Played (22 page)

“What if he threatened you, put a gun in your face?” she asked. “Or mine?”

“Well, then I’d shoot him straight through the heart—not that he has a heart.” J.T. walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “The law won’t get in my way if Evan tries to hurt you, Christina. I would never stand by and let that happen.”

“I believe you. I’m just worried, afraid of the future. I love my father. You love your job. I want to protect my dad. You want to put Evan away. It seems like we should be on the same side, but I have a terrible feeling one of us is going to have to choose, that we won’t both be able to get what we want. And the closer we are to each other, the harder that choice will be.”

“Let’s not borrow trouble.”

“You’re the one who made me realize I need to start thinking ahead. You tried to warn me that the diamond was going to be stolen and I didn’t listen. I didn’t see how it could possibly happen, so I dismissed it. Obviously I was wrong. I also thought I could handle my father by myself. Wrong again. I don’t want to make any more mistakes.”

“Just know that I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe, and I’ll try to include the people you care about,” he added, gazing deep into her eyes. “Can we eat now?”

It wasn’t exactly the answer she wanted, but it was close enough. “Sure, we can eat.”

J.T. sat down across from her. “Looks good.”

It did look good. The steaks had been broiled to juicy perfection. The potatoes were loaded with butter, sour cream, and chives. The medley of vegetables made her mouth water, and the huge piece of chocolate cake almost made her want to skip straight to dessert. She sat down at the table and picked up her knife and fork. Cutting off a piece of filet mignon, she took a bite and sighed with pleasure. “Mmm. This is incredible.”

“Okay, now you’re hurting my feelings,” J.T. told her. “You made that exact same sound in the shower when I kissed your breast. Apparently all I needed to do was feed you.”

She grinned. “I’m a simple woman with simple pleasures.”

“Expensive pleasures. Filet mignon? You couldn’t have picked a cheaper cut?”

“I believe you said the decision was all mine,” she reminded him. “Besides, I could be one meal away from the slammer. I figure I’d better live a little—while I have the chance.”

Christina was good at making lemonade out of lemons, as J.T.’s grandma used to say. Christina got knocked down. She bounced back up. J.T. had a feeling she would need to hang on to that spirit during the upcoming days. They still had an uphill battle ahead of them. They had to find her father and the diamond and catch Evan, three not-so-easy tasks. Part of him wanted to send her away somewhere safe, keep her out of it entirely, but he doubted there was anywhere she would truly be safe until Evan was behind bars.

Evan might not need Christina to find Marcus Alberti. It was certainly possible Evan already knew where her father was. But the best way to get Marcus to give up the diamond would be through Christina.

“You’re staring at me,” Christina said as she pushed away her now empty plate. “And from your expression it’s clear you’re not thinking happy thoughts. Am I going to have to cheer you up again?”

He smiled, as she’d intended him to. “Oh, so that little shower scene was about cheering me up?”

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“Yes, and you looked pretty happy yourself.”

She flushed a little under his gaze. She might be a sophisticate when it came to intellectual matters, but there was an appealing air of innocence about her when it came to sex. She seemed to bring more enthusiasm than experience, an eagerness to learn what he wanted, and he liked that—liked it a lot, too much, in fact. He wanted to make love to her again. He wanted to forget about everything else that was going on and just spend the next couple of days in bed with her.

“J.T.,” she said on a husky note. “What are you thinking?”

“You don’t want to know,” he said with a teasing grin. “Believe me.”

“Maybe I do.”

“We need to get back to work.”

She frowned. “In a minute. There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. I cannot go one more second without knowing. It’s too important.”

He tensed at the sudden seriousness in her tone. “What is it?”

“I don’t know how to ask—so I’ll just say it.”

“Fine, say it.”

“I need to know what J.T. stands for.”

The tension fled from his body at the mischievous light in her eyes. Two could play this game. With a shake of his head, he said, “I’m afraid that’s classified information. If I told you, I would have to kill you.”

“Hey, don’t make that joke with a gun in the room.” She leaned forward. “I’m not going to stop asking until you tell me.”

“Why should I?”

“Because you’ve seen me naked. That means I get to know your entire name, not just your initials.”

“One thing about deals, Christina: You have to make them before you give anything up. Otherwise, they don’t work. I already got what I wanted. I have no motivation left.”

“I’m sure I can think of some motivation.”

He had a feeling she could, and he’d probably be willing to give up more than his name. In fact, was that her toe sliding up the inside of his jeans? He felt his whole body tighten at the gesture and saw the triumph in her eyes.

“You are so easy,” she said with a little laugh.

“Where you’re concerned, maybe.”

“Is it really embarrassing—your name? Is that why you won’t tell me?” She sat back in her chair, tilting her head upward as if she were in great thought. “I’ll just guess then. Jasper Thorndike? Jedediah Thomasina? Or maybe it’s kind of a girly name, like Jamie Talulah. You grew up like that boy in the song who wanted to fight everyone because his father named him Sue.”

“John Timothy,” he said shortly.

A disappointed frown crossed her lips. “Well, that’s not even interesting, much less bad.”

“Thanks.”

“You know what I mean. I was expecting something a little longer. Why go by your initials? Why not just be John or Johnny or Johnny Boy?”

“Yeah, I think Johnny Boy would have made my high school years really fun,” he said dryly. “The reason for the initials was simple. I was named for my father. When I was young he was Big John, and I was Little John. It always seemed more his name than mine. When I went to college, I just introduced myself as J.T. It was the beginning of the break between us. He got so pissed off during the first television interview I did, when the reporter called me J.T. instead of John McIntyre. It was like I’d cheated him out of his moment in the sun. Even my damn name was part of his dream.”

She gave him an understanding look. “That was always the problem, wasn’t it? You couldn’t figure out where he ended and you began.”

He’d never thought of it like that, but he supposed she was right. “Yeah, I guess. Anyway, I don’t answer to John, so don’t try it, because it won’t work. I will not come running.”

“Got it,” she said lightly. “No John. What about ‘sexy,’ ‘hot stuff,’ ‘good-looking’? Do those work for you?”

He appreciated her smile. It released the tension that knotted his stomach every time he thought of his father. “I don’t know how you get me to talk about him,” he said. “It’s not my favorite subject. So, how about some dessert?”

She rubbed her stomach and groaned. “I think I’m too full.”

“Are you serious?” he asked, exaggerating his shock and surprise. “I thought every woman, especially a stressed-out woman, was a candidate for dark, rich chocolate.” He took his fork and lightly scooped a bit of chocolate icing off the cake. He held it out to her. “Are you sure you don’t want a bite?”

She smiled back at him. “You are the devil.”

“I can’t tempt you—just one small bite? You know you want it.”

“I do want it, but I’m full, and believe it or not I’m usually a very disciplined person, when you’re not distracting me.”

“Hey, it hasn’t been all me,” he protested. “You’ve done your share of distracting.”

She took the fork out of his hand and set it down on the plate. “Later. It’s time to work.”

“You’re right.” It was past time to get down to business. Unfortunately, when he was with her, business seemed to be the last thing on his mind. He got up from the table and picked up his cell phone. “I’m going to call my assistant, Tracy. I checked in with her after I left Barclay’s to ask her to track down your father. She’s an expert with computers.” He punched in Tracy’s number. She answered almost immediately.

“About time, Mac,” she said. “Where the hell are you? Cameron is all over me.”

Cameron was his boss and usually stayed out of his business. “What does he want?”

“He wants you off the case, that’s what he wants. Cameron said he’s getting calls from everyone and their brother that you screwed up. Not only did you not prevent the theft of the diamond, you helped their key suspect get away. Are they right, J.T.?”

“I didn’t know Christina was their key suspect at the time,” he prevaricated. “But I do know she didn’t steal the diamond; Evan did.”

“That may be, but Cameron told me to tell you that he’s pulling you from the case. He doesn’t want you anywhere near Barclay’s. In fact, he wants you back in LA for reassignment first thing tomorrow.”

“No fucking way,” J.T. said with quiet rage. Evan was his. He had too many years on the line. “I’ll talk to Cameron.”

“I don’t think it will do any good, Mac—unless…”

“Unless what?” he asked, sure he didn’t want to know.

“Unless you drop Christina Alberti at the local cop shop and let them do their job. If she’s innocent, they’ll figure that out.”

He considered her suggestion. If he turned Christina in, he could still pursue Evan. But as his gaze drifted to the beautiful woman at the table who had told him that she was afraid one day he would have to make a choice, he knew he couldn’t make that choice—yet. “I can’t do that.”

Tracy gave a plaintive sigh. “Do you really want to jeopardize your job for this woman? Or for Evan, for that matter? Wouldn’t that just make Evan’s day to see you get kicked out on your ass? You’d never be able to catch him then.”

She had a point, but the thought of letting Evan walk free was impossible to contemplate. “If I bail, no one will look for him. They’ll focus completely on Christina and her father, and that is exactly what Evan wants to happen. I won’t do it. I can’t do it.”

“I understand, Mac, but I don’t think Cameron will. This is business for him. For you, it’s personal. And personal doesn’t make a good objective agent.”

“Do you have any other information for me?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Yes. I did some checking on David Padlinsky. It turns out the car he was driving was actually purchased by Alexis Kensington and registered in David’s name about three months ago. I also found out that Jeremy Kensington hired a private investigator to spy on his wife about that same time.”

J.T. began to pace as Tracy’s information took him down a new road. “So David and Alexis were having an affair?”

“I’m betting yes. You also asked me to check into the relationship between Alexis Kensington and Nicole Prescott. They are cousins, as you mentioned. But get this—remember those Alcatraz guys you were researching a couple of weeks ago, the ones who stole the fortune in gold coins?”

“Yes,” he said, his pulse quickening. He’d always suspected there was a reason Evan had stayed in San Francisco. He just hadn’t been able to figure out what that reason was.

“Nicole Prescott is Nathan Carmello’s niece,” Tracy continued. “Nicole grew up listening to stories about her uncle’s daring adventures during the fifties, when he and his gang of bandits roamed the city and later escaped from Alcatraz. She also has quite a past of her own. Despite her blue-collar roots, she managed to marry four times very well, and with each divorce she banked a fortune in settlements and alimony, thereby allowing her to move up, up, and up the social ladder. She ran into a snag with potential husband number five, Jeremy Kensington—that’s right. Nicole was dating Jeremy when she made the unfortunate mistake of introducing her cousin Alexis to him. Apparently, Alexis stole Jeremy right out from under Nicole. That’s what started the rift between them.”

No wonder there had been so much hostility at the party. Alexis had probably invited Nicole because she couldn’t afford to offend her any further, but there was obviously no love lost between them.

“You’ll also like this. Nicole loves jewelry,” Tracy continued. “Especially diamonds, and she has quite a collection, from all reports. And there’s another link between Nicole and the Kensingtons. The private investigator Jeremy hired also spent a great deal of time on Nicole’s payroll. Put the two together, and—”

“And it looks like Nicole is the one who tipped Jeremy off about her cousin’s affair with David,” J.T. finished.

“Hey, that was my line. I do all the work and you steal my punch line.”

“Sorry.” His mind raced at the picture growing clearer in his head. Nicole had a penchant for diamonds and an extreme dislike of her cousin, Alexis, who just happened to be auctioning off a very valuable diamond. Nicole had either tipped Jeremy off about Nicole and David, or Jeremy had simply come to her for help. Whatever way it had worked, there were triangles all over the place. “I need to speak to Ms. Prescott,” he muttered. “She’s the missing piece, especially since Nicole was tied to the people in Evan’s last con. I wonder if there is a link between them as well.” A rush of excitement swept through him. If Evan was working with Nicole, she might be able to help him find Evan.

“Don’t get too worked up,” Tracy told him. “You can’t speak to Nicole. She was found dead at her penthouse apartment at two o’clock this afternoon.”

His heart came to a crashing halt. He sank down on the edge of the bed. “Are you serious? She’s dead? What happened?”

“I just got off the phone with one of my police contacts in San Francisco. We were talking about the diamond, and he mentioned that Alexis Kensington was going to have even more to deal with following the murder of her cousin. Of course, I put it together faster than he did. Apparently it was a botched robbery, or made to look that way. Some cash and jewelry were taken. Nicole was found in the living room. It appeared as if she came home and surprised someone.”