A Bid for Love (21 page)

At that moment she knew that despite the short time she’d known Jared, she loved him. Loved him! And she couldn’t let him die.

“Think!” she said aloud, knocking her hand on the side of her head to clear it.

“Is everything okay?”

Meela stood in the doorway. Cassi jumped up from the couch and ran to her side. “It’s Jared. He’s gone to Laranda’s. Only I just found out that she’s the one behind all this. The Buddha is full of diamonds. I don’t know what to do. You’ve got to help me!”

“What can I do?”

The woman’s calm question helped Cassi control her emotions. “Tell me where the gallery is, and . . . do you have a gun?”

Meela nodded. “Doesn’t everyone?” Going to the kitchen, she reached into the cupboard above the refrigerator, and drew out a small box, opening the lock with a key from a chain around her neck. “Are you sure about this?”

“I have to try to help him. The police might not find him in time.”

Meela gave her the small pistol and a handful of bullets. “I don’t keep it loaded.”

Cassi studied the revolver. It was a LadySmith .38 Special, and despite her aversion to guns, it felt good in her hand.

“I’ve never fired it—except for when I got the permit,” Meela said. “Do you know how?”

“My brother’s a police officer. His hobby is anything to do with guns, and he made me learn a few years ago.” She put the bullets in her pocket and tucked the gun in her bra between her breasts. Then she pulled on the big white T-shirt from Venice Beach on top of the blue one. “I won’t load it now,” she said. “I wouldn’t want it to go off before—” She shrugged. She hoped she wouldn’t have to load the gun at all. “Can you see it?”

Meela shook her head.

“Thanks, Meela. I appreciate it. I hope I see you soon.”

“I’m calling the police,” Meela said.

“That’s a good idea, though I would think the FBI has already talked to them.” Cassi gave her a quick hug, and then turned to the door.

“Wait, Cassi, let me write down the directions for you. And take these.” Meela threw her a set of keys. “They’re Jared’s. I’m sure he has one for the gallery there.”

Cassi caught the keys and shoved them into the pocket with the bullets. She waited impatiently while Meela wrote down the directions to the gallery.

Finally, she was out the door. “Oh, please let me be on time,” she said as she ran down the hallway. “Please.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The June morning was warm, and already the traffic was heavy. People filled the sidewalks, trying to avoid the gaze of others who crossed their paths. Normally, Jared would purposely go out of his way to smile or say hello to his fellow New Yorkers, but today he was too busy watching to see if he was being followed. A strange car had been parked outside his apartment building, and he had run quickly around the back and weaved through the side streets to be sure he wasn’t followed. Now he tried to hum and act natural, but he knew apprehension etched clearly on his face, as plainly as if he were guilty of some crime.

Jared felt awful about leaving Cassi behind, but he knew it would be a mistake to take her with him. Not only would this last part of their journey be the most dangerous—the people chasing them had to know where he was headed—but it would also involve Laranda. He admitted to himself that his beautiful boss was the real reason he didn’t want Cassi along.

Laranda’s face, cold and calculating, came again to his mind. Funny that it was never her great beauty he remembered when he was separated from her. It was always her business sense and her impartial judgments, her hawk-like stare and her blatant propositions that echoed in his memory. Only when he was with her did he recognize her exquisitely sculptured features and flawless porcelain skin.

Cassi, with her olive skin, dark eyes, and wonderful hair, was Laranda’s opposite in every way. She was as beautiful inside as she was on the outside, as kind and soft as Laranda was hard and cruel. Jared felt a need to protect Cassi from Laranda, a woman of the world who would not look too kindly upon being scorned by Jared in favor of another woman. Laranda had put up with his refusals when there had been no love interest in his life, confident that he would eventually fall to her wiles, but with Cassi around, Laranda would no longer have that assurance. Jared had heard many times that there was nothing as vicious as a woman scorned, and he could well imagine that Laranda’s brutal wrath would be boundless.

“You will give in to me one day,” she had told him once, smiling her perfect smile.

“Maybe if you start coming to church with me,” Jared replied jokingly. It was always best to keep things light with Laranda.

She arched a perfectly sculpted brow. “Is that what it would take? Maybe I’ll convert
you
instead.” She cast him one of her ardent looks that made him back away in self-defense.

Jared never fooled himself that Laranda wanted him for his good looks or his inner qualities, but simply because he had put himself out of her reach. He knew instinctively that any romantic relationship between them would be temporary for her and painful for him. He believed he had the potential to love, whereas Laranda had suppressed such tendencies long ago.

“She may be successful,” Jared muttered to himself now, “but she’ll end up alone.” His words reminded him of what Trudy Martin had said about having posterity, and how grateful she had been to have her family around her when she died. That was what he wanted—to be surrounded by family. It suddenly dawned on him that since he had gone to the hospital to help Cassi, he hadn’t felt alone—not once.

Jared quickened his pace. The sooner he got rid of the Buddha, the sooner he could be with Cassi. He could feel the touch of her lips against his even now. When he’d kissed her the night before, Jared admitted to himself that he was in love. But in the end, the Buddha had fallen, and during the ensuing discovery of the diamonds, he hadn’t been able to tell her his feelings. It was love, wasn’t it? Or was it too soon to know?

Jared forced his mind away from thoughts of Cassi and back to Laranda and the Buddha. Despite the tension between him and Laranda, they were also longtime friends. He respected her business sense almost entirely, though he occasionally disagreed with her methods. She had been a good boss, giving him leeway with his purchases and helping him gain confidence. Unlike most of his previous employers, she was willing to take a risk if the odds were right. On his end, Jared had done the extra research that had made those risks pay off. He had earned his position, but Laranda had given him the room to prove what he was worth.

What would she do when he brought her the diamonds? Jared knew she would want to keep them, but in the end, she would turn them in. Even her greed would not overrule her logic.

Jared came to a stop, shifting the weight of the Buddha. He was nearing the gallery now, and he needed to scope out the situation. One or all of the three groups after his precious cargo would likely be waiting for him. “Unless two of them are working together,” he muttered.

At any rate, he would be a fool not to take precautions. He began walking again, but more slowly. Sure enough, two men stood separately on either side of the gallery steps. At this distance Jared couldn’t be sure, but he thought he recognized the hooked nose of one of the men who had attacked him at the hotel.

“Newspaper?” a young boy asked. He stood near a corner magazine stand with a stack of newspapers. Inside the stand, the boy’s father sold magazines and gum, as well as more newspapers.

“Thanks.” Jared handed the boy his money. He opened the paper and stood slightly to the side of the stand, studying not the print but the gallery. With each passing minute, more people arrived in the busy streets, as many of the businesses opened at eight. With this natural cover, Jared felt confident he would not be spotted by the men in front of the gallery until he was closer to his goal. Then he noticed several cars parked across the street from the gallery. A few had people still inside them—an unusual occurrence at this hour, when most people were hurrying to work or to complete their daily errands. Also, there were several cafés whose outer tables held more customers than normal. Something was definitely amiss.

How could he get to the gallery without being seen? Two alleyways on either side of the gallery led to the back entrance, but Jared spotted men he didn’t recognize in front of both. He continued to puzzle over the possibilities, but every idea came back to the alleyway nearest him. Somehow he would have to sneak past the guard.

Jared’s attention wandered over the people around him, searching for an idea. His eyes fell on the boy selling newspapers. The youngster awkwardly helped his father by stopping people in the street as they passed. Most ignored him, and some cursed because he was in their way. Jared waited until the boy drew near. “You there,” he said.

“You want another paper?” The boy eyed the one already in Jared’s hands.

“No, I want to hire a messenger.”

“For what?”

“There’s a man standing in the alleyway on this side of the art gallery. I want you to deliver a message to him.”

The boy’s eyes grew calculating. “How much?”

“Ten dollars.”

“Really?”

Jared nodded. “Will you do it?”

“Sure. What’s the message?”

“Tell him someone wants to meet with him about the Buddha. I know what’s in it, and I want to make a deal. Got it?”

“Someone wants to meet him about the Buddha, you know what’s in it, and you want to make a deal. Easy. But aren’t you going to tell him where to meet you? Or do you want me to bring him here?”

“No, not here,” Jared said quickly, nearly kicking himself for the oversight. “There’s too many people.” He looked around furtively for the child’s sake. The boy’s smile grew. “Tell him to go inside the café across the street, to table ten, and I’ll call him with further instructions.” The boy’s eyes widened. Jared pulled out the money and handed it to him. Then he added, “I’ll leave another ten in the plants at the base of this tree for when you get back.” Jared squatted down beside one of the trees that occasionally dotted the street and began making a hole in the greenery at the tree’s base, making sure none of the passersby could see what he was doing. Not only would the extra money urge the child to deliver the message quickly, but would assure that his attention would be elsewhere when Jared slipped into the alleyway.

The boy dropped his few papers on the ground near his father’s stall and raced down the street. Jared quickly finished burying the money and followed as closely as he dared. Just before the boy reached the man, Jared slipped into the first open door he spied, a bakery shop. Delicious aromas tantalized Jared’s nose, and his stomach growled with hunger. He had eaten a little this morning when he had cooked breakfast for Cassi, but he had been too agitated to eat a full meal. He walked to the counter.

“May I help you?” asked the elderly lady.

“A croissant please,” he said, twisting his head around so he could look out the window. He had expected to see the man walking across the street by now, but he was nowhere to be seen. Was it possible Jared had missed him?

He paid for the pastry and sidled up to the window near the door, careful to stay slightly to the side so that anyone walking casually by wouldn’t notice him. There was still no sign of the man.

The crusty bread filled his mouth and somehow brought memories of Cassi. Why couldn’t he get her out of his mind? That morning he had awakened early, thinking to leave before she had a chance to object. But as he passed the living room, he had peered in to see her sleeping soundly, and he knew he had to say good-bye.

She had been disappointed about his decision to see Laranda alone, and maybe even hurt. Jared told himself he would explain later. He would make her understand that he had only been trying to protect her.

The man Jared had been waiting for appeared suddenly, but not crossing the street as Jared expected. He was right outside the bakery window with the boy. Jared drew back further from the window, reaching under his jacket for his gun. Miraculously, the man didn’t see him.

“He was just over there,” the boy’s voice drifted into the shop, “but he’s gone now. You’ll just have to go to the . . .” The voice trailed away, and Jared dared a peek out the window. The man and boy walked over to the tree where Jared had left the money, and the child reached down and brought up something in his hand. The man nodded, satisfied, and left, crossing the street in the direction of the café. The boy stared after him for a moment, and then ran to show his father the money he had earned.

Jared was out the door in an instant, stuffing the rest of the bread in his mouth and walking quickly to match pace with the pedestrians on the sidewalk. There were even more people now to blend in with, but he sighed with relief when he was able to duck into the deserted alleyway. It wouldn’t be long until the thug realized he’d been tricked, and Jared had to be inside the gallery before his pursuer came looking for him. Once he and Laranda notified authorities that the Buddha was safe, they could close in on the gallery and the thugs.

In less than a minute, Jared was at the end of the alleyway, only to come across another man as he turned the corner. They saw each other at the same time.

“You!” the man said in a gruff voice that sounded strangely familiar. He was a big man, and he held out his hands menacingly, though Jared could see no weapon. Jared darted around him and ran toward the back door of the gallery. If he could reach it in time, he’d lock the door. But the man’s hands reached out and grabbed Jared’s duffel bag, pulling him to a stop.

“You got the Buddha?” the man rasped.

Those four additional words were enough for Jared to place the voice. This was one of the men who had been at his apartment the night before. Anger welled within him, and with a burst of energy he tore the bag from the man’s hands and punched it toward his exposed stomach.

“Umph,” the man grunted, reaching for a gun Jared spied in a holster at his back.