by Amanda Quick
“Perhaps not.” Her eyes narrowed. “But I think I have something you do want, sir.”
He let his gaze slide coolly over her. “Do you indeed? I will admit that the offer is an interesting one.” He thought about the standing wager in the betting books. “And not without its rewards.”
She stared at him. “I beg your pardon?”
Her expression of blank incomprehension told him that she did not know about the wager. “It is not often that a man is afforded the opportunity of an affair with the Wicked Widow. Tell me, madam, can I expect to survive the experience? Or do your lovers run the same risks as your husbands?”
Her jaw dropped. An instant later icy fury leaped in her eyes. “If I decide to employ you, Mr. Hunt, there will certainly be some risk involved, but that risk will not emanate from me.”
He raised his brows. “I hate to sound crass, but about the nature of my reimbursement …?”
She glanced meaningfully at the cupboard that contained the journal of Vanza members. “I saw from your expression that you do not relish the notion that so much personal information concerning your private affairs has been set down in that book.”
“You are correct. I do not like it at all.” And one way or another, he would find a way to get his hands on the bloody volume. He glanced at the foolish little bells on the shutters. They would prove no great obstacle to his skills.
She watched him with shrewd intensity. “If we come to terms, sir, I will pay you for your time and trouble with that journal.”
“Are you saying that you will give me that damned book if I help you?”
“Yes.” She hesitated. “But first I must decide whether or not to employ you. I must think on it some more before I come to a decision. There is a great deal at stake.”
“For your own sake, Mrs. Deveridge, I suggest that you do not hesitate too long.”
She raised her chin with chilly disdain. “Another threat, sir?”
“Not at all. I was merely referring to your attempts to fortify your home.” He motioned toward the shutters. “If what you fear is Vanza related, I can assure you that the ringing of those bells may well come too late to do you any good.”
She went pale and gripped the arm of her chair so tightly that her knuckles whitened. “I think you had better go now, sir.”
He hesitated and then inclined his head formally. “As you wish, madam. You know where to reach me when you make up your mind.”
RECKLESS
A Bantam Book/December 1992
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1992 by Jayne A. Krentz.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information address: Bantam Books.
eISBN: 978-0-307-57569-2
Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words “Bantam Books” and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, New York, New York.
v3.0
Table of Contents
Cover
Other Books by this Author
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
About the Author
Copyright