Into Temptation

Henri had worked with Jean Allard before, and the thief had always proven efficient and reliable. Perhaps there was something to the White Star’s curse after all.

Allard had been cursed—by old-fashioned greed.

He’d held on to the amulet and upped his price. Henri had promptly sent in a hit man to deal with the thief. Then he’d sent Joshua to retrieve the amulet.

“What exactly do you want to know about the White Star?” Lindy asked.

“Anything you can tell me.”

“It’s an interesting piece. I’d never heard of it before. Seemed a little tame for Renouf, so when we got word he was connected to its theft from a high-end auction house, I wasn’t convinced my intel was accurate.”

“What convinced you?”

“You did.”

Joshua responded with a noncommittal nod. “You’re not accusing me of stealing, are you?”

“Of course not. The local authorities found the thief floating in the East River. They’re calling his death a random murder. You and I know better, don’t we?”

“Do we?”

She nodded patiently. “We do. The White Star’s theft went pear-shaped, and you’re here to pretty things up so the trail doesn’t lead from the thief to the man who hired him—Renouf.”

“Are you accusing me of murder?”

“Your arrival doesn’t coincide with the time of death, so you’re out of the running for that crime.”

“How convenient for me.”

“Very.” Her sultry eyes narrowed and she grew tense around the edges. “What I don’t know is where the White Star is now. The local authorities obtained the amulet from the bank’s security guard, but it seems to have disappeared from the precinct property room, where it was being held as evidence. I’ve questioned the officer associated with the case. He doesn’t have a clue. But you’re here, Joshua, so I did the math. Your appearance summed up the situation nicely.”

Unfortunately, it did, which meant this woman wasn’t bluffing. “Why do you think Henri Renouf wants the White Star if it’s not his typical fare?”

“You tell me. You know the guy.”

Joshua didn’t expect the question, didn’t expect her to admit she didn’t know. Lindy wasn’t playing this game the way he would expect an agent to play, and that kept throwing him. Her deal threw him—whether it was real or a double play. And then there was the disappointment he felt because she was turning his life upside down to get to Henri.

Would he rather she had chased him down that hallway because she’d been interested in him?

The thought almost made him laugh. He wasn’t normally sentimental. But this woman seated beside him provided a very beautiful reminder that tonight wasn’t normal by any stretch.

“I don’t know why Henri Renouf would want the White Star,” he said. “I don’t really care. I’m more interested in knowing why you think I’m involved in all this.”

She turned to face him. The light spilled onto her features, detailing her mouth and reminding him of the way she’d felt against him when they’d kissed.

“Took me days to brief on you,” she admitted wryly.

“Is that a long time?”

She nodded. “Had to wade through a boatload of circumstantial evidence from MI6, Interpol and a few other international agencies you’ve probably heard of.”

“When did they start looking at me?”

“About six months ago.”

They’d been an active six months. Joshua had masterminded the heist of a classical manuscript in Vienna and fixed situations on three continents. In between, he’d helped design and approved the blueprints on one jewel of a boat.

“What if you’ve got the wrong man, Lindy? I told you I’ve done occasional business with Renouf. What’s to stop me from picking up the telephone and making a courtesy call?”

She didn’t flinch, and her confidence impressed him. “I don’t have the wrong man.”

“What if I refuse to cooperate?”

“I’m authorized to threaten you. I can bring you in and use our evidence to build a case against you.”

“Think you have enough to prosecute?”

“No. Just enough to trash your reputation and drive you underground. My agency is hoping you’d rather deal than live as an international fugitive.”

A slave to MI6 or a life on the run.

“Mmm. That’s a tough one. I thought you said the whole point was not letting Renouf know you’re interested in him.”

She laughed. “Ideally. In my business, we don’t always achieve the ideal. You’re our best-case scenario. We’ve devoted a lot of man hours to tracking your movements over the past six months. If you won’t deal then we move on to plan B—eliminating you from the game. You’re valuable to Renouf. It’ll take him time to replace you. That will shake things up, slow down operations and make him more vulnerable. We’ll flush out someone else who’s willing to talk.”

“Sounds like you’ve got all the angles covered.”

“So what’s the problem then? Why aren’t you negotiating terms yet?”

He debated telling her that he didn’t believe her, but he’d rather wait and see what she’d do to try and convince him.

The bottom line was that she’d compromised him. The instant Henri discovered MI6 had Joshua on their radar, he would become a liability. Henri would send a hit man to eliminate the problem, the way he’d eliminated Allard.

Which meant Joshua was on a time limit to figure out what to do about Lindy and her alleged deal.

Henri was expecting delivery of the White Star immediately, which didn’t leave Joshua much room to maneuver. But he couldn’t hand over the amulet with Lindy on his tail, and given this turn of events, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to.

Rubbing his temples to soothe the ache starting there, he stared at a car that sped past, tires chewing up the street and echoing off the buildings. There had to be some way to work this situation to his benefit. But he couldn’t figure out how until he knew what he wanted the outcome to be.

Lindy’s investigation meant someone would be served up to MI6. Did he want to risk his life and freedom to protect Henri’s interests? Of all the questions he’d been faced with tonight, he actually had an answer for this one.

No.

While Joshua had learned much under Henri’s tutelage, they were business associates. Friendly ones, true, but Joshua felt no loyalty to Henri, expected none in return.

Fortunately, problem-solving and cleaning up messy situations happened to be Joshua’s specialty.

This situation was a mess. The timing was bad, and he was more vulnerable than Henri at the moment. But there would be a way to turn things around to his advantage.