by Mia Dymond
“Are you two ready to call it a night?”
“Yes,” Grace answered for both Bailey and herself, “but we had a lot of fun.” She stood, gathered her things, and then glanced at her three new friends. “It was so nice to meet all of you.”
Sarah smiled and winked at him. “You guys too. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of you.”
“Grace, for sure,” Bailey mumbled as she stood.
He gestured with one hand toward the sliding door that opened back into the office. “Ladies first.”
Once they entered the building, he closed the door and nodded at Ice, who already stood there.
“Let’s make a pit stop in the conference room.”
Ice turned and led the way.
“We’ve come to some conclusions,” Harvard explained. “First and foremost, we need to install a security system at your house.”
Grace nodded a silent agreement.
“Second,” he continued, “we came up with a viable option to expose our stalker. We need to auction the peacock.”
Grace’s eyes widened. “I’m not sure Mrs. McGuire will agree.”
“She will.” Harvard wasn’t surprised by the confidence that coated Ice’s statement; no wasn’t a word in his vocabulary.
“If she agrees, it can be arranged fairly quickly.”
“You and I will discuss details with her tomorrow. In the meantime, you can’t go home.”
The minute he let the words slip past his lips, he knew he’d just baited a hungry lion.
She raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I can.”
“It’s not safe.”
“He wants the peacock and now he knows I don’t have it. I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. Honestly, we’re only guessing that he wants the jewelry. If we’re right though, it is true that it isn’t in your house now, but he doesn’t know if you carry it on your person.”
“That’s ludicrous.” She shook her head. “Why would I carry around a million-dollar piece of jewelry?”
She had a point but he refused to cave. “Criminals are not logical, sweetheart.”
“Okay, I’ll buy that explanation.” She folded her arms beneath her breasts, a move he knew meant she prepared to negotiate. “I’ll stay with Bailey.”
“Not an option.” Ice’s answer was just as confident as the last.
“Now, wait a minute!” Bailey folded her arms and then groaned through her protest as she quickly unfolded them. “Why is my skin so tight?”
Harvard lifted both eyebrows as he focused on Bailey’s shoulders. Oh. Hell. Luckily, Grace issued the explanation.
“Oh, Bailey.” Grace swallowed hard as she poked her friend’s shoulder with a finger. “You got quite a bit of sun.”
“Sorry, Bailey.” He gave Ice a tag-you’re-it look before he turned back to Grace. “We’ll stay at my house.”
He took her hand, braided their fingers, and pulled her out of the room. “Besides, we have a few more rooms to christen.”
As soon as Harvard maneuvered Grace out of the room and out of earshot, Ice turned to Bailey and resumed the task of giving orders.
“You can stay with me.”
It took a millisecond for him to hear the bell that signaled round one.
“Excuse me?”
“I said, you can stay with me.”
“No. I’m not the target, remember?”
He took a deep breath and settled in for the duration of the argument. No sense getting in a hurry. “You are.”
“And how did you come to this conclusion?”
“There’s a lunatic after your best friend,” he explained with utter calmness. “What makes you think he doesn’t know about you? What makes you think he won’t come after you just to get her to turn over the jewelry?”
If her skin hadn’t been blood red, he would have expected her to pale. “I want to go home, Ice.”
He paused while he quickly made a change in strategy. “Okay, I’ll take you home, Short Stuff.”
“I can drive myself home,” she insisted.
He moved his gaze from the top of her head down her delectable body to her toes and then back again. In her bright blue bikini, she was one sexy, red woman. In fact, if he did have a chance to remove the suit, she was so red, it would look like she was still covered.
“Something tells me you weren’t concentrating on sunscreen.”
“I was talking,” she mumbled. “I got sidetracked.”
“Your car has leather seats. In this heat, you’ll stick to them and then you’ll be hurtin’ for certain.”
“If I remember correctly, your truck has leather seats as well.”
“I’ll drape a sheet over your side.”
“You could do that in my car.”
He released a hard breath. What was it about this woman that sorely tempted his patience? “Bailey, just once could you please be agreeable?”
Much to his surprise, she didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she tilted her head to one side as if considering her response. He wondered if she finally realized what pain she would experience when she had to move those muscles to steer her car around the curves into the city.
“Thank you, Ice,” she said finally. “Do you mind if I travel in my bikini? At this point, I don’t want anything near my skin.”
Although he was a little wary of her quick agreement, lust pushed his concern to the side. He swallowed hard and his cock jumped in his trunks. Take her home nearly dressed? Hell, yeah. She didn’t know how lucky she was that she was sunburnt; he had a reason to keep his hands to himself.
“Not at all,” he said finally. “Your car will be fine here.”
Relieved for the moment, he followed a silent Bailey out of the building and to his truck, not even bothering to ignore the hypnotizing sway of her hips.
“Oh, great,” she mumbled when they stood outside the passenger door.
“Problems?”
“No way can I get in by myself,” she groaned.
He chuckled, half satisfied and honestly empathetic to her burn. “Relax, I’ve got that covered.”
He pressed the button on his remote to unlock the doors, preparing himself for her very loud directive that she would somehow climb in on her own. Instead, she stood silent beside him. Encouragement rolled over him. Thank God for small favors.
Once his keys were tucked into his pocket, he very carefully bent to place his arms under her knees. “Drape your arms around my neck. I’m going to lift you.”
Without hesitation, she followed directions and he nearly stumbled in shock. And when she was cradled in his arms, he worked hard to pull oxygen across his lungs. Her skin felt hot with fever as her legs touched his arms and he moved slowly to alleviate as much pain as possible. Except, when her amazingly tight backside grazed his now hard-as-steel cock, his own skin began to heat. Not only was the slight touch arousing, the view he had right into the valley of her cleavage made things worse. He began to sweat as he placed her as carefully on the seat as possible. Half a second later, she appeared comfortably settled, quiet yet still very, very red.
Anxiety tickled his nerves. “Do you suppose we need to make a detour to the emergency room?”
“No.” She gave him a half smile. “It’s just a sunburn. I’ve got some aloe vera at home.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive, Ice. I’m fine.”
Still not convinced, he closed the door, walked around to the driver’s side and entered the vehicle, pushed to offer help once more.
“You’re positive you don’t want someone to look at it? We have a medic on staff.”
She nodded. “Jill’s husband. No, I’m really okay. Once I’m home, in bed, covered in aloe, I’ll feel much better.”
With her reassurance, he pushed the button to start the ignition, prepared to make the drive as quickly as possible. He drove the distance, negotiating the twists and turns into town as smoothly as he could for her benefit as well as his own. Although his ha
rd-on had eased to half-mast, the cocky sucker was still there as a reminder of what he wanted but couldn’t have. He pushed that aggravation to the side and attempted conversation to distract them both.
“Did you lay out all afternoon? I didn’t see you in the water.”
“Yes, I don’t swim much.”
“You were probably better off. The volleyball games can be brutal.”
“You’re close to those guys, aren’t you?”
He nodded. “They’re my family.”
“That’s nice.”
She released a soft sigh and he tightened his fingers around the steering wheel. That small, soft sound had managed to stroke the sleeping beast between his legs. Luckily, he drove into her driveway, giving him an excuse to leave the vehicle to cool off.
Much like on a mission, he managed to get her out of the truck and inside the house without incident. Even if he’d had to endure the sight of her lovely – white – breasts when she bent to retrieve keys from her bag.
He paused just inside the door, and glanced at a white box positioned on the wall to the right side. “You didn’t set the alarm?”
She tossed her bag into a nearby chair. “No.”
“I need the code to set it.”
“That’s not necessary.”
He frowned. “You don’t set it?”
“No.” She shrugged. “The area is safe. Besides, I didn’t continue my contract with the monitoring company.”
His eyes widened and without thinking, he stepped forward, grasped her shoulder and attempted to pull her to the sofa. As soon as he touched her, she hissed and shoved his hand from her skin.
“Sorry,” he mumbled as she sat down on the sofa. “Remember when I said there’s a lunatic after your best friend, Bailey?”
“I thought you were going to keep us safe.”
“I am, but there’s no need to take chances. We don’t really know what the hell he’s up to.”
“You really think I’m in danger too?”
He sat next to her. “I really do.”
“Okay, I’ll contact the security company tomorrow.”
“Good.” He draped one arm across the back of the sofa. “In the meantime, I’ll stay the night.”
“Here?”
“Yes. On this sofa.”
“I appreciate your concern, Ice, but I really don’t think you need to do that.”
“I’m not leaving, Bailey. You can either throw me a set of sheets and a pillow or I’ll sleep here without them.” He folded his arms across his chest, still working hard to ignore her lack of clothing. “Besides, someone needs to rub something on that burn.”
She rolled her eyes as she stood, left the room, and then returned with the items he requested. “I do have a spare bedroom.”
“I can keep a better eye on things from here.”
“Suit yourself. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She turned to leave and then smiled over one shoulder. “Should I lock the bedroom door?”
“Nah.” He grinned and then issued the statement he meant with every fiber of his being. “You’re much too burnt for what I have in mind.”
***
He paced the length of the living area and then back again while he tried desperately to formulate a feasible way out of the mess that had become his reality. At first, it was a relief that he had been instructed to lay low and await further direction but now the silence led him close to insanity. There had to be a way to escape this maze, he just hadn’t thought of it yet.
His cell phone vibrated inside his pocket, jarring him from his plans of escape. A cold shudder crossed his spine as he read the screen and then connected the call.
“Yes?” He feigned confidence.
“My man has come up empty-handed yet again.”
Fear coated his body from head to toe. “How is that possible?”
“Perhaps you were mistaken when you provided her name to us.”
“No, certainly not.” His denial held true confidence. “She has the piece. There is no other possible explanation.”
“There is one other.”
The man on the other end of the call paused and suddenly the walls began to close in on him, chasing the oxygen from the area in the process. When his associate finally spoke, he wasn’t exactly surprised to hear the words.
“It is possible you have the merchandise.”
“No!” In his desperation, he worked hard to keep his voice from cracking. “I don’t have it and I’ve scoured every known location to me.”
“You understand the repercussions of a lie, don’t you?”
“Yes.” He released a quick breath. “I’m telling you the truth.”
The caller paused again, as if deciding whether or not to accept the statement. In the silence, he squeezed the phone tightly while sweat coated his palms. If the source didn’t accept his statement as true, there was no hope. He would be six feet under in a matter of hours.
“One more day,” the man said finally. “If the piece does not make an appearance, your time is up.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
On Thursday as planned, Harvard lounged with his hands buckled behind his head in the buttery soft leather recliner in Eileen McGuire’s closet. Despite Grace’s opinion that the furniture was unnecessary, he disagreed. If he had to spend any length of time in a woman’s closet, he preferred to do it in super soft comfort.
“I haven’t seen much of the butler.”
“He’s in and out. Eileen keeps him busy running errands when he’s not taking care of the house.”
Grace placed paper liner in several empty drawers and then reached to adjust a closet rod.
“This place is huge when it’s empty.”
She giggled. “It’s huge even when it’s full.”
He sat forward and checked his watch. He expected Mrs. McGuire any minute now.
“Relax, Harvard, she’s always late.”
“I’m surprised you tolerate that.”
I don’t.” She shrugged. “I just adjust my schedule. If I tell her ten o’clock, I plan on ten thirty. It works.” She turned and smiled over one shoulder. “And before you pat yourself on the back, I’ve always used that method. Your opinion that I need to loosen up had nothing to do with it.”
He opened his mouth to tell her how much he appreciated her methods but closed it abruptly at the sound of approaching footsteps.
“Hello, you two!” Mrs. McGuire entered with a big smile and then paused to look around the area. “This looks absolutely fabulous, Grace!”
“I think you’ll be pleased.” Grace returned her smile. “I should be ready to move your things back in by the end of the week.”
“Fantastic! Joseph will be glad to have his closet back.”
Grace nodded and then gave him a quick glance. He nodded and gestured at the second chair with his eyes.
“Eileen, won’t you have a seat?” Grace poked one side of her hair behind one ear. “I have something to discuss with you.”
Mrs. McGuire sat in the recliner next to his. He stood and motioned with one hand for Grace to take his vacant seat.
He glanced at the open bedroom door and then back at Mrs. McGuire. “Are we alone in the house?”
“Yes, until noon.”
He nodded at Grace to continue.
“Both my house and my office were ransacked.”
“Oh, Grace.” The other woman’s eyes widened. “I’m so sorry. Were the damages severe?”
“Luckily, no.”
“Did the police find the person responsible?”
“Unfortunately, they didn’t. We’ve come to the conclusion someone was looking for your purple peacock.”
“Someone is convinced you have it.”
Grace cleared her throat. “Actually, I do have it.”
“You do?”
“Yes, I found it rolled up inside the sketches of your closet design.”
“That doesn’t make sense. As far as I remember, we reviewed t
hose sketches in the kitchen. We’ve never had them in here.”
Harvard raised both eyebrows. “The sketches have never been in the closet?”
“No,” Grace and Eileen answered in unison.
“Anywhere other than the kitchen?”
Both women shook their heads in the negative.
“Why?”
“Because the kitchen counter provides the best surface on which to spread out,” Grace explained.
“Could the brooch have been in the kitchen?”
“I suppose.” Mrs. McGuire frowned. “I remember unclipping it from my blouse but I don’t remember where.”
“We didn’t find the blouse in storage.”
“It’s here, hanging in Joseph’s closet with the remainder of my clothing.”
“So it is plausible that you unclipped the pin from your blouse in the kitchen, left it on the counter, and then it somehow became rolled up in Grace’s sketches when you reviewed them?”
He ran a hand across his brow. This case reminded him of one wicked game of Clue – Mrs. White, with the candlestick, in the ballroom. The explanation was plausible, but probable? Maybe.
“I’m almost certain that’s what happened,” Grace answered. “The mystery is who knew I had it.”
He glanced back at Mrs. McGuire. “That’s what we intend to find out. With your permission, we’d like to falsely auction the peacock.”
“Of course, but is that legal?”
“We’ll put an astronomical reserve on it,” he explained. “Our intent is to lure the perp. If the suspect wants it badly enough, he – or she – will bid to win.”
“What if someone else bids higher?”
“Believe me, Mrs. McGuire, any serious collector will not come close to paying our reserve. In all reality, a collector will only bid to take the chance we’ll take what is offered in the event the reserve isn’t met. A desperate criminal, however, will bid until the reserve is met or exceeded.”
The older woman smiled. “Anything to help Grace.”
“Thank you,” he answered. “I promise you that the peacock will return to you safe and sound.”
