause?”

  Six

  The next day, Ann was welcomed back to the Waverly’s office like a conquering hero. Nobody knew about the kidnapping, but everyone knew Roark and Ann had confirmed the authenticity of the Gold Heart statue to Raif Khouri’s satisfaction. It was being reported by the online press that the statue was a huge coup for Waverly’s. The story of the prison guard’s bribe and the star-crossed lovers dying on the Titanic was going viral. And nobody was speculating anymore about her relationship with either Raif or Dalton. For the first time in months, she felt free.

  At four o’clock that afternoon, she popped the corks on a few bottles of celebratory champagne. People had gathered in the common area outside her office. Edwina and a couple other board members had stopped by. Edwina, it turned out, had spent the past five days in Florida with some girlfriends from college, explaining why she hadn’t missed Ann.

  Even at seventy-two, the woman was lively and energetic. Her husband had died three years ago, but Ann wouldn’t be at all surprised to see her embark on a new romance. According to Edwina, Florida was prime hunting ground for gray-haired men.

  Ann poured glasses of champagne for Edwina and the board; her assistant, Kendra; Mimi and Zara from accounting; Nora from human resources; three of the men from sales and even Zachary from the mailroom.

  Ann raised her own glass. “To the Gold Heart. And to Roark.”

  “And to you, Ann,” called Edwina with a twinkle in her eyes. “You didn’t let the bastards win.”

  “We had truth and justice on our side,” Ann noted.

  “Not that it always helps,” Edwina added dryly.

  Everyone laughed and drank their champagne.

  Ann’s phone rang from inside her office. Amongst the laughter and good-natured joking, she ducked away to answer it.

  “Ann Richardson,” she said as a greeting.

  “Ms. Richardson?” The woman’s voice on the other end was vaguely familiar.

  “Yes?”

  “This is Agent Heidi Shaw from Interpol’s New York office.”

  Ann gulped, glancing at her champagne, wondering for a split second if she was breaking some kind of law. “Yes?” she said, not liking that Interpol was still flirting around her life.

  “I spoke with Raif Khouri this morning.”

  The statement took Ann by surprise. “I see,” she responded carefully.

  “As you’re now aware, it seems you were right about the statue.”

  Ann had known that all along. “Are you calling to apologize?”

  “No. Well. Yes, sure, I can admit I was wrong. And I’m sorry I was wrong about you.”

  Ann set down her glass. The party was still going on outside, so she turned her back to dampen the noise. She was annoyed with Heidi Shaw, and she was tired of moderating her opinion. “Are you sorry because it messed with your career trajectory, or are you sorry that you inconvenienced an innocent woman?”

  There was a small pause before Heidi spoke. “I inconvenience innocent people all the time. It’s the nature of the job.”

  “You don’t sound particularly apologetic.”

  Ann could almost hear Heidi shrug.

  “I can’t spend my entire life being sorry. You were a suspect. I asked you some questions.”

  “I think the word you’re looking for is interrogated.”

  “Maybe so.”

  “Why are you calling, Heidi?”

  “Something you said during the...interrogation.”

  Ann sighed and drained her glass. “Did I incriminate myself? Are you going to arrest me again?”

  “Not today.” Heidi waited a moment. “That was a joke.”

  “You have a sense of humor?”

  “Yes.” Heidi’s tone softened, making her sound much more human.

  Ann was surprised. But she didn’t suppose it mattered. “Okay. What did I say that interests you?”

  “You said it wasn’t you, and it wasn’t Roark, and if I wanted to solve the big, international case, I should stop focusing on you two.”

  “And now you know I’m right.”

  “Even then, I definitely allowed for the possibility.”

  Ann was surprised to hear that, but it was good to know some law-enforcement officials had open minds.

  “I’ve been sniffing around since our initial conversation,” Heidi continued.

  She had Ann’s full attention. “Did you find something? Do you know who did it?”

  Despite everything, Ann wanted Raif to get justice, to find his statue.

  “I don’t. Not yet. But there are far too many things in this mess that are coincidental. And they seem to revolve around you. You swore you never had an affair with Dalton Rothschild.”

  “That’s because I didn’t.”

  “If that’s true—”

  “If that’s true?” Had Ann not established her credibility by now? “It’s true all right.”

  Heidi was silent for a moment. “You’re under no obligation to answer this, Ann.”

  “Why, thank you.”

  “Did you reject Dalton sexually?”

  Ann’s first reaction was that it was none of Agent Shaw’s business who she did or did not reject sexually. But then she reminded herself that Heidi was only doing her job. She’d had no way of knowing back then that Ann was innocent. And she seemed like a fairly reasonable person now.

  “I did,” Ann admitted. “I thought we were friends, but he wanted to take it further. When I said no, it got ugly.”

  “Would you speculate as to why? I’m sorry, I don’t know how to be delicate in this. Truth is, I’m not much good at delicate in any circumstance.”

  Ann couldn’t help but smile at the woman’s confession.

  “Do you think he was seriously attracted to you, and your rejection upset him? Or do you think his ego couldn’t take rejection from anyone? Or do you think the whole relationship between the two of you might have been a ruse, orchestrated by Dalton as part of a larger plot?”

  Ann had to admire Heidi’s cold, logical brain. “You mean he never liked me in the first place? He just strung me along?”

  “Men fake romance all the time. Usually, it’s to get a woman in bed. But it’s a tried and true manipulative technique.”

  “I think he liked me,” Ann answered honestly. “We have a lot in common with our jobs. We have similar lik
es and dislikes, and a shared sense of humor. It was when I wouldn’t take it to the next level that things got ugly.”

  “Mmm-hmm,” Heidi murmured. “Okay, one more tough question.”

  “Go ahead.” Ann watched the staff trickle out of the office. A few of them gave her waves and smiles, and she waved back.

  “How would you feel if you knew you’d been duped?”

  A sick feeling congealed in the pit of Ann’s stomach. “Are you saying I was duped?”

  “I’m asking how that would make you feel.”

  “Stupid.”

  “Okay. Thanks, Ann.”

  “Wait a minute.” Ann gripped the phone. “Was I duped?”

  “I have no idea. I’m just trying to figure out if your subconscious would protect you from giving an answer that would shake your self-concept.”

  Ann hadn’t completely followed that statement, but she thought she got the gist of it. “You mean I’m in denial, and Dalton was never really attracted to me in the first place?”

  “It’s possible.”

  “You’re really not a fun conversationalist, Agent Shaw.”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  “What happens now?” Ann asked.

  “As far as Interpol is concerned, the case is closed. The Gold Heart statue under contract for sale by Waverly’s was never stolen from Raif Khouri. You, Roark and the company are all in the clear.”

  Ann’s shoulders relaxed in relief. She gazed at her champagne glass, wishing there was some left in the bottom.

  “But, if I was you,” Heidi continued, “I’d be asking myself if your rejection of Dalton made him want to hurt Waverly’s, or if you were part of a plan to hurt Waverly’s all along.”

  Ann was glad she wasn’t a criminal investigator. Thinking along those lines made her head hurt. Right now, she just wanted to celebrate. “In any event,” she confirmed with Heidi, “it’s over.”

  “Case closed,” said Heidi.

  “Well, then, thanks for the call.”

  “Thanks for the information.”

  “Happy to help,” Ann put in automatically, though she wasn’t particularly happy at all. Heidi had really put a damper on her day.

  She signed off and headed back to the outer office. Everyone had left except for her assistant, Kendra, who was standing at the photocopier, back to Ann, pages chugging their way through.

  “No champagne?” Ann asked.

  Kendra swiped one hand across her face. “No,” she answered simply, but her voice sounded off.

  “Kendra?” Ann moved around to look at her face, immediately seeing her puffy red eyes and the streaks of tears that had marred her eye makeup.

  Ann touched Kendra’s arm. “What’s wrong?”

  Kendra shook her head.

  “We’re celebrating.” For a moment, Ann wondered if they could possibly be tears of relief. After all, if Ann was fired, and certainly if Waverly’s went under, Kendra would be out of a job.

  Kendra drew a shaky breath.

  Impulsively, Ann wrapped an arm around Kendra’s shoulders. The two women weren’t exactly friends, but they had known each other for several years.

  “I’m fine,” Kendra insisted, shrugging Ann off.

  Ann took the hint and stepped half a pace back. “It’s all over, Kendra. We’re going to be fine now.”

  Kendra nodded, but there was no relief in her eyes.

  “Is it something else?” Ann asked, reminding herself that people actually had lives apart from Waverly’s. Ann’s nonwork life was sadly lacking, but she realized she wasn’t the norm.

  Kendra’s hesitation answered Ann’s question. Something was obviously wrong in Kendra’s personal life.

  “You don’t have to tell me, of course,” said Ann. “But if there’s any way I can help.” She was thinking back now, asking herself if she’d been so hung up with her own problems that she’d failed to miss some sign from Kendra. The woman was normally an emotional rock. If something had her crying, it had to be serious.

  “It’s nothing,” said Kendra, wiping away the last of her tears.

  “It doesn’t look like nothing,” Ann responded.

  Kendra drew a shuddering breath. Ann wanted to respect her employee’s privacy. At the same time, she didn’t want to walk away if Kendra was about to talk. She held her ground a moment longer.

  “It’s my sister,” Kendra offered. “Roxanne.”

  Ann had never met Kendra’s sister. In fact, she’d heard very little about her. She did know Roxanne lived upstate.

  “Is she ill?”

  Another hesitation, but then Kendra nodded.

  “Oh, honey.” Ann wrapped her arm around Kendra’s shoulders and gave a squeeze. “Something serious? Does she need you? Do you need some time off work?”

  “No!” Kendra’s response was sharp and swift. “I mean, thank you. But no. She’s getting better. She has, uh, friends with her. I’ve just been worried is all.”

  It occurred to Ann that the two sisters might have had a falling-out. Maybe Roxanne’s illness was complicated by emotional issues between the two women. She decided it was better not to pry.

  “If there’s anything at all I can do,” said Ann.

  Kendra nodded, looking miserable. “I’m better with the distraction of work.”

  “Okay. That’s fine. But keep me posted, okay?”

  “I will,” Kendra agreed.

  “At least take the rest of the day off. Everyone else is cutting out early.”

  Kendra glanced worriedly around the outer office. “I don’t know. There’s so much—”

  “Go,” Ann insisted, giving Kendra a gentle shove. “I don’t want to see you back until tomorrow morning. And come in late. Sleep in for a while.”

  Kendra’s glance darted to an open file cabinet. “I’ll just close up—”

  “I’ll close up,” said Ann. “We can make it a few hours without you.”

  Kendra was slow to respond. “Okay,” she finally conceded. “I’ll finish this up in the morning.”

  “Good,” said Ann, watching while Kendra gathered her purse and shrugged into her winter coat.

  Before leaving, Kendra closed and locked the file cabinet and secured the drawers on her desk. She gave a final glance around. “Okay then.”

  “Good night, Kendra.”

  Kendra paused by the door. “Good night, Ann. Thanks.”

  “I wish there was more I could do.”

  Kendra nodded in acknowledgement. For a moment, she looked like she might say more, but then she slipped outside into the office hallway.

  The phone on Kendra’s desk rang then went to voice mail.

  There were a few clean glasses and half a bottle of champagne on Kendra’s desk. Ann selected a glass and poured herself a generous measure of the sparkling liquid.

  “Congratulations to me,” she breathed, raising the glass.

  “Hear, hear,” came a male voice from behind her.

  She turned to find Raif standing in the doorway.

  “You definitely came out on top of this.” He sauntered inside.

  Ann didn’t let his presence stop her from taking a swallow of the champagne. Then she lifted the bottle toward him in a silent question.

  He nodded and moved toward her. “Not that I’m celebrating,” he noted as she poured him a glass.

  “You’re not happy for me?” she teased, feeling strangely at ease around the man who’d once made her so nervous. She supposed it could be because she’d spent a night in his bed. Then again, that could have easily made things worse.

  “I’m unhappy for me.” He lifted the glass and took a drink. “You remember one of the first things you said to me?” he asked.

  “Is this a quiz? And why aren’t you halfway to Rayas by now? I’d have thought you’d have the Gulfstream in the air by lunchtime.”

  He ignored her questions. “When you came to Rayas last month, one of the first things you said to me was that somebody was harming both of us. Y
ou said that if we compared notes, we’d be able to help each other figure it out.”

  “I also said it was a one-time offer,” Ann recalled.

  “There’s always room for renegotiation.” He took another sip. “There was a time when I swore I’d never sleep with you.”

  “I don’t remember that,” she said, even as desire flared at the memory of their night together. She cooled it with another swallow of champagne.

  “I swore it to myself.”

  “Clearly, you can’t be trusted.”

  “Clearly.” His gaze searched hers. “I’m here to renegotiate, Ann.”

  “You want to sleep with me again?”

  She knew she should say no to that, but she wasn’t exactly sure how she’d answer. Raif was a fantastic lover. She could easily imagine herself naked in his arms all over again. And, really, what would be the harm? He’d be off to Rayas soon enough, his mind occupied with princely matters, forgetting all about Ann Richardson of New York City.

  Once his jet cleared U.S. airspace, it was unlikely he’d give her another thought. What did it matter if they made love three or four, or even five times? When it was over, she’d miss him, fantasize about him, get over him, and move on with her life.

  “No.” His answer startled her, and it must have shown on her face.

  He quickly backtracked from the insulting answer, which made it that much worse. “I mean yes. Of course I want to sleep with you again. But that’s not why I’m here.”

  Ann focused on filling up her glass, telling her ego to deal with it. “My mistake.”

  Just because the sex had been fantastic for her, didn’t mean it had been anything extraordinary for him. He probably slept with prettier, younger, more nimble and athletic women every day of the week. The past two nights, Ann had just happened to be the one in front of him.

  Wow. That was humiliating. She slammed back a swallow of the champagne.

  “It’s been bothering me,” Raif continued, perching on the edge of Kendra’s desk. “All this time, all these months—in fact it’s one of the major reasons I thought it had to be you.”

  His expression turned contemplative, his gaze going off into space. “Nobody’s tried to sell the statue. Not a hint. Not a ripple. And Tariq is very good at sleuthing these things out. So, I have to ask myself, why the Gold Heart? There are many valuable items that would be easier to steal and to sell. And what’s the point of stealing a valuable item if you’re not going to sell it?”