Until Twilight (6 page)

point man for international cases. Terrorism was Adam’s specialty.

Lane opened the door to the office and walked out into the hall, finding a quiet

corner where he could carry on the conversation. He didn’t need either the museum

staff or the
polizia
listening in as he called headquarters.

But as he opened his phone, he saw he had new attached documents, all securely

encrypted, from Maddie about their new client. His new client.
Ours
, he corrected himself as he read all the info with growing understanding and horror. When he had

brought himself up to speed enough to talk with Maddie with some intelligence, he hit

the speed dial for headquarters in Texas. “I just read what you sent me, Maddie. Threats against the G8 Finance Ministers by a group called Octo? Who the hell are
they
?”

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Until Twilight

“New. No traces,” she told him. “The G8 countries and Interpol are hiring us to see

if we can be eyes and ears in addition to their own security. The meeting of the eight

finance ministers is in Paris in three days, Lane. We need you and Bella on this. No

telling what this Octo group has in mind.”

“We’ll have to hustle here, Maddie. We’ve got our own problems with bombs

planted by Octo who want to bring down a corporation called Kopf Industries.” He

gave her the condensed version of the bombs, their defusing and the recorded message.

“See what you can find for me, okay?”

“Wow,” she yelped and he heard her doing little pants. “Hold on, will you? Braxton

Hicks contractions. Nothing…um…big. False labor. Okay. Phew! Okay. Kopf? Did you

say
Kopf
Industries?”

“I did. Why—?”

“Well, good thing we’re on this, buddy. The G8 have been under pressure by

elected officials and pension companies to freeze the assets of Kopf who stole their

money in a subprime-mortgage scam last year. One of the reasons they want more

security is because of the demonstrations all over Europe against Kopf. Everyone calls

Kopf a hydra.”

Lane ran a hand through his hair. “How did I miss that?”

“You were in Barcelona undercover on your last case.”

“Right. Right. But the hydra connection and G8 meeting threat might mean we are

working the same case from two angles.”

“Maybe. Maybe. Oh, boy. Hang on. Here we go again… Okay. We’re good. Send

me a transcript of the recording, will you, if the Italian police will let it go?”

“Sure. Bella is working as a consultant to the museums and the Finanza, so I doubt

that’ll be a problem with them. And now that she’s working with us and our client is

the G8, that ought to be more reason to let you analyze it on your software.”

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Desiree Holt & Cerise DeLand

“Agreed,” Maddie said. “Hey wait! Before you go, you really think she is our

caliber?”

“Not a doubt in the world,” he bit off. He knew Maddie often used teasing to

defuse tense situations but right now he was still shaking inside from Bella’s proximity to those bombs. He’d need to get hold of himself in a big hurry. “She’s the best I’ve ever seen. Steady as a rock with a cool head and the ability to block everything out except

what she’s doing. And an unbelievable knowledge of explosives. Cool, calm,

thoughtful. Just what we need.”
What I need.

“Good. Whoever gets info first calls the other. Deal?”

“Deal. I’ll be going back to Isabella’s. You and I will talk soon.”

Isabella leaned back in her chair, shoes off and feet resting on an ottoman on the

balcony of her apartment. It had been a very long day and the view of the black velvet

sky was soothing to her frazzled nerves. The false alarm this morning. The “interview”

with Lane which included all that exhaustive but highly satisfying sex. Racing from the Bargello to the Uffizi and back, taking care of the explosives, calming the directors,

speaking with the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and beefing up security all took

exhaustive patience and control.

Now that she could finally relax, she felt limp and drained. She and Lane were

drinking a Brunello as smooth as silk and more soothing than the ebony sky.

Meanwhile Lane tried to get Adam and Nic again.

“I got a ‘not available’ message so I left a voice mail,” he told her, clicking off and dropping the phone on the little table between them.

“I wonder where they are that they’re in a dead zone.”

“That happens rarely in Europe, but it does occur,” she offered.

As he checked his watch, his phone rang. “It’s two in the afternoon in Texas,” he

murmured as he hit the receive button and talked with Maddie.

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Until Twilight

As he hung up, Bella leaned forward, more alarmed by his bleak expression. “So

what did Maddie say?”

The lines around his mouth grew taut, then he took a long swallow from his glass.

“Nothing good.”

Isabella frowned. “What?”

“Two in Paris and one in Spain. Same procedure. A purse with a dud in it left

first—in France at the Louvre and in Spain at the Prado—followed up by the real thing.

And
that
followed by the same recorded message.”

“Hydras. Kopf. Scams to rob people of their pensions and savings,” Bella spit out

the words. “Greed.”

“But it’s not logical to punish the finance ministers,” he added.

“If their governments allow it,” she waved a hand. “I know Arturo pressed for

reforms.”

“Arturo?” he asked as he split the rest of the wine between the two of them and

lifted his glass again.

“The finance minister of our government is an old family friend. My father and he

went to Oxford together in the sixties. I spoke to him today on the phone. You

remember. When we were offered the car to the Uffizi. And you know, he said nothing

of this threat in Paris.”

Lane shrugged. “Probably did not want to worry you. You had your own things to

think about. Bombs. Museums and priceless art inside.”

Lane shrugged again. “That’s the problem with museums. The cost of everything

has escalated so much that security is low on the list. Technology is old. Professionals hardly merit the term. And right when the facilities need the best. These days, if a thief or a bomber can get past the front door then they’re good as gold.”

“Security will now be on the alert for L.L. Bean purses,” Bella told him. “Our nasty

little friends will need to find another delivery method.”

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Desiree Holt & Cerise DeLand

“Let’s hope we find them before that happens.” He took her nearer hand in his and

tugged at her, urging out of her chair. When she was standing he reached up for her

waist and tumbled her into his lap. “Meanwhile, there’s nothing we can do but wait for

the forensics to come in the morning. We will decide what to do afterward. And this has been a rough day for you. I think you need a little stress relief and I’m just the person to provide it.”

“Oh?” Her lips curved in a seductive smile and she felt some of the strain easing

from her body. She wouldn’t be able to relax fully until this was over and resolved but Lane’s touch had such a narcotic effect.
Oh, wait.
Maybe drugging wasn’t exactly the right concept. “What did you have in mind?”

His mouth sought hers, one lean hand cupping her head and pulling it toward him

so he could bring her lips to his. At the first contact, warmth seeped through her and

the knots in her muscles began to unravel. His tongue swept into her mouth, touching

every interior surface like the lick of a flame.

His hand cradled her breast and his thumb rasped lightly back and forth over her

now-hardened nipple. What was it with this man that just the barest touch could make

her body ignite? Her breasts felt heavy and between her thighs she felt the wetness of

her cunt and the pulse of her clit.

“Haven’t we already done this today?” she asked, breathless, when he broke the

kiss. “Are you insatiable?”

“I seem to be that way with you,” he murmured, nibbling at her bottom lip.

His hand moved from her breast to slide beneath the silken fabric of her skirt, his

fingers stroking their way up the inside of her thigh until he reached her thong.

“Wet,” he breathed. “I knew it. The chemistry between us is instantaneous and

hot.”

“I hope we can control this when we’re out in the field together,” she joked.

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Until Twilight

“Trust me, princess. I might play hard but I work just as hard. When I’m out there

I’m all business. Period.” He bent his head and nipped her nipple through her clothing.

“But right now business is on hold and I can’t stop wanting to fuck you.”

“Then perhaps we should move from the balcony,” she teased, the hunger inside

her already bursting through her body. “Unless you want to perform for the city of

Florence.”

In response he stood up with her in his arms, carried her into the bedroom and

placed her on the sheets still rumpled from earlier in the day. He bent over her, his

mouth again ravenous against hers as he swiftly and expertly removed her clothes. His

hands skimmed lightly over her body, tracing the dips and hollows, molding to her

breasts and sifting through her glistening pubic curls to find the hot, wet folds of her pussy.

Isabella moved restlessly, suddenly needing to feel him inside her, the hard length

of him filling her.

“Hurry,” she whispered as he stripped off his own clothing and sheathed himself in

a condom.

“We’ll have to replenish the supply of these if we’re going to keep doing this,” he

remarked, his voice thick with desire and heat flashing in his eyes.

“No problem. We’ll put it next on our to-do list.”

He settled himself between her thighs and with one swift stroke drove into her. She

gasped as the walls of her vagina stretched to accommodate him, then molded around

him at once, the feel of him already becoming familiar.

“Hard and fast this time, Bella.” He loomed over her, every muscle in his face taut,

his weight balanced on his hands as he locked his gaze with hers. “Sorry.”

“Oh, yes, please. Please.”

“I thought you would not have a man who hurried.”

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Desiree Holt & Cerise DeLand

She clenched her inner muscles around him. “There are exceptions to every rule.

And this is one of them.”

He moved then, deep, rapid strokes, in and out, feeding the bonfire inside her.

Whether it was the fact that their bodies were becoming so in tune with each other, or

the crash of adrenaline after the tension of the afternoon that ignited it so quickly, the orgasm crashed over them in seconds. It hit with the force of a tornado, sweeping them

into space, bodies shuddering together, hearts hammering, the only sounds in the room

the lazily turning ceiling fan and the rasping of breath seesawing in and out of their

lungs.

And finally they were done, spent, collapsed together on the sheets. Lane managed

to rouse himself after several moments to dispose of the condom.

“I think we should order more sustenance,” he suggested as he padded back to the

bed and surveyed her with an appreciative gaze. “I could eat every inch of your body

but that might not be enough to get me through until tomorrow.”

“Of course.” She smiled, wiggling her brows at him. “Although your first thought is

both tempting and tantalizing, business and pleasure demand more than wine.”

He gave her a cockeyed grin. “I said I would cook.”

“I have a few things for a carbonara. If you know how to—”

“I do,” he assured her to her surprise.