The Russian's Tenacious Lover (7 page)

BOOK: The Russian's Tenacious Lover
6.07Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

He now remembered that seeing Lady Fox, and more specifically the pearl necklace adorning her neck, he hadn’t given much thought to the consequences of his actions, figuring she had plenty more jewels where those came from. He’d never known the importance the pearls held for the woman, nor could he have. For him, jewels were merely pockets of money, the emotional value some people attached to them a mere hindrance to his work. A distraction. He was cold and calculating that way, and it was only now, for the first time in a long career, that it dawned on him that perhaps gems represented something more to their owners than mere money.

Glynis kissed her mother’s brow, the woman hardly stirring, and he frowned to himself. If he really was going to get those pearls back, he would have his work cut out for him. He hadn’t lied before. For him—
especially
for him—the mission was an impossibility. But then he gazed upon Glynis’ face, at the expression of sadness reflected therein as she caressed the old lady’s cheek.

No matter, he thought ruefully. It had to be done. He had to rectify this mistake he’d made, and try to salvage something from the wreck he’d inadvertently caused.

With bemused concern, he saw that perhaps for the first time in his life, he was developing a conscience.

How quaint.

And how unfortunate.

CHAPTER 12

Glynis entered the parlor and sank into one of the upholstered chairs. Spending time with Mummy could be emotionally draining. Daily care had been left to a nurse, but she still handled a lot of the details personally. At first, her father had done most of the work, but the emotional stress had been too much for him. Watching him bend under the strain, she’d taken over, deciding that she didn’t want to lose both parents.

Dad had done a great job, but now he needed to think of himself. If he were to work himself into a decline, there would be no one left in this big rambling place. As she stared up at the high ceiling, the friezes with gilded molding a reminder of days long gone when the Foxes had occasionally entertained, friends and neighbors popping in for afternoon tea or dinner, she couldn’t help but feel those happy days would never return.

Not for the first time, she considered selling the manor. It would certainly stop the constant drain on the family purse, and would give them a respite from having to cough up the money for maintenance and upkeep of the house and the spreading grounds, not to mention the staff it took to keep a place like this.

But father had always refused to sell, even if it did mean he had to work like a beaver to pay all the bills, and so did she.

At least it kept the family together and focused on the task at hand: retrieving her mother’s pearls. She thought back to the man upstairs, and the fleeting expression of regret she’d briefly caught on his handsome face at the sight of the ailing patient he’d put there.

Could it be that the man had a conscience after all? She’d hoped that seeing her mother would appeal to his humanity, would perhaps induce him to finally cooperate. She knew better than anyone that it would be hard going to accomplish anything if he refused to work with her on this. The stick only functioned to some extent, the carrot providing much more success in the long run. But the real kicker was that actual motivation had to come from within.

Had it worked? Had he realized that his actions didn’t exist in a vacuum? That his thieving affected real people in a really devastating way?

She doubted it. In her work at the Yard, she’d never come across a crook who genuinely showed regret. Crocodile tears, sure, and plenty of heated promises and expressions of contrition. But a genuine change of heart? Never.

If only The Shadow would use one ounce of his skills to repair some of the damage he’d wreaked throughout his long and illustrious career, it would greatly improve their chances of securing the happy ending.

Then she remembered his lips on hers, and the weak sensation in her stomach at his touch. The man might be a thief and a rake, but he had a surprisingly potent touch, one that whispered promises of a passionate nature lurking beneath that infuriatingly conceited front.

She shook her head, deciding not to go there. Theirs was a business relationship, and anything beyond that would only serve to distract her from the task at hand. No matter how hard Thomas tried, she wouldn’t be distracted from her life’s mission: returning her mother’s jewels and nursing the woman back to health.

It was a long shot, she knew, but one she was desperate to take.

Then she heard a noise upstairs. A thump on the floor. She frowned and was out of her chair in a flash. Racing along the hall, then taking the stairs two at a time, she was upstairs and hurtling to the room she’d locked him up in. Fumbling in her pocket for the key, she pressed it into the lock and swung the door wide, half expecting to find Thomas dangling from the window in an attempt to escape.

Instead, she found him engaged in pleasant conversation with a pretty young blonde. Not only did the girl look vaguely familiar, but her obvious state of undress spoke volumes of what was going on here. Her blouse was open to her navel, her milky white boobs dangling precariously from a lacy black bra.

Thomas, slightly flustered, raised his hand in defense when he noticed the expression of anger that flashed across her face. “I can explain.”

“No need,” she bit. “Having fun, are we? Who is she? One of your floozies?”

“Hi there,” spoke the girl cheerily as she started buttoning up her blouse.

Glynis crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot impatiently. “Have we met?” she queried, eying the intruder with a baleful eye.

“Of course. Don’t you remember? We met at the opening of the Grant Harbor exhibit last month.” She gave her blouse a final tug, then approached Glynis with outstretched hand. “Jenn Crocket, Lord Crocket’s daughter.”

Shaking the young woman’s hand automatically, Glynis’ mind flashed back to the exhibition. Indeed. She had met Jennifer Crocket there, she now remembered. The young woman had played the violin, much to the satisfaction and pride of her parents and the rest of her collected family. She also remembered Jennifer walking into The Rialto that morning.

She jerked back her hand. “What in the hell are you doing here?” Jenn was both pretty and young, and for some reason these characteristics irked her, especially since Thomas still stood eyeing her rather sheepishly, an expression that didn’t become him.

“Oh, well, you know,” said the girl, airily bringing a hand to her hair. A twig fell from her curly locks. Only now did Glynis notice the scraped knees and scuffed shoes. Had she just climbed in through the window? There was no other explanation possible. “Just thought I’d pay my mentor a visit, seeing as how he suddenly disappeared on me and all.”

Thomas winced at these words. “I’m not her mentor,” he spoke urgently. “She’s just joking. Aren’t you, Jenn?”

She laughed. “Who’s joking? We have a deal, remember? And I expect you to honor it, even when shacking up with Glynis Fox.”

“We’re not shacking up,” spoke both Thomas and Glynis simultaneously.

Jenn laughed again and pursed her lips. “You two make such a cute couple. Who would have thought a well-renowned thief would get involved with a cop? You never cease to amaze and inspire me, Tom.”

“What’s with all this mentor stuff? And what,” Glynis added, raising her voice, “are you doing in my house, young lady? Did you just climb the vine?”

Jenn flopped back on the bed, her arms beneath her head, and laughed at the two of them as they stood staring at her. “I told you. I’m Tom’s apprentice. He’s teaching me all the ins and outs of his most fascinating profession.” She grinned. “I’m going to be a master thief, just like him.”

“Jenn!” hissed Thomas, his face now uncharacteristically flushed. “She’s Scotland Yard, for Christ’s sakes!”

Jennifer arched her eyebrows. “I know, Tom. But seeing as you two are working together now, I don’t think she’d mind another addition to the team.” Before Glynis had the chance to recover from this startling revelation, the girl had turned soulful eyes on her. “I’d like to join the revels, Glynis. Can I come? Pretty please? Be part of the team?”

“Team? What team? There is no team,” Glynis countered feebly, trying to project a staunch front and failing miserably.

The girl smiled widely. “The team that’s gonna bring down Rostislav Mamykin, of course. Can’t wait to lay my hands on
that
particular safe.” Then, turning to Thomas again, she added, “I really couldn’t stand spending any more time at grandmama’s, Tommy. Not when we have so much work to do. As soon as I could, I drove back to London in Daddy’s car and returned to that silly little hotel of yours. I think you’ll be happy to know I’ve cracked
all
of their safes! I’m ready for the big league now!”

CHAPTER 13

Thomas watched the altercation with a benevolent eye. He’d taken Jenn’s position on the bed, and watched the two women pace the room, the discussion flowing back and forth. Now that he’d firmly found himself wading knee-deep in the soup, there was nothing he could do to avoid the contretemps. If Jenn wanted in, Jenn was in. It was as simple as that. Though his acquaintance with Lord Crocket’s daughter was brief, if there was one thing he knew about the girl, it was that she was used to getting her way, even when faced with a most stubborn Scotland Yard woman.

With interest, he watched the battle of the wills between his self-appointed apprentice and his jailor, wondering which of the two was the most eye-catching. From a purely esthetic point of view, perhaps Jenn offered the most value for her money. She was a striking beauty, and her ample breastage would appeal to any hot-blooded male—perhaps even the cold-blooded ones.

For his own personal taste, though, he preferred the frosty cop to the feisty socialite.

Glynis’ face was hard, her eyes unyielding, and yet there was something about her that greatly spoke to him. If he hadn’t been caught in a compromising position with Jenn, he might even have had a chance to explore what this elusive something really was.

Now, he wasn’t so sure he ever would.

Why the hell had Jenn insisted on demonstrating how to tie a knot in her blasted shirt? Couldn’t she have stuck to the bedding? When she’d suddenly shown up outside his window, a light tap announcing her arrival, he’d been quite surprised at the pluck and resourceful she’d displayed in finding him here and in working her way up to the second story window behind which he’d been imprisoned.

He’d stared out the window just before, and hadn’t spotted her, even though she insisted she’d thrown a pebble in a bid to attract his attention. Then, seeing as the ivy was so strategically attached to this part of the mansion, she’d simply climbed up and invited him to join her and attempt escape.

He’d wavered, then. He could have escaped himself, of course, but watching Glynis’ mum on her sickbed had induced him to reconsider his options. That and the huge Doberman Glynis had insisted would maul him to bits if he ventured outside.

Even when Jenn had told him the Doberman was a figment of Glynis’ imagination and the coast was clear, he’d wavered, telling her the innocuous little fib that the ivy would never hold his weight.

She’d looked him up and down, being quite complimentary about his slender frame, but he had insisted ivy was out of the question. It was then that she’d quite tediously started her demonstration of tying the sheets together, as she’d seen done in numerous movies. And when that hadn’t convinced him, she’d taken off her blouse, revealing a pair of perfectly shaped breasts that had him staring at her in fascination.

Perfectly aware of the effect she was having, she’d shown how to tie a knot in her blouse, her boobs wiggling all the while. When his voice had gone husky, Glynis had come upon them and had broken the awkward spell.

His eyes flicked back to Glynis, and he noticed how her lip twitched slightly when she was annoyed, and felt a sudden urge to still that twitch with a kiss. Then his eyes dropped to her cleavage, which now came peeping through the purple blouse she was wearing, the red satin of her bra shifting into view each time she arched forward. God, she was gorgeous, and not with Jenn’s fresh-faced sexuality, but with the full splendor of a woman.

Then he noticed those fiery eyes turning on him, and he reeled back at the impact.

“And what are
you
staring at!” she demanded.

“Nothing,” he returned easily, flicking his gaze to her lips as they formed a furious retort. “I just thought it might be easier to include Jenn in our plans, seeing as how she’s so… passionate.”

Glynis’ eyes narrowed into slits at the mention of Jenn’s passion, and her obvious anger amused him. So she was human after all. Beneath the armor, the policewoman was all woman.

“I don’t care what she wants,” stated Glynis heatedly. “I’m not taking the daughter of Lord Crocket on a mission to burgle Mamykin. If anything happens to her…”


Nothing
will happen to me, Glynis,” countered Jenn with the arrogance of youth. “I’m a pro, remember. I’ve been learning from the best.”

Well, that might be true, and flattery always worked on Thomas, but she’d only been working under his tutelage for a day. It would take more than that to turn her into a pro. Refraining from voicing these doubts, he merely said, “We need the manpower, Glynis. Breaking into Rostislav’s place is a three man job, at the very least. Preferably four. The two of us won’t cut it, I’m afraid.”

“But she’s just a kid!” cried Glynis.

Now it was Jenn’s turn to be annoyed. “I’m not a kid anymore!” She threw up her hands and raised her eyes to the ceiling. “God, I
hate
it when people do that! I’m eighteen!”

“Eighteen,” said Glynis, flicking her eyes back to Thomas in a scolding look.

He merely shrugged, amused by her annoyance.

“If you don’t include me in this little scheme of yours,” Jenn started to say, “I’m telling my father.” She pointed to Thomas. “First I’ll tell him Tom stole Mummy’s diamond, and then I’m telling him you stole it from him and now you’re planning to burgle his very good friend Rostislav Mamykin.” She planted her hands on her hips and raised her chin mutinously, presenting the perfect picture of the recalcitrant teen. “Let’s see how Daddy feels about
that
!”

BOOK: The Russian's Tenacious Lover
6.07Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

So Much to Live For by Lurlene McDaniel
Brave the Wild Wind by Johanna Lindsey
Russka by Edward Rutherfurd
Make Believe by Ed Ifkovic
The Accidental Vampire by Lynsay Sands
The Secret Diamond Sisters by Michelle Madow
The Marriage Profile by Metsy Hingle