Mine Until Dawn (21 page)

A giggle escaped her lips. Nah, she couldn’t be ashamed if she tried. The giggle turned into full-blown laughter, the sound reverberating around the walls. If it weren’t for the hair paraphernalia on the bed, she would roll on top of it and kick her heels in the air with glee.

Naughty, naughty Jade.
But hey, being naughty was much more fun than being staid, obsessed with her arrhythmia, or living vicariously through the heroines in her romance novels, her cousins’ exploits, and her friends’ bachelorette anecdotes. She’d never felt more alive than she did right now. It was a good thing this was just the beginning.
  

Another giggle escaped her just as Vince’s footsteps sounded outside her door. She slapped a hand over her mouth.

“You alright in there, babe?” he asked.

Jade nodded, then realized that he couldn’t see her through the door. She dropped her hand. “I’m fine. I’ll be out in sec.”

“Take your time. I’ll be driving.”

Yeah, that was her man. Vince, she was quickly learning, didn’t like to depend on other people. He was a hands-on type of guy. Hmm, and such talented hands he had. So concerned with pleasing her and didn’t even ask for anything in return. Such generosity was humbling. Tenderness washed over her, turning her insides into goo. And for the life of her, she couldn’t stop grinning.

Okay, enough already. She was starting to act like an idiot. Taking a deep breath, Jade got up and went to the bathroom.

The face staring back at her from the bathroom wasn’t that of an idiot. A wanton was more like it. No make-up could possibly hide her swollen lips or that smug, satisfied look in her eyes. Faith would take one look at her and know what she’d been up to. Arriving at the party late was sure to cinch it.

Who cares? Let the whole world know.

Jade reached for her make-up bag and started fixing her face. Next was her hair. Instead of the French twist, she brushed it and used a curling iron to create loose curls. Finally, she dropped the bathrobe and studied her near-nude body.

Her nipples were still puckered, reminding her of Vince suckling on them, and faint welts marked the valley side of her breasts. Vince had abraded her with his beard stubble, how erotic. Still, she’d have to cover the marks. There had to be a limit to what she could display to the world.

She removed her thong bikini and added it to the clothes she’d worn earlier. Thongs were uncomfortable to begin with, but to have one rubbing the sensitive area between her thighs the entire evening would be downright unbearable. She reached for a pair of normal silk panties and paused, an idea forming in her head. What if….

No, going commando was too risqué. Definitely not her thing. She pushed one leg through the panties and, once again, stopped. Who should decide when and how she behaved?
Me. That’s who.
Jade eyed the panties, then turned to look at her gold lace and chiffon dress. Could she dare? She wouldn’t have to worry about panty lines and nobody would know.

She pushed the panties back in the bag, and reached for the black bustier. Once she put it on, she slipped on the golden dress. The gathered chiffon interweaved bustline and the V-neckline displayed her enticing cleavage. The spaghetti straps showcased her smooth shoulders and arms. Full floor length skirt with gold lace overlay hugged her hips and frothed at her feet. Last on were her mother’s tear-drop emerald and diamond earrings and necklace. She studied her reflection.

Hmm, not bad. Her waist looked smaller, her bust more prominent than usual, and her butt…no point going there.
 
But the emeralds added just the right dash of dramatic color the gown needed. She couldn’t wait to see Vince’s expression.

Jade slipped on her black sandals, picked up the matching purse and the gold wrap, and hurried to the door. She flung it open to find Vince leaning against the opposite wall, looking scrumptious in a tux.
  

“You look beautiful,” she said before she could think. Heat crawled up her face when he laughed.

“That’s my line.” His perusal was slow, lingering on her chest. “Definitely worth the wait.” He leaned forward to scowl at a region around her chest. “But these jewels can’t be shared with the public.”

Jade blinked. “What are you talking about? The emeralds are insured and—”

“I’m sure they are,” he interrupted, then ran a finger down her cleavage, causing Jade to catch her breath. “I was talking about these. I’m sorry about the marks. I’ll be careful next time or shave before touching you.”

Jade realized he was talking about her breasts and the marks he’d left on her skin. She lowered her face to check. Oh crap. She’d done a sloppy job of covering the welts. “I need to reapply cover base and—”

“Oh, no you don’t.” He draped the wrap twice over her shoulders with the ends hanging in the back, effectively leaving no skin visible below her chin. Before she could react, he placed his hand in the small of her back and propelled her forward. “We’re already running late.”

So he thought she was showing too much skin. Tough. Wait until she informed him she was without panties. She tugged at the wrap and let it fall naturally over her shoulders, her décolleté displayed. “You know it’s okay if we’re fashionably late. Uncle Hank won’t mind.”

“But I will.” He scowled at her chest, then picked up his keys, and led her to the door. “I’m meeting Bouchard there tonight.”

“Oh.” Why didn’t he sound thrilled about it? “I didn’t know you’d found him. When did you arrange all this?”

“I didn’t. I learned about his plans for the evening by accident.”

No wonder he’d come to escort her to the party. And she, in her romantic, needy moment, had assumed he couldn’t wait to be by her side. What a downer. “Did you see him this afternoon, too?”

“No. I was informed it was impossible without an appointment. After all, he’s the ambassador of Saint-Noel to the United States.”

Jade heard Vince but her attention was on his car. “Oh my goodness, Vince. There’s a dent on your car.” Her head snapped toward him, her eyes searching his face in the fading sunset light, her pulse erratic. Was he hurt? She’d already seen his face, touched and kissed it, only moments ago. Still….

She touched his arm, causing him to stop walking and look at her. “Are you okay? You weren’t hurt, were you?”

“No, I’m all right.”

He flashed a smile, and time slowed down. Everything went blurry, his face filling her vision—the piercing gray eyes beneath arrogant slashes for eyebrows, the bold nose, and those oh-so adorable dimples. Not exactly ready to listen to what her inner voice was telling her, Jade swallowed.

“What…what happened?” Her voice came out squeaky, her brain still snowy.

“One of Bouchard’ goons rammed into me.” He took her arm, walked her to the front passenger seat of the SUV, and unlocked the door.

Were the sound of cars, voices and music from the neighboring apartments unnaturally louder than usual? She forced herself to concentrate on their conversation.

“Why?” She didn’t wait for his response. Of course she knew why. “I was right, wasn’t I? He’s the one after the statue.”

Vince nodded. “Come on. We need to be going.”

Jade couldn’t make herself enter the car, her gaze locked on his face.
 
How could he sound so calm while panic and anger churned her insides? He could have been seriously hurt. “Was this an attempt on your life, Vince?”

“Of course not.”

His response was a tad too fast for her liking. She squinted at him. “How do you know?”

“I just do,” he snapped and Jade flinched. He must have noticed her response. “I’m sorry, but standing here dissecting the man’s motives is pointless. We need proof. And I can’t get it when he’s at the club and we are here. Can we leave now? Please?”

Jade understood the root cause of his nastiness even if she didn’t appreciate being subjected to it. However, she wasn’t going to make a big stink over it. She had other things to worry about.

She slid into her seat, her mind racing. If Bouchard was the one after the statue, then he was responsible for the burglary at her house, Cohen’s death and the attempt to frame them for it. The Frenchman she thought Hudson worked for was probably on Bouchard’ payroll too. She swallowed nervously at the thought of being in the same room with such a ruthless man or Vince meeting with him. Her mother was in his country doing Lord-knows-what. She must be warned. But how? If only she could return her calls.

Vince settled behind the wheel and started the car. “What’s the quickest way to this, uh, Carrere Club?”

“There’s only one route from here.” She quickly gave him directions and then sat back, a heavy silence settling between them. She didn’t want to worry, or panic, or be such a pain in the rear, but she had to know everything. It was the only way to stop the fear slowly creeping up her chest from paralyzing her.

Jade shifted so she faced Vince. “What happened this afternoon?”

He waited until they were speeding down Santa Monica Boulevard before he spoke. “I learned from my aunt about Bouchard lofty position and the location of their Los Angeles’ offices. His primary residence is in Washington D.C., but in the last few months, he’s been spending a lot of time here in L.A. Makes sense since he’s after the statue.”

He changed lanes and entered West Sunset Boulevard. “At first, his people were very polite and friendly, even after I explained I wanted to see the ambassador on a personal matter but didn’t have an appointment. That soon changed once they made a phone call. Either Bouchard was expecting me and had briefed his personal staff on what to do or they have cameras trained on their lobby. I was told to leave immediately. They called security to boot me out of their offices.”

Jade didn’t know why he sounded amused. There was nothing funny about his story. “Then what?”

“Since they couldn’t let me in, I was more determined than ever to see him.”

Nothing new there, pigheaded man. Jade shook her head. “Let me see if I can fill in the blanks—you waited around, tried to ambush him, but his security detail derailed your plans.”

“You have a way with words, babe, but yes, that about summarizes it. Except my plan was to follow him to his residence. After they staged the accident, one of his guards tried to tail me home.” He must have heard her gasp. “Don’t sweat it. I gave him the slip.”

“‘Don’t sweat it,’ he says. Ha.” Despite her blithe response, cold fingers crawled up her spine, a sure sign that she had every reason to be fearful. Something always went wrong in her life whenever she felt like this—the day her father died and when her ex walked out on her. Something nasty was in the air. Her thoughts swung back to her mother. She must find a way to reach her.

Vince reached for her hand and squeezed. “I’m going to nail the bastard, Jade.”

“Sure.” She hated that she so desperately wanted to believe him, and she felt all warm and fuzzy inside because they were holding hands. She should be running in the opposite direction, for God sakes. Or asking him to let her out of his dented excuse of a car. What a sucker she was, something she’d sworn never to be after her marriage. Chalk it to the fact that Vince made her feel sexy, beautiful, and alive for the first time in years. Plus, he needed her tonight. There was no way the guards would let him through the gates at Carrere Club without her.

Then something occurred to her, fueling her fears. “Vince, as an ambassador, Bouchard is invulnerable. He has diplomatic immunity.”

“I know.”

Why didn’t he sound concerned? Bouchard could get away with murder. Yeah, hello, he was already getting away with murder—Cohen’s. And the judge was barely hanging on. She tugged at Vince’s hand to get his attention.

“It’s not going to be easy to talk to him tonight, you know. He might have his men mingling with the guests, ready to do his will. Maybe you should forget about tonight and talk to Eddie first. He already knows what’s happening.”

“What could your cousin possibly do? No law enforcement agency can touch Bouchard.” His grip tightened around her hand. “Listen. I met men like him when I was a reporter. Countless number of them. I made sure the world knew of their deeds. If Bouchard is guilty, nothing will stop me from exposing him.”

Jade sighed. She would be lying if she didn’t admit his vehemence was a little reassuring. Just a little. Smart, ruthless men like Bouchard were unpredictable, a lesson she learned when she’d uncovered the Mayan artifact forgeries. Without understanding the man’s motives, Vince might as well be fumbling in the dark. Fear for him closed around her heart and squeezed tight.

As though aware of her thoughts, Vince said, “I know things seem uncertain and a little scary right now, but I promise you, I’ll will not let him get away with the crap he’s pulled these past few days.”

Jade shook her head. “I’m not worried about him and what he’s done, silly. I’m worried about you. What he might do to you.”

“Come on, babe.”

“No, Vince. The man knows you’re on to him. Running you off the road and framing you for a murder you didn’t commit both failed to stop you from going after him. You saw what his people did to Cohen. What if…?” Her voice broke at the thought of anything happening to him. Lord, she’d just found him. She refused to lose him, not to that madman.