Read To Touch a Thief (An Everly Gray Novella) Online
Authors: L. j. Charles
Parker grunted and took control of their hands again.
Everly cleared her throat. “I overheard a conversation that I couldn’t remember clearly, but Stephens, being five years older, apparently did remember it. I was playing with my dollhouse behind the sofa. In the image I picked up, he was in the hallway just outside the living room when your Aunt Mary confronted your mother about a box she was hiding for one of her friends—my mother, no less. I’m not sure how your aunt found out about it, but apparently she believed whatever the box held was worth a fortune, and your Aunt Mary tried to convince your mother to sell it.”
Parker nodded. “She wouldn’t. My mother never betrayed a friend’s confidence.”
“And from what I remember, she was furious that Mary suggested it. Shift ahead twenty-five years. Your father had passed away, and your mother was losing her battle with cancer. Joe Stephens panicked that you’d cut off the funds. My take is that he became a police officer to get inside the power structure, so it would be easier for him to take back the money and the advantages that he believed he’d lost through an ‘accident of birth.’”
“I should have suspected.”
Jayne brushed his hair away from his face. “No reason you would. You never saw each other, and since you were taking care of his mother, why would you suspect him?”
“I agree with Jayne.” Everly took a sip of her Diet Coke. “Those secure Alzheimer’s facilities are expensive, and he didn’t trust you to keep supporting Mary.”
“You have to tell him the rest, Everly,” Jayne said, pressing her hand against Parker’s shoulder. “There’s no doubt. Both Reese Bryant and I followed every trail we could find, and we did a thorough search of the old medical records. The dates and times coincide with your ESP images.”
“What?” Parker spit out the demand.
Everly reached for Mitch’s hand. “Your mother was being given heavy pain medication during the final days of her life. Joe took advantage of that, pretended to be you, and visited your mother in the hospital. He wormed information from her about the scene he’d witnessed so many years earlier, and she told him where the box was hidden. She wanted you to know, Parker, maybe so you could keep it safe. Anyway, I’m sure she thought she was talking to you, not Joe.”
He nodded, swallowing hard.
“The next image I picked up was at your mother’s wake. The house was full of people, and Stephens took the opportunity to sneak into your attic and steal the box.”
“I didn’t see him there. Are you sure about this?” Parker asked, sitting up and pushing the blankets aside.
“As sure as my gift can be.”
“Her fingers are usually damn accurate.” Mitch’s voice held a note of warning.
Everly patted his thigh. “Chill. You know you always overreact when I blindly follow my fingers, and there’s worse news we still have to get through.”
“Well, shit, what can be worse than having both a sleazy thief and Alzheimer’s in your family tree? I have to get out of here and back to running Steele Management, Inc.” Parker jerked his hand from Jayne’s grasp.
She rolled off the bed and held both of his hands down, pushing them tight against the mattress. “Hold it. You can wait a day or two to save the world from Joe Stephens and fix any familial anomalies.” She paused, then grinned. “And Benny is taking care of Winston for us, so today you’re going to recuperate if I have to pin you to the mattress with my favorite Jimmy Choo sandals.”
His eyes sparkled. “The red ones? With all the straps? I’m fond of those shoes.”
Heat poured through Jayne’s body, and she tightened her grip on Parker’s wrists. She’d definitely be wearing those shoes the day he was released from the hospital. But not today. “Go on, Everly.”
“You might want to let him up first.”
“Or not,” Jayne said.
Parker grinned, freeing himself, and pulling Jayne tightly against his side.
“Right. Going on now. You’ve figured out that Joe Stephens is a very sick man, but there’s more. There was a vial of powder in the box. Not knowing what it was, or how he could sell it, he sprinkled some on a spider. It died instantly. From the images, I got the feeling Joe was, um, pleased with results.”
Everly crossed her arms over her stomach, and Mitchell brought his hand to the back of her neck, probably rubbing away the tension. “Thanks,” she whispered, smiling at him.
They shared one of those looks couples have, the kind that says they belong together. The kind Jayne wanted to share with Parker.
Everly turned back to Parker. “He moved on to larger animals—cats, specifically. It didn’t take much of the powder to kill them. What surprises me is that he knew he had to be careful, and always protected himself. Used that liquid bandage stuff on his fingers as well as gloves. I’m sorry, Parker, but he’s not…right.”
He rolled out of bed, grabbing the tray table for support. “I need to get out of here, oversee this.”
Jayne caught him around the waist, dragged him onto the bed. “No. You’re going to take care of yourself first. I love you, Parker Steele, and I expect you to hang around until…a long time.” She grinned, thinking of the Jimmy Choo’s. “There are benefits, you know. And our future is more important than any kind of vengeance.”
She felt the anger drain from Parker as her fingers stroked through his hair.
Mitch frowned. “What exactly are your intentions concerning my sister, Steele?”
Jayne bristled. “Mitchell—”
A slow grin softened the angles of Steele’s jaw. “Took you long enough, Hunt. I have a plan that will cover all contingencies, and will be binding and irrevocable for the rest of our lives.”
“You might want to discuss it with me before you make too many plans.” Jayne said, trailing the tip of her finger along the upper edge of his lips.
He caught her hand, kissing the soft pad of her fingertip. “We can discuss it as much as you’d like. On our honeymoon.”
A flash of heat dissolved the last trace of loneliness that had been clinging to her heart. “That will be in a luxurious villa on Laguna Beach.”
She didn’t mention that she’d already made the reservations, and that Winston would be joining them.
A note from L. j.
Thank you for reading a TO TOUCH A THIEF. I hope you enjoyed it. You can reach me…
Website:
http://www.ljcharles.com/
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http://ljcharles.blogspot.com/
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On Twitter: @luciejcharles
Happy Reading!
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