by Rebecca Deel
As soon as she exited the office, her assistant appeared. “May I get you something to drink? We have a cappuccino machine.”
Micah grinned at the soft moan from Sophie. Definite caffeine addiction. A good thing to know for after the baby was born. “Nothing for me, thanks.” Sophie echoed his answer, though hers bordered on grumpy.
After Charlotte’s assistant returned to her desk, Micah patted his leg. “Feet up for a while.”
Sophie slipped off her shoes. Huh. No arguments. She must feel the swelling he noticed when she sank into the plush sofa. Maybe he should have insisted on her drinking water.
Micah massaged her feet and ankles while waiting for Charlotte to return with the jewelry. While he worked, he examined Donovan’s personal domain. Many pictures of her husband, children and pets. Cats and dogs both. A Maine coon cat and a Newfoundland dog. Even a bird or two.
He eyed Sophie’s stomach, grinned when he noticed the rolling bulge on the side. Nathan was playing again. He should buy a dog in a few years. Boys always liked dogs. The Winter clan had kept Beagles and Labradors while he and his brother and sister had been at home. Nicole had a chocolate Lab for her kids.
The doorknob rattled, heralding the return of Charlotte with the jewels. Sophie tried to move, but he tightened his hands on her ankles. She wouldn’t appreciate it, but he was worried about her. Maybe he ought to insist Sophie see her doctor. And wouldn’t that go over well.
Charlotte stopped in the doorway, obviously surprised by Sophie’s position on the sofa. The assessing gaze settled on Micah’s hands. “Vince gave great foot rubs when I was pregnant with the kids. Feet swelling, huh?”
Sophie sighed. “Along with everything else.”
“Doesn’t look like you have too much longer.”
“A few weeks.”
“The longest weeks.” Charlotte smiled in sympathy. She stepped aside, revealing the burly guy Micah had been assessing. “This is Jeff Raines, my security chief. I asked him to stay while you examine the necklace.”
Micah nodded. “Micah Winter. This is Sophie Valero.”
Raines stepped around his boss and passed the velvet box to Sophie. He stationed himself right beside Sophie, a position that set off alarms in Micah’s head. The security man stood too close to her and his son for his comfort.
When Sophie moved to open the box, he placed his hand on top, preventing her from opening the lid. He gaze remained on the security guard. Seconds ticked by and still the man refused to move.
“Charlotte, ask your employee to move to the door. He’ll be able to see everything we’re doing from that point.”
“It’s okay, Jeff. Do as he asks.”
Raines looked as if he wanted to protest, but another admonition from his boss moved him a few feet away with his back against the door, gun hand free though resting against his leg.
“Sophie’s going to get a jeweler’s loupe from her purse, Raines. She needs it to examine the necklace.” A clear warning to keep his hand off his weapon.
After the guard’s nod, Micah said, “Get the loupe now, Sophie.” His gaze remained fixed on the guard. In his peripheral vision, he monitored her movements and wondered what the reaction would be if Sophie’s pronouncement was what he suspected.
Minutes passed while she examined the necklace and bracelet. She replaced the jewelry in the box and closed the lid.
“Well?” Charlotte asked. “Do I have a problem?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Sophie replied. “The jewelry is beautiful, but not real. I suggest you get another appraisal from a jeweler you trust, maybe one who sells you jewelry or appraises for your insurance company. If the company who made these pieces is still around, you might want them to verify my findings.”
Micah shifted Sophie’s feet to the floor and stood, retrieving the jeweler’s box from Sophie. “I’m sorry, Charlotte.” He handed her the box. “If your jeweler agrees with Sophie’s assessment, you’ll need to fill out a police report and contact your insurance company.”
Hand shaking, she handed the case to Raines. “You suspected these were fakes, didn’t you?”
“There’s been some question about other jewels used in portraits Sierra painted before she died.”
“I don’t understand. Sierra was never alone with them. I had them on the whole time.”
Didn’t mean much to a world class cat burglar. “Do you always keep the jewels here?” That would have presented a whole different set of problems for Sierra. Maybe she saw it as a bigger challenge than home security. More cameras, security guards, better alarm system. Like catnip to a cat.
Charlotte shook her head. “I brought them here this week. I keep them at home in a safe.”
Child’s play for Sierra to break in, steal the jewels, and get out without anyone being the wiser. He retraced his steps to Sophie and helped her stand.
“Who stole them?” Raines asked, face red, scowl dominating his features.
“I’m looking into it.” Micah handed his card to Charlotte. “Call me when you hear from the jeweler.”
“You’ll do the same if you learn anything about my jewelry.” A demand, not a question.
“Don’t expect payment either,” Raines said. “You’re involved in this somehow. You won’t get away with the game you’re playing. The cops will know everything, about you and her.” He glared at Sophie.
“That’s enough,” Charlotte snapped. “Whether or not Sierra was involved is beside the point. I’ve never met either Micah or Sophie before today. I don’t care who finds those jewels. I just want them back.”
Micah positioned his body in front of Sophie. Tension ticked up another notch. He wanted Sophie out of here. Wouldn’t have let her come except he needed her expertise. The fewer people who knew about the fake jewels for now, the better. Soon enough their quarry would learn they were on to his game. He must have taken the original jewels and substituted the fakes and somehow Sierra found out. She’d been the one to take them from The Boss. “How badly do you want them back?”
“Oh, perfect,” Raines said. “You took the jewels and now you’ll sell them back to Mrs. Donovan. You’re con artists.” He moved a step closer, his hand inching toward the Glock. “I know how deal with sleaze like you.”
Micah readied himself to spring on the security chief before he cleared the Glock from his holster. “Go ahead. Call law enforcement. You’ll be calling the police within minutes of the jeweler’s assessment anyway. But I’m betting Mrs. Donovan won’t want you to do that this minute.” He turned his questions to Charlotte. Was she The Boss Garza kept referring to? “Did you already know the jewels were fake, Mrs. Donovan?”
Raines took another step closer.
Shock settled on her features. “Do you think I’d let you examine them if I already knew they were fakes? Why would I compromise my own position by allowing you to expose fraud?”
“Collecting an insurance payout while keeping the real jewels hidden. Win-win for you. You get the money and the jewelry. Having money problems, Mrs. Donovan?”
Charlotte’s eyebrow raised in question. “Are you a private investigator with my insurance company?”
Micah stared at Raines. “Back off and keep your hands visible.”
The security chief froze. No one spoke for a minute, two. Raines sighed, a hint of disgust as the knowledge of who he was dealing with registered in his gaze. “A fed. Which one of the alphabet agencies do you belong to?”
Micah remained silent. If the security guy moved a few inches closer, he’d take the man down and apologize later if Micah had misread his intentions. He could take the ribbing, even censure from his boss for taking down an innocent man doing his job. What he couldn’t take was losing Sophie or his son because he incorrectly assessed a threat to either of them.
“Credentials. Now,” Raines snapped.
Not wanting to take his attention from the guard, Micah said, “Sophie, my right pocket.” A moment later, she slid his cred wallet into his left hand. Smart girl. Left hi
s weapon hand free. Micah flipped open his credentials and showed them to Raines.
Blood drained from his face. “Secret Service.” He cast a quick glance at his boss, took three steps back and dropped his gun hand to his leg, both hands visible.
“What does the Secret Service want with me?” Charlotte asked. “Why didn’t your card say you’re with them?”
“This is personal, not job related.”
“Winter. You related to David?”
He urged Sophie toward the door. “Get the appraisal today, Mrs. Donovan. Call with the results.”
Micah closed the office door and ushered Sophie to the elevator, intent on putting distance between them and Charlotte Donovan’s security chief. He needed her out of the building, away from the cameras, away from the growing danger he felt circling them.
“Micah, what is it?” Sophie whispered as the elevator doors closed.
“Wait,” he whispered.
Crisp air slapped his face. He breathed a little easier. Now, to get her out of the area before Raines ditched the jeweler appraisal and called the cops. Micah didn’t want Sophie near the place when police arrived. When they realized Sophie had been on the scene of yet another case of fake jewelry, Abbott would take great pleasure in hauling her downtown to question her.
Worse yet, Micah knew more than was safe for her. He wouldn’t volunteer any information which might incriminate Sophie. He enclosed her in his SUV and reached for his phone. Abbott would have a field day with this. If he arrested Micah for obstructing justice, Sophie stood zero chance against the system or The Boss. She and Nathan would be unprotected.
Brent answered on the first ring.
“Contact Gabe Ross. Tell him to have the Twisted Sisters appraised at a jeweler he trusts. The necklace might be a fake. We need to know when Dani wore them last or checked them. When he gets the results, have him fax the report to your office. Scan them into my email.”
“Emeralds were fake?”
“Oh, yeah.” He walked around to the driver’s side door. “Any luck uncovering the police mole?”
“Not yet.” A pause. “You know this looks bad.”
“Yep. I’ve got a plan.”
“Care to enlighten me?”
“No. The less you know, the better. There’s a connection between you and Sophie now. I don’t want you locked up for interfering in an investigation.” Which he might be if Abbott got hold of him or Sophie.
“We provided security. Nothing else can be traced. My man is erasing tracks as he goes and I hire the best. Nobody in Metro has a chance of retracing his steps. Let me help, Micah. You can’t do this by yourself. I’ll worry about my own hide. If I think I can’t do something, you’ll be the first to know.”
Tension knotting his gut loosened. “Call Duke Shannon.”
“The criminal defense attorney?”
Best one east of the Mississippi. The man had an eighty-nine percent success rate. Nothing scared the six-five Texas transplant. He’d defended clients ranging from former military brass to Fortune 500 CEOs. “He owes me a favor.”
Micah had stopped an assassination attempt on one of his principals, one who happened to be Duke Shannon’s daughter.
“Must be a big one. What do I tell him?”
“Give him everything we’ve got so far. Start feeding him information as you get it. Tell him to be ready to defend Sophie and retain an associate he trusts for me.”
“You think that’s where this is headed?”
“Unless we can find The Boss in the next 48 hours, yes, I do. Sophie’s name keeps coming up in these jewelry heists. Any cop worth his salt will want to question her. I can’t let him take her in, Brent. She’s too vulnerable right now, especially since we can’t even identify the mole who’s selling out the local cop shop. One phone call and Sophie and Nathan become collateral damage.”
“Want me to share your cell number with Shannon?”
“Emergency use only.”
“Done.”
Micah opened his door and climbed behind the wheel. With a last look around, he drove out of the parking lot. He needed to talk to Sophie but didn’t want to do it here.
“Where are we headed now?”
“You’ll see.” Minutes later, he steered the vehicle into a parking area at Centennial Park. A few diehard joggers and walkers provided the only movement inside the park. Micah watched for anyone who followed them.
“Micah, what are we doing here?”
He unlatched his seatbelt and turned to her. His pulse accelerated into a mad rhythm. “We need to talk.”
“About?”
Micah drew a deep breath. “Marry me, Sophie.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Sophie’s eyes widened. “Micah?”
“Marry me.”
“Why?”
Micah’s soft laughter filled the SUV’s interior. Leave it to Sophie to do the unexpected. One thing for sure. Their life would never be dull. “That’s not the response most men would expect to that question. Why do you think?”
“Don’t play games with me, Micah. This is too important.”
Micah’s smile faded. His gaze drifted over her petite figure, sans his child, huddled in the leather seat. “You’re right. This is important, love, to all three of us.” What if she rejected him? Didn’t matter, he decided. He’d convince her to marry him, even if he had to wear her down. If not for the circumstances, he’d take time to win her heart. He didn’t have the luxury of endless days. Someone wanted her, was setting her up to take a hard fall. The stakes were too high for Micah to fail.
“It’s not what you think, Sophie. This isn’t about the baby.”
Her eyebrows rose.
“It’s not only about the baby,” he amended. He couldn’t lie to her, never would. “You know I want him. I want to be a part of his life, but I don’t want weekends or vacations. I want to help raise him, just as my father helped raise us. You’ve said it yourself, sweetheart. Our son needs his father. A full-time father.”
“I wouldn’t keep him from you, Micah. You have my word on that.” Sophie’s hand gripped her puffy winter coat, knuckles white.
“Our son deserves two full-time parents instead of being shuttled between my house and yours.” He raised his hand and traced the line of her jaw. So soft, warm living silk. “I want a family, Sophie. With you.”
“Don’t do this, Micah.”
“Don’t do what?”
“Sacrifice your future, make promises now you’ll regret in the future. Nathan and I both deserve better.”
Micah shoved the console upward and shifted toward her, his hand cupping her cheek. “Sophie, you and Nathan are my future.”
“What about your job? A cop can’t be married to a criminal. And what if you fall in love with someone? You’ll be married to me and stuck with a child you never intended to have.” Tears trickled down her cheeks.
She was breaking his heart. Whoever said a woman’s tears would bring a man to his knees knew what they were talking about. If he’d been standing, he knew those tears would have had him on the ground in a heartbeat. He would have said anything, done anything to stop them. “I’m not going back to the Secret Service, baby. I was already thinking about going private when I was shot and the service is not the kind of life I want for my family. Even if I wanted to go back, you only have a juvie record. You are not a criminal.”
He dropped a light kiss on her trembling lips. “I’m sorry I hurt you when you first came to me for protection. No matter what idiotic things I said in the past, I don’t think you’re like your family and I will forever regret those words. You’ve proved yourself over and over through this whole ordeal.” He leaned close, brushed her lips with a series of lingering kisses. “As for falling in love with someone, I already have.”
She pulled back, eyes awash with fresh tears.
“I am over-my-head in love with you, Sophie Valero. There is never going to be anyone else for me but you, honey. Marry me, Sophie.”<
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“What about your family? They already lost one son because of a Valero. If you marry me, you’re putting your life in even more danger. We still don’t know who the stalker is, but he’s made it clear he wants whatever Sierra stole. I can’t imagine I’ll be anything but collateral damage if he gets what he’s after. You’d be another target for him, Micah. I don’t want that hanging over you.”
Yet another reason he loved her. Unlike Sierra, Sophie’s first thoughts were not for herself. She was trying to protect him in the only way she had. “What’s one more target on my back, Sophie? I’m in this with you whether you marry me or not. You and Nathan are my priority. You always will be.” He smiled. “Besides, when I tell Mom and Dad you compromised me, they’ll tote the shotgun to the wedding to ensure you make an honest man of me.”
Sophie’s face flamed. “I didn’t compromise you. And the way I look right now, I’m sure you weren’t tempted, either.”
“You are dead wrong, love.” He took her mouth in a long, blistering kiss. He eased away, her lips swollen. Breathing ragged, Micah cupped her beautiful, stunned face with shaking hands. “I almost can’t think straight around you. You have no idea how many times I have to remind myself to be the gentleman you deserve. Never doubt that I’m attracted to you, Sophie.”
“Eight months pregnant? I look like a beached whale.”
“You’re breathtaking, baby. Every time I saw you in the last two years, I thought you were more beautiful than the time before. Have to admit, that aggravated me. A cop shouldn’t be attracted to a probable criminal.” He smiled. “The truth is your inner and outer beauty stunned me all over again when you walked into my cabin a few days ago. I’ll think the same when I’m one hundred years old. Please, Sophie. Say yes.”
“What if I don’t love you?”
His smile faded. For a second, his heart stuttered before new resolve bolstered his determination. Maybe she didn’t want to admit it. Perhaps she didn’t recognize the emotions projected on her face and in every touch. The care and kindness she’d demonstrated showed some feelings for him. He could nurture those. His parents had insisted that true love grew from care. Love at first sight might happen. More often, love grew with careful nurturing. He could work with that because she cared about him. He prayed it would be enough for her to give him a chance.
