Kept in the Dark

by Heather MacAllister

  As she watched, trying to decide whether she should risk it or not, a stealthy movement caught her attention. If anyone knew stealth, it was Kaia.

  People trying not to attract attention by sneaking around were more noticeable than if they moved as though they had a right to be where they were.

  If anyone had a right to be wherever she wanted in this house, it was Tina Nazario, and that’s who was sneaking over to her husband’s office door.

  She was carrying a candle, which she set on one of the jewelry display pedestals. Kaia hoped wax didn’t drip on the velvet—kind of a strange thought to be having at this moment, but there it was.

  Tina glanced over her shoulder to see if she was being watched, and Kaia shook her head. What an amateur move. And judging by the stash upstairs, Tina was no amateur.

  She bent over the doorknob.

  She’s picking the lock. How interesting.

  Tina took long enough to get inside for Kaia to know that while she wasn’t an expert, she’d certainly picked a lock or two in her time.

  “Kaia!” Blake was at the gate.

  Drawing her finger to her lips in the universal sign to be quiet, she gestured for him to wait. They didn’t have to wait long. Half-a-minute later, Tina quickly slipped out of the office and closed the door behind her.

  That could not be good, Kaia thought as she ran lightly toward Blake. “Where have you been?”

  “You’re okay,” he said on an exhale. Even in the dim light, she could see that his face was pale.

  She blinked. “Were you worried about me?”

  He extended a finger through the grating and brushed her cheek. “I thought…” He cleared his throat. “When you didn’t come back…”

  “You thought I’d fall down and go boom?”

  He gave a surprised laugh. “Well, yeah.”

  “The idea was to show you I could get around your system, Blake. That means getting out and getting back in.” She gestured to the gate. “You will note that we are now on opposite sides of the gate.”

  “I’m…”

  “Clearly stunned. I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult.”

  His mouth twisted in a rueful grimace. “If it had given you more trouble, it would be better for my ego.”

  “I’m just really, really good. Does that help?”

  “Not so much. Hey.” He leaned forward against the gate. “I don’t want anything to be between us ever again.”

  She leaned forward, too. “So whatcha gonna do about it?”

  “I’ll think of something.” He bent down and she stood on tiptoe and they kissed through the grating.

  Kaia raised her hand and met his there. They linked fingers and pressed against each other, mouths clinging through the gate.

  They probably looked ridiculous, but Kaia didn’t care. As soon as he saw that she was on the other side, he could have started barking orders at her, giving her instructions about what he wanted her to do. Instead, he was kissing her, letting her know that she was more important than his responsibilities or his reputation, or anything else.

  She melted into the kiss a little more and felt the weight of the snuffbox at her waist both literally and figuratively. Once she was out from under that, once she’d completed her job for Casper, then the future was a blank slate and there would be nothing between them.

  She squeezed Blake’s fingers and they broke apart. “You’re amazing,” he said.

  She smiled. “So far.”

  “Have you talked to Luke?”

  “I haven’t been downstairs. But I did see Tina skulking around. She went into Casper’s office.”

  “Kaia, she lives here. She can go anywhere she wants.”

  “So why is she sneaking around and picking locks?”

  Kaia could tell by Blake’s expression that she didn’t need to spell it out.

  “This could become incredibly awkward.” He stared past her toward the stairs. “I need you to tell Luke to keep an eye on her and where I am. And I’ll need an earpiece.”

  “You can tell him yourself.”

  Blake reared back. “I thought we were together in this.”

  “Jeez, Blake! You can tell him yourself, because I’m going to come and get you.”

  “Nooo.” He shook his head. “No way can I get through that window.”

  Kaia grinned at him. “Trust me.”

  12

  “YOU’RE ENJOYING this, aren’t you?” Blake held Kaia’s hands in a death grip.

  “Little bit.” Facing him, she backed her way up the roof.

  Yeah. She was climbing backward.

  The curved clay tiles were slippery, especially for Blake who was wearing regular shoes. Kaia had tried to convince him to try the climb barefoot, but he felt he’d be good to go with the rubber soles. That might have been a mistake.

  Then again, he’d never believed he’d actually get through the window. But by Kaia removing the wooden frame and showing him how to position his body—and a whole lot of pushing and tugging on her part—Blake had worked his shoulders through the opening. After that, it was a piece of cake to get the rest of him through.

  They’d had to cannibalize some of the gym equipment for wire to rig extra support for Blake’s weight—and he’d really objected to that—but here they were, on the roof, climbing toward the ridge line on their way to the other bathroom window.

  Kaia backed up and Blake inched toward her, his foot slipping before it found a good hold. He grabbed her hands even tighter.

  “I’ve got you. Trust me.” She was so calm and seemingly unconcerned.

  “Trust isn’t the issue. Me out-weighing you by a hundred pounds is the issue.”

  “It’s all about leverage.”

  Blake slipped a bit again. “I should have listened to you and taken off my shoes.”

  “Maybe not. I didn’t realize you had rubber soles.”

  “That’s in case we have to chase somebody.” He looked over his shoulder. “I don’t think it helps for climbing on wet tile.”

  “Don’t look down,” she instructed.

  “I don’t have a problem with heights.” Yet he wasn’t exactly enjoying looking down.

  “I’ve heard that before.”

  As they approached the ridge line, Blake could see what was on the other side and he wasn’t looking forward to it. At least on this side of the house they had grass to break their fall. On the front, there was only the driveway.

  “Don’t think about it.” She was reading his mind.

  “Then give me something else to think about.”

  “Okay. Answer a question for me.” She pointed to where she wanted him to place his foot. “Why did you have to go undercover?”

  Blake stopped staring at his feet and met her eyes. “That came out of nowhere.”

  “I’ve been wondering. You knew I had the Cat’s Eye diamond. I never hid it. Why go the fake boyfriend route? And for so long? Weeks. You let me…” She swallowed. “Why?”

  The clouds had mostly cleared and a partial moon gleamed down. Kaia’s face showed more emotion than he’d ever seen. Hurt and betrayal and a tortured bewilderment.

  He hated that he was responsible for those emotions and he hated that if it was part of his job, he’d probably do it again. Thank God it wasn’t his job anymore.

  Blake knew his answer would anger her and this wasn’t the time for Kaia to get emotional. He chose his words carefully. “We wanted to know if you’d acted alone.”

  A few seconds went by before she understood. “My parents.” She gazed off to the side. “You were using me to get to my parents and uncle.”

  “And anyone in their circle.”

  “You didn’t.” She looked back at him. “How disappointing for you.”

  “I got chewed out, yeah.”

  She made a face. “So did I.” She started backing up again.

  That was it? No explosion? “Is there going to be yelling now?” Blake asked, very aware that they were on a
rooftop and his footing was none too secure.

  “From me? No. I asked. You answered. Now I know.” Her face had gone blank again.

  That was too easy. He should explain more. “I dragged it out so I could be with you longer. I should have pressured you harder to meet your family. But I didn’t. I told myself you’d get suspicious. But it was just an excuse to stay with you.”

  “Now that makes me mad.”

  Great. “I thought it would make you feel better!”

  “Hmm.” She gazed off as though considering. “Prolonging a lie for your own selfish reasons… No. I don’t feel better.”

  Neither did Blake. “Why don’t you just shove me off the roof now then and get it over with?”

  “I’m rehabilitating you. Hold on there.” She pointed to a reinforced opening around a vent. “I want to check for loose tiles.”

  She left him clinging to the side of the roof as she checked the ridge line. “I did bring up you meeting my parents. They told me you were a cop and I told them you’d already told me. They said I couldn’t trust you and it came down to choosing either them or you. I chose you and moved in.” She looked off into the distance. “I wonder whatever happened to that last bag of dirty laundry?”

  Blake hadn’t realized she’d moved in. He’d just thought she was sleeping over. A lot. Was he going to tell her that? Hell, no. “I didn’t realize I’d come between you and your parents. I’m sorry.” And he was, but not for the way she probably assumed. If they’d managed to arrest the whole bunch, Kaia might not have served any time at all.

  “Don’t be. At least not for that.” She momentarily disappeared over the ridge line and her voice drifted back to him. “Things hadn’t been that great between us since I figured out what they did.”

  “But…how could you not have known?”

  She reappeared and gestured for him to climb toward her. “Keep to your left. There are some wonky areas.”

  He started climbing while she watched. “When I was little, it was mostly games and party tricks. A portion of my parents’ business was making copies of jewelry pieces for insurance purposes.”

  For when clients didn’t want to risk wearing the real thing, Blake knew.

  “Part of my dad’s sales pitch to have a duplicate made was proving how vulnerable a client’s safe was. He’d take me along on his calls and nobody paid attention to me, a little kid. I’d do my thing, and then my dad would parade me and whatever I’d recovered, and get the commission. ‘Look at that. Your safe is so flimsy, a child can break into it.’”

  Blake glanced up to where she crouched, waiting for him. “You heard that a lot.”

  “Oh, yeah. The day he couldn’t ignore the fact that I had breasts was the saddest day in his life.”

  “I promise never to ignore your breasts,” Blake told her.

  She made a strange sound and gestured with her foot. “Pay attention to your climbing.”

  He grinned and looked down again. “So what was their scam—giving clients back two copies?”

  “Probably. Or returning the original missing some stones. But I didn’t know that. And when I got older and asked more questions, my parents always had an answer that made sense.”

  Blake reached the ridge line and sat, straddling it. Kaia started to move, but he stopped her. “Wait. Tell me the rest. When did you figure it out?”

  She sat next to him. “They sent me to a ritzy boarding school so they’d have an in with the other parents. Up till then, I’d been home-schooled. I was just so happy to finally get to go some place and be around people my own age. To have friends.” She turned away. “I don’t like talking about it.”

  “I don’t like your parents a whole lot.” Blake swung his other leg over the top of the roof. “They manipulated you. You were just a kid.”

  “Not all the time.” She stood and looked down at him. “I got invited to go on a ski trip with a friend and her family. First time, ever. Only time, ever. They robbed the house while we were gone. I know they did. They never admitted it, but when we got back, her parents discovered the break-in. I recognized the technique. Dad was getting old and clumsy.”

  Some day, Blake hoped he’d meet her parents so he could tell them exactly what he thought of them. “Kaia, that wasn’t your fault.”

  She handed him the end of a rope she’d tied around her waist. “I knew they’d try something. I shouldn’t have gone. And afterward, when I wouldn’t accept any other invitations, they yanked me out of the school. Speaking of yanking—try not to. Use the rope to keep your balance.”

  “Forget it.” He tossed the rope back at her. “If I slip I’d take you with me.”

  “Then don’t slip.”

  “Kaia—”

  “Blake.” She put the rope in his hand. “I’d slow you enough to give you a chance to get your footing.”

  He decided to quit arguing, but he had no intention of using the rope.

  Blake stood and surveyed the scene below. It was strangely dark with little pockets of light here and there. In the distance, streets full of vehicles were either grid-locked or moved sluggishly without the traffic signals.

  “Follow me,” Kaia said. “Put your feet exactly where I put mine.”

  “Wait.” When she turned back he found it surprisingly hard to ask his question. “Did you do any jobs after that—after the ski trip?”

  They stared at each other. “What do you think?” she snapped, and took off across the roof top.

  Blake struggled to keep up. “I think you were forced into it.”

  Without warning, she stopped and whirled around. If he’d tried a move like that, he would have ended up on the ground.

  “Don’t make excuses for me. Don’t make me into something I’m not. Something more palatable to your sense of right and wrong. I didn’t have much of a choice, but I had one. I could have turned my parents into the police, gone to a foster home until I was eighteen. But I didn’t.”

  “Who would have? Kaia, they’re your parents!”

  “So? We can’t afford family loyalty. I haven’t seen or spoken to them since I called them after I was arrested. I wouldn’t know how to get in touch with them even if I wanted to. So don’t get any ideas.”

  Blake was horrified. He couldn’t begin to comprehend a family dynamic like the one Kaia had. “That’s not why I asked.”

  “It doesn’t matter. The point is that I knew what I was doing. I agreed to go on jobs if they’d give me college money. But once I enrolled, I was done with them. That’s why I thought Casper’s job was a godsend. It bought me another year. But Blake, don’t pretty it up in your mind. For two years, I knew exactly what I was doing.” She drew a breath. “I wasn’t guilty of the crime I went to prison for, but I was guilty of others. I’ve paid. Now, I can move on.”

  She met his gaze defiantly, clearly expecting him to be repulsed when he felt exactly the opposite.

  “You think that’s going to scare me away?” he asked.

  “Does it?”

  “No.”

  “Because you feel sorry for me?”

  “Because you’re taking responsibility for your actions.” Her integrity pinged his buttons more than anything else right now. Blake wasn’t falling off the roof, he was falling in love. Had fallen in love. “That’s hot.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Are you joking? I just told you that I’m no Girl Scout—”

  “And I don’t care. I mean, I care, but it’s not a deal breaker.” The conversation was too intense to be held in such a dangerous place.

  “A…deal breaker?” Kaia was looking at him as though he’d grown two heads. “Do we have a deal?”

  “Yes.” He took a step, wobbled and regained his balance. “Our deal is you get me off this roof and I’ll let you have your wicked way with me.”

  “I’ve already had my wicked way with you.”

  “You’ve only got one way?”

  A surprised burst of laughter escaped from her. “I have many ways.” />
  “Good. You can pick. Deal?”

  “What if I say no?”

  “Then, I’ll pick.”

  “I meant, what if I leave you on the roof?”

  “You won’t.” Blake placed the end of the rope into her palm and closed her fingers over it. “I trust you.”

  Kaia looked at her hand. “What’s that supposed to be…some kind of symbolism?”

  “Well…yeah.” And he thought it was pretty good, too.

  “Being stupid equals trust?”

  “No.” She was so prickly. “I just…wanted you to know that I…trust you.” He opened his arms. “I accept you for who you are. All of you.”

  “Blake.” She gave him back the rope. “I appreciate that you’re feeling all touchy feely because of my ‘poor little me’ story, but just hang on to the rope, okay?”

  So much for grand gestures. “Okay.”

  When he thought about it, as he followed Kaia across steep angles of slippery tile, he figured she was the one trusting him to let go and not drag her down if he found himself heading for the ground. He watched where she put her feet, didn’t argue when she pointed to handholds and accepted that she was the expert and he was a big guy on a slippery slope. It was a different experience for Blake not to be the authority in a situation, but no less adrenaline-charged. He figured this was one of those character-building situations. That didn’t mean he liked it. Still, he tried not to let his ego get in the way, even though he caught Kaia taking a safer, but longer route.

  “We could go over that way.” He pointed to the decorative part of the house’s elevation. “I’m a pretty good jumper.”

  “You’d slide into the drainage valley and probably crash through to the attic.”

  “I—”

  “Blake.” She gave him a don’t-argue-with-me look.

  He surrendered. “Fine.”

  “There’re plenty of places you can show off when we get to the front of the house.”

  “I said ‘fine.’”

  She could have left him with some ego. That’s when he saw the three dormers and knew right away that he was going to end up trusting his life to a decorative flourish the builders probably slapped together in fifteen minutes.