The Lady Is a Thief by Heather Long Page A

    Thankfully, his earlier suspicions proved
wrong. But they are involved on some
level…insofar as duMonde is after her. Did she steal
the Buddha from him?
          Thief.
          The five-cent word didn't do the
million-dollar woman justice. Beyond his suspicions and some circumstantial
evidence, he didn't have any real proof that Lady Katherine Hardwicke stole The Fortunate Buddha .
          But
she did. I know she did. duMonde suspects the same—and… She shifted in the seat next to him and he glanced
over to see her eyes open. She covered a yawn.
          “My apologies…”
          “No apology required.” He didn't resist the
urge to touch her thigh again, rubbing his knuckles against her knee lightly,
soothing. “It's been a long night.” Dropping the kernel of information about duMonde in her lap allowed him to observe her reaction. Her
immediate discomfort, no matter how she tried to disguise it, pleased him.
          He didn't want her in business or bed with duMonde . But the lack of alliance also meant he needed to
keep a warier eye out. The game over The
Fortunate Buddha continued to escalate. The little gold statue and the
promise of good luck it gave to those who rubbed its belly created so much
grief in its wake.
          “Jarod.” She sat
up, shifting her leg away. He withdrew his hand, albeit reluctantly. “I
appreciate everything, but you should drive us to where you are staying and
then I'll leave you to do your business in peace.”
          “I'd rather wait until you're safely where
you need to be.” Particularly since the heiress didn't travel with a bodyguard.
He knew her driver in New York doubled as security and in Europe she often
traveled with personal guards. So why shed that layer of protection here unless
she wanted to hide her activities?
          “You're very sweet.” The 'but' hung off the
end of that sentence like an accessory.
          “But?” He said it
for her.
          “But, we've only just met and while I've
thoroughly enjoyed our time together, it is time to say our goodbyes.” Despite
the overstatement, he didn't hear a lie.
          So,
how do I play this? Gut reaction; find a way to stick with her. But that's not about the Buddha, that's
about me. Arguably, it was also about protecting her. When duMonde put his hands on her face, all Jarod could see was
how swiftly he could have snapped her neck. The French bastard was lucky he
hadn't broken his hand. The instinct to keep her safe ran high and contrary to
his primary mission.
          Thief
or not, she doesn't deserve to be shot, beaten, or threatened. He flexed
his fingers against the steering wheel. Letting her 'go' to lead him to the
Buddha accomplished the goal. Once he took it back, duMonde would have no reason to continue his pursuit.
          As if
that would stop him…
          It wouldn't.
          “Jarod?” Concern
filtered through the question in her voice.
          “I'm a little worried about the Viscount's
intentions.” The key to a good lie rested in layering it in elements of the
truth.
          “Louis…” She waved a hand in the air, but
let go of whatever thread of story she was about to share. “You don't have to
worry about him. Now that I know he's in the area, I can avoid him.”
          “He had two armed men with him, Kit Kat. I
don't think he wants to be avoided.” He controlled his inflections, too pushy
and she'd resist. Too blasé and she might not take the threat seriously. If she
hadn't left for Los Angeles immediately following that meeting, he would be
more embedded with her.
          “The Viscount likes to throw his weight
around, but he's nothing for you to worry about. I won't be in the area all
that long. In fact, I planned to drive north after we landed, hence the car.”
          “How far north?”
          “We have a house in Malibue .”
          Lips quirking into a small smile, he
swallowed a