When her excuses to avoid mingling ran out, she stood at the edge of the main event space, large enough to host a wedding of at least five hundred. A band played a soft melody opposite from where Julie stood. White linen-covered tables surrounded a dance floor where only one couple had braved center stage thus far. Away from the tables, people in fancy dresses and suits stood in groups, chatting.
Julie headed for the tables, deciding to make the rounds and thank everyone for coming. She’d just finished chatting with the first table of ten when she felt a light tap on her shoulder.
“Julie.”
She swung around to see Gina standing in front of her with her arm linked through that of an Adonis with dark hair and piercing eyes.
“Gina,” Julie said taking in Gina’s white silk dress with appreciation. Her hair was pulled up with tiny ringlets of curls around her face. “You look lovely tonight. Like an angel.”
The man laughed, and Gina elbowed him. “This is Marco, my very rude date. Marco, this is Julie Harrison, my boss.”
He gave a gallant half bow. “Pleased indeed, Ms. Harrison.” There was a strong accent to his voice that Julie couldn’t quite place.
He straightened, and Julie didn’t miss the way his gaze lingered on her cleavage. He was good-looking but there was something almost predatory about him.
“Marco is an artist,” Gina inserted.
“Really?” Julie said. “What kind of art?”
“My art, like my interests are broad,” he said, and there was no missing the undertone of flirtation. Julie’s gaze slid to Gina’s face with concern, but Gina didn’t seem to notice.
“I’m sure this is an interesting night for you two then,” she said. ”I hope you’ll enjoy the event. You deserve it. Thank you for making phone calls and juggling so much to help me this morning.”
“It was my pleasure,” she said, “and I’ll be glad to help with anything you need tonight.”
Was there a condescending tone to her voice? And had it been there before and Julie hadn’t noticed? Or maybe paranoia had just taken over. “It seems like all is well, so I’d say go have a good evening.” Julie motioned toward a corridor to the right of the band. “The judge’s collection is down that hallway and it truly is spectacular.”
“All right,” Gina said, “but I have my cell if anything changes.”
***
Gina tightened her grip on Marco’s arm as they walked away from Julie. “Why don’t we take a stroll in the back courtyard?” she suggested.
“It’s rather cold,” he said, casting her a dark stare. “And you aren’t wearing much in the way of clothes. Not that I’m complaining.”
“I’m sure you’ll keep me warm.” There was a reason she’d invited her starving artist along for the ride. He needed money. So did she, and the judge’s threats only served one purpose. He’d convinced her he’d pay far more than fifty thousand dollars. Oh, he might try to kill her, too, but Marco had a shadowy past, a way he moved and operated that told her he was more than he let on. She could feel it, almost taste it when she was with him. It turned her on. It also made her confident fate had thrown him into her path for a reason. The two of them could get rich together.
She wasn’t quite ready to bring him in yet though. She had a way of getting men to open up in bed. She’d take him for a few more rides, starting in the courtyard. She’d test him, size him up. If she was right, then she’d have her man, the journal, and enough money to disappear. Screw Julie and her law degree, and screw the judge who though he could fuck her and not get fucked himself.
***
Forty-five minutes outside the city, Luke squatted in the bushes at the back Judge Moore’s Long Island mansion, with Kyle by his side. It was only seven o’clock, still early for breaking and entering, but the two-acre lot and a heavy coverage of trees helped offer coverage.
Impressive as always, Kyle dismantled the security system in all of about sixty seconds, including the motion detector spotlights. Luke followed Kyle silently through the back door, blending into the darkness. Working with an unspoken understanding, they split up and began their search. Luke crept along the walls, looking for a hidden panel that might be a safe or hidden compartment, keeping low to avoid the windows. A quick flash of light, two blinks as a signal, told him Kyle had found something.
Within seconds, Luke and Kyle were side-by-side in a small library just off the kitchen, where Kyle had found a basement door under a carpet.
Kneeling down, they examined the entrance where a combination lock was set inside a steel door. Kyle grinned, showing white teeth against the darkness of the room, clearly telling Luke his job would be a piece of cake.
Leaning back on his heels, Luke watched Kyle in action for all of another sixty seconds. The man was incredible. They were just about to lift he door when a tiny click made both of them freeze. They listened. There it was again, a low, barely there sound. Luke pulled the Glock at his ankle and motioned for Kyle to keep working.
Luke quickly, soundlessly, crossed the room, and flattened against the wall. Cautiously he leaned forward, surveying the hallway. When he was certain he would be undetected, he moved through the doorway.
He was halfway down the walkway when a faint creaking drew him up short. To anyone else it might have sounded like the house settling. To Luke, it sounded like they had company, and nowhere near his team’s skill, or they wouldn’t have been detected.
Adrenaline surged in Luke’s veins and he squatted down, on the move again, pausing to glance around the wall into the living room. Two big men, also in all black, were searching the living room, and clearly they hadn’t done their surveillance well, or they’d have noticed the security system was down. They’d have known someone else was here.
Luke watched as they searched walls, behind pictures, and in unexpected spots like under the couch. Sizing up the situation, Luke backtracked. If Kyle had already found what they needed, then they could exit without the amateurs ever noticing.
Just as Luke started down the hallway a third man came through the garage and straight at him from another hallway. Luke grabbed him. The man elbowed him in the eye, but Luke didn’t flinch. He maneuvered him and pulled his back to his chest, and wrapped his arms around his neck. The man was asleep in seconds.
Luke hightailed it back to the library and motioned to the window, holding up two fingers to tell Kyle how many forms of trouble remained in the house.
They were out of the window by the time the two men rushed the room, and out of sight in a flash. Ten minutes later, they climbed into Luke’s truck that he’d parked discreetly down the road.
“Well?” Luke asked.
“Empty.”
“Of course,” Luke said, pulling onto the road. “And we lost our chance to dig around elsewhere.”
“Looks like Arel doesn’t trust the judge or he wanted whatever the judge owes him in artwork for free.”
“Or that Dragonfly person mentioned in the journals wants to cover his ass.”
“Or just screw the judge,” Kyle suggested. “They’re already double-crossing Arel. Why not double-cross each other? We need to figure out who Dragonfly is yesterday.”
They did. Kyle was right. “And I need to get Julie out of this today.” He couldn’t get back to her fast enough.
Chapter Seventeen
Julie worked the crowd in the museum, stopping to chat with a bigwig from a national company, trying to focus on the conversation, but all she could think was, where was Luke? It was the question she’d silently repeated over and over between idle chit-chat. Thinking about a man with a gun waiting on them outside that pizza joint only accelerated her heartbeat, and not with fear for herself. It was the certainty that Luke could easily encounter another man, or men, with weapons.
Julie eased through the crowd again to come face to face with a criminal defense attorney she’d once had a brief fling with, and who had never seemed to learn ‘no, means, no.” His gaze swept down her body, givin
g her a lingering inspection.
“Looking amazing as usual, Julie,” he said in a suggestive voice, his dark suit fitted to perfection. He was a good looking guy, in an All-American kind of way that seemed to appeal to women, just not to her. Not after he’d become possessive and demanding, which was kind of ironic, since the same qualities in Luke actually turned her on.
“Thank you, Jake,” she said. “You do as well. I always have liked your taste in clothes.”
He gave her a boyish grin and straightened the blue silk tie at his throat. “You know, I do try to make an impression.” His gaze heated and Julie cringed even before he asked, “How about dinner Saturday night? We can go to that little Italian place you like so much.”
“I’m afraid all her Saturday nights are otherwise spoken for,” a deep voice responded behind her, as a familiar strong hand settled on her back, followed by the jolt his touch always delivered to her senses.
Luke stepped to her side, looking sexier than sin in all black – jacket, shirt, and tie. Alive. Safe. Here with her. And he had a black eye.
Julie reached up to touch it, but Luke flinched and grabbed her hand. “Introduce me to your friend.” He put his arm around her waist, possessively pulling her to his side.
Julie felt a strange surge of comfort from the action. Luke wanted Jake and everyone else to know she was with him. If any other man had wanted the same she would have quickly put them in their place. Instead, she just wanted to keep her place by Luke’s side.
“Luke, this is Jake,” she said, noting how uncomfortable Jake looked and she suddenly felt sorry for him. “He’s a master criminal defense attorney, very well respected.”
Jake gave Luke’s eye a glare. “Looks like you might need one. Perhaps, you’d have been better off staying by your date’s side, rather than running into people’s fists.”
Luke ignored his comment. “Working late isn’t high on my list, but certainly necessary at times.”
“Appears it was painful as well,” Jake added dryly.
Luke shrugged. “You should have seen the other guy.” He glanced at Julie. “I think I need a drink.” His attention slid briefly back to Jake and he added, “Enjoy your evening,” before maneuvering Julie away from him.
Keeping a carefully guarded expression, she whispered to Luke, “Your eye. Are you in pain?” she asked and then added, “And what happened?”
“I’m fine,” he assured her, “but it seems we weren’t the only ones having a look at Moore’s assets, so to speak.”
Julie stopped walking and stared up at him. Luke urged her forward with an gentle nudge. “Keep walking, babe. Everything is fine.” She let him urge her into a walk again as he added, “If you keep worrying like this I might think you care.”
She stopped again, facing him. “I do care, Luke,” she said in a voice that trembled. She moved her free hand to his chest. “You know that, right?”
“Yes,” he said, softly. “I just wanted to hear you admit it.”
She surprised herself, and judging from the look on his face, him, by saying without an ounce of hesitation, “Freely. I admit it freely.”
His gaze darkened, heat flaring between them. “I’m going to make you repeat that later tonight, you know? When we’re alone.”
“Promise?” she asked softly.
“Oh yeah. I promise.” He drew her hand into his. “Now, let’s skip that drink that was my excuse for getting away from Jake, and get on with our evening.”
Suddenly, Julie realized she still didn’t know what had happened at Judge Moore’s house. ”Any luck on that job you were finishing up?” she asked, choosing her wording carefully.
He gave a nod. “Empty,” she said. “Any idea where Moore is?”
“I’ve been great at avoiding him,” she said. “But yes. He’s back in his display area, beaming over his collection with the guests.”
The path to the display hall had several people in the way, all of whom stopped to meet Luke and greet Julie, until finally they entered the hall. The judge was chatting with a young couple and Julie and Luke feigned interest in a painting.
When the couple moved away, the judge immediately greeted Julie. “Ms. Moore. So nice to see you.”
“Evening, Judge,” she said, as she and Luke met him halfway down the hallway, the only ones remaining in the area. “I’d like you to meet Luke Walker.”
“Oh yes, I know your brother, Royce.” The judge extended his hand. “Nice to meet you. How’d you score that black eye?”
Luke shook his hand. “My work isn’t always easy, but it is always profitable. I believe you’ll find that’s where myself and my brothers are different breeds.”
The Judge’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “Oh, really? How’s that?”
“Well,” Luke laughed, flicking a quick look at Julie. “I have a taste for blondes. He prefers brunettes.”
Julie frowned, despite the plan underway, and the role she had to play.
“And good taste indeed,” the Judge said, glancing at Julie and then back to Luke.
“Hey,” she said, doing as she was supposed to, and acting out a bit. “I am here, you two. Stop talking about me like I’m not.”
Luke wrapped his arm around her, tugging her to his side a little too roughly. “Behave, sweetheart,” he said in a tone that was sharp and unfamiliar, ”you know I hate it when you act out in public.”
She looked up at him, barely managing the wimpy girl routine. “I’m sorry, Luke, I just–“ There was a flash of warning in his eyes that the judge was meant to see before she zipped her lips and then added, “I’ll make it up to you later.”
Luke kissed her forehead as if he was rewarding a child for correcting poor behavior. “Good girl.” Then he turned his attention back to the Judge. “I hear we have a mutual interest.”
The Judge was looking at the pair with a dumbfounded expression, like he didn’t know Julie any more than she did herself. But that was the idea. She was supposed to come off as someone different, someone he was to believe was the real woman beneath the tough attorney that Luke had the power to expose and manipulate.
“Is that so?” Judge Moore asked of his and Luke’s mutual interests, looking at Luke with a little more interest now. “What exactly would that be?”
“I have a knack for getting my hands on unique pieces of art that,” he hesitated, “shall we say, others could not. According to your ex-wife, so do you.”
“Luke!” Julie exclaimed, as planned. “I told you not to repeat that. I’m sorry, Judge. I’m very sorry. I just…I-”
The Judge’s eyes went wide for a split second before a carefully placed mask slipped across his features. “I’m not certain I know what it is you’re talking about.”
Luke eyed Julie. “Run along, doll. Let us men talk.”
“Luke–”
He pulled her close and kissed her. “Run. Along.”
She wet her lips. “Okay.” She turned and headed down the hall, her stomach in knots. Please let this plan work.
***
“Interesting,” the Judge said, watching Julie walk away. “How’d you take such a feisty one like that and make her heel?”
“Secret submission fantasy,” he said. “The best kind, in my opinion.”
“Indeed,” he agreed, narrowing his eyes and seeming to test Luke, by adding. “Who wouldn’t want to dominate that fine piece of ass.”
Luke gritted his teeth, barely contained the urge to jack the guy against the wall. “And she’s useful. She has a powerful client list that suits my, shall we say, interests.”
“Meaning what?”
“I cater to special requests. I could be quite useful to the right people.”
“Useful?”
“For example, if someone thought to get their hands on a unique piece of art that would otherwise be impossible to obtain, I could make it happen.”
The Judge laughed, short and abrupt. “If you’re saying what I think you’re saying, I’m not b
uying it. Your brother just married Lauren Reynolds who’s a damn prosecutor for the state.”
“Interesting that,” Luke said. “They have no idea why I really came home. Lauren has put me in the path of a few people I might not have otherwise met.”
“And Julie? What does she know?”
“How to please me,” he said, with a lift of his lips. “Let me know if you decide you have any special requests.” He started to turn. “And by the way, Judge. I did some digging. I know you have an offshore account and I know how much you’ve deposited into it. I want to work for whoever you’re working for. If you’re smart, you’ll introduce me. I might even throw in a little something special for your private collection, hmm? If not, it would be interesting to see your sweet setup spiral horribly out of control.” He turned and sauntered away.
The instant Luke was out of the corridor, Julie was by his side. “Well?”
“He’s panicking right now,” he said, taking her hand. “Let’s go the bar and give him a chance to pick himself up off the floor and decide what to do next.”
A few minutes later, they leaned on the bar and Julie sipped champagne. “You know,” she said. “I’m going to make you pay for that ‘good girl’ comment back there.”
His lips curved as he repeated the question she’d asked him earlier. “Promise?”
She smiled, a miracle considering her nerves were still in tiny, tight knots. “Oh yes. I promise.”
He laughed, low, deep, and sexy. “Sweetheart, I’ll pay any way you like.”
She eased closer. “Whips and chains?”
He arched a brow. “A new side to you I should know about?”
“Drastic measures to remind you that your submissive little mouse isn’t submissive at all.”
“I can’t wait,” he said with a grin, and set her drink down, drawing her hand into his, “but for now, be a good girl and follow along with me. I want to make sure the judge knows just how deep I am in his world. Let’s walk.”
They spent the next hour feigning interest in random conversations throughout the room, until a waiter appeared with a champagne tray.
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