Played (13 page)

He left Christina’s office and moved silently through the dark building. Some guards were talking in the distance. Through one of the windows police lights flashed. The officers were still conducting their investigation into the hit-and-run accident—a poor Barclay’s employee struck down and killed in seconds. It was so tragic, so sad; it would add even more color to tomorrow’s event. The employees would be discussing the victim. They would be distracted—again.

It was amazing how easy it was to convince people to look the other way.

Evan returned to the basement. He slipped through the trapdoor, pulling it closed behind him. Once he was out of the tunnels, he moved quickly to the car he’d left parked a few blocks away. He had one more stop to make before dawn.

Christina’s teeth were chattering and her body was still shaking as she ran back downstairs to pay the cab driver. She knew she would have to explain when J.T. returned, and she had no doubt that he would be back with even more questions about why she’d run away from a criminal investigation.

God!
What had she done, she asked herself again as she returned to her apartment. She couldn’t seem to stop drawing suspicion to herself. She’d heard those sirens and panicked. She could imagine all the questions about why she was there, the nature of her relationship to David…. It would thrust her into the spotlight—the last place she wanted to be.

She knew she could have stayed with J.T. He would have told the cops that they were together when it happened. He was a federal agent. They would have believed him. She hadn’t needed to run. It was an old habit. How many times had her father told her,
“You hear sirens, you run.”
It was an instruction right up there with
“Wash your hands before you eat”
and
“Say your prayers before you go to bed.”

But she wasn’t a criminal, and she shouldn’t have left. Because this time it wasn’t about her—it was about David.

She sank down on her sofa and let out a sigh. David was dead. She couldn’t believe it. One minute he was alive, and the next he was gone. Had he known in that split second when he saw the car bearing down on him that it would be the last breath he would take? Had he felt the impact? Had he screamed? She knew that she had screamed. Her throat was still raw.

Had it been an accident? It seemed unlikely. The car hadn’t even tried to slow down. Why?

It had to have something to do with Barclay’s. Why had David gone there so late at night? Was he after the diamond? He certainly had the credentials to gain access to the restricted areas. His presence in the building after midnight, however, would have alerted the guards and Russell. David would have had better luck stealing the diamond in the middle of the day, when everyone was milling around—if that was his intent.

Getting up from the couch, she walked into her bedroom and changed into sweats and a T-shirt. She didn’t even think about getting into bed. She suspected she would not be alone for long. She had to think about what to do next before J.T. came looking for her.

Picking up the phone, she dialed her father’s number. As she’d expected, he didn’t answer. “Dad,” she said, still hearing the panicked note in her voice, “I really need to talk to you about that diamond. My assistant looked at it earlier, and tonight he was killed in a hit-and-run accident. I’m worried about you, about the diamond, about everything. Please call me, or find a way to get in touch with me. I might not be alone, though, so whatever you do, be careful. I’ve got the FBI breathing down my neck.” She hung up the phone and drew in another deep breath. She had to calm down, think rationally.

It was after one o’clock in the morning. In less than twelve hours they would be auctioning off the diamond. How could she let that happen without being positive it was authentic? On the flip side, how could she prove it wasn’t? On the original report the appraiser had seen a mineral inclusion in the shape of a heart, but in different kinds of light, it was possible that the inclusion couldn’t be seen. Could she really stop everything based on a gut instinct that something that small was off?

Her conscience screamed,
Yes!
Deep in her heart she knew she should share her concerns with Alexis and Jeremy and let them make the final decision. But as soon as she said one word, they would look at her and wonder if she was involved in something dishonest, trying to pull a fast one…just like her father. She’d made a new life for herself. She couldn’t destroy that life without more information.

She’d decide tomorrow. Hopefully, her dad would get in touch with her by then and confirm that no copies of the necklace had been made and that he wasn’t going to do anything to try to stop the auction or steal the diamond.

A knock on the door gave her a little jolt, even though she’d been expecting it. For a split second she thought that it might be her father, but it was J.T. standing in the hallway. He strode into her apartment without waiting for an invitation, his expression a mix of anger and worry. He shoved her purse into her hands, then grabbed her by the shoulders. “Are you all right?”

She felt a surge of pleasure that his first words were filled with concern and not accusation. “I’m fine.”

“Good. Now what the hell were you thinking—taking off like that?”

“I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I ran. I’ve never seen anyone killed right in front of me, especially someone I know, someone I was talking to a few hours earlier. I was in shock.”

“That’s not why you ran. You ran because you were scared that you would be implicated in the accident. You didn’t want to talk to the cops. You didn’t want anyone at Barclay’s to know you were there—did you?”

He gave her shoulders a little shake.

“You’re hurting me.”

His grip eased slightly, but he didn’t let go, his eyes filled with stubborn determination. “Answer the question.”

“Okay, you’re right. I panicked—for a lot of reasons. I know we didn’t do anything wrong. I just didn’t want to explain why we were following David.” She paused. “What did you say to the police?”

“Not much. I told them what happened. David started to cross the street. A car came racing around the corner and hit him without slowing down or stopping. I also told them I couldn’t ID the car.” His gaze narrowed on her face. “You didn’t recognize it, did you?”

“No, it was too dark. The lights were too bright. They were in my face. I saw David freeze and I heard the engine roar. The next thing I knew he was flying through the air.” She put a hand to her mouth, feeling another wave of nausea at the memory. “I can’t believe he’s dead, J.T. What happened? Was it an accident? Was it deliberate? Who could do such a thing?”

He stared at her for a long moment, as if assessing the sincerity of her questions. Finally he let out a sigh and gave a weary shake of his head. “I don’t know anything for sure, except that it wasn’t an accident. Someone ran David down on purpose. It had to have something to do with why he went to Barclay’s after the party. While I was talking to the cops, Russell Kenner came outside. He was concerned that the accident was a diversion.”

“Oh, my God. I never thought of that. Please don’t tell me David was killed as a distraction.”

“Kenner and I checked on the diamond. It’s still secure in the vault, and I don’t think Kenner will be leaving it alone for the rest of the night.” J.T. ran his hands up and down her arms. “You’re trembling.”

“I’m cold.”

“And scared.” He looked at her with compassion. “I know you’re mixed up in something, Christina. You need to trust me. People are dying.”

She wanted to trust him. She really did. She wanted to lean on him. His shoulders were broad and strong. But how could she do either of those things? J.T. might be willing to protect her, but what about her father? Would J.T. be willing to protect him, too?

It was too big a risk to take. She could wait a few more hours. It would all be over tomorrow. As soon as the diamond was sold, her life would go back to normal. She could get through a few more hours, couldn’t she?

She set her purse down on a nearby table. “I don’t know what you want me to say.” She saw the disappointment in his eyes and felt as if she’d let him down. She didn’t know why his opinion was important to her. They were more adversaries than friends. Still, she had to admit that she liked him. His humor, his intelligence, his determination were very appealing, and his beautiful body had a way of getting her all hot and bothered.

It had been a long time since a man had gotten under her skin the way J.T. had. He seemed to know what was in her head even before she did. That was what scared her the most, that he would discover her secrets before she was ready to share them.

“I’m not the bad guy,” J.T. said quietly. “And I’m not going to jump to conclusions about you or your father.”

“You already have. That’s why you’re interrogating me right now. You’re suspicious of me. You think I’m going to help someone steal the diamond. That’s why you keep showing up wherever I am.”

“I wish that were the sole reason why I came here tonight, but it’s not, Christina. It’s you. I can’t stop thinking about you,” he confessed.

She caught her breath at the husky note in his voice, the look of desire in his eyes. “Because you’re suspicious of me, that’s why.”

“Because you’re beautiful, and I want you.”

“You’re just trying to get information out of me,” she argued. “You want me to tell you my secrets. You want me to confide in you. Trust you.”

“I do want all that,” he admitted. “But right now, all I want is you.”

“You’re lying.”

“No, I’m not. On the drive over here, I told myself I would just check on you, make sure you got home safely, confirm that you weren’t in trouble. But as soon as I saw your face…your beautiful mouth…” His gaze dropped to her lips. “I knew I came for one reason and one reason only—you.”

She swallowed hard at the purposeful note in his voice. She wanted to fight him, but her body was already on his side. She was tired of fighting herself, tired of worrying and feeling scared and alone. As he lifted his questioning gaze to hers, she told herself to say no, to play it safe, to keep him at a distance. That would be the smart thing to do, and as he’d said earlier, she was a smart girl—at least most of the time, just not tonight.

“This is crazy,” she murmured. “You, me, we’re on different sides. We want different things.”

“Do we?” His devastating smile played across his lips. “I think at this moment we want exactly the same thing.” He pulled her up hard against him, her hands pressed against his strong, broad chest. “Yes…or no?”

She wanted to say no, but she knew she’d made her choice the moment she’d opened the door. “Yes.”

“Yes,” he agreed, sliding his tongue into her mouth. He grabbed her head with his hands, tangling his fingers in her hair as he deepened the kiss, tasting, exploring, savoring each sweet second.

She slid her arms around his waist as the sparks that had been smoldering between them jumped and crackled. She’d never felt such passion, such need, such demanding desire to be with a man. Her heart raced; her stomach clenched with every kiss, every touch. She felt as if she were standing on the edge of a cliff and she very much wanted to jump. She wanted to release herself from the bonds of trying to do the right thing, be the good girl, follow the rules, play it safe.

Running her hands up under his coat, she massaged the taut, powerful muscles in his back. It wasn’t enough. She tugged at his shirt, pulling it out of his belt, undoing his buttons as fast as she could. She had a desperate need to get her hands on his bare skin. When his shirt was open, she pulled it off him along with his jacket, then ran her fingers across his broad chest, through the light smattering of dark hair.

J.T. grabbed the hem of her T-shirt and yanked it over her head. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and his hands came down on her breasts as his mouth slid down her throat. She threw back her head and moaned with pleasure as his tongue swirled along her collarbone, dipping down to her breasts, finally replacing his hands with his mouth.

She ran her fingers through his hair and closed her eyes as a jolt of desire threatened to knock her off her feet. She told herself they should slow down, but in truth she wanted to go even faster. J.T. must have read her mind. He straightened, grabbed her hand, and pulled her into the bedroom.

The room was dark. Moonlight danced in shadows along the wall. She pushed down her sweats along with her panties and stepped out of them, standing naked before him. She was grateful for the darkness. She didn’t want to be reminded of who he was—who she was. J.T. reached for the light switch. She caught his arm with her hand.

“No,” she said. “No lights. No questions. No confessions.”

“I want to see you,” he muttered.

“Not tonight,” she whispered. “Tonight…just use your hands.”

He did as she asked, his thumbs grazing her nipples, teasing them into sharp, aching points. She reached for his belt buckle. She unhooked it and helped him slide off his slacks so that he was as naked as she was.

J.T. pulled her into his arms, his flesh heating hers from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. She loved the feel of the hair on his legs, his chest, his arms, the shadow of whiskers that scraped her cheek and her breasts as he ran his mouth up and down her body.

She pulled him down on the bed, suddenly impatient to have him inside her, but he wouldn’t be hurried. He took his time to explore every inch of her, first with his hands, then with his mouth, loving her ruthlessly until she was hot and tingling all over. When he moved away, she wanted to scream.

“What are you doing?” she asked breathlessly.

He grabbed his wallet from his pants pocket and pulled out a condom.

“Oh,” she whispered. “I almost forgot.” It worried her that she had forgotten, that J.T. had driven every last responsible thought out of her head. But when he straddled her body, finding the soft place between her thighs and sliding into her eager and impatient body, she didn’t even consider thinking. She gave herself up to the passion and the pleasure.