Mine Until Dawn (6 page)

 
“The lost items are not worth much money-wise.” Vince’s voice was terse.

Curious, Jade angled her head to hear more, her attention divided between Vince’s conversation with the manager and the cell phone.

“Oh, good,” the desk manager said with relief. “And you are okay? These men did not injure you or,” he glanced at Jade, “your guest?”

 
“They did,” Jade mouthed and pointed to her head.

Vince shot her an irritated look. “Nothing serious. I won’t be holding the hotel accountable if,” Vince paused, “if you give me the name of the person who was issued this card.”

Jade left a message in the voice mail, closed the cell phone, and shuffled closer to Vince. Her gaze moved from the key card on the counter between the two men and Vince’s tight expression. Her red-head conspirator hurried toward her colleague.

“You don’t think….” The desk manager swallowed and looked at the red-head. “Mr. Knight, I assure you that we do a thorough investigation into the background of each and every person employed in this hotel. These women wouldn’t do anything unethical. ”

“I wasn’t questioning their characters or accusing them of abetting these thugs. I just need to know when and where they’d misplaced the key. Nothing serious.”

“I see. Excuse me.” The man disappeared inside the office behind the front desk.

Jade tapped Vince on the arm. “I guess it’s my turn to ask you what’s going on, Vince.”

He picked up the key card. “I found this on the floor in my room.” He jerked his chin toward the office. “The guy told me it belongs to the housekeeping crew. I want to know how Hudson and his partner ended up with it.”

The desk manager came back with a book, which he placed on the counter and opened. “I have their schedule right here. Rosario Cortez and Valerie Redding worked on your floor today. They will be in tomorrow morning. You can question them then if you like.”

“Not tomorrow. Tonight. Can I have their phone numbers and home addresses?”

The woman moved closer to stand by the other front desk manager. “Mr. Knight, you must understand we are not allowed to give out our employees’ addresses.”

Vince leaned forward toward her and flashed his pearly whites. Jade’s jaw dropped, the raw sensuality of his smile robbing her of breath. How come he subjected her to his scowls instead of that smile? She found herself leaning over the counter for a better look at his face—the dimples, the way his lips turned upward at the corners.

“Listen, Miss…” Vince hesitated.

“Tillman.” The woman tapped her tag. “Kirsten Tillman.”

“Ms. Tillman.” His voice was precise. “I’ve lost very important documents. If my competitor gets a hold of them, there’s no telling what they will do with the information or….” He stopped and turned his head to scowl at Jade. She’d propped her chin on the heel of her palm and was busy studying his face. “Jade?”

“Hmm?” Her eyebrows lifted, but the glance she gave him was vague. Then she straightened up and gave him a sheepish grin. “It’s the, uh,” she pointed to something above him, “chandelier. It’s quite majestic. I’m trying to figure out if the oxidized bronze finish is natural or aged with chemicals. It’s hard to tell these days.”

Keeping up with this woman was driving him nuts. One minute hissing with indignant anger, the next dewy eyed. He had no idea what went on behind her hazel eyes. He shook his head and turned to face the front desk.

“I know this may sound crazy, Ms. Tillman, but it’s important that I speak with those women tonight.” Experience taught him to always follow through on a lead before the trail turned cold. He wasn’t about to change his M.O. now.

“I’m sorry, sir, but—”

“What do you think would be worse for your hotel?” he cut her off. “Bending a few rules or word getting out that the Palace is an unsafe place to stay in because anyone from the street can waltz into a guest’s room and take whatever they want without being stopped?”

The woman shot her colleague a look, then turned to Vince and sighed.

“We can’t give out their addresses, sir.
 
It is against our policy. But if you decide it is in the public’s interest to know what occurred here tonight, we cannot stop you.”

For a beat, Vince glowered at her. He understood why the woman wasn’t going to bend the rules for him, but that didn’t mean he liked it. How many times did he face insurmountable obstacles and triumphed? This should be no different. He’d find a way.

“Fine. Excuse me.” When he turned around, Jade was in the middle of the foyer, talking on the phone, her back to him. This investigation was becoming more complicated, making him edgy. Having a woman who teased his senses at every turn tag along didn’t make it any easier. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he couldn’t fight the attraction he had for Jade.

Should he seduce her and get her out of his system?
 
Not a good idea, especially since he wanted to finish this investigation yesterday. His uncle didn’t have much time left, so he must get back to the island as soon as possible. Getting involved with Jade would be a distraction that would only slow him down.

As he drew closer to her, he caught snatches of her conversation. “Could you, please? When? Thirty minutes? Sooner? Oh, that would be great. Yeah, I know I left it a little too late…I see…sure…just a second.” She turned and flashed him a luminous smile.

The kick-in-the-gut feeling that slammed into him only made him angrier. At himself, not her. It wasn’t her fault he’d been celibate for six months straight and was as horny as a goat. “Now what?”

She stopped smiling at his grouchy tone. “Someone needs to call me back. Could I give out your cell phone number?”

He nodded and recited the ten digits. She gave him another glorious smile.

“Thanks.” After she repeated the ten-digit number in the cell phone, she hung up and gave him back his phone. “We can go now.” Her voice was impersonal.

An awkward silence followed. Vince glanced down at her as they left the hotel. She ignored him, squinted and tried to block the sun from her eyes with her hand.

The sun was setting and its rays fell on her face and shoulders, giving her skin a golden glow. His palm itched to find out just how smooth and warm her skin was. He yanked his attention away and searched for something to say.

“How’s your head?” he asked.

“Pounding.” Her tone was cool.

“We can stop for a bottle of aspirin if you like,” he offered as he directed her to where he’d parked his car.

“That’s okay. I’ll get something from my cousin’s.”

Now what had he said or done to piss her off? Outside the bedroom, he had no clue what women wanted. Six months ago, he thought he had a good thing going with his last girlfriend. Then out of the blue, she accused him of being aloof, too caught up with his writing and marched out of his life. He had no idea where all that came from. Writing was his job now, his only means of earning a living.

Vince pushed his past aside and brought his attention back to Jade.
 
“Did you make all the calls you wanted to make?”

She nodded. “Yes. That last one was to Studs Inc. I, uh, I think I just found myself a stripper. I owe Ms. Red a big thank-you.”

“Ms. Red?”

“The red head behind the counter. She slipped me a card while you were busy terrorizing her coworker. I’ll send her a gift basket or something.” She threw him a glance and chewed on her lower lip, undecided about something.

“What is it?” He made sure his voice came across as pleasant. He didn’t know why. Truth be known, he much preferred to deal with an angry Jade than the teasing siren.

“Do you know I was this close,” she used her thumb and forefinger to indicate size, “to asking you?”

“Asking me what?”

“To dance and strip at my cousin’s party

Vince snickered. “Me?”

The corners of her mouth twitched. “Silly, huh?”

He caught himself before he could say hell yeah. “Not really. What stopped you?”

“You’d never consider it.”

She got that right. “You don’t know that. Try asking next time,” he said as he pulled his car keys from his pocket and pressed the remote control to unlock his car.

She let out an incredulous laugh. “You want me to believe that you’d strip and shake your, uh-hmm, gluteus to a roomful of women?”

Maybe it was the laugh or the dismissive look she’d given him that made him say, “Yes.”

Her eyes widened. “Okay. You’ve surprised me, but then again, I’m learning there’s more to you than meets the eyes.” A whistle escaped her when they stopped beside his black convertible. “Nice. Looks like you traded in your high school Firebird for a BMW 6 series. What’s with you and sports cars?”

“We all have vices.” He opened the passenger door, indicated for her to get in and waited until she’d settled in the passenger seat, then walked to the driver’s side and got in. “I didn’t trade in my Firebird. I still have it.”

“Really? Is it here in L.A.?”

 
“Nah. It’s at home.” He gunned the engine and eased out of the parking lot.

“And where’s home?” she asked, shifting her body so she faced him, eyes lighting with curiosity.

“Orcas Island.” His birthplace and where his mother was buried. As a career novelist, he could easily have bought a house anywhere in the country or the world and called it home, but the island kept calling to him. It went beyond the fact that his uncle Remus lived there or that he had fond memories of the place. A month ago he would have denied it, but he now knew it had something to do with his mother. Raised in the foster care system, she never stayed anywhere long enough to call it home. But through sheer will and despite being frail, she’d made a home for them on the island and laid a foundation for him.

“Is that where you went when you left my high school?”

“Yes.” First the island, then the Peace Corps and all over the world, chasing stories and playing Russian roulette with his life. A war-torn region, a drug cartel stronghold, or religious fanatic’s bunkers, it hadn’t mattered. The more dangerous the assignment the better had been his motto. He always ran from or after something. Not that it did him any good. In the end, it dawned on him that he couldn’t outrun his past or his problems. Unfortunately, this investigation was opening a chapter in his life he thought he’d closed.

“Everyone wondered where you’d disappeared to,” Jade said when they stopped at a light.

His eyes flickered to her face. “I’m sure they had their own idea which juvenile center was lucky to have me.”

“Nothing like that,” she said quickly, the guilty look on her face a dead giveaway.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m not very proud of that period in my life.” His voice came out harsh and he wasn’t surprised when Jade shifted and faced forward.

How could he explain to her what he went through sixteen years ago? To learn that his father was alive just before his mother died, then have his father reject him had royally screwed up his psyche. No liking the way those memories twisted his insides, Vince bit off the thoughts. He wouldn’t function if he started reliving his unpleasant past.

For a moment, there was silence in the car.

Jade sighed. “How far to the dealer’s?”

“Next block. Cohen Antiques.”

“The one on La Cienega Boulevard?” She sounded surprised.

“Yes. Do you know the owner?” From the corner of his eye, he saw her nod.

“Benjamin Cohen. My mother introduced us several years ago. I’ve worked with him, even had him as a guest lecture in my class. Are you sure we’re talking about the same Cohen? The one I know could never sell a forgery.”

“He did to me.” Vince reached inside his jacket pocket, pulled out a receipt and passed it to her. “I think we’re talking about the same guy.”

Jade studied the receipt and shook her head. “This doesn’t make sense. If he’s running a scam, then someone forced him to do it.”

“Forced or willing, he’s involved.” Vince pulled up outside the five-story building housing Cohen Antiques and switched off the engine. The OPEN neon sign flashed on and the yellow security lights glowed around the displayed paintings and statues in the window, but the showroom lights were off. Frowning, he studied the store. A shadow shifted inside, then blended with the darkness. “Did you see that?”

Jade scowled at him. “See what?”

“Someone is in the store.”

“Cohen. He closes his doors at six but stays inside to finish his paperwork. Let’s go and talk to him.” Jade opened the passenger door and got out.

“Jade. Wait.” Vince jumped out of the car and hurried after her. The tingling feeling at the back of his neck returned. He stopped behind her and grabbed her hand before she could push the door. “Don’t touch anything.”

Jade froze and threw him a worried glance. “Why?”

“We need to be careful.” The look she gave him indicated she was about to argue. “Humor me.” Then he tugged the right sleeve of his jacket until it covered his hand and used that hand to open the door. After their encounter with Hudson and his friend, he couldn’t afford to be careless.

Jade walked ahead of him into the store. “Mr. Cohen?” she called out, turning around in full circle as she searched the showroom. “Are you in here?”