“Funny you should mention that,” Ellie said.
“Why is that?”
Ellie sent him a shrewd look. “Sit down, Ronald. We need to talk.” When he was settled on the sofa, Ellie took a tiny sip of her wine, marshaled all her resolve and jumped in. “About a week ago, I spoke with someone from the bank. Dana. Do you remember her?” She waved her hand. “It doesn’t make any difference if you do or you don’t. The point is, she told me that you’d left your job. And she also told me that someone had embezzled a quarter-million dollars from the bank. Can you believe that?”
Ronald shook his head, an uneasy expression crossing his face. “That’s terrible.”
“It is. What’s even more terrible is that they have two suspects.”
“How could that be terrible?”
“Because one of the suspects is me. And the other is you. Now, I know I didn’t do this, so that leads me to only one conclusion—that you did.”
“Ellie, I can’t believe that you’d believe that I—”
“Save it, Ronald. I found the key in the music box. I know what you’re trying to do. You broke into my apartment a few weeks ago, looking for the music box. You tried to run me down on the street and to kill me with a falling brick, probably thinking that if you put me in the hospital you’d have more time to search my things. And when that didn’t work, you broke in a second time and ransacked my apartment.”
“Really, Ellie, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I have the key,” she said. “It must be pretty important—important enough for you to search me out. So if you want the key, then you and I are going to have to make a deal.”
He stared at her for a long moment, obviously evaluating the situation and gauging her determination. “Let’s say I did embezzle that money. What do you expect to get out of this?”
“I could ask for half, since you’ve already made it look like I was the one who did this. But I’m not a greedy person, Ronald. I’d be happy with fifty thousand. Enough to buy me a new start, maybe in San Francisco or Chicago.”
“Do you have the key here?”
“No. It’s in a safe place. If you agree to the deal, I’ll get it and we’ll meet at the bank and you can give me my share.”
Ronald opened his mouth, as if he were about to refuse, then laughed sharply. “I think I underestimated you, Ellie.”
“Most men do. They don’t realize what they had until it’s gone.” She set her wineglass down, then stood. “So, do we have a deal?”
He rose and took a step closer. “I guess we do. And maybe we should seal the deal with a kiss? For old times’ sake.”
Ellie couldn’t think of anything worse than kissing Ronald Pettibone, except maybe dental surgery without anesthesia. But she had a part to play and she didn’t want to arouse his suspicions. She gave him a coy smile. “All right,” she said. “To seal the deal.”
L
IAM CURSED SOFTLY
, his mind conjuring up images to match what he was hearing through the crack in the door. He should have never allowed Ellie to do this, never put her in such a dangerous position. He wanted to pull the door open and to step into the hallway, curious to see exactly what type of kiss Ellie and Pettibone were sharing. But he knew he couldn’t give away his position. Besides, Sean was watching from across the street. If he felt Ellie was in any danger, he’d been instructed to ring Liam’s cell phone in warning.
Liam tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for them to start speaking again, wondering just how long the kiss would last. And then finally the sounds of their voices drifted down the hall to him.
“Now I know I underestimated you,” Ronald said. “You’ve changed, Eleanor.”
“Maybe I have,” she replied in a teasing tone.
“You know, you and I could have a very comfortable life together.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Ronald. A quarter million doesn’t go far these days.”
“Oh, but I have so much more than that.” He chuckled softly. “Haven’t you wondered why it was so easy, why I got away with it?”
“Well, I have been curious.”
There was a long pause in the conversation and Liam had to admit that now he was curious, as well.
“I’ve done it before. Three times at three different banks. I started small with a bank in Omaha, Nebraska. Then I changed my identity. That’s the key, you know. Doing the job, then disappearing. After Omaha I hit banks in Seattle and in Dallas. With the investments I’ve made over the years, I’ve got two or three million in net worth right now.”
“Ronald…” Ellie paused, “if that is your name, that’s a pretty amazing story.”
“You know what would be even more amazing? If you came with me. We could work together. It’s a simple plan. I usually get an identity off the Internet. I find a banker who’s looking for work and I assume his identity. The bank calls for references and I get the job. Then I set up a few dummy accounts and start moving money around. But here’s the new wrinkle. I wait a month, maybe two, and I hire you.”
“And why would you want me involved when you can just use any old girl at the bank for a scapegoat?”
“Oh, we’d still do that. I’d have to romance someone so I could shift the blame. I figure, between the two of us, we can increase our take.”
“Just tell me one thing,” Ellie murmured.
Liam knew she was touching him. Maybe she’d smoothed her hand over his chest. Or maybe her arm was draped around his neck. But the tone of her voice said it all, that deep, seductive tone she used when she was flirting.
“What would you like to know?”
“Tell me your real name, Ronald.”
He laughed and now Liam could imagine Ronald touching her, slipping his hands around her waist, kissing the curve of her shoulder. Liam fought back the impulse to storm into the living room to place himself between them. This had gone way too far!
“When you tell me you’re in, I’ll tell you my real name.”
“I’m going to have to think about this,” Ellie finally said. “Can I give you my decision in a few days?”
“Or you could just give me your decision tonight. Much later tonight. After we’ve had a chance to get reacquainted.”
This time Liam knew they were kissing. He heard Ronald growl softly and Ellie sigh. Anger bubbled up inside him and he wondered just how far Ellie was going to take this. She and Ronald had already agreed to meet the next day. Was she doing this just to torment Liam, knowing that he was listening to the whole thing?
“I think it would be best if we just took our time,” Ellie said. “This is going to be a big change in my life. I’m going to have to give up a lot.”
“We don’t have a lot of time,” Ronald said, Liam hearing the tension in his voice.
“The money’s not going anywhere, Ronald. And aren’t the best things worth waiting for? Just think of what you’ll be getting. Money…and me.” Liam heard the door open. “I’ll call you, Ronald.”
“Good night, Eleanor.”
The door creaked as it closed and he heard her slide the dead bolt home. Liam waited a few more seconds then stalked out of the bedroom, nearly running into her as she rushed down the hall to the bathroom. He followed her through the door, not waiting for an invitation.
“Aack,” she said, reaching for her toothbrush. “Aack, aack. God, I thought I was going to retch.” She squeezed a healthy portion of toothpaste onto the brush and began to scrub her teeth and tongue.
“What the hell were you doing out there?”
“Did you hear what he said?” she asked, the toothbrush dangling from her mouth.
“Of course I did. I heard every word and every silence.”
She continued brushing, her words garbled. “He’s done this before. Three times. And Ronald Pettibone isn’t even his real name. He wouldn’t tell me what his real name was, but I’d bet we could figure it out from the banks he ripped off. He touched the wineglass. Maybe we could send his fingerprints in and get a match.”
“Sure, I’ll just run the glass down to One Hour Fingerprints and we’ll see what they come up with.”
She looked at his reflection in the mirror, then spit. “You don’t have to be so sarcastic.” Ellie grabbed a glass from the sink, filled it with water, then rinsed her mouth. “I bought us a few days at the most. Do you think Sean got it all on tape? He never even went near the flowers. That was the perfect place to hide the microphone.” She grabbed a towel and wiped her mouth, then turned to him. “I did good, didn’t I? Now Sean can give the evidence to the bank and they can have him arrested.”
“You took too many chances,” Liam said, his voice tight with anger.
“What are you talking about? I got him to admit that he’d pulled other jobs. I got him to admit that he took the money from Intertel—and from three other banks. And now he wants to run away with me so I can help him embezzle even more!”
Liam’s cell phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open. It was Sean.
“Let me talk to Ellie,” Sean said.
Liam handed her the phone and watched as she listened to what Sean said. A wide smile curved her lips and she laughed not once but twice before she thanked Sean and said goodbye.
“He said I did a great job. And that he got everything on tape. And he said you should quit complaining and thank me.”
With a low curse, Liam stalked out of the bathroom. He found the tiny microphone hidden in the flowers and extracted it, then looked directly across the street at the attic window. “Turn this damn thing off right now,” he said. To assure himself that his request had been followed, he tugged the mike off the wire and tossed it on the table. Then he reached for the curtains and yanked them shut.
He turned to find Ellie watching him, her hands hitched on her hips. “What is your problem?”
“You’re my problem,” he muttered, crossing the room to grab his jacket from the sofa.
“I’m
your
problem? How? How am I your problem? The way I see it, I’m the one who should be angry. I didn’t do anything. I didn’t embezzle a quarter million dollars. I didn’t lie about my motives in this relationship. I didn’t spy on someone who shouldn’t have been spied on in the first place. I’m the innocent one here.”
“Right. You’re innocent. I’m supposed to believe that after the way you behaved with Ronald Pettibone?”
“That was strictly professional,” she countered.
“And what kind of profession were you engaged in?”
Her eyes narrowed at his thinly veiled insult and she walked up to him, her body just inches from his. “I should slap you for that.”
“Go ahead,” Liam challenged.
Her eyes blazed with anger and her breath came in short gasps, but she didn’t rise to his bait. Her fingers clenched into fists and she started to turn away. In the blink of an eye, Liam’s own anger shifted. He snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her against him and bringing his mouth down on hers in a hard, uncompromising kiss.
At first she fought him, but as his tongue invaded her mouth, he felt her soften in his arms, her body growing pliant beneath his touch. His hands slipped from the sweet curves of her hips to her backside, pulling her even closer, his need hot and hard between them.
A tiny groan slipped from her throat and she wrapped her arms around his neck, surrendering to his kiss. Liam knew if he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, he’d meet no resistance. But he wanted Ellie to need him as much as he needed her, to want him so badly, she couldn’t survive without him. So he pulled back, breaking the intimate contact and leaving her to stand alone on wobbly knees. He turned and pulled open the door.
“Wha— What are you doing?” she murmured, her forehead wrinkled with confusion.
“Just showing you what you’d be missing if you decided to run off with Ronald Pettibone,” Liam replied. With that he stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him. He was nearly to the second-floor landing, when he heard a crash of glass upstairs. And then another.
“I guess I made my point,” he said with a smile.
“A
RE YOU READY
?”
Ellie glanced over at Sean Quinn, sitting behind the wheel of the car. He stared straight ahead, his gaze fixed on the facade of Rawson Bank a half block away. “I think so,” she said. “I’m a little nervous.”
“There’s no need to be. Liam says that Pettibone is already inside waiting for you. There are F.B.I. agents inside, as well.”
“The F.B.I. is here?”
“Ronald broke a few federal laws, too, so they’re in on the case.”
“How will I know them?” Ellie asked.
“You don’t need to know them. They know you. You’re wired for sound and if you get in any trouble, just yell for help.”
“Trouble?”
“Don’t worry. It’s a public place. Ronald isn’t going to pull anything.”
Ellie nodded. “All right. Let’s review. I go inside, I give Ronald the key, and I wait while he opens the safe-deposit box. When he comes back out, they’ll arrest him. And then I can leave.”
Sean nodded. “They took your statement for the grand jury, but you may have to give the Feds more information. And then there’s Ronald’s trial. Or trials, depending upon who decides to go after him.”
“I’ll have to testify?” Ellie asked.
“Probably.”
“What if he gets off? Do you think he’ll come after me?”
“He’s not going to get off,” Sean said. “If he’s acquitted in New York, he still faces federal charges and he’ll probably be extradited to Nebraska, Washington and Texas to stand trial for those other crimes. You’ll be a grandmother before he sees the outside of a prison.”
Ellie smiled. “Knowing my history with men, that could be a life sentence for Ronald.”
Sean smiled, the first time she’d ever seen him smile. He was usually so intense, so preoccupied. But when he smiled, his whole face changed and he became the second most handsome man on the planet. Ellie had been grateful for his help over the past few days, through all the questioning and statements and explanations. Though Liam had been prickly and aloof, Sean had been steady and comforting, always there to calm her nerves. “I know he seems angry,” Sean said, “but he’s not.”
“Liam?”
“None of this is his fault,” Sean said, glancing over at her. “I talked him into taking this job. I don’t think he ever believed that you were a criminal.”
“Did he ask you to say that?”
Sean shook his head. “Liam may be charming, but he’s not that charming. I don’t say things I don’t mean.”
“I believe that about you,” Ellie said.
He took a deep breath. “Are you ready to go?”
“I’m ready,” Ellie said.
“Then let’s do it. I’ll be a few yards behind you.”
Ellie opened the car door and stepped out, then started toward the bank. As she walked, she replayed Sean’s words in her head. She wanted nothing more than to believe in Liam, to trust in a future with him. But she’d been burned so many times by men far less charming than Liam Quinn. What if she did allow herself to forgive him? How long would it be before he betrayed her again? And if he betrayed her again, would she ever recover?
Yes, he was wonderful and sweet and sexy and handsome, all those qualities that a woman should want in a man. But these things made him attractive to every other woman on the planet. How long would it be before he found someone more exciting than Eleanor Thorpe, accountant and amateur private investigator?
Ellie knew she wasn’t supermodel beautiful or accomplished in the bedroom. She wasn’t particularly sophisticated or polished. She was just an ordinary girl who wanted an ordinary guy to love. The problem was, she’d stumbled on an extraordinary guy and she wasn’t sure what to do with him.
A curse slipped from her lips. Now was not the time to review her romantic options! She had a job to do, one more task to complete before she could leave Boston and begin a new life somewhere else. Ellie crossed the street against the light and slowed her pace as she approached the front door of the bank. “I’m at the door,” she said.
One of the security guards, standing inside, pulled the door open for her and she smiled at him as she passed. Was he one of the F.B.I. agents or just a guy doing his job? When she got inside the lobby, Ellie paused and looked around, wondering where Liam was standing. Then she saw him, sitting on a bench, reading a pamphlet. Their gazes met for an instant and Ellie’s heart skipped a beat. Then she continued scanning the lobby.
Ronald was waiting at the far end, holding a leather briefcase and tapping his foot impatiently as she approached. “You’re late,” he said. “I thought maybe you weren’t coming.”
“I don’t have a car,” Ellie said. “I had to call a cab and it was late.”
“Do you have the key?”
She reached inside her purse and handed it to him. His thin lips curled up into a smile and Ellie breathed a silent sigh of relief. Her part was done.
“So, Eleanor, have you thought about my offer?”
“I have,” Ellie replied. “It’s very tempting. But I think I’ll wait and make my decision after we’ve completed this transaction. I have to know whether I can trust you.”