Into Temptation

“I assume that device you took from the hall just made an exit.”

She only smiled, which he clearly took to mean yes.

“Nicely done, Lindy. Inventive, clever and clean. I believe the owner of that device is in your debt.”

“I certainly hope so.”

“Do you?”

She retrieved her flute and fought the urge to gargle away the nasty taste. “I do.”

“Why?”

Lindy considered her answer while considering the man. Cool, yet curious. Displaying the exact right mix of persistent and pushy. She appreciated how fine a line that was.

“I want something from you.”

“What?”

Deciding that nothing short of a toothbrush would clean away the aftertaste, Lindy relinquished her champagne flute. “Let’s find some place private.”

He didn’t hesitate but led her away from the buffet. They made their way through the crowds, forced to stop several times as he greeted acquaintances. He was as charming as his profile suggested, and as he introduced her to people he’d obviously socialized with before, she observed how this man had become so successful at running his game.

He was likable and knew exactly how to place people at ease. Some he let lead the conversation. With others he directed. He was a veritable social chameleon, and that was a skill Lindy knew came in handy.

They ultimately wound up inside the bisected glass walls of a timeline display of classical Grecian antiquities, and she glanced around as Joshua led her forward.

“Perfect.” They would be able to hear approaching guests before being happened upon.

“So you’re finally going to end my suspense?” Folding his arms across his chest, Joshua eyed her expectantly.

“From what I’ve heard, you like suspense.”

“Heard from whom?”

“My agency.”

“MI6?”

Lindy feigned a pout. “You guessed?”

“Simple arithmetic.”

A man with Joshua’s specialized skills would recognize hers. From there her accent would make an equation of two plus two equaling an answer that wouldn’t be difficult to guess.

“What does your agency want with me, Lindy?”

Rising up on tiptoe to whisper in his ear, she pressed so close that her breasts brushed his arm.

“We don’t actually want you.”

He inhaled, a sound that was the second honest reaction she’d gotten from him tonight.

Their kiss had been very honest.

“What do you want then?”

“We want Renouf. We want you to give us everything you have on him.”

“If I had anything on him, why would I give it to you?”

“Because…” She let her words trail off for dramatic effect. “My agency can provide you with a new identity and a well-heeled life outside the organized crime world.”

3

RIGHT UP FRONT Joshua saw problems with Lindy’s offer. All of them his. Staring into her eyes—into green and gold lights sparkling in the glow of the Classical Antiquities display—he tried to guess the thoughts behind her mysterious gaze.

Lindy had to be playing him. MI6 couldn’t easily extricate him from his world. Men like Henri were not only meticulous at choosing their associates, but also at eliminating them when they no longer served a purpose. Joshua had made himself invaluable so elimination never became an issue.

Lindy made her deal sound like a one-off, but a new identity meant paying for the privilege. MI6 might start with wanting everything Joshua had on Renouf, but there would always be someone else they wanted information on. And they would know he had the resources to get them what they wanted.

Joshua had no illusions about how government agencies operated, and they weren’t squeamish about breaking the rules. Especially intelligence agencies. They conducted as many illegal operations as the bad guys, but frankly, Renouf and his associates paid better.

Which was Joshua’s next problem with the deal.

Until he discovered exactly what MI6 had on him, he wouldn’t know how to handle Lindy.

The fact that she’d shown up at this function proved she knew more than she should. How much more remained the question.

“What makes you think I know Renouf?” he asked.

She gave a sultry smile. “I’m having déjà vu. Didn’t we have this conversation in the hall?”

“Where you failed to prove complicity on my part.”

“I wasn’t trying to prove complicity. I was proving a point. Several actually.”

“I got the obvious. You’re following me, and you’re clearly not just a pretty lady in a fancy dress. What did I miss?”

“The olive branch. I solved your little problem to prove I was acting in good faith.”

“What does your agency want with Renouf?”

“We believe he has been funding the thefts of various relics from British museums and Royal residences. We’ve found connections that go back decades. The man’s a menace. An extremely dangerous one.”

“I’ll have to take your word.”

Lindy only smiled.