the first time you betrayed me for money.â
âIt wasnât me.â He was wounded, actually, that she could even entertain the thought. He wished he could look her in the eyes or delve into her mind to determine whether she believed him. He tried, but she was blockingânot deliberately, he thought. It was anger and mistrust keeping his mind from probing the depths of hers. Digging any deeper would take more concentration than he could muster up while simultaneously driving and trying to think of convincing arguments.
âI gave you information to help you. Why would I do that if I were going to turn around and throw roadblocks in your way?â
âOh, come on. You convince me youâre on my side to find out more facts to sell, then stab me in the back.â
âTopaz, I knew where you were staying, and I knew why you had come out here before I ever arrived on that villaâs doorstep. I could have sold that information to the tabloids without ever setting foot in California.â
She lowered her head. âMaybe thatâs not all youâre after.â
He sighed, frustrated as hell.
âIf you want to convince me, Jack, just tell me why youâre really here.â
He was quiet for a long moment, so long that he could feel her speculation, practically hear those wheels turning in her mind. She thought he was taking his time so he could make up a good lie, he realized. Say something, you idiot, he told himself.
âI have never felt remorse before. Not in all my years of conning women. Never once. But I felt it with you. I thought it would go away, but itâs been getting worse instead of better. And thereâs more. IâIâve missed you.â
She was staring at him, probing. He wished he could let down his guard, let her dig around inside his thoughts and see that he meant what he saidâbut there were too many things she couldnât know.
âAnd besides all that, I kept getting the feeling that this mission of yours could be dangerous.â
âSo you want me to believe youâre selfless?â
âHell, no! I thought by coming out here, helping you do this thing that means so much to you, I might somehow atone for my sins and these feelings of regret would go away.â He thumped a palm on the steering wheel. âI donât like feeling this way, Topaz. Itâs affecting my work.â
âYour work? â
âYes, my work. How am I supposed to move on to the next mark if I have to worry that Iâve somehow developed a conscience?â
She drew a breath, then blew it out slowly. âI suppose thatâs at leastâ¦plausible.â
âJust assume itâs the truth for now, and letâs move on, okay? Whoâbesides meâknew you were coming here?â
She pursed her lips. âBesides you? The only people Iâve spoken with are the owners of the villa I rented. But I didnât tell them who I was.â
âCould they have recognized you, like Rebecca did?â
âI havenât seen them face-to-face.â
âAll right. Itâs a simple thing to find out, really.â
âIs it?â
He shot her a smirk. âHello! Weâre vampires. â
âSo?â
âSo who wrote the story? Is there a byline?â
She looked at the piece again, then nodded. âLes Marlboro.â
âSounds like an anti-smoking ad. All right, so we find out where this Marlboro man lives, and we pay him a little visit. Heâll tell us who his source is.â
She shot him a lookâa worried look. âI donât think we need to go that far.â
âYouâre kidding me. Youâre okay with letting someone spy on you and report your activities to the press?â
âI just think there might be a lessâ¦violent way of finding out.â
âI wasnât suggesting we torture him,â he said. âMuch.â
âWe can find another way.â
He
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