Touched by a Thief by Jana Mercy Page B

running out of time. Gerard’s private jet was waiting. So was the Degassi.
     
    Monty leaned back against the plush seat of Gerard’s private jet and wondered for the hundredth time why Gerard hadn’t taken her with him, why he’d left Ian in charge of her safety. Wasn’t that like hiring the wolf to watch the sheep?
    Not that she was any sheep. Far from it, but still. Gerard was too smart a man for it to have slipped his notice that while Ian was doing his bidding and setting her up, he’d also been rocking her world one deep thrust at a time.
    No way did Gerard not know about her and Ian. Gerard was intelligent, a business man, always calculating. His leaving her in Ian’s charge made no sense.
    Unless he was testing her.
    And already she’d failed that test. Failed by taking Ian deep inside her body within minutes of him showing back up on the scene.
    Granted she’d already been naked, but still.
    She fingered the cross at her neck. She’d packed only a change of clothes, an evening gown—who knew what Gerard had in store for her, and his gifts. She’d refused to allow Gerard’s crew to take her bag upon boarding the plane, preferring to keep the jewelry close, just in case she needed to make a quick getaway.
    “You look thoughtful.”
    “It surprises me Gerard put you in charge of bringing me to him. Why didn’t he just bring me with him when he left?”
    “He had business to attend to.”
    “What kind of business?”
    “That is none of your business.”
    She couldn’t help but wonder if Ian even knew where Gerard had gone. “Don’t you find it odd that he’d assign you as my personal body guard?”
    “Why? I already know you and know what to watch for where you’re concerned. You’re much less likely to make a run for it with me at your side.”
    “Why would I make a run for it? Gerard has been wonderful to me.”
    “So wonderful you screwed the first man who walked through the door?
    She wanted to argue, but what was the point? The truth was indisputable.
    “Gerard knows it’s only a matter of time before you get bored, before your need for adrenaline takes over and you pick out the next steal.”
    “And if he’s anywhere near as intelligent as we’re giving him credit for, he’s going to know what happened this afternoon. Hell, he probably has the room under video surveillance.”
    “Not his bedroom. It’s the only room in the house not under surveillance. His surveillance, at any rate.”
    “And you know this how?”
    “Because I work for Gerard. And I tapped into his security system. Had to set up my own cameras in a few areas of the house.”
    “A few?”
    “His office, bedroom, etc.”
    “You’ve been watching while Gerard and I have sex?”
    “It was either that or a rerun on Animal Planet,” he said flippantly. “Either way a whole lot of nasty rutting going on.”
    “How long?”
    “From the moment you arrived.”
    A smile lit her face. “Good, then you know I wasn’t wasting any time mooning over you.”
    “No, I never thought you would be, Monty. You’d have to have a heart for that.”
    “You dare accuse me of being heartless when it was you who betrayed me? When I went back for you and you handed me over to the police to save your own skin? And for what? Because Gerard ordered you to? Who’s the heartless bastard in this picture?”
    “You’ve really got to get over that, Monty.”
    “Get over it? Not until I cut your heart out and tear it apart bit by bit.”
    “But you’ve just so eloquently established that I’m a heartless bastard. Make up your mind.”
    “Ohhh.” She wanted to hit him. But hitting him wasn’t enough. She wanted to watch him suffer. Suffer as much as she had. More.
    What she wouldn’t allow herself to consider was why she wanted him to suffer. Why she wanted revenge so desperately. Sure he’d betrayed her, but she’d allowed him to.
    Truth was, Gerard had obviously also betrayed her. He’d hired Ian to set her up. Didn’t