Nights with a Thief

by Marilyn Pappano

  Upstairs, the shower shut off. His gaze lifted toward the ceiling, his imagination all too ready to fill in sights he hadn’t yet had the luck to see, but he forced it back. “I hate to leave you with all this work, but I need to talk to David, and if I don’t get out of here while Lisette’s otherwise occupied, she’s going to insist on coming with me.”

  Padma’s gaze narrowed. “You’re meeting him alone?”

  “Oh, hell, no. There will be plenty of people around. Even so, I’ve already told her she can’t go, and she’s already insisted she should. Tell her I’ll let her know what happens.” He started toward the door, then turned back. “Maybe you guys should leave this for later, pack a bag and go stay somewhere else, at least for tonight.” He didn’t add just to be safe, but Padma heard the words anyway.

  “Yeah, we’ll do that. Do you think my parents’ house—No, we’ll go to a hotel.” The bathroom door creaking drew her gaze upward, too, for a moment. “It’ll take her a while to get dressed, but go on.”

  He was about to disappear around the corner when she quietly added, “Be careful.”

  “I do my best.” He all but sneaked past the stairs and out the door, not taking a deep breath until he was backing out of the driveway and listening to Aunt Gloria’s phone ring. By the time he got to the hotel, she’d called him back with word that David had agreed to meet him in one hour at a bar near her hotel. Though she’d been curious, she hadn’t questioned him. She knew she would get the details eventually.

  In his suite, he showered, changed into black trousers and a sapphire-blue shirt, grabbed a well-worn leather jacket, then dialed Simon’s number on the way out again.

  His best friend and good-as-a-brother answered, his accent far more of the islands than Jack’s. “It’s eighty-three degrees and sunny here, and you’re scheduled for a cold front, rain and the possibility of snow in the next twenty-four hours. It’s good to be me.”

  Weather had become their shared joke. Simon insisted he had too much tropical warmth, sun and sweet breezes bred into his blood to allow him to live anywhere else, while Jack teased him with gorgeous autumns, incredible springs and winter wonderlands when he traveled. Right now, he had to admit the island sounded pretty nice. Having Lisette on the island with him sounded damn nice.

  “It’s good that you’re you because no one else would want to be.”

  “Ha. Are you still in Denver?”

  “For the moment. Did you hear about David Candalaria losing one his paintings to Bella Donna during his big party?”

  “Toinette mentioned the theft. She didn’t say it was Bella. I admire the woman’s taste.”

  “You don’t even know which piece she stole.”

  “Knowing she stole it from him is good enough.”

  It was. Payback was always good. He figured Lisette’s payback to David would be great fun—provided she survived to pull it off—and Jack wanted to be a part of it.

  “He thinks I took it.”

  “He actually said that?” Simon’s tone was part amusement, part surprise. Though he rarely left the island, when he did, he received the same sort of fawning Jack did—even more so, since time to fuss over him was always limited.

  “He asked. I told him no. But today...” Jack hesitated. He normally wouldn’t share a secret with anyone, but Simon wasn’t exactly anyone, and he could keep a confidence better than everyone. “Lisette Malone works at the Candalaria Museum. I met her at the party, and today we went rock climbing. Someone shot at her, and she fell. No real injuries. But when we got back to Denver, someone had broken into her house and found...”

  Simon was always quick to catch on. “The fancy red diamond that always goes missing when Bella’s around?” He chuckled. “Well, hell, son, of course you’d be the first person in the world to discover who she is—and to get blamed for her heist. Is she as beautiful as the legend says?”

  “And then some.”

  “So she steals from David, he believes you did it, and he’s seriously pissed. Tell me why you’re still in town.”

  “He’s afraid to do anything to me, so he’s going after Lisette instead.”

  “Who’s the one he really should be going after, anyway. You didn’t steal his stuff. She did.”

  “But he doesn’t know that. He’s only after her because he thinks I like her. If I hadn’t brought attention to her, he wouldn’t know she exists.”

  “So he’s targeting the right person but for the wrong reason.” Simon paused to speak to Toinette, his administrative assistant. “Do you like her? No, of course you do. You admired Bella from the moment you heard her name. Most guys idolize athletes, rock stars, celebrities. Your only idol has ever been Bella. It doesn’t even matter how she looks. You were predisposed to be enamored of her anyway.”

  Jack didn’t argue with him. Lisette’s being gorgeous was merely the icing on the cake.

  “You know, that jet sitting idle at the airport carries eight passengers. You and Bella could disappear where Candalaria would never find you.”

  “The only place he could never—” Jack broke off. Simon didn’t love art, though he collected and protected it. He might not warm to the idea of inviting a thief into his home, but he wouldn’t say no to Jack, and Jack would truly enjoy showing her the island and the tropical weather she loved.

  “I’m having drinks with David in a few minutes. If that doesn’t go well, you might be seeing both of us—um, all three of us—soon.”

  “Three?”

  “Padma, Lisette’s friend. If David’s stalking Lisette to get to me, then we have to assume if we leave, he’ll stalk Padma to get to her. We can’t take off and leave her here unguarded.”

  “No, of course not.” This time Simon was amused. “You know, you really should hire that bodyguard your mom nags about. If you stay there more than another day, I can arrange a couple of guys.”

  “I hope that won’t be necessary. I’d better head off to the meeting. Don’t worry. Aunt Gloria will be nearby if things get ugly.” Jack was about to sign off, but abruptly he asked, “Hey, how’s the water situation on the island?”

  Simon’s silence indicated his surprise at the question. “The ocean’s still there, though not as clean as we wish. We haven’t gotten as much rain as usual, but our freshwater sources are maintaining. Why? You’ve never cared about water as long as you had plenty to dive, bathe and drink.”

  “Yeah. Don’t tell anyone that, will you? It makes me look like a jerk. I’ll let you know how it goes with David.”

  “I’ll have a few rooms readied,” Simon said drily, then added in a serious tone, “You know David doesn’t have an honest bone in his body. Be careful.”

  “Who went and made today ‘everybody-tell-Jack-to-be-careful day’? You guys are making me feel incapable of carrying on a simple conversation without getting into trouble.”

  Simon laughed. “It’s been that way every single day since you were two. It’s not our fault you were adventurous.”

  “Skydiving, skiing, trekking across entire countries—those are adventurous. All the skills I need for the thief gig—those are adventurous, too. Confronting ol’ David, the jerk, the dolt... That actually sounds a little fun.”

  “Sounds stupid to me,” Simon helpfully disagreed. “Maybe you should blow him off and get that bird in the air.”

  “Run away? From David? The only time people run from David is to avoid being bored to death.”

  “Forget he’s David. Just think of him as a psychopath with a boatload of money and the belief that he’s entitled to take whatever he wants.”

  “Thank you for that reassuring description, Simon,” Jack said. “I’ll try to brighten your day sometime soon.”

  * * *

  “I can’t believe he sneaked off to meet Candalaria alone.” Lisette swept up the last b
roken glass from the kitchen floor, then lifted a bucket filled with hot soapy water from the sink. The astringent floor cleaner competed with the sticky-sour-sweet condiments dumped from the refrigerator, but that didn’t stop her from dipping in a mop and dousing the floor.

  “Of course you can believe it. He’s Jack Sinclair.” Padma had located supplies from previous projects in the basement and was in the middle of a temporary fix on the back door. “You told him you wanted to go. He told you no. He won that round.”

  Of course he won. Lisette just hoped his luck and influence continued to protect him. “Why did these idiots have to make such a mess? Sure, the diamond could have been hidden anywhere, but Shepherdess was too big for most of the places they looked.”

  “Not idiots, sweetie. Punks. Bad guys. They wanted to cause as much damage as they could.” Padma nailed a board across the upper part of the door, getting out some frustration with the hammer, then added another near the bottom. “Maybe their boss thought you had other stuff Jack had given you.”

  “But nothing of his.”

  Padma gave her a sympathetic look. “I know you’re tired and you hurt and it kills you to see your mom’s house like this, but we’re talking about Candalaria. You know he has no qualms about stealing. You think he would leave anything of value behind just because it wasn’t his?”

  “The bastard. This is all his fault.” Lisette dunked the mop into the bucket again. “And my fault for stealing from him in the first place. And my fault for dragging Jack into it. I could have put off meeting him until later. I didn’t have to do it the same night I took the painting.”

  After hammering in a third board, Padma faced her. “I’m not laying blame, because at the time we both agreed it was our best plan A at the time. But in hindsight, yes, you could have met Jack later. But we didn’t know his part of our plan was going to turn out so well. I mean, he really likes you.”

  Ignoring the warm little quivers in her gut, Lisette corrected her. “He really likes Bella.”

  “Bella was just part of the hook. He likes you.”

  “I don’t want him to like me.” Lisette’s words came out grudgingly as she dunked the mop again. She wanted him to experience a short-term infatuation with her: long enough and serious enough to get her onto the island. A little flirting, a little romance, a little sex, all running their course about the time she disappeared with the statue. Then he would be too upset about the statue to give the romance a second thought. And he was an easy-come, easy-go sort of guy. He would forget her with the very next party he attended, the very next pretty woman who smiled at him.

  And she would forget him...well, sometime.

  “As soon as you’re done, let’s get out of here. Pack some clothes, whatever you need for a few days, and anything you don’t want to leave behind.”

  Lisette didn’t want to leave anything behind. This was her home. Her safe haven. The only place in the world where she truly belonged. “Where are we going?”

  “To a hotel.”

  “Why?” Lisette could already hear her friend’s answer: because Jack said we should. She was surprised when Padma said something totally different.

  “Those bastards violated our home, Lisette. I hate knowing they touched our stuff and had fun destroying it. I’m pissed off and scared, and I don’t want to stay here tonight. I want to go someplace nice and safe, and I want to put on my pajamas and order room service and distract myself from all this for a few days until everything is back in order and the door’s replaced and I don’t feel threatened anymore.”

  Lisette plopped the mop in the bucket, tiptoed across the wet floor and awkwardly hugged Padma. “I’m sorry. You’re right. ‘Home, sweet home’ doesn’t feel so sweet or homey right now, does it?”

  “No, it doesn’t.” After a moment, Padma mumbled, “Besides, Jack said we should go.”

  Lisette rolled her eyes. By the time she’d rinsed the bucket and mop, Padma had put the supplies back in the basement. They climbed the stairs together, separating in different directions at the landing.

  Like the rest of the house, Lisette’s bedroom was a disaster. The drawers and the closet had been emptied, the mattress heaved against the wall, her makeup and jewelry scattered. She located a small suitcase that usually resided in the linen closet, now upside-down in the hall, and threw in enough clothes for several days, a swimsuit and as much makeup as she could gather. Her essentials were packed in minutes.

  It took longer to pull back a piece of carpet from the bottom of the closet, pry up a section of floorboards and remove a thick stack of file folders. She also took an envelope filled with cash and a small velvet pouch that held two of her mother’s three treasures: her wedding ring and a crudely fashioned necklace strung of wooden beads, both gifts from Lisette’s father.

  What’s the third treasure? Lisette had asked every time Marley removed the pouch from its hidey-hole to reminisce, and Marley always brushed her curls back and said, You are, baby girl.

  Lord, Lisette missed her!

  After making certain the storage space was concealed again, she pressed a kiss to the pouch, then tucked everything inside her suitcase. She zipped it and met Padma at the top of the stairs. “Ready?”

  Padma’s bag bumped from step to step to the living room, where she stopped and took a long look around. Her expression was grim when she quietly replied, “Ready.”

  Lisette retrieved jackets from the closet and walked outside before stopping to lock the door, resting her hand on the knob. It felt wrong, letting a bunch of punks chase her out of her own house. She should stay, barricade the doors and make a stand, but she was neither stupid nor stubborn nor heroic. Candalaria had cast her as a pawn, and after his meeting with Jack, who knew what actions he might take? Lisette wasn’t going to die so Candalaria could get back at Jack. She wasn’t going to stay in the house Candalaria’s men had broken into, making it easy for them to find her again, lowering her guard, going to sleep.

  And she and Padma would be back.

  Pain throbbed when she hefted her bag into the trunk of Padma’s car. She’d become accustomed to the aches from her fall while cleaning, but now that they were in retreat, her body was yearning for relief. Food, bed, a couple of pills and blessed sleep to put this day behind her.

  Plus a phone call from Jack to let her know he’d survived his meeting with her boss. Maybe now that Candalaria had his diamond back, he would back off.

  Sure. The diamond he didn’t care about versus the painting he desperately wants. Yeah, that’ll make him stand down.

  Lisette closed her eyes. Couldn’t a physically bruised and emotionally battered woman hope? Even when it was hopeless?

  “Where are we headed?” Padma backed into the street, drove to the end and cruised through the stop sign onto the main avenue. “Are we just seeking safety or splurging on refuge? And before you answer that, let me remind you—I really want room service.”

  The fancy red that was to have paid their expenses for the next months was gone, but what the hell? Everyone deserved room service sometimes, didn’t they? And it wasn’t as if she and Padma lived outrageously. “I haven’t been served dinner in my pajamas since high school. Definitely splurging.” Lisette gasped as Padma whipped the little car around a monster pickup that had failed to yield.

  “Don’t give me that look.” Padma wagged a finger at her. “I’m a good driver. I only take calculated risks. Besides, it makes it easier to tell if anyone is following us.”

  Remembering Jack’s comment about forcing a dog-walker and his dog up a light pole, Lisette grinned, feeling better for the first time in hours. She settled comfortably in the seat, easing the tension knotted in her neck, and did the best thing she could while her best friend was driving.

  She closed her eyes.

  * * *

  Lisette’s nap was shor
t and sweet, lasting mere minutes according to the dashboard clock. She lifted her head, looked around to see where they were, then looked at Padma. “You’re awfully quiet.”

  Padma held the wheel with both hands, and her gaze was shifting steadily from the street ahead to the rearview mirror. “You were asleep. I always try to be quiet when you’re asleep. Not that you’ve ever fallen asleep in the car before. By the way, it’s much more peaceful than your usual cringing and squeaking.”

  Something seemed odd about the scene, but it took Lisette a moment and the sound of a click-click-click to realize what it was: Padma was driving the speed limit, signaling a lane change, then a right turn. She never signaled lane changes or turns until she was halfway through them. I like to keep ’em guessing what I’m going to do.

  “What’s up? Is there a cop behind us?”

  “Nope.” Padma flashed a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I kinda wish there was.”

  Lisette’s head started to swivel to look over her shoulder, but Padma cautioned. “Don’t look. There’s a dark SUV that I think is tailing us.”

  “Tailing?” The word didn’t belong in their vocabulary. They weren’t cops or criminals—well, not the kind who had to worry about someone tailing them. But when she checked the outside mirror, there was indeed an SUV, very much like the one from the mountains. There were a couple of cars between them, but when Padma made two more quick turns, the vehicle followed.

  “They got behind us back by the Asian market. They didn’t follow us from the house, so they must have expected us to go somewhere. They probably had cars on all the major streets.”

  The sourness of fear settled over Lisette, dark and edgy, but she tried to keep her voice light. “I can’t believe they kept up with your normal driving.”

  “They caught my attention so I slowed down to see if I was just imagining things.” Padma made one more turn, and a moment later, so did the truck. The maneuvers had taken them back to the broad avenue. “Should I lose them?”