Steal My Heart (10 page)

“Yes. He still believes I’m a screenwriter who got into trouble with the law somehow.”

Screenwriter. The same lie Mark had told her. But how could he tell anyone the truth? She took another sip of wine to steady herself. “So you made Laroche rich?”

“Not as rich as he wanted. When I got older, we argued a lot over his cut. Then I learned his tricks and did some fencing of my own. When he found out, he got angry.”

“Violent?”

“You could say that. He tried to slice me. He’s a bit of an egomaniac.”

“He sounds more like a psychopath.” Paige thought of the scars on Mark’s collarbone and along his back. The man who was supposed to be a father to him did that? And now Holly was being held by this brutal, greedy man who had turned a poor boy into a jewel thief. Her stomach twisted into a hard, nauseating knot.

Mark read her thoughts. “That happened after I was an adult. He never hurt me when I was a child. Not physically. I don’t think he’ll harm Holly.”

She took another sip of wine, trying to calm her nerves, promising herself it was her last swallow. She couldn’t afford to get drunk though she certainly would love to right now. “I hope to God you’re right, Mark.” Her thoughts raced. “Where did Joel Jimar come from?”

“He came on the scene when I was about fifteen. He was seventeen and already huge. I admired him.”

“What was his story?”

“He came from a poor city in Jamaica. His father was a professional wrestler. A big man, a violent alcoholic, who beat him mercilessly. When he got old enough, Jimar left home and went to work for Laroche. We always had kind of a rivalry. Laroche was from Paris, the Left Bank. And I always thought that gave them a kind of kinship, both being foreigners.”

“You were jealous of him?”

He shrugged. “I was a kid back then. What did I know?” He squeezed the hand he was holding. “I never wanted this for you, Paige. That’s why I never told you anything about what I did. If you didn’t know, they couldn’t get to you.”

“Well, they got to me anyway.” She wiped her mouth, tossed down her napkin and rose. She’d eaten all she could get down.

Mark got to his feet, stepped toward her. “Oh, my darling. I’m so sorry. If I could only go back and change the past.”

“There’s no sense in wishing that. Neither of us can. We both have regrets.” No, she didn’t regret having Holly. It had just been bad timing.

He gave her a frown. “What are you saying?”

What was she saying? “I don’t know what I mean. I’m frazzled. I don’t think I can take much more of this. When is Laroche going to call?” The sickening tears were starting again. She was utterly miserable.

“Paige, Paige. Darling.” Suddenly, his arms were around her, stroking, soothing. She gave in, buried her face in his chest and let herself cry.

He held her quietly, kissing her hair. Before she could stop herself, she turned her face up toward him and he lowered his lips to hers. It was the most tender kiss he’d ever given her, full of compassion and understanding.

And love. Despite all of his lies, he’d truly loved her. The thought made her heart skip like a giddy child through a meadow flowers.

His kiss deepened and with the old familiar heat, his arms tightened around her, pressing her against him. Need sparked below her stomach, shooting its fire through her body, to her breasts, between her legs.

No matter how worried and distraught she might be, Mark Storm could turn her on. What did that say about her? After what he’d just told her, her emotions were a confused, jumbled mass. He was a different man from the one she thought she knew. A better man, so it seemed. A man she wanted more than anything right now, even if it was only to escape her own personal horror.

She kissed him back, pressing herself into him as he led her into the other room and toward the bed.

When the back of his leg hit the mattress, he pulled away. “Paige,” he said breathlessly, heat and desire in his deep blue eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

His concern touched her, but at this moment all she wanted was to lose herself in him, drown her pain in a sea of emotion, make love to this man who had once been her whole world.

She tugged his shirt out of his pants. “Of course, I’m sure. I don’t do things on a whim.”

“No, you always have purpose in whatever you do.” He picked her up and laid her gently on the bed, then settled himself beside her.

She wanted his hands on her body but he stroked her cheek instead, gazing at her with those blue eyes so full of yearning. Then slowly he ran his hand down the fabric of her T-shirt, and excitement shot through her.

She lifted her head and took his lips, running her tongue over his mouth.

He groaned in delight and at last found her breast cupped it in his palm while his thumb wrecked havoc on her nipple. Her breath came in hitches. How could this need be so overwhelming? So all-consuming? But there was no time for philosophizing or analyzing.

He lifted her shirt, pulled it over her head, and deftly sliding his hands behind her back, undid her bra and pulled it off of her before she could catch her breath. Not that she had any. Those hands were skilled at more than just picking pockets.

His mouth found her breast, his tongue teasing the nipple until it engorged and ached for him. She was wetter than the Hudson. She wanted him inside her now. But he had another idea. He slid over her stomach, his tongue marking the path to her nether regions, finally reaching the tender spot between her legs.

She cried out as he stroked her masterfully, totally helpless and under his power. She came hard and fast, but he wouldn’t stop driving her over the edge again and again.

“I want you inside me, Mark. It’s where you belong. It’s where you’ve always belonged.”

That made him stop and gaze up at her. She couldn’t tell if it was shock or surprise or anger on his face but he rose toward her with a fury and urgency she’d never seen in him before. He plunged inside her, ramming himself into her with all the force of his being.

She was delirious with pleasure. No, it wasn’t mere pleasure. It wasn’t mere lust. It was the need for closeness to another human being. For closeness to him.

He began to come. She joined him. It was if a mystical bond formed around them, tightening, drawing them together, as if there were no boundaries between them at all any longer.

At last, they both expelled all they had and Mark turned and plopped down beside her, exhausted. They both panted together, breathing in unison, like a synchronized swimming team.

And then, despite all the terror she’d been through, despite her worry for Holly, she felt a rush of happiness. It was so bizarre, it made her laugh. She turned to Mark and ran her hand over his face.

“It’s a funny expression, isn’t it?”

“What is?”

“‘Falling in love.’ Like falling asleep, where you lose control of all your senses.”

“Not the important ones.” He took her hand in his and twined his fingers through hers.

She scoffed at him. “You know what I mean.”

“I think I do. But I’d say it’s more like falling on the ice and breaking your rear end.”

She smiled sadly. “Or your heart.”

He brushed her hair back from her face. “I love you, Paige. Desperately. I’ve never stopped loving you. You don’t how hard these years away from you have been.”

  She was overwhelmed by his words. He’d loved her all along? Somehow she’d pretended not to know it. She’d chosen not to believe it. She’d told herself she hated him. That she’d fallen out of love with him.

But that was a lie.

She’d never stopped loving him, either. Though at times, she’d despised him as well. But wasn’t that because of how much she’d loved him? How ironic. How silly she’d been. Now that he’d told her what Laroche had done to him as a child, now that she understood, she had to forgive him for what he’d become. She had to see that he was trying to become something different now.

“I love you, too, Mark.” The words fell out of her mouth before she could give them the thought and analysis they needed, but right now, right here in this terrible moment, it was if they were both suspended in time. And she didn’t care if he knew.

“I love you,” she said again and settled her head against his shoulder, loving the strength of it, the feel of his skin. She ran her hand over the muscles of his chest.

Her gaze wandered to the telescope at the window and guilt struck her. She should tell him about Holly. She should tell him he’s her father. But how would he react to that? No, not now. She’d tell him later. After this nightmare was over. Then she saw the time on the clock on the bedside and a steel-like panic gripped her all over again.

She sat up. “It’s been hours and Laroche hasn’t called.”

“That means he’s having trouble coming up with a plan.”

“
We
need a plan.”

“I already have one.”

She glared at him. “And you haven’t told me what it is?”

He lifted his hands. “We were a bit preoccupied.”

She picked up the pillow and hit him with it. Then she got up and headed toward the marble-trimmed wet bar on the other side of the room. “I need some coffee.”

###

Mark watched her movements as she grabbed her T-shirt off the floor and pulled it over her head. She always did have a modest streak. But her bare bottom was just as perky he remembered it, and the sight of it made him want her all over again. He might as well admit it. He could never get enough of her.

He watched her locate her panties and put them on, then he pulled on his own clothes and followed her to the small kitchen.

She’d just said she loved him. Twice. Words that he’d longed to hear for over three years. It might have been the heat of the moment but he didn’t want to think about that. He wanted to tell her after all this was over, they’d make a life together again. But he didn’t dare bring that up now.

She found the coffee maker on the counter, filled it with water, dumped a packet of grounds into it and pressed the button. She folded her arms stared at the pot, biting her lip. The worry was eating her alive. She looked a little better now, but not much.

“We can’t just stay here,” she said. “Somehow, we need to go across the street and get Holly out of that room.”

Mark thought of the FBI cell Jimar had pocketed. If Foley were tracking it, thinking it would lead them to Mark, his boss’s unit should show up any time now. Mark was banking on it. But he couldn’t keep Paige in this room much longer. Besides, he wanted in on the action. He wanted to see Foley’s face when he realized Mark had been telling the truth about the kidnapping. He wanted to see Laroche’s face when he put the cuffs on him.

Yes, he was going across the street. But Paige was staying here, whether she liked it or not. He wasn’t going to let her risk her life.

It was the only way.

Paige found cups in the cupboard over the sink and poured the steaming coffee into them. With a sigh of irritation she picked them up and handed one to Mark.

“Just like old times,” he grinned.

She wasn’t in the mood for it. She began to search the cupboard for the artificial sweetener she liked. “What’s your plan?”

He took a slow sip from his cup and set it down on the counter. “Like I’ve been saying, we need leverage.” Just as he opened his mouth to continue, her cell phone rang.

“Oh, God.” Her heart began to hammer in her chest.

“You can do this.”

She took a deep breath, steadied herself and reached for the phone. Laroche had taken his sweet time to digest what happened at Gorsky’s, but now he’d decided how to respond.

The mechanical voice crackled in her ear. “You double-crossed me at the gym.”

She stiffened her shoulders. “I didn’t like the terms.”

“You don’t set the terms. I do. Be expecting your daughter’s appendage in the mail.”

She crossed the room and looked into the telescope. Laroche was in a chair, holding a phone. He had some sort of device at his neck. That was what altered his voice. Jimar was lounging on the couch. Her mind raced.
Leverage
.

“Go ahead,” she heard herself saying. “For every piece you cut off her, I’ll cut three diamonds off your necklace.”

Mark’s eyes flashed in surprise, but his expression told her she was taking the right approach.

There was a long pause. She watched Laroche stare at the phone. The reaction made her bolder.

“Let me talk to my daughter.”

Laroche got to his feet and began to pace in exasperation. She was getting to him. She wanted to give Mark a kiss for thinking of the telescope.

Laroche snapped his fingers and Jimar got up and went to the door at the side of the room. He opened it.

Paige’s hand flew to her mouth to suppress a gasp. Holly! Her little girl walked out of the room, her head down, her fingers wound around a strand of tangled hair. They hadn’t brushed her hair. It was a silly thing to think.

Paige held her breath when Jimar picked Holly up and held her to the phone.

“Mommie?”

“Oh, baby. Are you all right?”

“I’m scared, Mommie.”

“Don’t be afraid. Mommie will see you soon. There’s just been a misunderstanding. As soon as we get things worked out—”

“That’s enough.” Laroche took back the phone while Jimar pulled Holly away.

“Mommie!” she cried out, kicking at him all the way back until he shut her in the side room again.

Don’t hurt her. Don’t you dare hurt her!
With all the strength she had, Paige forced her thoughts to focus. They knew where Holly was. They knew she was alive. Small blessings.

“I’ll give you one more chance. There’s a pizza place on the corner of 110th and Second. Be there in one hour. If I don’t get the necklace this time, your daughter is dead.” He clicked off.

Paige glanced at the clock. He wanted to meet her in East Harlem at nearly midnight? Her stomach sank. He had no intention of giving her Holly back. Paige peered into the telescope. Laroche and Jimar were talking, gesturing emphatically.

“We don’t have much time,” Mark said, breaking her out of her trance. He took her in his arms and held her shivering body against him. “You are one courageous lady.”

“I’ll do anything to save Holly. Anything.” She looked up at him, fighting the despair, the flood of tears. “You said you had a plan?”

To her surprise, he moved to the window and cracked the curtain to look out. This time not across the street, but down below. She remembered his cell phone and what he’d said about trilateral whatever and a high-powered GPS receiver. “Your friends from the FBI haven’t shown up, have they?”

He inhaled and turned to her with a hard look. “That’s beside the point.”

“I’d say. How would you even know they’re here?”

“I’d recognize my boss’s car. It’s a charcoal Crown Vic with big dent in the hood that he claims a drug dealer put there.”

“And you don’t see any such car down there, do you?”

He ignored her question and got straight to the point. His point, anyway. “Here’s my plan. You stay here while I go over there and pay Laroche a surprise visit.”

Her mouth dropped open. That was his plan? “Not on your life,” she snorted. “What are you going to do? Knock on the door and say hello? They’re armed. There are two of them. They’ll overpower you in no time.”

“I said a surprise visit.” A sly smile spread across his face. “I’ll be coming in through the window.”

Paige gaped at the towering building. “You’re going to climb to their window? Like you used to do when you were a cat burglar?”

He gave her a cocky grin. “That’s right, Angel Eyes. I’ll take them by surprise, disarm them and persuade them that giving Holly to me is in their best interests.”

Paige surveyed the distance to the pavement below.

Mark read her thoughts. “I’ve scaled higher than twenty floors before.”

Her anger flashed. “Over three years ago.”

He smirked. “Do you think I’ve lost my touch?”

Paige glared at him. A man like Mark Storm never lost his touch. Not in bed, not in his “profession.” “I can’t deal with your ego now. I don’t like your plan.”

His brows shot up. “Oh? What’s wrong with it?”

“What’s wrong with it? What if it doesn’t work? I’ll be stuck here in this room, watching helplessly.” She gestured wildly at the telescope. “Through that thing. I’ve got a better idea.”

He folded his arms. “Let’s hear it.”

She put her hand to her chest. “I go across the street to Laroche’s room, give him the Fantasia necklace and get my daughter back.”

He scoffed. “Just like that? Have you been listening to what I’ve said about leverage?”

“I’ll have leverage, all right.”

“How?”

It was time to reveal a surprise of her own.

She crossed to the couch where she’d left her purse, picked it up and drew out a glittering necklace with a price tag on it. She held it up to her throat. “Like it?”

Mark blinked at her. “What is that? The Fantasia with a price tag?”

“I was going to put it in the locker at the gym until you showed up.”

“Is that what I think it is?”

“I bought it in the mall today, though it cost a week’s paycheck.”

“You mean it’s—”

“Yes. A replication. They’re very hot right now.” She almost laughed at the double meaning.

“So that’s what you were doing so long in that jewelry store this afternoon.”

She shook her head at him. “I knew you followed me to the mall.”

He shrugged. “I’m your bodyguard, aren’t I?”

She decided to let it go. It didn’t matter any more. “I can take these with me instead of the real jewels.”

“And you think Laroche will fall for that?”

“Why wouldn’t he? You almost did a second ago.”

He held out his hand. “Let me see them.”

She bristled. “Why?”

He gritted his teeth. “Because I’m the expert?”

With a huff, she handed them over as he dug into his pocket and drew out a small silver cylinder. He held it to his eye and examined the jewels.

“Leave it to Mark Storm to have a magnifying glass in his pocket.”

He ignored her tone. “Old habits die hard. And it’s called a loupe.” He turned the gems under the glass. “The clarity’s good but that’s easy to reproduce with today’s technology.” He turned them over. “Ah, there. See?”

He handed her the loupe and the necklace.

“What am I looking for?”

“Even through the mounting, you can see the tips are painted.”

She squinted hard and thought she saw a dark spot under the gold that held the gem in place. “Will Laroche see this?”

“If he looks at them. And he will look at them.”

She thought about that. “But not right away. Not until I get Holly out of there.”

His laugh was bitter as he shook his head. “Do you want to risk your daughter’s life on that slim chance?”

“The jewels belonged to Adolphus. Laroche will assume they’re legitimate. Why would he think they’re a copy? He’ll assume there’s no need to examine them.”

“That’s an awfully big risk.”

She grunted, hating that Mark was right. Again. If Laroche discovered the jewels were fake, there was no telling what that madman might do. “I’m not staying in this room and doing nothing. I can’t stand it any longer.”

He squinted at her, his mind racing. “What if we compromise?”

“What you mean?”

“What if you go in the front with the fake jewels, while I come in the back and surprise my old friends?”

The picture took shape in her mind. “Just before you climb in through the double-doors, I’ll knock on the door and demand Holly. While they’re distracted, you come in and,” she waved a hand toward his pistol, “point your gun at them. It will take them off guard.”

He rubbed his chin, a doubtful look on his face.

“We’ll have a better chance of overtaking them if there are two of us.”

He remained silent.

“I told you, I’m not going to sit in this hotel room alone and do nothing. I mean it, Mark. I’ll go on my own if you don’t go with me.”

That got him. He’d rather know where she was and what she was doing than have her running around like a loose cannon. “All right. The new plan’s far from perfect but it’s all we’ve got.”

Even Mark Storm had to admit they were running out of time. She turned toward her packages again and reached inside one. “I can’t go in my jeans and T-shirt. I’ll wear this.” She held up a cherry-colored cocktail dress with a beaded empire waist and matching heels. “Do you like it?”

His eyes told her he was remembering the dozens of times she’d asked him that question when they were married. He smiled wryly and gave her the answer he’d always give her back then. “It’s gorgeous. Just like you, Angel Eyes.”

Memories tingled through her once more. But there wasn’t time for them now. She’d indulge in them later. After Holly was back. A new thought struck her with force.

She stared at him. “What do we do with the real necklace?”

“I’ll hold on to it.” He held out a hand. “Do you trust me with that, Paige?”

She hesitated long enough that a cloud came over his face. He put his hand in his pocket. “I won’t do it, if you don’t agree. We can put them in the hotel safe downstairs.”

She didn’t like that idea, either. What if the clerk recognized the necklace and called the police? She could trust Mark now, couldn’t she? Doubt nagged at her, but her heart whispered yes, trust him. He loves you. He always has. And she loved him, too.

Forcing herself to feel confident, she shook her head. “No, Mark. You hold onto them.” She held up the beaded bag that came with the dress and one of the reasons she’d bought it. “I’ll carry the fake ones in here.”

“Very well,” he said and put the real jewels in his duffel bag. The pleasure in his eyes told her she’d made the right decision.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to dress for my command performance.”