Thieves Like Us (9 page)

The irony didn’t escape her—Rocky, the ex-thief, was following the law to the letter, while she was looking for ways to skirt the cops and handle it herself.

“We could at least find out who sold Banner the jewelry in the first place, couldn’t we? He rarely traveled, other than a couple business trips to Colombia, so I’ll bet he bought them around here.”

“Good point. I’ll tell the cops and they can take care of it.”

She blew out an exasperated breath. “Rocky, if I’ve learned anything from my train wreck of a marriage, it’s that no one can take care of me better than I can. I did it when Banner tried to have me killed, and I did it again when he wanted to take me hostage. Okay,” she amended, “you helped with the last one. You can help this time, too.”

He snorted a laugh and shook his head. “I admire your spirit, but this isn’t the same, and the police are already involved. Besides, they have better resources.”

But not better contacts among professional thieves. She wouldn’t say it, because it would be like asking him to slip back into that life in order to help her, and she really didn’t want him to do that.

She sat back on the bench and folded her arms over her chest. To her surprise, she felt his arm slide around her shoulders and squeeze gently. She stilled, not sure where this was going.

“I know you’ve gotten used to taking care of everything yourself.”

She gave him a cautious look, but said nothing.

“That’s what your life has been for a year now. You had to defend yourself against Banner, both physically and emotionally. You put in ridiculously long hours going over Aims’s accounts with the IRS, trying to save the air freight division when Westfield-Benton would have written it off as a loss. Aims Air Freight only exists because of your efforts.”

Ellie must have told him about that. “A lot of families depended on that company for jobs.”

“And you saved them because you took charge when no one else would. That’s fantastic. I can only imagine how you had to fight for every personal asset against Banner’s rabid pack of divorce lawyers.”

She raised an eyebrow, conceding his point. “They
were
vicious.” She hadn’t even asked for much. The car he’d bought for her and enough money to buy her condo. Even though Banner’s own mother had encouraged her to demand more, it had all felt tainted by association with Banner. “How do you know about that?”

“I heard some things from Ellie, plus I could see the strain on your face. You’ve had a lot going on this past year.”

“Oh good, I looked haggard and tense for a whole year. You sure know what a girl likes to hear.”

She’d said it lightly, but his expression was serious, almost sad. “I didn’t say you looked haggard. You looked like a beautiful woman with far too much stress in her life.”

She hadn’t been fishing for compliments. Suddenly self-conscious, she lowered her eyes, but he moved his arm off her shoulders and curved his finger beneath her chin, lifting it until she met his gaze again. He was a little too close, close enough for her to see that his eyes were a deep chocolate brown, and his lips had a sensual curve even when tightened by concern. Something inside her squirmed as she flicked her gaze from his eyes to his mouth and back to his eyes. She didn’t know where to look when everything about him made her nervous.

He didn’t seem to have the same problem; his gaze was unwavering. “I’m not trying to flirt with you, so don’t get defensive. I’m only saying that taking care of everything by yourself has become a habit, and you don’t need to do it anymore. You can actually depend on the authorities to take care of this one for you.”

Despite that zinger about looking beautiful, which might not be flirting but was damned unsettling, he was right. His little speech wasn’t a revelation, but she’d needed to hear it. It felt like someone had finally given her permission to relax, to quit trying to regain control of every aspect of her life.

She sighed and nodded, using the opportunity to pull away from his hand and quiet the fluttering in her chest. “Okay,” she promised. “No chasing after jewel thieves.”

He grinned, which made the whole lecture worthwhile. “Good. Besides, this might be the last you see of them. They did a thorough search, and didn’t find anything. Maybe they’ll figure out you don’t have the other pieces.” He cocked his head in a mild warning. “But just in case, you stay with Elizabeth for now. Agreed?”

Janet nodded. Since she didn’t have a clue how to track down burglars, letting the police do it would be a relief. And staying with her ex–mother-in-law was better than staying at a hotel. From what she’d seen of her condo, it was a sure bet she wouldn’t be living there again until the insurance company paid to replace her furniture, and that could take some time.

She hoped Elizabeth Westfield wasn’t allergic to cats.

Rocky rescheduled the day’s appointments while he waited for Janet. She spent the first fifteen minutes sobbing over slashed furniture and broken knickknacks, while nursing a rising panic when she couldn’t find Jingles. They finally heard his plaintive meow from beneath her bed, and she gathered him in her arms. Both Janet and the cat calmed as she buried her face in his fur. With her worst fear eased, she spent the next half hour reviving her outrage as she packed a suitcase.

Selecting clothes was complicated; drawers had been dumped and their contents strewn about the room. She rose from her hands-and-knees search on the bedroom floor, clutching a handful of lacy undergarments, lip curling in distaste. “Ick. I can’t stand the thought that they touched these. I’ll have to wash every single thing before I can wear it again.”

Rocky looked at the flimsy scraps of satin and lace. “I’ll help,” he offered.

She gave him an exasperated look. “No, thanks. I can handle it.”

He watched her select a couple of bras from a tangle of lingerie and couldn’t help forming a few ideas about handling some other things. He was only torturing himself. “Where did you say that cat carrier was? I’ll go find it.” It was better not to think about her bras and panties if he was going to keep picturing them on her body. Then taking them off her body.

Two hours later he deposited Janet, Jingles, and a car full of luggage at Elizabeth’s door. As he walked back to the car, Janet called, “Aren’t you coming in?”

After waiting nearly a year for that kind of invitation, he couldn’t believe he was turning it down. “I have to talk to Ben about the break-in. I might have a few contacts who know something.”

She frowned. “I can’t get involved, but you can?”

“I’m not getting involved. I’m offering information. That’s all.”

Even as he said it, he was afraid that wouldn’t be all. His former world was reaching out its dirty fingers to touch the woman he—what? Wanted? Belonged with? He was hoping to work that one out, but he needed to keep her safe in order to do it. That might mean dealing with some shady characters he’d sworn to never see again. It already meant dealing with the cops. In his experience, that was only marginally better. At least there was one cop he could trust.

Ben brought Rocky back to his office, settling behind his desk and indicating the chair on the other side. Rocky was too restless to sit, though. He paced the room, pausing to look at pictures or handle objects without really seeing them.

Ben watched for several seconds before speaking. “I don’t have anything new yet. It was a professional job, which you already know. At least two men, posing as security company employees.” He rocked back in his chair. “The most we can tell, they weren’t there more than a half hour, probably less. My guys will be asking questions, talking to contacts, coordinating with the FBI.”

“You won’t learn anything.”

Ben pursed his lips, looking unhappy with the truth. “Maybe not. We don’t usually see this kind of thing, but the FBI has experience with it on an international level.”

Rocky shook his head as he paced. “This was someone local, I’ll put money on it. It would have taken several days for news to get around and for the right people to fly here and start sniffing around. This happened within a day. I’m betting it’s someone in the area.”

Ben’s eyebrows drew together in a look of disbelief. “And you think you can figure out who?”

“I’m not sure it even matters. If you catch them, someone else will just come looking for the Pellinni Jewels.” He stopped in front of Ben’s desk and braced his hands on the scarred top, leaning forward to emphasize the importance of what he was about to say. “This is going to get worse. These guys won’t stop until they know Janet doesn’t have the rest of the jewelry. You need to prove she doesn’t.”

Ben rubbed the crease between his eyebrows. “Should I even ask how I’m supposed to do that?”

“By finding out who does. Find out who sold Banner the necklace, and that person can tell you where the rest of the jewelry went.”

“Sure, simple,” Ben deadpanned.

“Maybe not. But it’s possible. According to Janet, chances are good that Banner bought them around here, which means they were probably fenced around here. Damn it, Ben, the rest of that jewelry could be right in this area. Finding it is the only way to remove the bull’s-eye from Janet’s back.”

Ben rocked forward, matching Rocky’s intensity with a hard look. “My job is to find whoever slashed the hell out of Janet’s condo and car. I don’t have the resources to go running around solving international jewelry heists. But I’m sure the FBI would be interested in hearing about who might have fenced the necklace. You want to give me some names?”

He stepped back with a bitter laugh. “They wouldn’t talk to the FBI.”

“Who will they talk to? You?” Suspicion puckered Ben’s brows. “You wouldn’t be thinking of contacting some old friends, would you?”

“I don’t have any friends in that business. In fact, there are plenty of people who’d be happy to show me just how much they
don’t
miss me.” But there were a few guys he’d never crossed who had no reason to dislike him. And if it meant saving Janet from some very determined thieves . . .

His thoughts must have shown on his face. “Rocky.” Ben waited for him to meet his stern gaze. “You know I have a lot of respect for you. Plus, you’re my son’s best friend. I would be very disappointed if you stuck your foot back in that cesspool.”

Rather than lie to Ben, he skirted the issue. “You know why I did it, and you know I’m done with it. There’s no more reason to go back to that life.”

“Because you took care of all the reasons. But maybe now you think you’ve got a new one.”

“This isn’t the same thing.” But Janet was just as important to him as the crime that had initially drawn him into that life. No, he realized with a start. More important.

“Then why do I have the funny feeling that the line between legal and illegal just became very blurry for you?”

He smiled, forcing himself to look unconcerned. “Because you’re cynical and jaded.” And the best cop he knew. “But let me remind you that we’re talking about Janet. If you’re concerned about someone jumping into this mess who has no business mucking around in it, I’m not the one you should be worried about.”

Ben groaned. “Damn it, whatever happened to women who sat back and let the men take care of things?”

Rocky snorted back a laugh. “I don’t know, but Janet’s sure not one of them. And frankly, if she were, I wouldn’t find her as attractive as—” He cleared his throat. “Just keep in mind that if you don’t act fast, you’ll have Janet going after these guys herself. You know it as well as I do. And these guys are far too dangerous for her to tangle with.”

“No argument there.” Ben pinned Rocky with a sharp stare. “Just make sure you stay out of it, too.”

Rocky held both hands up. “That’s why I told you what I know, so you can handle it. For what it’s worth, you have my opinion: I think the FBI should start looking for the rest of the Pellinni Jewels in the Detroit area.” He started toward the door.

“Yeah, I’ll pass that on.” Ben raised his voice as Rocky reached for the doorknob. “And they better not get any unofficial help from you, Hernandez. I don’t want to lock your ass up again.”

At least they were in agreement on that. He raised a hand in acknowledgment without looking back. The sooner he got out of here, the sooner he could start looking for the person who had sold Banner the Pellinni necklace. Because he’d bet anything that the rest of the jewels had gone through those same hands. The FBI would never get a fence to rat out his customers, but Rocky might. Someone around here knew where the Pellinni Jewels had gone, and he wasn’t going to rest until he found out who.

^“
W
hat is
that
?”

Janet cringed, cursing herself for not closing the door. She threw an “oh no, here it comes” grimace at Libby, who lowered her head and returned the look under the cover of her long hair. Then, pasting on a smile, Janet turned toward the bedroom door to face Elizabeth.

“That’s my cat, Jingles.” She made her voice light and happy. “Remember? I told you I sent him to live with my parents when I married Banner and moved in here, since Banner and Jingles didn’t get along.”