Blue Steal

by Marnie St Clair

  ‘And Maria Ferranti is the nonna you phone all the time.’

  What else did he know?

  Putting a lid on her surprise, she nodded once more. ‘Your turn.’

  ‘My turn?’ That gorgeous half smile again. ‘You didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know.’

  ‘I tried,’ she protested. ‘It’s not my fault you already knew.’

  He smiled more fully, ran a large, tanned hand across his jaw. ‘What do you want to know?’

  What she wanted was for him to drink more wine, but for that, she had to keep him here talking. ‘You said you were here on business. What business?’

  ‘You haven’t guessed already?’

  ‘I want to know for sure.’

  ‘I’m a private investigator with de Crespigny Investigations. We’ve been employed to find the necklace. If it’s still at the hotel.’

  Yes, she had guessed at that much. Either that or a private fortune hunter who wanted the loot for himself. ‘Who hired you?’ she asked, genuinely curious.

  ‘The Petrovskys.’

  Selina had known he was good, but this confirmed it. Worse, amplified it. The Petrovskys had serious dough and they wouldn’t hire anything less than the best. Knowing that he must be top-notch, knowing that he’d been hired by the necklace’s rightful owners … It sent a fresh spike of anxiety and doubt over her. What was she doing? She was tangling with someone with real skills. Real training, real experience.

  And she’d just upped the ante, big-time.

  The barman caught her eye, tapped his watch with a smile.

  ‘Looks like they’re closing up,’ she said. ‘We’ll have to take this elsewhere.’ Holding her glass in front of her, she gave Jack her you-can’t-begin-to-resist-me smile. ‘A toast. To a new partnership.’

  With a wry smile, he joined her. Three-quarters empty. That would have to do.

  She leaned forward across the table, body straining towards him, lips soft and open, did everything but purr. ‘Where to now?’

  ‘You got somewhere in mind?’

  ‘Your bedroom.’

  Seduction 101, and he was too smart not to know it, but it didn’t stop the heat flaring like red flames in his blue eyes.

  Was he seeing the same images she was?

  Jack above her, below her. His hands in her hair, and hers all over him.

  Desire hung in the air between them, swirled about in ribbons red as the wine they’d just shared. As his eyes lingered on her lips, then rose to meet her gaze, a thousand nerve endings went off like fireworks in her belly.

  ‘Let’s go,’ he said.

  The Empire wasn’t far, half a block or so, but the journey through the quiet, dark street felt interminable. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear the chug of a tram making its way home. It wasn’t cold, but an early spring drizzle was falling. She didn’t have an umbrella but she didn’t need one—her skin was so hot, she was sure the mist just sizzled straight off again.

  She was hyper-aware of the man at her side. She was careful not to look at him, not to brush up against him in any way, because who knew what might happen if she did? She might spontaneously combust.

  It was stupid to feel this way—exhilaration and anticipation riding her, making her skin tight and tingly, her mind dazed. It was stupid because nothing was going to happen. Her mind knew it but her body didn’t want to believe it.

  She wanted, wanted, wanted, like she’d never wanted before. Ironic that she felt it so desperately now, when her task to get Jack to his bedroom had nothing to do with sex.

  Nothing was going to happen. Nothing could happen. She had to get him to his bedroom so he was safe, and that was it. No matter how many times she repeated it, anticipation still licked through her insides like a living thing.

  Through the front doors, through the lobby, into the lift. And then they were at the door to Jack’s third floor room. He put the key in the lock, pushed the door in and waited for her to enter first. She swept past, into a room almost identical to her own. She heard the door shut and turned. Jack was leaning against the door, looking at her.

  She was breathing too fast, her chest rising and falling with rapid, shallow breaths. God, they had some crazy chemistry, her and this guy with the flirty eyes and the quick mind.

  He wouldn’t be looking at her with those flirty eyes after tonight. He wouldn’t be looking at her at all. Whether she found the necklace or not, she’d have to disappear.

  After tonight, she may never see him again.

  And for once in her life, she wanted to know what it was like. To let go like she never did, and give in completely to passion. She wanted to forget who she was and why she was here. Forget Jack was the kind of guy she just couldn’t have. Pretend there was nothing standing between them, no reason she should say no.

  Just one kiss. That’s all she wanted.

  She shouldn’t do this. For a thousand reasons, she shouldn’t.

  He ran his hands through his hair. ‘This isn’t a good idea.’

  That incredible gritty voice like sandpaper over her sensitised skin.

  ‘No,’ she agreed shakily.

  But she walked to him, closing the distance between them until she was right in front of him and she could feel the heat of his body. He lifted a hand, stroked slowly down the side of her neck, from just below her ear to her collarbone. She lifted her hands to his waist, closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

  ‘We can’t work together. You know that, right?’ he said gently as his hand closed over her nape.

  She opened her eyes to find his running all over her face.

  Of course she knew that. That he told her had her dying a little more inside.

  He was a good man.

  She reached up, pulled his head down and kissed him fiercely.

  She might have taken the initiative, but he reclaimed it quickly. Hands shifting to cup her jaw, he angled her head and took control. Fine with her, she was willing, oh-so-willing to get totally lost. A hot sweet fever swept through her, and she revelled in it, didn’t care if she burned alive.

  Unable not to touch him, she snuck her hands under the back hem of his T-shirt. The flesh of his lower back was taut, his skin warm and firm. He was young and beautiful and he felt so good. She drew in closer, pushed her hands up his ribs.

  He exhaled sharply, and pulled back. ‘Selina.’

  No. Don’t let it be over yet.

  Eyes closed, she pressed a kiss against his neck, trying to draw him back to her.

  ‘Selina,’ he insisted, hands on her shoulders.

  She met the glittery winter-blue eyes so close to hers.

  ‘Give it up.’ Quiet, insistent words.

  He was talking about the necklace. She wished she could, but it wasn’t an option.

  ‘Give it up,’ he repeated against her ear, hot breath making her shudder, before he kissed his way along her jaw, as if he could coax, seduce her into stopping her search.

  ‘I can’t,’ she whispered, and it sounded as sad as she felt.

  ‘You can.’

  ‘No. I don’t have a choice.’

  He nipped at her lobe and she cried out softly.

  ‘Everyone has a choice,’ he insisted.

  Not her.

  ‘It’s not yours,’ he insisted, mouth against hers and hands on her jaw again.

  ‘I don’t care.’

  ‘Selina …’ His voice was getting deeper, heavier. The faintest tinge of a slur creeping in. ‘What have you done?’

  ‘It’s okay,’ she said, her voice as shaky as she felt. ‘I’m going to take care of you.’

  His forehead came to rest against hers, the weight of it letting her know the drug was hitting. ‘This won’t work, sugar.’ But the words came out slow and blurred. ‘Just … so … you know … I always … win.’

  Not this time.

  The spiked wine was hitting, hard. She took his hand and he followed, docile and half slumped against her, as she led him to sit o
n the bed. Unable to meet his eyes, she busied herself making him comfortable. She took off his shoes, pushed him back gently and pulled up a blanket over him. Safe even if not entirely sound.

  Time to say goodbye.

  She looked at him and knew immediately why she’d avoided it because the look in his eyes was killing her. She couldn’t stop hers filling with tears.

  He’d be fine. She’d administered this drug to Anna countless times. He’d be out for the count for something like six to eight hours, then he’d wake, not significantly worse for wear. She knew that, but seeing him like this …

  She should leave—maximise her search time—but instead, she dropped onto the bed beside him, reached out and stroked the hair off his face. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered.

  ‘You … will be … bella.’

  The words were slurred almost beyond recognition, his eyelids too heavy to force open. And then, he was gone.

  And she had a job to do.

  She rose to her feet and left the room, pulling the door behind her with one hand while she wiped tears away with the other.

  Chapter 9

  She hadn’t found it.

  It was written all over her gorgeous, despicable face. Jack abandoned his position on the servants’ stairs and crept up to the second floor to wait.

  It’d been six hours since Selina had left him incapacitated. Six hours since they’d shared the wine he was sure was the conduit for whatever she’d doped him with. Six hours since she’d kissed him, all the while knowing he was moments from crashing.

  He’d give her this: Selina knew her narcs. He’d been totally incapacitated, but as far as he could judge, the side-effects were minimal.

  He waited when he heard soft footfall along her corridor, waited as key entered lock, and then moved, slipping in behind her as she opened the door to her room. By the time she’d become aware of his presence it was too late. She gasped as he spun and pushed her into the door, using her body to close it. She was pinned face-first; he had one palm pushing between her shoulder blades, the other flat on the door near her head, and his body totally surrounding her.

  She was breathing in fast, shallow pants, eyes wide and wild like a spooked thoroughbred, head straining to turn, desperate to assess the danger from behind.

  She softened when she realised it was him. He didn’t know how, what she could see of him—the line of his jaw, the shell of his ear. Maybe it was his smell she knew. Face near the top of her head, he could smell her sweet and tart apple scent, would know her anywhere by that alone.

  ‘Jack,’ she exhaled, some of the wild fear departing the body he had crowded against the door.

  Yes. Jack. But she shouldn’t be relaxing. He wasn’t about to go easy on her. Not after what she’d done. He’d been accommodating so far, too accommodating, charmed by her sass, seduced by her everything. But she’d just rewritten the rules of engagement. He was angry. A deep-seated cold fury he hadn’t felt in three years. ‘Where is it?’ he bit out.

  ‘I don’t know.’

  Reaching down, he twisted an arm behind her back.

  She let out a shocked, outraged gasp. ‘I couldn’t find it. It wasn’t there.’

  He pressed his body in closer, pulled her arm higher. Not hard enough to hurt much, but she’d be experiencing enough discomfort that she could be in no doubt as to how serious he was. ‘Think a bit harder.’

  ‘There’s nothing to think about. I don’t know where it is.’

  He lifted her arm a little higher and she gasped again, more in outrage than pain. Despite his anger, he had no desire to hurt her, not physically, but it was time she spilled. He was hoping that last tug would do the trick. He should have known better.

  ‘You want to frisk me? Go ahead,’ she panted.

  Still with the chutzpah.

  A grim smile hit his mouth. Hating her didn’t seem to stop him liking her. It also didn’t stop his awareness of her body against his, the rise of her buttocks against his thighs, the curve of her fine shoulder blade against his chest. His attraction to Selina had made a fool of him once, he wasn’t about to go down that path again. Frisking wasn’t a bad idea. He didn’t think she’d found the necklace, but as he’d already proved so amply to himself, he was no judge of anything when it came to Selina.

  Releasing her arm, he kept her crowded against the door while he patted her down with business-like detachment. Tossed a few things he found around her waist. A torch, a few tools. Nothing of interest.

  When he was done, he backed off just enough to give her enough room to turn.

  She looked up at him nervously, eyes scanning his face, arms across her chest. ‘Are you okay?’ she asked quietly.

  He didn’t bother hiding his disgust. She’d crossed a line, and there was no going back. He didn’t know what was worse: that she’d drugged him or that she’d kissed him. She’d pretended it meant something, that she’d wanted him, and the whole time, she’d been filling in time until he was catatonic.

  He was disgusted with her, but it was nothing compared to the disgust he felt for himself. Selina bats her bloody lashes, and he swallows down a Roofie like a good little boy. He was mad as hell at her for being a devious little bitch, and twice as mad at himself for falling for it.

  Worse than being disgusted and angry was that he felt betrayed. Hurt.

  How had he not seen it coming?

  He’d known all along she was here for the necklace. She’d told him. She’d warned him. He’d been the fool who wanted to believe she was better than the amoral gold digger she’d said she was. A fool who wanted to believe that they had something going on, some kind of connection.

  ‘I’m peachy. I got exactly what I wanted,’ he said in a voice harsh enough to make her flinch. Ironically enough, it was true. Drugging him had allowed her to follow the strategy he’d identified as optimal. He’d already decided to stand back and let her use whatever information she had. Selina would do all the hard work, take all the risk, and he’d be waiting on the other side to relieve her of whatever she’d found. She would never have done it if he wasn’t out of the picture. ‘Just out of curiosity, how’d you get Tyler away from this desk this time?’

  She looked at him, sad and uncertain, and he wanted to shake her. She had no right to look so vulnerable.

  ‘I used a humidifier to set off the smoke alarm.’

  ‘Nice,’ he congratulated as his mouth twisted into a smirk. Resourceful Selina. ‘You spent this whole time searching?’

  ‘Yes. The necklace wasn’t there.’ She shrugged. ‘Or if it is, I couldn’t find it.’

  ‘My heart breaks for you.’

  Another shrug. ‘Are we done here?’

  He laughed. He couldn’t help it. If she honestly thought they were done … They’d barely started. ‘I don’t think so, bella. You’re going to start talking.’

  Her eyes narrowed. ‘What do you want to know about this time? Guys I dated in high school?’

  Smart-arse.

  He moved in, placed hands against the door on either side of her head. ‘You’re going to tell me everything you know about that goddamn necklace.’

  ‘Or else?’ she asked in quiet, mocking tones.

  He shifted a hand to gently cup her throat. ‘I guess we’ll both find out how far I’m willing to go.’

  She looked at him with bruised eyes, like he was the one who’d done something wrong, like he was the one who’d betrayed her. ‘I don’t know what you think I know, but I’m not going to be much good to you.’

  ‘Come on, bella, I know you can do a little better than that.’

  ‘I thought the necklace was in the linen room. It wasn’t. Maybe it’s time for me to bow out, leave the field to you.’

  Yeah right. He stroked a thumb along her jaw. ‘We’re a little past the point of playing coy, don’t you think?’

  ‘I’m serious. There is no Plan B. I was always going to leave if I couldn’t find it.’

  ‘You’re not going anywhere.’
Like it or not, she was his link to this case. ‘And you’re going to tell me everything.’

  Another shrug. ‘What do you want to know?’

  ‘Start from the beginning.’

  She gave him a sad half-smile, reached up and placed her hands on the outside of his. ‘Do we have to do it like this?’

  ‘You want to sit down with a cup of tea?’ he asked sarcastically.

  But she was right. He had her caged against the door, was looming over her with his hand at her throat and bitter resentment in his heart. He had no reason to keep her like this, except that he was fucking angry. He dropped his hands, backed off an inch or two. ‘You could have killed me,’ he bit out. No point in saying it, but he couldn’t help himself.

  She didn’t meet his eyes. ‘Unlikely.’

  ‘Unlikely?’ he echoed in disbelief.

  She shrugged. ‘I have a lot of experience with that drug. Adverse reactions are rare and if it’s going to happen, it happens immediately.’

  He thought of how she’d made sure he got back to his room, how she’d stayed with him until he lost consciousness. Taken off his shoes and tucked him into bed. It softened his mood a little. Then he remembered how she’d kissed him. ‘So I’m not the first guy you’ve doped into a coma? Is that supposed to make me feel better?’

  Her eyes met his, flashing gold and green. ‘I haven’t done anything like that before.’ She looked away, brought her hands to her hips. ‘Jesus, Jack, it’s not like I wanted to do it.’

  What had he expected? That she’d be sorry? Why did he care? Selina was a means to an end, nothing more. ‘From the beginning,’ he prompted.

  She looked at him a moment, then dropped her eyes. ‘I grew up knowing Andrew Holloway was my grandfather, but until last week, all I knew was the official version of events: there was a robbery at the Empire, Andrew was shot trying to stop it. Last week, when the ring was found, nonna told me the truth.’

  ‘There were no outside robbers,’ Jack interjected. Just Andrew. And Lewis. And a dead security guard.

  Her head tilted to the side in acquiescence. ‘No.’

  It was along the lines of what he’d been thinking, but it was useful to have it confirmed. ‘And the ring. Maria threw it down the shaft.’