by Cyndi Raye
It was now or never. She flung open the door and stepped in to the hallway. The agent didn’t dare to move as the group got closer. “I’m so glad you came to help,” Sara said to the agent, loud enough Darian Lane looked up.
“Well, hello beautiful,” Darian said. She pretended surprise.
“Oh hello!” and began to walk towards the group. The agent seethed under his breath, “Josh will kill me for letting you go.” But she knew his hands were tied or else he’d chance screwing everything up.
The power Sara felt as she walked towards the elevator pumped her up so it didn’t even seem as if she were pretending any more. The only thing she wouldn’t do is look at Morgan. She did smile at Sophie, whose face was stoic and unreadable, like her brother.
“You are ravishing, darling,” Lane told her. He picked up her wrist and lifted it to his lips, lingering there a bit longer than she liked. She wanted to pull back, but didn’t dare. Instead, she looked in to his eyes and gave him one of her best smiles. He stared at her mouth, and she realized she was moving the tip of her tongue against the corner of her lips again. She slammed her mouth shut, forcing herself to stop. “Thank you.”
“I’m happy to see you. I was sorry to hear of your illness.”
A flash of anger crossed over but she quickly squelched it, realizing Josh must’ve already spoke to him. “Illness, I’m not sure what you mean.”
His brow shot up. “I saw your husband on the jogging trail and he said you were under the weather. I invited you both to the wine tasting tonight. How rude of your husband to leave such a beauty without a partner?” The elevator door opened. “Are you coming along?” Darian asked, waiting for her to get on with them. She took a deep breath and looked in to his eyes.
“Oh yes, but I forget where we are going because my husband never told me about any of this. We are having our first argument.” She began to tap her toes, realizing she may be getting in over her head. If she were with Josh, they would be tracked, but going off on her own may be a bad idea. No one would know where she would be except Morgan and she didn’t dare blow his cover. The bad thing is he would blow it to protect her.
Losing her temper turned everything upside down. Josh would hate her for this.
“We have reservations at le Champagne, darling.” The wine restaurant. Before stepping in the elevator, Sara glanced at the agent, who nodded. Relief flooded through her knowing he heard and Josh would know where to come to her rescue. She had to be careful of what to say.
She was beginning to be in awe of the skills it took to be a secret agent. Respect for her brother shot up and she kept staring at Darian Lane to avoid the look in Morgan’s eyes. He was a bit of a hot head at times. She sensed the anger sizzling below his facade, especially since she stepped in to the elevator without Josh. She forced a smile at Sophie and glanced at the two other men accompanying Lane. They stood on either side of him, hands clasped in front, wearing three piece suits, just like in the movies. How was anyone going to get close to this man, close enough to find out where the stolen jewels were anyway.
She figured she was the one who could do it. A woman knew when a man had an interest in her. He wanted to conquer her, she knew. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage. She stepped a bit closer. “You won’t tell my husband I’m here, will you? He thinks I’m holed up in my suite and I told him I’m not coming out until I’m good and ready.”
He laughed. “No, not if you don’t want me to.” Darian nodded for the two men in suits to move. They did as told which left room for Sara to stand closer. He draped an arm over her shoulder, touching the flesh of her skin. She almost cringed, but gritted her teeth. She was only pretending and this was all an act, she told herself. The worst thing that could happen in an elevator was he would try to kiss her.
That would not happen, not in this lifetime, she vowed.
<><>
Josh let the water run over sore muscles. Earlier he ran the track, taking it all out on the jogging trail. The hot water helped to clear his head, able to put Sara out of his mind.
Without a doubt Darian Lane was a dangerous man. Two men were killed in the jewel heist, their bodies found in an old elevator shaft on the ground floor. By then it was too late to lock down the town of Key West because the ship already sailed. Local authorities were told to stay clear of this ship and so far they were listening. There was always a rambo who wanted to be a hero. He didn’t need anyone screwing up the well laid plans.
Josh lifted a weary face skyward while the water cascaded over his skin. He needed Sara to join him for the wine tasting. The bottom line was everything depended on Darian accepting them as a couple so he could get invited to the man’s suite. Once there, Josh had ways to find the jewels, which were hidden inside the suite, but he knew now he wouldn’t get in without her.
Because the jewel Darian Lane wanted the most was Sara. He banged his fist against the marble walls of the shower, regretting bringing her along and yet needing her to get close to the criminal. It seemed as if no matter which way he turned, he had to make a choice. At least Morgan and Sophie would back him up from inside if anything went down. The water, cold now, made him shiver but Josh stood still, letting it flow over strained muscles until the pounding started at the door.
Josh shut the water off and grabbed a towel. “What’s going on?” he demanded, flinging the door open. The agent looked pale and nervous.
“We have a problem, sir. Your wife, ah, Sara, left the room and is with Darian Lane.”
Josh lifted his towel and dried off his face. Inside, a slow burn began in the gut and moved upwards, trying to take over rational thinking. “How?” he asked in a deadly calm voice.
“Seems she came flying out of the room as Lane’s entourage was about to get on the elevator. He invited her to the wine tasting. I would’ve blown my cover trying to stop her.”
“I won’t assume she’s wired?”
“No, sir. She went on her own accord.”
Josh threw the towel across the room. He slammed the door and began to get dressed in a three piece suit. With no time to waste, he slipped on an expensive looking watch and a few rings on his fingers and went to give instructions to the men waiting for him to make a move.
“I don’t care how you do it, I want the table where they are sitting planted with a bug. Get two men down there now! Guy,” he motioned for the agent dressed as a maintenance man, “develop a problem and go fix it, behind the scenes.”
“Sir, we already put two men down in le Champagne earlier today.” He nodded and left, getting on the elevator. There wasn’t much time to waste, he didn’t trust Sara alone with Lane. He flexed tensed fingers and shoved them deep in his pants pocket.
He’d kill Lane if anything happened to her. Alone in the elevator the phone buzzed, telling him they planted the bug. He pushed in the secret code and held the phone to his ear. Their conversation loud and clear.
Darian spoke first. “I’m glad you decided to come along. It seems your husband abandoned you.”
Josh seethed. “Oh no, I dumped him,” she laughed, her voice coy. He heard the laugh with the little giggle at the end. “He is a jerk.”
Darian laughed out loud. “Aren’t you newlyweds?”
“Well, let’s keep this between you and me. Will your people here keep their mouths shut?” she asked him in a hushed voice. Josh almost believed every word she spoke. She sounded so convincing if he hadn’t known better.
“Of course, they wouldn’t dare to betray anything said here tonight, am I right?” He could hear his sister agreeing and Morgan grumbling in the background.
“Well, here’s the deal. I don’t love my husband. I never have. Do you see these rocks he gave me? There’s more, much, much more. Plus, check out this piece.” After a bit of silence, she continued. “Yep, it’s an emerald. Now, do you see why I married the guy?”
“What’s a few grand in jewels? You better slow down on your wine, with being pregnant.”
Tha
t’s when Sara coughed, or choked.
“Are you all right?” He heard some noise and it sounded as if she were trying to compose herself. This is getting worse by the minute. Josh shook his head. He stepped from the elevator, the phone still at his ear.
“I’m not pregnant, that’s how I got him to marry me. He’s very traditional. Do you have any idea how much this guy is worth?” She hesitated for a moment. “Trust me, I’ve investigated him. I’m an insurance investigator, or at least I was until I found him. He’s worth over fifty million dollars.”
“Is that so?”
Josh rolled his eyes, no one would believe her story.
“Yes, I’m serious. A piece of art got stolen from one of his New York City offices. Turns out one of his employees replaced it with a replica. I had to do the investigation and found out more than I needed to realize he’s a better catch than working for an insurance company. Get this, the painting was a Salvador Dali! There are lots more lining the walls of his home.”
“Interesting.” He wanted to burst in on their little meeting and yet he needed to let her keep talking. Lane sounded like he believed the story after all.
Lane chuckled. “You little gold digger.”
She giggled. “He adores me. He thinks I’m so innocent and backwards and he treats me like I’m his little woman. Ha, it’s all a show. I had to sign a pre-nupt.”
“How do you expect to get anything from him with a pre-nupt?”
“That’s where you need a woman’s smarts. I’m an insurance investigator. I learned how to replace the real oil paintings with fakes and he’ll never find the flaw until I’m long gone. He may be worth millions, but he’s got much more in art. It’s a friggin gold mine!”
“Why are you telling me this?” As Josh suspected, Darian began to re-think his suspicions.
“Because you like me and you want me. A woman can tell these things, so I’m taking a chance. I also need some help to get rid of the art. You’re the kind of guy who knows people, people I need to dump serious art on. If you turn on me, I’ll deny it and he’ll believe me. He trusts me and thinks I walk on water.”
Darian burst out in loud laughter. “You’ve got it all figured out.”
Morgan chimed in. “Better slow down on that wine, Miss. A pregnant woman shouldn’t be drinking.”
Josh clamped down on his jaw. She was nervous and drinking too much. He had to move in before she got drunk and blew her cover.
“Oh, he’ll just think I’m having grape juice. That’s what I told him before and he believes me. He is kind of stupid, he has a hillbilly mentality.”
They all began to laugh. Josh shut off the phone and stomped down the hall. He’d show her hillbilly!
<><>
Satisfied and by the looks of things, Darian believed every word she told him as truth. Of course, she pushed out her chest a bit as she talked and it wasn’t hard to miss where his eyes lingered. His intentions would be selfish and his egotistical attitude thought he could have her any time he wanted. The wine felt good and helped to relax nervous tension. A bit of a buzz seemed to help in these situations.
She turned the moment he entered the room. Funny how his presence made her tingle from inside out. She looked at Darian and winked and said under her breath, “Time to put on a show.”
“Sara, there you are, baby!” She turned and smiled as Josh came over to the table.
“Hi sweetheart. Are you still angry at me?” she purred, glancing over to Lane to see if he watched them. When his eyes narrowed on Josh, she cleared her throat and turned to her pretend husband. “Sweetie, do you forgive me for leaving without you?”
Josh got down on one knee in front of her and took her hands in his. She recognized the dark, angry look when their eyes connected. Except no one else noticed because when he spoke, it was in such a gentle way she almost swooned. Man, he is so good at secret agentry, she thought.
“Sweetheart, I’m the one sorry for not being there for you. Forgive me, please? Before you say anything, I want to take you downstairs to the boutiques. The jeweller will open so I can buy you anything you want.”
Sara widened her eyes. “Oh, I do love you so much. Anything?” She grabbed his shoulders and planted a long, deep kiss on his mouth.
She turned to Darian. “Mr. Lane, thank you for hosting this wonderful wine tasting. I had a great time.”
Josh began to fuss. “Sara, you didn’t have wine, did you? In your condition?”
She placed a hand over his cheek. “Darling, no. Of course not. It’s grape juice. Ask Darian, er, Mr. Lane.”
Darian stood. “She’s telling you the truth. Why would you ever doubt her?” he asked, his face getting angry.
Josh turned to Darian, angry, his eyes burning in to the other man’s soul. “Are you trying to steal my wife again?” his voice low, deliberate. “Because if you are, I’ll kill you right now and get this over with.”
Wow, Sara almost believed Josh spoke the truth. It blew her mind how intense he seemed.
Darian Lane gritted his teeth. Would this become a fist fight? They acted like two seniors in high school fighting over a woman. She decided to step in. “Please, stop arguing over me. I’m married Darian. I appreciate your kindness, but it is what it is.” She lifted her hand and forced herself to place it on his shoulder.
He stepped back. “I do apologize. I over stepped my boundaries. Forgive me as well,” he said, more to Josh. Of course she knew why, Josh became the new target because of what she told him about the man’s ‘pretend’ money. Darian held out a hand.
Sara held her breath. Josh stood there, his eyes blazing mad staring at Darian Lane. It seemed as if the minutes ticked by until Josh shook hands. “This time I accept your apology, but there won’t be a next time.” He put his arm out for Sara to take, turned and walked away.
She tried to keep up with his long strides, but her feet kept getting caught in her gown. The wine began to work its way in her system. “Josh, slow down,” she told him. He put his arm around her. His deep breaths vibrated against her side as he tried to keep himself composed. She twisted back and waved good bye to Darian Lane.
“That’s enough,” he hissed, taking his thumb and jamming it in to the elevator button.
“You don’t have to sound like a jealous husband any more, I’m playing a part.”
Morgan appeared out of the blue and slipped in to the elevator behind them. He leaned against the opposite side of the wall and clasped his hands until the door shut. “Lane ordered me to follow to make sure you went to the jewels boutique.”
“Is he suspicious?” Josh asked, his arm tight around Sara’s waist.
The elevator stopped at deck eight. Morgan reached over and hit a button to keep the door closed. “Not so much suspicious. He wants me to find out if you’re as rich as Sara claims.”
Josh lifted his watch and spoke in to it. “Get the men in place.” Morgan and Josh exchanged looks.
Sara reached out to Morgan, touching his arm. “Morg,” she whispered.
“I can’t look at you Sara, don’t talk to me right now,” he told her, staring at the steel door. He kept his head down and hit the button. “Do what Josh tells you. Go in to the jewellery store and ask for the most expensive item there. It’s all set up.”
“I understand.” She took a deep breath knowing how it hurt him to say those words. Head held high, she breezed past the two and entered the boutique as if on a mission. The men followed her and she walked back and forth from one display case to the other.
“Can I see the most expensive item you have?” she asked the jeweller. Sara leaned over the counter. The clerk reminded her of the maintenance man. Except this one dressed in a tux. He reached inside the display case and brought out the most exquisite emerald earrings in the store.
Josh played the part of a wealthy man buying his love the best in the house, motioning for the man to present them to her. He handed one to her with a gloved hand. She bent over, putting them on and mu
mbled under her breath to Josh, “If everyone here is an agent, why are we putting on a show.”
He bent down, warm breath against her ear and whispered, “Never, ever think you are not being watched. Darian Lane is not a stupid man. He doesn’t trust anyone, so you better believe he’s got someone keeping eyes on Morgan too.”
“Oh, Josh, these are beautiful, thank you!” With that she flung her arms around him, nuzzling against his ear. “I’m sorry, I’m going to trust you from now on. We need to talk.”
“I agree, Sara. Want to go dancing? It’s a perfect place to talk where no one will interfere.”
“A man after my own heart,” she teased, flung back her head and laughed. Her gaze lingered on Morgan, who stared at Josh as if he were about to tear him apart. When he saw her watching, his look shifted somewhere else. All she wanted to do was to gather her brother in her arms and whisk him away from this life. A tear slipped down her cheek.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” Josh cupped her chin in his hand.
“My brother,” she mouthed, and brushed the tear away before anyone noticed. She gathered herself together and put on a show. “I’m just so happy. I love the earrings!” She took a deep breath as Josh signed a fake credit card bill. As Sara and Josh got back in to the elevator, her brother was nowhere to be seen.
“How did you manage to let me walk out of that shop with these?”
“That’s my job to make it all work out.”
“I need a drink!” Sara said and let out a whoosh of air. She fell against Josh. “This secret agent stuff is hard work,” she whispered.
He ran a hand through his hair and nodded. “Stay in the game, Sara. We’re going to ramp it up a bit. I want Darian to come to me thanks to your work at le Champagne.”
“There will be time to thank me later,” she tried to tease, but there was no laughter in her voice. She covered her face with her hands.
