“Salut,” the rest of the crowd echoed.
As Jeremy sat down, Nicole whispered something in his ear and then left the table. Alexis got up a few moments later. Christina wondered if it was a coincidence that the two women both needed to leave the table at the same time. David surprised her by excusing himself as well. The table was emptying quickly. She pushed back her chair. “Don’t eat my dessert,” she told J.T.
“I make no promises.”
As she left the dining room, she ran into a maid, who told her there was a restroom across the foyer and down the hall. Christina took her time getting there, curious to see more of Alexis’s beautiful rooms. Antiques were the order of the day. It was clear that Alexis’s passion for art extended to her house. But while the place was fabulous, rich and sophisticated, it didn’t feel at all like a home. Christina wondered where Alexis and Jeremy relaxed, read the newspaper, or shared meals, where they talked, laughed, made love. Perhaps the upstairs had a warmer feel. She would have liked to venture up the staircase, but she wasn’t that brave. She didn’t want to run into Alexis and have her boss accuse her of snooping.
As she approached the end of the hall, she heard voices coming from a nearby room. Pausing by the door, she tried to figure out who was talking. It sounded like David and perhaps Alexis, although the voices were somewhat hushed. Taking a quick look behind her to make sure she was alone, Christina crept closer to the half-open door, shocked to hear her name.
“You need to speak to Christina,” David said in a voice that sounded far too authoritative for a subordinate to use to his boss. “This could be a disaster.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Alexis said.
“There’s something else.”
“I can’t do this right now. I have to get back to my guests, David.”
“What’s going on?” J.T. whispered in Christina’s ear.
She jumped, startled to be caught eavesdropping. She’d thought she was alone in the hallway. At least it was J.T. She clapped a hand over his mouth and tipped her head toward the adjacent room. Unfortunately, it now appeared that Alexis and David had finished their conversation and were heading toward the door. Christina did not want to be caught listening.
Grabbing J.T.’s arm, she pulled him across the hall and opened the first door she could find. It was a coat closet. The voices were getting louder, so she shoved J.T. inside, following him in, and pulled the door almost all the way shut. She could hear Alexis and David talking as they walked down the hall.
“This can’t wait, Alexis. I’ve already been too patient. I should have said something earlier,” David said.
“I’ll take care of it,” Alexis said. “Trust me.”
Take care of what? Christina wondered. What on earth was going on between David and Alexis, and what did it have to do with her?
“If you wanted to get me alone, all you had to do was ask,” J.T. murmured.
She suddenly became acutely aware that she was pressed up against J.T.’s chest. The closet was dark and smelled like leather, or maybe that was J.T. Her senses began to sing. Her breasts began to tingle. She licked her lips. “I didn’t want Alexis to catch me eavesdropping.”
“What did you find out?”
“They were talking about me. I didn’t hear enough to learn why I was the subject of their conversation, but it didn’t sound good.”
She could feel his gaze on her face, his hand on her waist, his legs tangling with hers. She needed to move, but her body quite simply did not want to go anywhere. The memory of his earlier kiss lingered in her mind. Had it really been as good as she remembered? Did she want to find out? “We should go,” she said.
“Yeah, we should,” he echoed, but his hands tightened on her waist as if he had no intention of ever letting her go.
She didn’t know who moved first. Maybe it was him. Maybe it was her. When their lips met, nothing else mattered. She put her arms around his neck, drawing his head down. She slid her tongue into his mouth, tasting the dessert he’d eaten earlier. Chocolate and J.T. -- it was a heady mix. She felt dizzy, hot, needy, until a door slammed nearby, jolting her back to reality.
She pulled away, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her heart pounded against her chest.
“It’s okay,” J.T. murmured. He pressed his lips against her forehead.
She closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath and her sanity. What they were doing wasn’t okay; it was very, very wrong. She was making out in her boss’s closet with an FBI agent, a man who was more likely to become her worst enemy than her lover. What the hell was she thinking? She was completely out of her mind.
“Let me go,” she said.
“It was just a kiss.” He stroked her hair, no doubt meant to be a comforting gesture, but his hands anywhere on her only made her feel more tense.
Maybe it was just a kiss to him. He was a guy, after all. But to her it had felt like the start of something -- a fact she did not intend to share with him. It was bad enough she was so attracted to him that she couldn’t think straight half the time. If he knew she was feeling anything more, he could try to use it to his advantage. She had to be careful. It wasn’t just a matter of risking her heart. She could be risking her father, her reputation, the life she’d so carefully built during the past few years.
She reached for the door handle.
“Wait. Make sure the coast is clear,” J.T. said.
She pushed the door open another inch. It was a good thing she hadn’t gone barreling out of the closet, because several people were walking down the hall. They paused just outside the closet door. Christina held her breath as panic raced through her once again. Were they coming to get their coats? How on earth could she explain the fact that she and J.T. were in there?
“It was a perfect evening, Jeremy,” Nicole said. “You must be so pleased and proud of yourself. Tomorrow you’ll be the talk of the town. I’ll make sure of that.”
“It was all Alexis’s doing,” Jeremy declared.
“You give her too much credit,” Nicole said. “You always do.”
“Because you don’t give her enough,” Jeremy said, a bite to his tone. “It was a pleasure to have you here this evening, Mr. Benedetti. I’m sure you’re looking forward to tomorrow. I believe your family will be very pleased with the results.”
“I hope it all goes smoothly,” Stefano replied.
“It will. I just checked with Russell Kenner. He said it has been extremely quiet tonight, nothing at all unusual.”
“Wonderful,” Stefano said. “My father chose Barclay’s for its reputation, but I must admit I was worried when I learned that Christina Alberti was the jewelry specialist. Her father has quite an unsavory reputation.”
Christina let out a small gasp. J.T. quickly put a hand over her mouth.
“Christina is a very loyal and honorable woman,” Jeremy replied. “You need have no doubts about her ability or her integrity.”
“I am happy to hear you have so much faith in her,” Stefano said. “I will see you in the morning. Thank you for a wonderful dinner.”
“You’re very welcome,” Jeremy said.
“I’ll walk out with you,” Nicole said. “I’d love to hear more about Florence.”
Christina’s ears were still burning after the three of them continued down the hall.
“You certainly are popular tonight,” J.T. murmured. “The topic of every conversation.”
“I can’t believe Stefano brought up my father’s reputation in front of Nicole. God, what if she puts something in the paper about me and my father?”
“What could she possibly print? Nothing has happened, has it?”
“No, but still.” She pushed open the door another inch. The hall was empty. She stepped out of the closet, straightened her dress, and patted down her hair. Then she reached over and ran her finger across the corner of J.T.’s mouth. He tensed, and his eyes glittered with the desire that had not been extinguished. “Lipstick,” she said quickly, not
wanting him to get the wrong idea. “You had lipstick on your mouth.”
“Maybe I wanted it there,” he teased.
“Well, I didn’t.”
“Afraid someone might think you want me?” he challenged.
She looked away from his penetrating gaze, worried he would see far too much in her own expression. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“There’s a big surprise.”
“J.T., please, not here.”
He nodded. “Fine. Then tell me this. Were you aware that Benedetti knew about your father? Because you don’t seem surprised, just annoyed that he mentioned it in front of Nicole.”
“He said something to me last night,” she admitted. “He came by my office. He said his family knew of my father.”
“That’s interesting. If they already knew about your father before they sent their collection to Barclay’s, why would they suddenly be worried now? This new concern must have something to do with the smoke bombs that went off last night.”
“Which my father had nothing to do with.”
“I hope not,” J.T. said. “But the fact that you ran straight to your father’s house after it happened still sticks in my brain.”
She didn’t know how to reply. She had run to her father’s house because she’d thought she’d seen him outside Barclay’s, because she’d sensed he was involved. But he’d told her he wasn’t. Hadn’t he? Or had he just sidestepped the question, as he was so good at doing? She needed to think, and she couldn’t do that with J.T. standing so close to her. When he was around, her brain went to mush.
“You can’t deny it, can you?” J.T. asked.
“We need to get back to the party.” She started walking, hoping to avoid any more questions.
“If your father is involved, Christina, you’re going to need me.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Then think again, because as far as I can see I’m the only ally you have. If anything happens to that diamond, you’re going down, and fast. Barclay’s will be looking for a scapegoat. And, honey, you’ll be it. Make no mistake about that.”
His words chilled her to the bone, because they were honest and true. She put a hand on his arm, drawing his gaze to hers. “If something happens to that diamond, can you stand here and tell me that you’ll still be my ally? That you won’t try to put me in jail?” He hesitated a second too long. She had her answer. “That’s what I thought. Excuse me. I’m going to say my good-byes to Alexis and Jeremy. Then we can leave.”
Chapter Seven
J.T. let Christina go. He knew she was pissed because he hadn’t answered her question. What was he supposed to do -- lie? Yes, a voice inside him answered.
He should have assured her that he was her friend and that she could count on him. He wanted her to trust him, to confide in him, to help him catch Evan. While everyone else might be worried about Christina’s father, J.T. was more concerned about Evan. He knew Evan was involved. Evan had left him a note telling him so.
It was possible that Christina’s father was also a player in the game, but J.T. had no doubt that Evan was calling the shots. Or was it possible that Evan had some competition, that there were other thieves eyeing the diamond? He needed to think more about that possibility. It would be interesting if another thief foiled Evan’s plans. Evan’s arrogance might work against him.
“What are you thinking?” Christina asked, rejoining him in the foyer. “You have a funny look on your face.”
“Nothing. Did you say good-bye for me, too?”
“I spoke to Alexis. I don’t know where Jeremy went. Are you ready to leave?”
He waved her toward the front door. “After you.”
“The party seems to have emptied out pretty quick,” she commented as they walked out of the house and down to the car.
“It sure did. By the way, you never told me exactly what you overheard earlier.”
“David said he wanted Alexis to talk to me about something. That it was important. There was a sense of urgency in his voice.”
“And that sent you into a panic? Why? Does David have something on you?” His gaze narrowed as she glanced away from him. “You didn’t like it that he examined the diamond earlier. Is that what this sudden worry is about? Did David see something in that diamond you didn’t want him to see?”
“No,” she said quickly. “Of course he didn’t. The diamond is fine. And David is just a jerk. He probably asked Alexis to talk to me about giving him more responsibility or more money or something. Forget I mentioned it.”
J.T. unlocked the car door for Christina and then paused. He tipped his head toward the man walking across the street. “There’s your boy now.” They watched as David got into a silver Mercedes with a convertible top. “He has good taste in cars; I’ll say that for him.”
“Expensive taste for a grad student,” Christina murmured. “He certainly didn’t buy that car with what Barclay’s pays him.”
“Maybe he comes from money. He seemed to fit in well tonight with the Kensington crowd.”
“Too well. I still don’t know how he got himself invited. Maybe there is some connection between him and the Kensingtons that I don’t know about.”
“He’s worth checking out,” J.T. said. There were too many things about David Padlinsky that did not add up. He needed more information about who he was, where he came from, what kind of money he had.
“You don’t think he’s Evan, do you?” Christina asked. J.T. shook his head. “There’s no way. Evan couldn’t sit across from me all night and fool me.”
She sent him a skeptical look. “You’ve been telling me all along that Evan is a regular Houdini, but he couldn’t fool you? Are you that confident?”
“It’s extremely doubtful,” he amended. “But it’s certainly possible Evan is using David in some way. David had access to the diamond today.” Now that J.T. thought about it, he wondered if David could have pulled a switch during his preview with the reporter. Who would have known? Christina, who had the most knowledge about the diamond, hadn’t been present. “Let’s see where he’s going,” he said. He opened Christina’s door and hurried around to his side. He had a feeling David’s Mercedes could outrun his Chevy. Fortunately, David didn’t seem to be in a hurry, and they were able to stay close as he drove across town. It was after midnight, and traffic on the city streets was thin.
“I think he’s heading to Barclay’s,” Christina said as David made another turn. “Why would he be going there so late at night?”
“Only one way to find out,” J.T. replied. “There’s a notepad in the glove compartment. Write down his license plate number for me, and I’ll run it through the computer later.”
“You can do that? Run anyone’s license plate?” She retrieved the pen and paper. “I guess Big Brother really is watching.”
“I only run plates on people who act suspiciously, and David fits that category.”
As they turned down the street where Barclay’s was located, J.T. slowed down and pulled over by the corner, cutting the lights. David continued down the road, parking across from Barclay’s. He made no immediate move to get out of the car.
“What’s he doing?” Christina asked.
“I think he’s on the phone.”
“What should we do?”
“Wait and watch.”
The minutes ticked slowly by. David was certainly having a long conversation. The fact that he’d parked directly across the street from the auction house suggested that he wasn’t worried about being seen. But J.T. couldn’t think what business David could possibly have at Barclay’s after midnight. The street was quiet. They hadn’t seen another car in the past five minutes. The commercial neighborhood was completely deserted. It would be different tomorrow morning. The auction house would be filled to overflowing with people wanting to get a look at the diamond.
Christina put a hand on J.T.’s arm. “Look. I think he’s getting out.”
Sure enough, the light
went on in the car as David stepped out. He closed the door and adjusted his coat. Then he started across the street.
“David is going into Barclay’s,” Christina said with excitement. “Should we follow him?”
Before J.T. could answer, a pair of headlights at the far end of the block suddenly came to life. David froze in the street, seemingly blinded by the unexpected bright light. The car’s engine roared.
J.T. realized what was about to happen a second too late. He had his hand on the door handle when the car hit David head-on, flinging his body like a limp rag doll halfway to the next intersection.
Christina screamed in horror.
J.T. jumped out, trying to catch a glimpse of the car that had just hit David, but it sped past them, moving too fast for him to read the license plate. The night was too dark. He couldn’t make out the model or the driver. He ran down the street to David, worried that it was too late. Christina was right behind him. She collided with him when he stopped abruptly.
He grabbed her arms. “You don’t want to look.”
“He could be alive. He could need our help,” she said, her eyes wild and scared. “Let me go.”
He did as she asked. David’s crumpled body lay in a heap in the middle of the street, a pool of blood under his head, one leg twisted beneath him, a bone sticking through his pant leg.
“Oh, God.” Christina gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.
J.T. knelt down and put his finger on David’s neck in search of a pulse, but there was none. He turned to Christina. “I’m sorry.”
“He’s dead?” she asked in disbelief. “How is that possible? He was alive a second ago. I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Take a deep breath,” he advised.
“We watched it happen. We just sat there and watched it happen,” she said. “We should have gotten out of the car. We should have screamed or said something. Warned him. If we had, we could have saved him.” Her voice grew more agitated with each note. J.T. stood up and put his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace.
“It’s not your fault, Christina. We were down the street. It happened too fast. We had no chance of warning him.”
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