The Devil's Bargain

by Kira Sinclair

Unless they were upset that all their hard work had yielded nothing and were hoping to play some other angle.

  God, Genevieve was confused. And conflicted. None of this made any sense. Both of the men in her home had enough to money to buy everything she owned, including the jewels Finn had attempted to steal.

  Hell, Finn had enough money to buy everything she owned.

  And that’s what she kept circling around in her brain. None of this made sense.

  So she watched the feed, trying to find some clue that would answer all the questions that kept swirling inside her head.

  It took her several moments to realize a dark shadow was lurking in the hallway by her back door. As she watched, it shifted and flowed into her workroom. Her eyes immediately jumped to the second half of the screen, waiting to see what would happen next.

  The slim shape paused in front of her safe. The doors quickly swung open. “That was fast.”

  Gray hummed, “Almost as if someone had the code.”

  She’d given Finn a lot of access, but she hadn’t shared the code for the safe with him. Mostly because it hadn’t occurred to her that she’d need to and he hadn’t asked for it. But he had been in the room when she’d opened it on several occasions. He was smart and observant enough to memorize it if he’d wanted to.

  She expected to see the shadow reach inside and start taking pieces. But that’s not what happened. Instead, the person pulled out a tool, the metal glinting for a moment through the darkness, and began systematically ripping her pieces apart.

  That had been bothering her from the very beginning. The stones were valuable, but they were already set. Why destroy the pieces? It wasn’t like any of them were notorious—like the Star of Reilly—or would be difficult to fence just as they were. Perhaps down the road it would make sense to separate the stones so they’d be more difficult to trace, but why take the time to do it in the middle of stealing them?

  She didn’t understand.

  But then, she wasn’t a thief. So maybe Finn had a reason?

  Her confusion thickened, though, when the thief took a handful of the gems and sprinkled them across the floor and her worktable like a trail of bread crumbs from a fairy tale.

  Then, without taking a single stone, the shadow slipped back out into the hallway. And waited.

  What was frustrating was that, even though the surveillance equipment was high quality and the feed clear, the person managed to keep their face hidden by twisting and melting into the shadows.

  But that wouldn’t be difficult to do for someone who knew where every camera was placed.

  “What’s he waiting for?” Genevieve finally asked, after staring for a couple minutes at footage of the thief simply standing there.

  “Wait.”

  Suddenly, the shadow moved. Fast. Darting back through the hallway and into the workroom. This time, he didn’t stop at the safe, but ran through, knocking over one of the tables, pulling a rolling table with equipment out into the middle of the room and overturning a couple chairs before racing into the front.

  At the same time, motion at the back door caught her attention. Turning her focus, Genevieve let out a gasp when Finn came through. He wasn’t even bothering to hide his face from the cameras. Instead, he was intent on getting into her workroom as quickly as possible.

  She watched him survey the damage. His body jerked, as if he’d been punched, and his mouth moved, although she couldn’t hear what he said. She could guess, though.

  Racing through, he stopped long enough to scoop up several of the jewels scattered across the floor, stuffing them into the pockets of his pants. He took the same path as the shadow, pushing chairs, table and equipment out of his way.

  The feed cut off, but Genevieve continued to stare at the blank screen for several moments, her mind spinning.

  Could they have doctored the footage?

  She absolutely believed they had the expertise and equipment to do it. But to what end? What did Stone and Gray have to gain from showing this to her?

  Other than freeing Finn.

  But what did any of them have to gain from stealing her pieces? No, from destroying them?

  Nothing. That was the logical answer.

  Which left her with the question, who did have something to gain?

  Turning slowly, she faced Gray. Arms crossed over his chest, he’d simply been standing and waiting.

  “Explain what I just watched, please.”

  A frown pulled his brows into a tight V. “Finn didn’t break in and steal from you.”

  “Obviously. I mean, what else? Who did break in?” She had no doubt Gray and Stone knew more about what was going on than they were saying. They might be keeping it to themselves because they weren’t certain what her reaction would be, but they were going to have to get over that. “Why did you show me the first video and what does it have to do with everything else?”

  “Finn asked us to put Nick under surveillance. He’s had Lackland watched since before he got out of prison.”

  Later she’d address why he’d felt the need to do that—and not mention it—but right now it was immaterial.

  “How long?”

  “Almost a year.”

  About the time Gray had been released and several months before Stone and Finn. She’d done her research on all three once she’d realized who they were to him.

  “It wasn’t until the last few weeks, though, that we placed Nick under the same scrutiny. Or learned that he met with Lackland. It’s possible—probable—they communicated the whole time. We simply can’t prove it.”

  “What can you prove?”

  Gray reached over and began clicking a few keys, shutting off the computer. He didn’t look at her as he said, “What you probably suspect. Nick has been giving your grandfather information. He’s also been working with him the last few weeks to sabotage the release of your collection. Reilly is hurting. The last few collections they’ve released haven’t performed as well as anticipated. Competition from companies like Mitchell Brothers hasn’t helped. Your grandfather has been leveraging assets to maintain his lavish lifestyle, anticipating the market would bounce back.”

  “Which hasn’t happened.” Genevieve was fully aware of the reputation Reilly had. The company was known for being old-fashioned. However, that wasn’t always a bad thing. It also maintained a reputation for quality and excellence. “I didn’t realize.”

  “No one does. He’s worked hard to keep the truth from the board. The problems started about the time you left.”

  Which made sense. Up until that point, she’d been the one designing collections, for both their major commercial clients as well as any VIPs.

  Genevieve stared at Gray for several moments, letting everything sink in.

  “Finn didn’t do anything wrong.” Relief flooded through her.

  Finn hadn’t done anything wrong. She’d been right to question the evidence in front of her.

  She should have trusted him. Trusted her own instincts more. She owed Finn a huge apology. And she needed to stop questioning his motives and trust he only had her and Noah’s best interests at heart.

  She simply wasn’t used to anyone else caring enough about her to place her needs first. Or hell, second or third.

  “Nope, he didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “I heard that cop. They’re not going to listen when he tells them the truth.”

  “Nope.”

  “I assume you’re going to use this to prove he’s right?” Genevieve asked, waving her hand at the computer on the table beside them.

  “Yep.”

  “I want to come with you. I want to be there when they let him go.”

  Gray nodded. “You realize this implicates Nick and your grandfather. I have other evidence I plan to turn over.”

  “Good.”

 
“They’re both going to prison, but the police will want you to press charges.”

  “Happy to.”

  “Nick’s been one of your closest friends for the last several years.”

  “Apparently not.” Genevieve’s face scrunched into a frown. “Are you trying to talk me out of doing this? Do you think it matters to me? My grandfather is a despicable man and always has been. And if Nick let him influence his choices, then he has to deal with the consequences.”

  In the kitchen, Noah’s peel of laughter pulled her attention for several seconds. Watching her son, light filling his perfect face, her chest tightened.

  “Despite everything, I love Finn. Sometimes I think I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it. He’s charismatic, charming and mischievous. He has this uncanny ability to draw people to him. And more importantly, he recognizes strength inside of me when I can’t see it for myself.”

  Gray’s hand on her shoulder startled her. His gaze was steady and calm when Genevieve looked back to him. This man had deep wells of patience and understanding. The intelligence behind his eyes would have been intimidating if his demeanor wasn’t so calm and assured.

  “I know.”

  A relieved smile curled her lips. “So let’s go save his impulsive ass.”

  Fifteen

  Finn stared at the blank walls of the cell and tried not to let claustrophobia win.

  He’d been grilled for the last several hours. Rapid-fire questions designed to trip him up and poke holes in his story. Unfortunately for the investigators, his story was solid. Because it was the truth.

  Not that they’d been willing to listen.

  They were still convinced he was lying. And based on several of the questions they asked him, their conviction was supported by something more than what had happened at Genevieve’s studio. Obviously, they weren’t revealing their information to him, but from what he could piece together, it had something to do with Hunt.

  He needed to get in touch with Stone to clear up this whole mess. But what he needed more was to speak with Genevieve. Although from the expression on her face, he wasn’t sure she’d be willing to listen to anything he had to say, either.

  How was he about to lose everything when he hadn’t done a damn thing wrong?

  For the first time in his life, he’d attempted to follow the rules. And everything was turning to shit. Only learning of Sawyer’s death had ever left him feeling this hopeless and helpless.

  He’d spent the last few weeks proving to Genevieve that he’d changed. He’d made an effort to earn her trust, and he’d been certain those efforts were paying off.

  Apparently not.

  At the first sign of trouble, she’d believed the worst. She didn’t question what was happening or whether he was innocent. She definitely hadn’t offered her support. From the devastation on her face, it was clear she’d believed he’d stolen from her.

  Which hurt most of all.

  Finn had no doubt that eventually, with Stone and Gray’s help, he would clear up the misunderstanding.

  But he could see now that no matter how straight and narrow he attempted to live his life, it would never be enough. Genevieve would always be waiting for him to screw up.

  And even if he deserved it, he couldn’t live his life that way.

  Rubbing a hand over his tight chest, Finn wanted to scream and throw something. But everything in the cell was bolted down.

  Dropping his head back against the wall, he shut his eyes and let his body sag. Bone-deep exhaustion pulled at every muscle.

  He had no idea how long he sat in the cell, but a while later an officer showed up outside. The door slid open and he gestured for Finn to follow.

  “You know, it doesn’t matter how many times you ask the questions, my answers aren’t changing. I didn’t steal anything.”

  The officer frowned at him. “This time.”

  Leading him through the sterilized hallways, it took Finn a few seconds to register what he’d actually said. “What do you mean, this time?”

  “We know you didn’t take anything from Ms. Reilly. All charges have been dropped.”

  “They have?” Finn tried not to sound incredulous, but failed. This was too easy.

  Or maybe it wasn’t. He’d assumed it would be morning before Stone could get things straightened out, but maybe he’d worked a bit faster.

  That had to be it.

  The officer led him to a woman, who processed his release. She gave him back the personal belongings that had been cataloged when they’d booked him. And then directed him through double doors and out of the station.

  Freedom was a beautiful thing.

  Until he walked out and found Genevieve waiting for him on the other side.

  * * *

  The sight of him was overwhelming.

  Genevieve didn’t realize just how scared she’d been until he pushed through those doors. She wanted to rush over and grab him. Put her hands on him and make sure he was there and unharmed.

  But she didn’t deserve that yet and wasn’t sure what her reception would be. He definitely hadn’t greeted her with his mischievous, open smile. She moved closer anyway, unable to stay away from him.

  She wanted to reach for him, but stopped herself. Instead, she led with, “I’m sorry.”

  It hurt that he didn’t reach for her, either. He stood in front of her, his expression shuttered and remote in a way that left a pit in her belly. “For what?”

  “Doubting you, even for a little while. I realized nothing made sense pretty quickly, before Stone and Gray came to me. But I let my doubt and fears convince me that you must have done something.”

  His voice was flat when he said, “It’s okay.”

  “It isn’t.”

  “You know what? You’re right. It isn’t. I’ve changed who I am for you and Noah, Genevieve. I’ve given up a piece of me. After Sawyer died, I turned to stealing as a way of blocking out the pain, but also reminding myself of just how shitty a person I could really be. Good people don’t steal.”

  Genevieve stepped closer. “Stop. You’re a good person, Finn. One of the best men I’ve ever met.”

  “Bullshit. The expression on your face when they put me in that cop car said everything. You don’t believe that. And no matter what I do, you never will.”

  “That’s not true.” She took another step, trying to bridge the distance between them in more ways than one. “You deserve my faith. Not simply because you’ve earned it, but because deep down I know the man you are. I know you have a code of honor you live by. It might not be the same one everyone else follows, but it’s hard and fast for you. Unshakable. Even discounting the fact that you don’t want or need anything I own, you’d never hurt me. Or use me. You’re right. I should have trusted you. But I’m human, too, Finn. And I made a mistake.”

  Finn stared at her for several seconds. Genevieve had no idea what was going on behind his closed expression. Which scared the crap out of her.

  But finally, Finn moved. Closing the gap between them, he ran the pads of his fingers across her cheek. “God, I can’t stay mad at you, no matter how much I know I should. Of course I’d never hurt you or Noah. You two have become everything to me.”

  Leaning into his caress, Genevieve soaked up the warmth of his palm against her skin.

  His mouth twisted. “I’ve given you reason to question me. I recognize that. Regret it every single day.”

  Shaking her head, Genevieve wrapped her fingers in the soft fabric of his shirt and tugged him closer. “It’s not fair to continue to punish you for a single mistake that you’ve acknowledged, apologized for and done everything you could to atone for. That’s all I can ask of you.”

  But it was more than that. “By every word and action, you’ve shown nothing but support for me. You accept me exactly as I am. Want my happiness and succes
s. You’re an amazing father to our son. We’re both lucky to have you in our lives.”

  Slipping her hands up his chest, Genevieve cradled them around his jaw. “I love you, Finn. I have since the moment I met you. You’re dynamic, challenging and the most accepting person I’ve ever met. You don’t always make it easy—”

  Finn laughed, the sound coming out a little strangled.

  “—but you do make it worth it. You put up a good front, pretend to be this wicked soul, but deep down you’re a good man with a beautiful heart.”

  She would have said more, but suddenly she was crushed against Finn’s body. His mouth was on hers, kissing the hell out of her. The moment was filled with heat and promise. Someone behind them cleared their throat. Another person whistled.

  Genevieve didn’t care.

  She was out of breath when he finally pulled back, murmuring against her lips, “Hush, woman. Give a guy the chance to say I love you, too.”

  Finn stared deep into her eyes. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you and Noah, but I plan to spend the rest of my life appreciating the gift I’ve been given. I can’t promise I’ll never screw up.”

  Genevieve couldn’t stop a huff of laughter. “I have no doubt.” They were confessing their love in the middle of a police station, after all.

  “I can promise I’ll always put you and our family first. And I’ll do everything in my power to protect that. Working with Stone and Gray will help.”

  This was the one thing that worried her. But she had to place her trust in Finn. “Just promise that if it’s ever not enough you’ll talk to me. I won’t judge, Finn. I want to give you the same level of support you’ve shown me.”

  “That’s an easy promise to make.”

  Pulling her in, Finn kissed her again. Genevieve let out a sigh, of happiness, relief and pure joy.

  Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Finn turned to lead her out of the station. “Let’s go home to our son.”

  Epilogue

  Finn hung back, watching Genevieve. She stood in the middle of the conference room, her gaze wandering around the empty space.