The Russian's Tenacious Lover (12 page)

And with those ominous words, the old man walked away from him, leaving Thomas wondering what had just happened. He frowned, the roiling feeling in his gut quite new to him. Before he did a job, he usually felt a twinge of nervousness, but this sudden sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach was something he’d never hitherto experienced.

Then he was stepping from the porch onto the circular drive, where their car awaited. He caught sight of Glynis as she threw him a look over her shoulder, ascertaining his presence. The moment their eyes locked, she looked down, then turned her head away, but in that brief moment, the roiling sensation in his gut only became stronger, and he wondered if life could get any weirder than this?

CHAPTER 22

Even though Glynis had been there before, she was still impressed with the Mamykin mansion when they finally arrived. The drive had been only half an hour. For some reason, Hugh seemed annoyed, and between him and Thomas an uncomfortable silence had been erected.

Jenn, too, usually so gay and full of zest and zip, had opted to clothe herself in regal silence. Glynis didn’t mind. The brat had a big mouth and would do well to keep it shut for just one hour, she felt.

She stole an occasional glance at Thomas. Was he nervous? She couldn’t tell. She wouldn’t have thought him capable of experiencing that particular emotion. After all these years of breaking into people’s homes, she thought he was immune, but apparently even he was affected by the task at hand.

Before sliding down the central staircase of the Fox home, she’d dropped in to see her mother. The nurse said she was doing fine, that she was sound asleep and resting peacefully.

She’d sat by her mother’s side for several minutes, holding the woman’s hand. She’d become used to her non-responsiveness, and had prayed briefly, then addressed her mother in soft tones. She’d told her they were going to bring her treasured necklace home.

Then she’d promised that the man who’d stolen it would pay the price, though at that point she was uncertain what it consisted of.

At the outset, she had intended to engage Thomas’ services, willingly or not, and force him to return the pearls. As soon as that was accomplished, she was going to arrest him and have him processed by the Yard. Of course, when she’d drawn up the plans, she’d had no idea of the effect the man would have on her.

She was still uncertain how she felt about him even now, though she had to admit he’d gotten under her skin, and into her heart, to an extent she hadn’t thought possible.

As they alighted from the car in front of the Mamykin mansion, all thoughts of the future were lost when she witnessed the splendor of the ancient facade, basking in warm light. With its slightly gothic design, the turrets and battlements provided an ancient aura to the place. The front portico already crowded with people, the men in dapper tuxedos, the women resplendent in stunning dresses, framed against the backdrop of the light flooding the courtyard from inside the ornate hallway.

It looked like something from a fairytale, she decided, and reminded her of the parties her parents used to throw. The last few years she’d avoided all social gatherings, giving preference to her work and the care of her mother.

Now the memory of all those splendid evenings came back to her, and she gasped at the splendor of it all.

“Quite impressive,” remarked Thomas as he placed a hand on the small of her back. His touch sent shivers of delight racing up her spine, and instead of turning away, she allowed him to lead her to the front steps.

Jenn was entirely too busy greeting friends to notice her designated lover was steering another woman into the Mamykin mansion, and Glynis was happy for it. After tonight, her association with Thomas Spencer would be over, and the only time she’d see him again would be when she processed his fingerprints.

“What’s the plan?” she whispered.

Thomas had remained aloof on the subject, seeming to feel that revealing the intricacies of his master plan was foreign to his modus operandi. She didn’t mind. The less she was involved, the better for both her and her father. They were, after all, no master thieves.

“Shh,” he merely said, and the caress of his lips against her earlobe sent a ripple of pleasure tingling up her skin.

Then he placed his lips on her cheek and the touch filled her with that small touch of magic the evening needed to make it complete.

She knew she should resist him, but a sudden rashness had taken hold of her. She figured that if this was their last night together, and Tom’s last night of freedom, she might as well make the most of it. Even if it was only to spite that ridiculous brat Jennifer Crocket.

Speaking of which… “Where’s Jenn?” she asked, searching around.

“Socializing. Why? Do you miss our bitchy little friend?”

She threw him a look of indignation that should have frozen him in place. Instead, all it elicited from the infernal man was a cheeky grin.

“I just don’t want her to screw up this job. If her task is to remain by our side, that’s where she should be.”

“She’ll do as she’s told. I asked her to distract Rostislav, and that’s exactly what she will do.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to steal back your pearls. Isn’t that what you want?”

“It is, but I’m not entirely sure what you expect from me.”

“Make yourself available to me. That’s all I want, Glynis.”

These words, accompanied by a dark look, almost made her giddy. Instead, she directed a regal look at the throngs of people milling about inside the main ballroom. She recognized quite a few of them, and when a waiter floated by with a tray of champagne flutes, she gratefully accepted one from Thomas and put the bubbly to her lips before she lost the nerve to mingle. Even though these people were her peers, she hadn’t seen most of them in years, and being a police officer certainly hadn’t augmented her social status in these circles.

“You look positively uncomfortable,” Thomas softly remarked.

“I really don’t want to be here,” she said, spotting an old friend and directing a smile at her. The friend didn’t come over, which told her exactly how she must feel about her. “Most of these people don’t like me very much.”

“Why is that?”

She lifted her slender shoulders in a dismissive gesture. “I’m a copper, remember? For some reason, they seem to feel it’s beneath them to associate with an officer of the force. And then of course I might know things about them. Things they’d rather hide.”

“Things like?”

“Tax schemes. Business deals. Who knows? Just their imagination, I’m afraid.”

“But perhaps you
do
know all their secrets,” he suggested.

“Even if I could find out, I wouldn’t care. All I’ve ever cared about—”

“Was catching the elusive Shadow,” he completed her sentence. He discreetly turned her, his hand wandering along her arm. “And now that you’ve got your man, what are you going to do with him?”

She blinked at his intense scrutiny. “I—I don’t know yet.”

His lips twitched up into a smirk. “Liar. You’re going to turn me in, aren’t you? Make sure I pay for my crimes.” He shrugged. “I suppose it’s only fair.”

“You’re still going to pull off this job, aren’t you?” She didn’t like the way their positions had reversed, her in the role of the beggar, he bestowing the gifts.

His eyebrow shivered. “I told you I would, didn’t I? I may be a lot of things, Glynis, but I’m not a liar.”

With these words, he suddenly pushed closer, and placed a kiss on her temple, then whispered, “Come. It’s time.”

She searched around for her father, then saw him chatting amiably with Lord Crocket. Following in Thomas’ footsteps, she noticed her heart rate had skyrocketed. She wondered how he managed to remain so calm and poised. They hadn’t even started on the job yet, and already she was a nervous wreck.

Then they were streaking down a long corridor and sweeping along a portrait gallery that held the most hideous portraits of the most hideous people. Rostislav Mamykin’s relatives, she surmised.

She noticed the gallery was devoid of people, and wondered if Rostislav wouldn’t keep any guards around. But before she could voice the concern, they’d arrived at the end of the corridor, and Thomas was bringing out a small pouch and selecting a gleaming metal pick. Fascinated, she watched as he inserted the pick into the lock. Mere moments later, they were inside. He drew her in, then closed the door.

He flipped a switch, and she saw that they’d entered a small bedroom.

She stared dumbly at the bed. It was small and simple. Nothing fancy, and definitely out of place in the house of the richest man in Britain. The room itself was equally spartan. Four whitewashed walls, a small cross suspended over the bed, a crooked side table serving as a nightstand, a sagging cabinet the only item of furniture.

“Where are we?” she asked, hardly believing this would be Mamykin’s bedroom. Unless the man liked to live like a monk. Somehow, she doubted it.

He didn’t reply, quickly walking over to the bed and testing it.

She frowned. What was he up to?

“I don’t think the safe is in here, Tom.”

He gazed up at her. “No, it isn’t. But it’s a start.”

“A start? A start of what?” He wasn’t making any sense.

He gestured to the bed. “This is where it all started for Rostislav. This is the bed the great man was conceived in.”

“Come again?”

Thomas grinned. “This isn’t merely a bedroom, darling. This is the first exhibit in the Mamykin private museum. Everything you see in here is exactly the way it was when Rostislav was conceived. He has several rooms in this mansion, all representing key moments in his life. Going from room to room is like taking a journey back in time, revisiting Mamykin’s journey through life.”

He frowned as he surveyed the sparse space. “I’m sure that somewhere along this route the pearls are kept. Rostislav doesn’t keep a central vault like most people do. He likes to scatter his wealth across the mansion, hiding it in plain sight. He believes that by scattering priceless gems along his life’s journey, he will make sure he not only keeps his current wealth, but adds to it, as well.”

“The man is crazy!” she exclaimed.

Thomas shrugged. “Eccentric, to be sure.”

“But where are the pearls? You must have some clue?”

“All I know is that he told me he would keep them close to his heart.” Thomas pointed to the bed. “His heart has always been with his mother, so I figured Mrs. Mamykin’s former bedroom might not be a bad place to start.”

Glynis stared at the bed, then back at Thomas. Christ, she thought. They really had their work cut out for them.

“How many rooms are there?”

“One for each key moment in Rostislav’s life. Twelve in all.”

Her courage dropped to its lowest ebb, then she rebounded. Walking up to the bed, she crouched down to look underneath. “Let’s get a move on, then,” she suggested, peeking under the bed and finding nothing.

“As you say,” agreed Thomas lightly. “Let’s get a move on.”

CHAPTER 23

They’d searched everywhere, and still hadn’t found a clue as to where the pearls might have been hidden. Thomas distinctly remembered Rostislav telling him he kept the pearls close to his heart, and since this room represented his heart as much as any of the other eleven, he was certain they were in here somewhere.

Finally, hidden inside the bedpost, he found them.

Tapping it with his knuckle, he discovered it hollowed out.

With a surge of excitement, he studied the top closely, then slipped a small pen knife from his pocket and dug into the seam. The top came off easily, and when he shone down his penlight, he found the purple pouch.

Lifting it out gently, he opened it.

“You found them!” cried Glynis happily, and was by his side to join in the excitement.

He felt the shivers of anticipation running up and down his body, the customary thrill of the find never tiring, and now could see it on her face as well. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes wide and sparkling with anticipation.

He peeled open the flap of the pouch and a ruby, big as an egg, rolled onto his palm.

“Wow,” said Glynis in a low voice, the astonishment at seeing the rare gem drowning out her disappointment. “That’s one hell of a gem, Tom.”

“It is,” he murmured, studying the stone carefully. It was flawless, its heft and cut conveying a value of over ten million pounds sterling. “And quite valuable, too.”

Staring down at the gemstone, he felt its allure—the temptation to let it slip into his pocket. Looking up, he could see the same sentiment reflected on Glynis’ face. She, too, felt the stone’s magical power exerting its pull.

“Want to snatch it?” she suggested, and he lifted a brow in surprise.

Then, realizing she was way out of line, she put one hand over her eyes and waved with the other. “Put it away, Tom. Put it away before I lose control!”

“So you’re feeling it too?” he muttered.

“Yes, yes, I feel it!” she admitted. She was clearly annoyed at having been caught coveting another’s property. Not a good quality for a Scotland Yard cop, Thomas thought, and smiled to himself. Then he tucked the stone back into its snug pouch and pushed it back inside the bed post, securing the top and stepping away with a sigh of wistfulness.

“Such a nice gem,” Glynis murmured beside him, and for a moment they stood spellbound. Then Thomas found her hand sneaking into his, and as he whirled her into his arms, they both descended upon the bed, his lips crashing down on hers, and his body pinning her down, a sudden heat enveloping them and holding them in its fiery grip.

“God, Tom, please take me,” she breathed. “Do me right here and now!”

Surprised by the vernacular, Thomas decided that perhaps ‘doing’ it in Mother Mamykin’s bed was not the best course of action right now, but the fire that held her in its grip extended to him, and even as he thought this was too risky, he was already throwing caution to the wind, and then his hand was slipping aside the front of her dress, and cupping her naked breast in his hand, drawing a gasp from her at the sensation of flesh on flesh. Their mouths connected, and her tongue stole into his mouth, exploring and eagerly offering herself to him.