A Silverhill Christmas (9 page)

She read a story to Max until his eyelids got heavy, and then she slipped out of his room. Ivan had disappeared at Max's bedtime, so maybe Alexi worried more about what she'd say to Max rather than the notion that she'd whisk him away.

Good. She needed her freedom in this house.

Tori scurried down the hallway and crouched at the balustrade at the top of the stairs. Irina had casually mentioned that Alexi planned to entertain guests tonight for dinner. The murmur of voices and the clink of fine crystal signaled their presence…and Alexi's preoccupation.

Once her bags had arrived from the hotel, Tori had showered and changed into a pair of capris and a blouse, but hadn't bothered with shoes. Now she crept silently down the stairs on bare feet and rounded the corner at the bottom.

She slipped into the library and clicked the door be hind her. Anything Alexi had to hide, he'd keep in here—and he was a man of many secrets.

She tiptoed to the desk and tried the drawers. All locked. The screensaver on the computer flashed a series of pictures, and Tori shifted the mouse. She hissed with exasperation. Access to Alexi's computer required a pass word. She entered a few obvious guesses, but the cursor blinked back at her, refusing to open sesame.

She shuffled a few papers on Alexi's desk, but couldn't
read much from the light of the computer monitor. She should've thought to bring a little flashlight with her. She was ill-equipped to be a good spy.

Turning toward the bookshelf, she slipped out a volume of Russian poetry and leafed through the pages. Why had she been so sure she'd be able to get any info on Alexi? Although he trusted his underlings, he'd lock up anything incriminating.

Tori crossed her arms and surveyed the room, her eyes adjusting to the dark. She'd have to come up with a better method of obtaining information or at least get her hands on some proper tools of the trade for spying. Should've asked Rio about that, but then she'd had no idea Alexi's men would whisk her away before she had a chance to make plans with Rio.

Not that he'd wanted to make plans with her. Spying or otherwise. His rejection of her in the hotel room still stung. She must be losing her touch, or maybe she needed a good night's sleep.

She took a step toward the door, and then froze as the handle turned slowly. Low voices murmured outside in the hall as Tori spun around looking for cover. The heavy drapes were still drawn across the windows, so she dove into their folds, yanking them around her body.

She curled her toes away from the bottom edge of the drapes just as the library door swung open and her ex-husband whispered, “We can have some privacy in here.”

Tori held her breath as the thick carpet muffled two sets of footsteps into the room. Someone clicked on the desk lamp and a yellow light glowed through the drapes.

A body moved behind the desk, the leather chair squeaking as it accepted his weight. Tori's nose twitched at the musky scent of Alexi's cologne. If she sneezed now, it would be all over.

“Do you trust this man, Vlad?” Alexi's fingers drummed on the desk. Must be nervous.

Vlad, the white-haired man she'd seen earlier, cleared his throat. “I've worked with him before. The deal went off smoothly enough.”

“He enjoys his liquor and doesn't hold it well.” The drumming stopped and Tori could imagine Alexi's eyes narrowed in a cold stare.

Vlad clicked his tongue. “Grant is young. He has a thing for the ladies, especially the ones who attend your parties, but business is business and Grant is serious about his business.”

Alexi shifted in his chair. “Should we invite him in?”

Tori covered her mouth with her hand. She didn't need another person crowding into this room while she huddled
behind the drapes, but this entire conversation sounded promising. Just the kind of info Rio might want.

“Don't sully your hands, Prince Alexi. That's why I'm here. Let me function as the go-between, and let Grant indulge in all the delights of your hospitality tonight.”

Alexi smacked his hands on the desk and Tori started. “You are invaluable, Vlad. Does Grant want to sample the product before buying?”

“Not necessary. He trusts you, Alexi. This house, your parties…Grant feels as if the two of you are friends. He'll naturally have a little taste at the time of the exchange.”

“Which is?”

Tori clenched her hands into fists, her nails digging into her palms.
Please don't write the time of the exchange on a piece of paper, Vlad.

“Grant needs two more days to get the rest of the money. He wants a meeting on Thursday at nine o'clock.”

Where, Vlad, where?

Alexi shoved back from the desk, his chair almost bumping Tori's knee. “At the location we discussed?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent.”

Tori would call this anything but excellent. She need ed the location. She couldn't give Rio a date and a time without a place—somewhere in Maui wouldn't cut it.

The door snapped closed behind the men, and Tori sagged against the window, cooling her warm cheek against the pane. She really couldn't complain. She knew the when and she'd figure out the where—as soon as she learned the identity of the mysterious Grant.

But first she needed to communicate with Rio, and she had the perfect method. She just hoped he was as smart as he looked.

 

R
IO GLANCED UP FROM HIS
book, or rather Tori's book, for the hundredth time that morning. One hundred must be his lucky number.

Tori noticed him immediately but didn't drop her jaw or trip even once. That woman had a mind made for espionage, and a body made for…espionage.

She gripped the hand of a little carbon copy of herself, a boy with red, curly hair and a sprinkling of freckles across his nose. He tugged for escape as soon as they hit the playground and launched into the sand when Tori re leased his hand. The kid looked like a holy terror…yep, a carbon copy of Mom.

Two shadows dogged Tori as she sauntered into the park after her son. An older woman with jet black hair streaked with silver lagged behind them, a book tucked under her arm, and a big, bald dude followed more closely. Must be one of Alexi's goons sent to make sure Tori didn't abscond with Max.

For good measure, Rio waved at a gaggle of kids on the monkey bars, pretending a couple belonged to him. Wouldn't want to give Tori's bodyguard, who'd plopped onto a bench with his newspaper, the wrong impression.

Tori pushed Max on the swings for a while, and then he tore off to the monkey bars. Smart girl, didn't miss a thing. While the kids raced across the bars, chasing each other, Tori wandered toward Rio's bench.

“I'm surprised to see you here.” She pointed to the kids swinging like a bunch of orangutans.

Baldy didn't even look up from his paper.

Rio smiled and waved to the kids again, whose parents probably had him pegged as some park perv by now. “You mentioned this spot at the pool. Since you didn't call me, I figured you didn't have use of your cell, and short of smoke signals, this place seemed like the best bet.”

“I had actually planned to leave you something under the aforementioned rock. Just didn't expect to see you in the flesh.”

“In the flesh is much better, isn't it?”

She smirked and hooked her thumbs in the pockets of her shorts, but a rosy color swept across her cheeks. “How long have you been out here?”

“Long enough to have some of the parents questioning my motives. Are you okay?”

“I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? I'm with my son for the first time in two years and he doesn't hate me.”

“Told you so. So, does that mean you're content to wait until the CIA rounds up your ex before making a move to get Max back?”

“No way. Do you want to hear what I found out?”

Rio's gut clenched. So Tori
had
been snooping around the compound. That could only mean trouble. “You don't have to…”

She sliced her hand across the air between them and turned it into a gesture toward the kids. “I do. Alexi's planning a meeting on Thursday night at nine o'clock with a guy named Grant. Don't know the place and don't know what Grant looks like…yet. But he hangs around the compound, so I can find out and get you a description. In fact, Alexi's hosting another party tonight. When I have something, I'll leave it under that rock tomorrow.”

“Maybe the kids can have a play date. I'll check with
my wife.” Rio turned away from Tori and yelled at a bunch of anonymous kids. “Be careful.”

Tori sucked in a sharp breath. “That would be great.”

“Irina said Maksim wants that shaved ice now.” The hulking bodyguard loomed behind Tori, casting a shadow across Rio's legs.

“Okay.” Tori wiggled her fingers in a wave. “Maybe we'll see you here again. I'm not sure about that play date though.”

The man studied Rio through narrowed eyes as if committing him to memory. Rio hoped he didn't plan to compare notes with the thugs patrolling the water fronting the compound. He couldn't be both a trespassing tourist and a local dad overseeing the kiddies at the park.

He let out a long, ragged breath as Tori scooped up her son, and the odd foursome left the playground and ambled toward the shaved ice place…the same place where he and Tori had shared their first sticky kiss.

Smacking his fist against the bench, Rio muttered a curse under his breath. He should've deepened his relationship with Tori that first night when he'd had the chance. Maybe he could've sweet-talked her out of putting herself in that man's clutches again.

His lips twisted. Protection didn't cover half the reasons why he regretted putting the brakes on their connection the other night. He wanted her—pure and simple, or maybe there was nothing pure about it.

Rio blew out a breath, teeming with frustration. Running into Tori had complicated his job. He pushed off the bench, his gaze tripping over the big rock under the tree. Thursday at nine o'clock with Grant.

Or maybe she'd made his job easier.

 

“W
HO WAS THAT MAN YOU
were talking to in the park?” Ivan's steely gaze drilled her to the core, making her shiver more than the ice melting on her tongue.

Tori slurped a spoonful of grape ice and lifted a shoulder. “Some dad in the park. Max was playing with his kids. I suppose Alexi doesn't arrange play dates.”

“No. Maksim won't be here that long.”

Leaning forward, Tori dabbed a napkin to Max's cherry mustache, controlling her trembling hand. “Did you have fun in the park?”

“Uh-huh. Can we go to the beach next?” Max ran the tip of his red tongue around his mouth.

“I think it's time for lunch and a nap. Maybe after your nap.”

Storm clouds rolled across Max's face, and his chin jutted forward. “I don't like naps.”

“I know that, but you don't want to be tired when we're at the beach, do you?”

Max raised his eyes to the sky as if contemplating the merits of naptime and came back smiling. “No. I won't be tired at the beach.”

“Good. Let's go home.”

As they passed the park, Tori's gaze darted around its perimeter. Rio had disappeared. She hadn't realized how tense she'd been at Alexi's compound until she'd seen Rio sitting on that bench. Even with Ivan in the vicinity, Tori had felt secure and reassured as soon as she'd heard Rio's voice.

A smile curved her lips as she recalled his waving to those puzzled kids. His dark dangerousness seemed at odds with the image of a concerned parent. He'd most likely be uneasy with kids, but he'd do anything to protect them. That's what she had to count on.

As they walked through the park on the way back to
the car, Tori threw one last glance at the innocuous rock under the tree. It looked inconspicuous now, but that hunk of obsidian represented Max's ticket to freedom.

 

R
IO CREASED THE SCRAP
of paper into a sharp edge and tapped it on the steering wheel of his rental car. He'd put in an afternoon of sleuthing, bribing and trailing, and his payoff just stumbled out of the No Ka Oi Bar and Lounge.

He slid from the car and adjusted his sunglasses. As his prey fumbled with the keys to his car, Rio silently sidled up next to him. “Do you want to make some quick cash, Jacob?”

Jacob dropped his keys and swayed on his feet, blinking at Rio as if he'd just conjured him from a drunken haze. “Huh? Do I know you?”

“We have a few mutual friends on the island.” Yeah, like the woman Rio had paid off over an hour ago to meet up with Jacob in the bar and buy him a few too many drinks. “Word's out that you have a good gig tonight up at the compound at Haiku Bay.”

Unable to stop his swaying, Jacob slumped against his car. “Yeah. What's it to you?”

Rio dug into the pocket of his shorts and pulled out a wad of cash. “I'd like to take your place.”

Jacob eyed the money and belched. “Why?”

“Just trying to get next to a woman.” Rio winked. He always tried to stay as close to the truth as possible.

“I dunno. The catering company's being hard-ass about this job, checking our names against a list.”

“If the catering company's being hard-ass, they're not going to like it when you show up blitzed.” Rio raised his brows. “I'll pay you double what the catering company is going to pay.”

Jacob licked his lips. “Three times and you got a deal.”

Rio agreed, and Jacob shoved the uniform for the evening into Rio's arms, plopping the black shoes on top of the pile. “I hope the chick is worth all the cash, man.”

“Oh, yeah. She's worth it.”

 

T
ORI STOOD AT THE WINDOW
of one of the bedrooms facing the entrance of the house watching Alexi's guests arrive for the continuation of the festivities from the night before. Last night he'd hosted a dinner, but tonight was party time.

Max had acquiesced to his nap without much fuss, and when he had awakened, Tori had asked Ivan to drive them to a small protected beach with slow rolling waves. She realized part of Max's acceptance of her revolved around her willingness to take him out of the compound. She got the impression that Irina didn't go out much. But Tori didn't mind.

She'd do whatever it took to win her son back…short of bribery and bad parenting.

As Tori watched the pretty people file onto the estate, an idea that had been forming ever since she'd run into Rio in the park crystallized into resolution. What better way to give Rio a description of Grant than to meet him up close and personal?

Tori slipped out of the bedroom and crossed the hallway to her own room. She'd already showered after the beach. Now she just had to fit in with the glittering crowd downstairs. Smiling, she threw open the closet doors; she knew there was a good reason why she never went anywhere without a little black dress.

She slid the dress off the hanger, its silky material
slip ping through her hands. The dress whispered as she stepped into it and pulled the zipper up to her waist. She shrugged out of her bra and tied the halter-style neckline, leaving her back bare.

Digging through a suitcase in the corner of the closet, she dragged out a pair of black, high-heeled, strappy sandals. Maybe this getup couldn't compete with the designer duds and diamond doodads sported by the ladies downstairs, but it should be enough to get her one little conversation with Grant.

Tori played up her green eyes, trailing black eye-liner past the corners for a catlike effect. She kissed her glossed lips at her reflection in the mirror and growled. If Grant liked the ladies, she'd give him a lady to like.

Tori paced in her room for almost an hour, giving the guests more time to arrive to provide her cover. Alexi didn't seem to care whether or not she showed up at his social functions, but she didn't want her ex to notice her seeking out Grant.

When the buzz from the party reached a steady hum, Tori descended the staircase and snagged a flute of champagne from a roving waiter before entering the great room. She hadn't exercised her party skills in quite a while, but just like riding a bike, she'd be pedaling in no time.

Over the rim of her glass, Tori surveyed the scene. Grabbing a crab puff, she sidled up to a group babbling about casinos in Monaco. Soon the same froth bubbled from her own lips. After all, she'd been there, done that…in another life. She fit right in.

She introduced herself to the group as Tori—no last names required. She didn't need to make a scene as Alexi's ex-wife. She listened carefully to their first
names. Since none of the men admitted to being a Grant, she wandered to the next group.