The Black Sheep and the English Rose (17 page)

“My business expertise lies in the area of setting up the perfect deal between seller and buyer. I'm not in the habit of having to track down errant merchandise.”

“But…you believe we'd be happy to do that for you,” Finn intoned. “For what, a handsome finder's fee? Perhaps you're not aware, but money isn't a huge motivator where Ms. Trent and I are concerned.” He glanced at her, then back at Reese. “We'd rather hold on to priceless treasures ourselves. We're funny like that. So are our clients.”

He felt Felicity glance at him at his use of “our.” Yes, it was a bluff. It could pan out later. Or not. At the very least, it would bring on an interesting conversation with Felicity later. And he wasn't done having those with her yet.

“You can keep the stone,” Reese said, quite seriously.

Both Finn and Felicity looked to Reese, then at each other. “I beg your pardon?” Finn asked, looking back at Reese. “Ours to keep. Just like that?”

Felicity took only a second longer to regroup. Then she clasped her hands around Finn's bicep and tugged a little, a big smile on her face. “Why, that's lovely news, darling!” She looked at Finn. “He said we could keep it.” She looked back to Reese, the smile still on her face, but harder now. “Why ever should we believe that?”

Reese didn't find her nearly as amusing as Finn did. “Hard as this may be to understand, I'm not so much interested, at this point, in recovering the stone, or my percentage. I do quite well. One botched transaction won't send me to the poorhouse.”

“But your reputation—”

“Can take it. This is more…”

“Personal?” Finn queried. His smile grew. “Ah, now I understand. You don't want the stone; you just don't want Ms. Forsythe to have it.”

Reese didn't even pause. “Or profit from it.”

Finn glanced at Felicity. “Seems we're taking on more clients. We should consider hanging a shingle. Dalton & Trent, Professional Treasure Trackers.”

“I'm sure your other partners would be thrilled,” she said. “Although, shouldn't it be Trent & Dalton? Ladies first, brains over brawn?” She turned back to Reese, not giving Finn a chance to reply. “How do we know you're not sending us on a wild goose chase to throw us off the real track?”

“You don't,” he said simply. “Although, generally, when I make a deal, and the deal is done, I move on. What my competitors do about it isn't any of my concern. My role is over.”

Finn considered that, and knew the truth of it. That was his immediate thought when Reese stopped by to see them in the first place. It wasn't his style. “Seems to me a man with your resources would prefer to take on his personal issues personally.”

Even with the distance between them, Finn could see Reese's jaw tighten. “I've been associated with this artifact quite enough. I trust that you'll take care of it. What you do with it once you obtain it is of no concern to me.”

“And Ms. Forsythe?” Felicity asked. “What of her? Any special directives there? Messages you'd care to deliver?”

Reese held their gazes for a few long seconds, then said, “Retrieve the stone. That will be message enough.”

“And what proof would you require for the deal to be considered done?” This was from Finn. He wasn't exactly entertaining the idea of really taking this on, but the more he knew about where Reese's head was in this whole mess, the better for them. He hoped Felicity was of the same mind and wasn't really considering teaming up with him.

“We'll worry about that when you have it.”

“And what is the deal, exactly?”

“I give you my leads, you get the prize.”

“What would keep us from working with Julia ourselves?”

Reese's smile was anything but sweet. “She's already stolen from me. I'm not thinking it would be real smart to team up with her. But, by all means, go for it if you think that's your best shot. It's not like I've got anything to lose. But you certainly do.” He motioned to the open back door once again. “Time is of the essence. Shall we discuss the rest during our ride into the city?”

Finn didn't want to cut Reese loose—yet—but he wasn't too keen on giving the man that much control of the situation, either. He still wasn't sure he was buying Reese's story. But he couldn't come up with an alternate one that would make any more sense. In the end, Felicity solved the problem by ducking past him.

“Come, darling,” she said to him as she glanced back over her shoulder. “Like the man said, time is wasting.”

Finn didn't move right away, so she paused. “Would you like me to go with John and see what we can find while you pursue our earlier plans? We can drop you at the rental agency, then meet up later once things are more sorted out.”

Reese merely smiled.

And Finn swore under his breath, not at all liking where his brain was going with this. Had Felicity somehow contacted Reese? Was this whole Julia thing a red herring to divert his attention from the two Brits teaming up and putting one over on him? It seemed rather an elaborate scheme, when all she had to do was take off the moment his back was turned and meet up with Reese. But this way, they kept him close and his activities monitored…He stared at Felicity's retreating back and wished like hell he didn't have any doubts about her. He wouldn't have thought it of her, but he still hadn't reconciled her alternate life with the woman he thought she was. Of course, as heavily influenced as he was by a fog of pheromones and an almost constant state of arousal, who the hell knew what he was willing himself to believe?

At the moment, the only way to find out was to join her and Reese in the car. He followed her onto the tarmac, palming her lower back as he steered her toward the car. “I should have given this case to Mac,” he muttered.

Felicity laughed as she ducked down and climbed into the car. “And miss out on all this fun?”

“Is that what this is?” He climbed into the car beside her, purposely leaving Reese to take the seat opposite them. “I was having a hard time telling.” He'd briefly toyed with the idea of letting them sit next to each other so he could keep an observant eye on both at the same time, but in the end, his inner Neanderthal won out.

“Funny,” Felicity said, leaning her shoulder against his. “I could have sworn you were having a very good time when I did that little—”

Finn gently squeezed her knee, a bit surprised she'd given that tidbit to Reese, wondering what her angle was. Certain she had one. He chuckled. “Now, darling, let's not talk of such things here and now. He's just been dumped, after all.” He smiled at Reese, who, he discovered, was staring out the window, apparently oblivious to the two of them.

If Finn didn't know better, he'd have guessed that their surprise client wasn't merely pissed off at being swindled. He was hurt. Along the lines of being devastated, actually. Or heartbroken. Or both.

It took a bit to really wrap his mind around that possibility. Sure, they'd thought Reese and Julia had a thing going, but—and maybe it was the whole international man of mystery thing—Finn didn't really see Reese as the sort to fall head over heels for anything that wasn't at least a few centuries old. And worth millions.

He glanced at Felicity, who was studying Reese as well. He subtly nudged her knee with his own. She gave the briefest of nods, without looking at him. So, she'd figured it out, too.

“So why don't you fill us in on the chain of events leading up to the sapphire leaving your possession,” Felicity said, all business now, though she left her hand on Finn's knee.

He liked it there. For once, it wasn't wreaking havoc with his body. But it was doing a little number on his heart. It felt…steadying. Maybe it was for her, too.

“That won't be necessary,” he said, looking to his hands, glancing at them. One brief notice of Felicity's hand on Finn's knee had his gaze drifting back out the window.

Finn actually felt bad about the “dumped” remark now. But, who would have guessed the real truth of it?

“I know where you need to look, or who to start with anyway.”

“Julia,” Finn said evenly, without inflection of any kind.

Reese gave a curt nod, but said nothing.

“So…was there a business deal between you?” At Reese's glare, he clarified. “I need to know the technicalities, not to mention the legalities, of what I'm walking into.”

“Business deals. Personal relationships. They get messy,” Felicity interjected. She glanced at Finn, then smiled quite charmingly. “I know a little something about that.”

Reese didn't respond to that. Instead, he looked to them again, holding their gazes squarely this time. “I chose the two of you because you have the most to gain, and want it the most. Plus, against a team, Julia is less likely to…be persuasive.”

“John—” Felicity began, only to have him cut her off.

“Trust me, Ms. Trent.”

She held his gaze a moment longer, then nodded.

“About the business deal,” Finn prodded.

“It seems you know something of her,” Reese replied. “Tell me what you know, or think you know.”

They didn't have anything on Julia that would be damning to their chances if he was, in fact, playing them in some way. Nothing he didn't already know, anyway. Finn started. “We know she runs a very successful gallery in the city, quite successful given her young age and relatively recent entry into the art world. We couldn't find anything linking her to you.”

“I assume you searched my hotel room.” He didn't make it a question.

“Yes,” Finn responded. “There were lipstick prints on the champagne glass.”

Reese fell silent for a moment; his expression remained unreadable.

“Business partners first?” Felicity gently queried. “Or did that element come into play later?”

Reese looked to her. “Not that it matters here, but I would have to say they rather went hand in hand. As it were.”

“Then this wasn't the first business arrangement you've made,” Finn reiterated. “How long have you worked together?”

He didn't answer immediately, and Finn thought he'd push that off again. So he was a little surprised when Reese said, “For the past year.” He straightened in his seat, seemingly pulling on his mantle of control before their very eyes. “But I don't really see what that has to do with anything. We made a deal. She broke it and used the information we'd shared in setting up the deal for her own personal gain. She stole from me. And I want the item retrieved. Then it's yours. It's as simple as that.”

It was anything but simple. Finn felt the slightest pressure of Felicity's knee against his and pressed back.

It occurred to him that he and Felicity had balanced each other well in this situation. He approached Reese from the professional angle, and she had smoothly gone with the more personal route. They hadn't planned anything, couldn't have, so had just naturally fallen into the most productive approach. Hang a shingle, indeed.

“Do you think she expects you to come after the stone?”

“Or her?” Felicity added. She didn't clarify whether she meant with the intent to get her back…or get back at her.

Reese looked to Finn, then Felicity. “I clearly have no idea what she's thinking in regards to me, but I do know she won't be expecting you.”

Felicity started to ask something else, but Finn covered her hand, still on his knee, and squeezed lightly. It was just as well that Reese was done talking about the personal side of his liaison with Julia. The last thing he needed was for Felicity to sit there and hear all the reasons why their international, wheeling-dealing relationship hadn't panned out. To be honest, given his earlier suspicions of there being a possible partnership between them, he didn't need to hear it either.

Although, at least those questions had been put to rest. If they were playing him, then Reese deserved an Academy Award. For that matter, so did Felicity.

“Where do we start?” Finn asked.

“It would help if you'd explain the deal itself,” Felicity added, on the business angle now, too. “What her role is. Was.”

“I had a backup, to Chesnokov. But I'd missed the window, which meant it was up to me to get it shipped.”

“Julia regularly ships art overseas,” Finn supplied.

“I see you made that connection.”

“It was one of the probables we'd intended to pursue.”

“Can I ask how she gets the pieces out undetected? Aren't there pretty stringent guidelines these days?”

“To a degree. But the pieces moved aren't hidden, if that's what you're referring to. They're legitimately moved.”

Finn leaned back. “Really.”

Reese pinned him with an equally steady gaze. “Really. I know about the rumors, but I work within the bounds of the law. Sometimes just within the bounds. And I can't help it if sometimes those bounds are a bit gray. I work with what I'm given.” Now he leaned back. “But then, that's something you're familiar with, aren't you, Mr. Dalton?”