But at the end of the day, even if this was her livelihood, the gemstones were just things. Certainly, they were beautiful, but so was the sound of her son’s laughter. At least to her.
Locking the back door, Genevieve took several steps outside when an unexpected shiver snaked down her spine. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she paused midstride. A burst of adrenaline shot into her system.
But she had no idea why.
Gaze darting around the empty parking lot, Genevieve attempted to find something out of place. But everything was quiet and still. Shadows shifted, but they were leaves from the grand oak trees at the back of the property rustling in the late-night breeze.
It was her imagination. She was being paranoid, that was all. Quickening her pace, Genevieve grasped her keys, unlocked the door to her SUV, slid inside and quickly locked it again.
Her heart was beating way too fast considering nothing had happened. Shaking her head, Genevieve cranked her car and headed home. She needed sleep, that was all.
She’d take another crack at the alexandrite tomorrow. Maybe during the day. A change of scenery might be what she needed. In the meantime, she was going to head home and spend some time with her sketch pad. Maybe brilliance would strike.
* * *
Finn stared at the computer screen open in front of him. His loft was pitch-black, the only light coming from the glow in front of him. His feet were kicked up onto the coffee table, a glass of red wine close to his elbow.
Anyone who walked in would probably assume he was completely relaxed, watching a movie or something.
In reality, he was desperately trying to control his temper.
It was his turn to want to race across town, barge into Genevieve’s home and read her the riot act. What was she thinking, working alone that late at night? The neighborhood her studio was in was decent, but any place could be dangerous after midnight.
Especially when you added the temptation of pricey gemstones.
And from what he’d gathered, her late-night foray to the studio wasn’t an anomaly. She hadn’t even bothered to call in the yahoo she’d hired to handle her security.
Oh, you better believe he’d had the idiot checked. And while on the outside he appeared capable of handling the job, it was obvious he wasn’t. Or Genevieve never would have been at the studio alone at midnight.
Clearly, he’d gotten the job because she’d known him from her time at Reilly. And, from watching the man for the last few days, Finn did not like the way his gaze followed Genevieve. Finn’s gut told him more than loyalty had what’s-his-name following Genni when she left the family business.
Finn sat up straighter in his chair when Genevieve’s car appeared on the right half of the split screen. Maybe he needed to ask Stone to put a tracker on her car so he could monitor her on the way home. Although that was probably crossing a line, the dead space between her leaving the studio and arriving at her place made him nervous.
Genevieve parked in her driveway, pulling in beside the old sedan her babysitter drove. She disappeared inside only to reappear on the front stoop as the other woman left.
Nicole’s hair was pulled up into a knot on the top of her head, but at some point it had gotten a little off-kilter. Her eyes were heavy-lidded and she moved sluggishly, as if she was half-asleep.
In contrast, Genevieve was wide-awake.
She gave the other woman a hug, asked her a question, which was answered with a definitive nod, and then watched as she drove away. Crossing her arms over her chest, Genevieve stood outside for several seconds before slipping back inside.
Finn watched the progression of lights as they went dark throughout her house. He had no doubt she stood at Noah’s doorway for several seconds before disappearing into her own room. Not only because there was a pause before the hallway light was extinguished, but because that was the kind of mother she would be.
It took about fifteen minutes for all the lights in her home to flip off. He should follow suit and go to bed, as well, but he couldn’t. Not merely because of his irritation at Genevieve’s lack of self-preservation.
He wanted to be there with her, slipping into bed beside her. Yes, touching and tasting her, but also pulling her close and tucking her into the shelter of his body. Falling asleep to the quiet sound of her breathing. The heat of her skin sinking deep into his own.
Genevieve made him want things he shouldn’t.
Nope, he wasn’t going there.
Finn was about to close the lid of his laptop when something made him pause. His hand rested on the top of the lid as his gaze sharpened on the left side of his screen.
Right there. Again. A flicker.
His heart kicked inside his chest, ticking into a faster rhythm, one that was comfortable and familiar. He lived for the heightened physical state, that hit adrenaline gave during high-stress situations.
Something wasn’t right.
Pulling the feed at Genevieve’s studio up full screen, Finn zoomed in tighter and waited.
It didn’t take long for one of the many shadows to move against all the others, materializing into a dark figure skulking at the back door.
Shit.
Before he could react, Finn watched it open wide enough for whoever was there to slip inside.
Vaulting up from his position on the sofa, Finn juggled the computer in one hand while he snatched up his phone with the other. The first call he made was to the police. The second was to Stone.
The third was to Genevieve.
* * *
Genevieve tossed and turned for about twenty minutes, her brain simply refusing to settle. Finally, in that space right before falling asleep, her body had just begun to sink down into the bed when her cell phone rang out from the bedside table.
The noise startled her, jolting her upright. Her brain was sluggish enough that it took her a couple seconds before registering what the sound was. Snatching up the phone for fear the noise would wake Noah, she didn’t recognize the number before hitting Accept. Telemarketers didn’t call after midnight, so it really didn’t matter. But if this was a wrong number she was going to get cranky.
“Hello,” she whispered, resituating herself in bed so she could rest against the headboard.
“Genevieve?”
Her eyebrows beetled. “Finn?”
“Yeah, listen—”
She cut him off. “What the hell are you doing calling me this late? Whatever you have to say can wait until in the morning.”
“Genevieve.” Finn’s voice was urgent and demanding, much different from the unconcerned billionaire she knew. “Someone broke into your studio. I’ve called the police and a friend, but you should get over here.”
Blinking, she didn’t even know how to respond to what he’d just said. “What?” was about all her brain would spit out.
“I’m so sorry to call this way,” he responded, his voice going soft and apologetic.
Her grandfather’s snide voice sounded in the back of her mind. Use your head, girl. It isn’t a coincidence this is happening just days after he’s back in your life.
She hadn’t spoken to her grandfather in three years. She’d avoided any chance encounter by cutting ties with anyone in his life. And it pissed her off that even now his voice could invade her mind. Influence her thoughts.
But, dammit, he wasn’t wrong.
“Is this your fault?”
“What? No. Why would you even ask that?”
Why wouldn’t she? He was guilty of breaking into her grandfather’s vault...and most likely a hundred more. Although she couldn’t for the life of her figure out his angle for calling and telling her.
But that didn’t mean he didn’t have one.
“The police are on their way,” he reiterated.
For some reason, that statement made her stomach dive str
aight to her toes. He was serious if he’d called the cops. She couldn’t fathom Finn DeLuca voluntarily communicating with the authorities.
Dammit.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Genevieve didn’t bother waiting for Finn’s response before hanging up.
Vaulting out of bed, she raced to Noah’s room and gently scooped him up, blanket and all. He barely stirred when she strapped him into his car seat, mumbling a couple nonsense words before his half-opened eyelids closed again.
The streets were deserted as she raced across the city to her studio. Several stoplights caught her, red only to make her impatiently wait while terrible thoughts spun through her brain.
Her show was ruined. Every single one of her pieces was inside the safe in her studio. She was an idiot for leaving them all there, but considering she had nowhere else to secure them...it had been her only choice.
Turning the corner, Genevieve wanted to scream and cry when she saw the trio of police cars parked haphazardly in the street outside her studio. Blue-and-red lights flashed across the empty pavement, bouncing off the brick facade of the buildings surrounding them. The revolving lights made her dizzy.
She had no idea why she bothered to park inside the lines of the space in front of the sidewalk, other than habit.
Genevieve was half out of the car when a figure appeared inside her opened door. She yelped before realizing who was standing beside her.
Finn’s hand cupped her elbow, supporting her as she stood. A zing of electricity shot up her arm and across her chest.
She couldn’t deal with him right now.
Shaking him off, Genevieve maneuvered away, rounding the back of the car to the other side.
“I don’t need this right now, Finn. Please go away.”
Without waiting for his response, she opened the back door and ducked inside so she could gently extricate Noah, hoping the whole time that he might remain asleep. Although that probably wouldn’t last long.
She had the buckle undone and the straps off his arms when she felt Finn’s heat at her back.
Seriously, she just couldn’t right now.
But before she could say anything, his hands were over hers, stopping her from finishing what she was doing.
Strong hands grasped her and hauled her backward out of the open doorway.
That’s when he made a huge tactical error. Finn positioned himself between her and her son.
“What the hell are you doing?” she angrily whispered. “Get out of the way. This is not the time.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“I won’t let you wake him up. Noah should be home, asleep in his own bed right now.”
“No joke, asshole. And the sooner you get out of my way, the sooner I can speak to the police, figure out what the hell is going on here, just how much damage has been done, so I can go home and put Noah back to bed.”
“Why didn’t you call Nicole back?”
Had he really just asked her that? “Because it’s almost one o’clock in the morning.”
“Maddie, then.”
“Because that would make it better? I’m not calling anyone in the middle of the night to take care of my son. I’m perfectly capable. I’m not happy about his sleep being disturbed, but it’s not an everyday occurrence. Shit happens, and as a single mother, I do the best I can to handle the obstacles.” Her voice began to escalate, until it was loud enough to echo off the walls beside them. “I’m damn good at it, because I’ve been doing it for a long time. Noah and I can handle this. We don’t need you here.”
His entire face pulled tight, aristocratic features sharp and pinched. His dark coffee eyes flashed with an unexpected fire that had breath backing into her lungs.
“Tough. I’m here, anyway. I’m not judging your decisions as a mother, Genevieve. You’re a damn good one and I didn’t need the report sitting on my desk to tell me that. I never doubted you’d be anything but a good mother. You have an uncanny ability to put everyone else’s needs before your own, a trait that motherhood has only enhanced. You need to go inside, speak to the police and tell them what’s missing. I can’t do that for you. What I can do is take our son home and put him back to bed. Because there’s no reason he has to be here.”
Genevieve stared at Finn for several seconds. A lump formed in her throat, but she refused to let it build into the emotional breakdown that threatened.
Was she an idiot for contemplating letting him take Noah?
Probably. Finn DeLuca was selfish, egotistical and too charming for his own good. But there wasn’t a single part of her afraid he wouldn’t take care of their son.
The man had fought too hard to get access to Noah to screw it up by doing something stupid.
“You don’t know anything about taking care of a toddler.”
“True, but I think I can handle unhooking the harness and getting him back into bed. Unless you expect he’s going to wake up and want to throw a rave?”
Unexpected laughter burst out of her. She could totally see Finn throwing a toddler techno party, complete with funneling chocolate milk and popping fruit snacks like they were pills.
She was clearly exhausted and punch-drunk.
Her gaze drifted behind Finn to where Noah sat in his car seat. His little head was lolling against the headrest, completely oblivious to the blue-and-red lights flashing intermittently across his face.
She didn’t want him here.
“Fine,” she found herself saying before the decision had even fully formed. “The gold one is the key to the door from the garage.” Grabbing his hand, she slapped her keys into Finn’s palm.
Before she could pull away, his fingers closed around her wrist, trapping her in place. Digging something out of his pocket, he gently uncurled her fingers before placing a single car key in her palm. Instinctively, her hand closed around the hard plastic, still warm from his body heat.
“I parked by the back door. I’ll text you when we get home and he’s back in bed.”
Nodding, Genevieve took a huge step back. “Thanks.”
Her mind was a jumbled mess as she watched Finn fold his tall, muscular body into her small SUV and back away. She stared at his brake lights until they disappeared around the corner.
And only when an officer walked up beside her saying, “Ms. Reilly? I need to ask you a few questions,” did she shake herself back into focus on what was going on around her.
Five
It didn’t take Genevieve long to realize nothing had been stolen. Thank God whoever had broken in hadn’t gotten to the vault. Probably because Finn had called in the cavalry.
It really sucked that she was annoyed and grateful at the same time, but the man had the uncanny ability to stir up a jumbled mess of emotions inside her.
A back window had been shattered. Tiny shards of glass twinkled in the bright lights someone had flipped on overhead. They reminded her of the jewels the thief had no doubt planned to snag.
Her design table had been knocked over, a spool of thin copper wire unraveling as it rolled across the floor. Papers from the desk were strewn across the room as if someone had gathered them up and just tossed them into the air. Invoices, design sketches, consignment contracts...everywhere.
But on the far wall, the vault stood, untouched.
Everything was a mess, but that could be remedied.
“I’m sorry.” Nick, her head of security—her only security—walked up beside her. He shook his head as he surveyed the destruction littering the floor.
“For what? You didn’t do this.”
He hummed in the back of his throat. “It’s my job to prevent stuff like this. We’re just lucky someone saw what was happening and called it in.”
Weren’t they just. And as soon as she got home she was going to have a nice chat with the Good Samaritan to
figure out just why the hell he’d been watching her studio late at night.
Not to mention how he’d known her babysitter’s name and that Genevieve would be calling her back. Which implied he already knew she’d been there and left once tonight.
Maybe he was pissed someone had beaten him to breaking in. Because, really, the only reason she could think he’d be so aware of the activity at her studio would be for casing the place.
But she wasn’t about to bring that up to Nick. Not yet, anyway.
“Luckily, none of the pieces were taken. It’ll probably take me a couple days to clean up and organize, which will put me behind on the last two pieces. But I’ll figure out how to make it work.”
Assuming she ever figured out what she wanted to do with those damn stones. If she didn’t...a break-in wasn’t the only thing that could tank her career before it ever really got off the ground.
“I’ll review the surveillance footage, see if I can find anything that might help us catch this guy. Identify any weaknesses we can shore up quickly and easily.”
“And cheaply,” Genevieve added with an unhappy twist of her lips.
Nick nodded, his own mouth pulling tight.
“I’m pretty sure this was just a smash and grab. The back window was an easy target, which I already knew. I’ll figure out why the glass break malfunctioned. We should have gotten an alert the minute that window shattered.”
“Thanks, Nick,” Genevieve said, exhaustion stealing through her body.
She’d already spent over an hour answering questions about her movements that evening, helping the police piece together a timeline. She couldn’t even think about starting to tackle the mess, although at the very least the window needed to be taken care of.
On a sigh, she walked forward, ignoring the crunch of glass beneath her feet.
The Devil's Bargain Page 5