Thieves Like Us (15 page)

Janet opened her mouth. Rocky made a small motion with his hand to shush whatever protest she was about to make. She bit her cheek and let him talk.

“He doesn’t have them,” he told Sleazy, keeping his cool better than she would have.

The guy shrugged. “Can’t help you, then. Find out what bitch he gave them to. Or who he sold them to. Probably the same people he sold the diamonds to.”

Rocky leaned close to the bars and gave the guy a hard look through narrowed eyes. Janet thought for sure he was going to jump all over the guy for implying that Banner gave the jewelry to another woman. “What diamonds?” His voice snapped with tension.

“The ones with the jewelry. That’s what the guy wanted, mostly. Diamonds. No settings, ya know what I mean?” He took another disdainful puff while he waited to see if Rocky was too dumb to know what he meant.

Rocky’s jaw muscle jumped so much she was surprised she couldn’t hear his molars grinding. “How many diamonds?”

“That time? Not too many, ’cause of the jewelry. Sixty or seventy-
K,
maybe.”

Seventy thousand dollars’ worth of diamonds, in addition to the Pellinni Jewels? Janet knew her mouth had dropped open. Banner must have been in deeper shit than anyone realized if he was laundering that kind of money.

“That time?” Rocky repeated.

“Did business with him three or four times. Money for diamonds.” He showed his teeth again. “It ain’t illegal. You can’t prove I did nothin’ illegal.”

“I don’t have to, pal. The people who are after the jewelry don’t care about laws. And the ones who got the diamonds . . . well, let’s just hope they got everything they were supposed to get, or they’ll be looking for the rest. You know what I mean?”

His harsh question purposely echoed Sleazy’s sullen one, with a whole lot more menace implied. Sleazy didn’t like it.

“I told you, I ain’t got the jewelry. The guy bought all of it. You should be askin’ him.”

“Apparently you don’t follow the news. He’s in jail, most likely heading for prison, and he’s not coming out in your lifetime.”

“Shit.” Janet didn’t know which part Sleazy found upsetting—that he might become a target for someone looking for the jewels, or that he’d lost any chance of future business deals with Banner. “But I still ain’t got the rest.”

Rocky didn’t look like he believed him. “How many pieces did you have?”

“Five, including the necklace.”

At least that part was right. Rocky glanced her way, a quick puzzled look. She shook her head to indicate she didn’t know anything about the other pieces of jewelry. If he’d had the other pieces, Banner must have given them away.

Her mind snagged on the possibilities. If he hadn’t given them to her, had they gone to the Colombians as part of the money laundering scheme? Or had there been someone else, as Sleazy implied? A mistress? She’d never had reason to think so, but their marriage had been brief and she really hadn’t known him that well. She certainly hadn’t seen the murdering, drug running, money laundering side of him. Why not a mistress?

The idea didn’t even bother her, proving how little attachment she had to Banner. The only problem with that theory was that his sex drive hadn’t been high, certainly not high enough to keep two young women satisfied. Heck, he hadn’t even satisfied her all that well. Unless that
was
why, because two women were such a drain on his libido.

She gave herself a mental shake, scattering all speculation on Banner’s sex life. She was getting sidetracked by something that didn’t concern her anymore. All she cared about was finding the jewelry and getting whoever was after it off her trail.

“Here’s a hot tip for you,” Rocky told Sleazy. “Until the rest of the Pellinni Jewels show up, I’d suggest you watch your back.”

“Yeah? I thought you were going to save my life.”

“Turns out you’re too dumb to save. If you can’t tell me where the rest of the jewelry is, I can’t help you.”

“I told you—”

“Yeah, the guy bought all of them. And I’m telling you he doesn’t have them. So I’m still looking. But in the meantime, I’d be careful if I were you, because someone else is looking, and they’ve got a real mean disposition.” He nodded toward the dog kennel on the floor. “You’d better hope Bruno there grows up real fast.”

Sleazy ground his butt out in an ashtray. “Thanks for nothin’. And his name’s Adolf, as in Hitler.”

Rocky gave him a sick smile. “Cute. Open the door, we’re done.”

A buzzer signaled that the front door was unlocked, and Rocky ushered Janet through. She stepped onto the sidewalk with relief. Even the noise and exhaust fumes of Detroit’s streets felt clean after the unpleasant atmosphere inside Lost and Found Treasures. She felt dirty enough to take a scrub brush to her skin.

“Ick,” she said, shuddering as she walked.

“That sums it up nicely.” His frown lines eased away. “But at least we learned how Banner was laundering most of the drug money—he was exchanging it for diamonds. Makes sense. They’re easy to transfer to his Colombian connection, and easy for them to smuggle out of the country.”

“Oh!” She laughed abruptly as the facts clicked in her head. “I know how he did it!”

Rocky stopped. “How?”

“He had these souvenir golf balls, commemorating the Westfield-Benton Charity Tournament. I just found them yesterday when I was at the office. They’re hollow. They’re too small to hold ornate jewelry, but if you stuffed them with cotton, you could put a fortune in diamonds inside one of those and never even hear it rattle.”

Rocky nodded. “Clever.”

“It’s just too bad they were all empty. I’ll bet those Colombians are looking for a gold golf ball
full
of diamonds.”

“Our sleazy pawnshop owner better hope they don’t come here looking for them.”

Talking about him made her feel dirty all over again. “I should call the ASPCA. That man has no business owning a puppy.”

“I like the way you think.” He put an arm around her, pulling her close as they walked back to the car. Even in the growing heat of the day, it felt good to be so close to him. He squeezed her shoulder. “And while we’re on the subject, I like the way you smile, I like the way your nose wrinkles when you laugh, and I like the way you wear that little gold chain on your ankle all summer long.”

She suddenly forgot all about the slimy pawnshop. She looked down to where the hem of her jeans brushed her foot just above her tennis shoe, wondering when he’d noticed the chain that didn’t show right now. “You do?”

“Oh, yeah. And if it matters, I like that little blue top with the white flowers on it that you wore last summer. I’m looking forward to seeing that one again.”

“Blue top?” She gave him a puzzled look as he opened the car door, waiting while she slid in. Even if he was one of those rare guys who noticed what women wore, they’d hardly seen each other last summer because he and Ellie were busy starting up Red Rose Security. He must have her mixed up with some other woman. “I don’t remember—oh, wait, I know which one you mean. The halter top with the cute crisscross lacing in back.” Amazed that he’d remembered it, she mused, “I wonder where I put that?”

“Well, I hope you remember soon, because it drove me crazy imagining how pulling one string would make all those laces come loose.”

Heat shot through her, and she covered it up with a laugh. “Pervert. It doesn’t work that way. The laces are for decoration; it has a couple hooks in front.”

“Really?” His face lit with a whole new interest.

“You’re weird.”
In a really sexy way,
she thought.

Jeez, what was wrong with her? She sounded like Libby, like a thirteen-year-old girl, not a twenty-nine-year-old woman. She pulled the car door closed, hoping to distract him from the evidence on her T-shirt—two hard nubs poking through her flimsy bra. The man seriously turned her on, and she was dying to do something about it.

Rocky walked around the front of the car, got in, and started the engine, but left the car in park when his phone rang. She turned on the air as he talked, short sentences that ended quickly as he flipped the phone closed.

“That was Ben. Someone broke into your place again.”

“Again? What was left to look through?”

“It wouldn’t have been the same person. My guess is the Colombians were looking for diamonds the first time, judging by the thorough job and the fact there was more than one person. This time, I’m betting it’s whoever wants the rest of the Pellinni Jewels.”

She gave him a weak smile. “Seems I’m pretty popular.”

“Forget it. Nothing’s changed, and you’re safe. That’s all that counts.” He ran his knuckles down her cheek, and just like that, she forgot all about her condo. She fiddled with the vents, desperately trying to cool down. The rising heat and humidity outside had little to do with the perspiration that made her T-shirt and jeans stick to her skin. The fact that his mesmerizing eyes and sexy smile reminded her of a hungry wolf had everything to do with it, and she blasted the cold air directly at her chest.

“Hungry?” he asked.

“What?” Her startled response probably destroyed any chance that she could pull off a cool and collected facade.

“Would you like to stop somewhere to eat? It’s early, but I’m starving.” Behind that intense gaze, he was doing cool and collected just fine. She was the one with her mind in the gutter.

“That sounds good.” Not really, but she didn’t want to go home, which seemed to be the only other option. And eating would give her something to do besides think about touching Rocky.

“What are you in the mood for?”

Several inappropriate responses came to mind, but she firmly shoved them out of her mind. She played it safe. “Anything. You decide.”

“Italian?”

“Fine.” If it was one of those cozy little restaurants with booths where they could sit close together. She would feel his thigh warm against her own, maybe let her hand stray . . .

She shut down the image and hoped she wasn’t blushing.

She wasn’t about to ask where they were going. With her hormones running amuck, she was better off saying nothing. Instead, she tried to cool her over-heated libido by reminding herself of all the reasons she’d resisted Rocky for the past year.

The biggest reason was herself. She had to consider her history of bad choices when it came to men. Well, a one-man history, but a doozy of a bad choice. Being taken in by Banner’s smooth lies had shaken her to the core. It couldn’t happen again. How much did she really know about Rocky?

Plenty: he was a reformed jewel thief; a law student and successful business owner; a charming, handsome, accomplished man. Helpful. Good with kids. Kind to animals. Janet rubbed her forehead as she watched the buildings pass by without really seeing them. This wasn’t helping.

The man must have faults, but she was having a hard time finding them. She felt more attracted to him than to any man she’d ever known, including the man she’d married, back when she thought Banner was suave, sophisticated, and in love with her. He’d turned out to be none of those things. More like slick, slippery, and in love with her family’s air freight company.

But not Rocky. He liked her boldness and independence, two things Banner had hated. He liked the way she kissed—that was obvious from the way he kissed her back. He liked her smile. He liked her ankle chain, for God’s sake. He liked
her.

She stole a look at him. She liked him, too. A lot. And this was doing nothing to suppress her wild sexual desire.

She had to stop thinking about him and concentrate on the present. Food.

She returned her attention to the scenery just as they turned onto a side street, then followed a drive to the back entrance of a condominium complex. He flashed a smile as he pulled into a garage. “Best place around for Italian food—my kitchen.”

His place. Intimate. Private. Equipped with every comfort and convenience one could want for . . .

Eating dinner. Nothing more.

Rocky punched a code on a keypad by the door and led the way into a dim laundry room before locking the door behind them. Turning, he bumped into Janet.

“Sorry!” She stepped back, about to make some excuse about not paying attention, when he pulled her against his body.

“Not so fast,” he murmured against her ear, sending shivers all the way to her toes. “Lasagna can wait another couple minutes. This is a better idea.”

“I didn’t mean to . . .” His mouth brushed a whisper-soft caress over her temple, then her cheek. Her bones went soft while other parts of her snapped to attention. “Oh, never mind.”

“You seem jumpy. That’s not conducive to a good meal. I think you need to relax first.”

He stroked a hand down her back and over the curve of her bottom, coaxing her gently against the firm line of his thighs. She couldn’t think of anything
less
conducive to relaxing—key parts of her body were suddenly zinging with erotic ideas that had nothing to do with dinner.

“You smell good enough to eat,” he said against her hair. Raising his head, he gave her a feral smile. “Want to be the appetizer?”

“Oh, God,” she moaned.

He backed her into the wall, and she slapped one hand against it for support as he pinned her with a deep kiss. Finding his waist with her other hand, she hooked her fingers in a belt loop and pulled him closer as she let the fire take her.

They were both breathing hard when he lifted his head. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” he whispered. “I hope you don’t mind if dinner is late.” He reached back as he spoke, tossing the car keys on the washing machine with a sharp clang.

“A sacrifice I’m willing to—
eeek
!” she yelped. A white blur shot by Rocky’s shoulder, thumped onto the dryer, and disappeared into the kitchen.

“My cat,” he said. “She likes the view from the shelf up there.” When she turned to look, he touched her head, turning it back toward him and placing a quick kiss on her mouth. “Uh-uh, no distractions. You might forget what we’re doing.”

Not likely. She could swear his touch had created an energy that traveled downward, flicking on nerve endings all over her body. Nerve endings that begged to be touched by him. Parts of her were coming alive that had been dormant for far too long; she practically squirmed with anticipation.