Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Silence. And when I peered inside, there was no one in the narrow hall.
So far, so good. I let out my held breath along with a quick prayer. Let me find the diamonds.
While Willow and the staff appreciated lunch in the main gallery, I slid inside the door labeled “office” and left it ajar behind me. Then I stared, slack-jawed, at the walls, turning in a slow circle to make sure I didn’t miss a thing.
There was no art.
There were no frames.
The walls were entirely, indisputably bare.
35
REVERSE CON
Ruby
He was inside.
So easily.
Because that was what he did. Slipped in and out and stole.
I was damn near ready to just let him dangle in the breeze.
Hell, he was probably going to do the same to me. While we were together, it felt like we were working together. But as I stood lookout, my worries from earlier resurfaced. We wanted different things from the jewels. I wanted to help my mom—he—wanted to help the investors. Jake could steal the gallery gems, then give me the slip. He’d have all the diamonds and I would have none. No down payment on what Eli owed to my mom, and no leverage to make him do the right thing by her.
Jake could waltz back to Andrew, repay all the clients that Eli had defrauded, and fulfill his contract. The recovery expert’s job was to recover the investors’ money. But Mom wasn’t a formal investor. I was the only one looking out for her interests.
I spun around from the window and nearly ran into the gentleman who’d come up to the second floor and stood between me and the stairs. My pulse jumped—I hadn’t expected to see anyone—but I breathed easier when I saw from his name tag that he worked at the church.
“Hello. Do you need anyone to pray with?” he asked, hands pressed together, bowing slightly.
“No,” I said through gritted teeth as I skirted around him to the stairs. “But it would be great if you could pray for mercy for Jake. Thanks so much.”
I vaulted down the steps and out the main door, improvising a new plan as I went. Because the fact that people knew me in this town might have been a liability, but it was an advantage too. I could walk right into the gallery. Willow liked me. And after the sex-toy party, I knew way too much about her private life to call myself a stranger.
Reaching the gallery, I pushed the sunglasses up on my head, opened the door, and entered a scene of art and laughter, and a verifiable smorgasbord.
Casual and cheery, I waved to Willow. “Just in the neighborhood. Wanted to say hi.”
Willow’s chocolate-brown eyes lit up. She wore a sleek, short cranberry dress, and her dark hair was curled in waves around her shoulders. “So good to see you, Ruby. You came by at the perfect time.”
“Oh!” I feigned surprise, looking at the spread as if I hadn’t been the one to order it. “Are you having a party?”
“An impromptu one.” Willow beamed and clutched my arm. “Can you join us? It’s such a treat to see you again, and there’s plenty of food.” She gestured to the spread. “Lynx surprised us with a catered lunch. This is his art, which I was telling you about.” I took the cue to look around at the bright white walls adorned with his images. “Have something to eat, and we can catch up properly.”
“I would love to,” I said, though I had no interest in food or a tour. I gestured to the only hallway, lowering my voice. “I’m just going to pop into the ladies’ room first if you don’t mind.”
I walked to the rear of the gallery before Willow or her employees could offer to show me the way. My feet sped up with my pulse, but nobody followed. I didn’t want anyone to stop me and, even though I was pissed at him, I didn’t want Jake to be caught.
Pausing only a moment to listen to the gallery owner and staff chat over their lunch, I yanked open the office door.
Jake stood at the desk, glancing through some papers, but he didn’t startle at my intrusion. The smooth operator. He simply looked at me, brow furrowed, and mouthed, Everything okay?
“No,” I whispered in warning. “Get the diamonds and let’s go.”
“They’re not here,” he said in quiet disappointment.
Like I believed that.
“What’s taking so long?” I hissed then tipped my head toward the door. “We need to go.”
Nodding crisply, he folded the paper, and stuffed it into his pocket, and I hurried him down the hall and out the back door into the alley.
“What’s going on?” he asked quietly once the door had closed behind us.
I pressed my lips to his for a quick, consuming kiss then told him something true. “I was worried.” The decision to kiss him had been calculated, but it also intoxicated me, and my instincts took over. I hummed with desire as I explored his mouth. He groaned in response, a sexy, masculine rumble that I’d evoked by taking the reins in this carnal moment.