l game came easy to her, but he wasn’t the kind of mark she was used to when sent out on errands by her stepfather.
Letting his gaze wander over her every curve, his fingers twitching to touch even the smallest sliver of exposed skin, he crossed to her. “Was it that easy for you with the men Rolf targeted to rob of their prize jewels? A little push. A little peek. Then he’d hand over his passwords?”
She didn’t back away. Instead, she took a step closer so their bodies were only a few inches apart, electricity sparking between them like a transformer on overload. “Pretty close.”
“Did you like it?” Again, his focus dropped to her perfect mouth as he imagined all the things he wanted her to do with it.
As if she knew exactly what he was thinking because she was too, the tip of her pink tongue darted out and wet her lush lips. “The thrill of the adrenaline rush? Yes. The knowing that any man who met me was destined to be either much poorer or dead afterward? Not so much.” Her chin trembled and she closed her eyes for a split second before opening them again and staring up at him with renewed intensity. “Now answer my question. Why not bring me into your little circle of trust with Jasper and Talia?”
A sense that he’d used her too much already? A worry that he wouldn’t be able to keep her safe once he was gone? A fear that the more time he spent with her, the more likely he was to forget the real reason he was on Fare Island? All true, and none of which he could say.
A lie of omission is always better than a straight-up falsehood.
“You’re not an agent,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “No, but my dead body will be sinking to the bottom of the North Atlantic right along with yours if something goes wrong.”
“Nothing will go wrong.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“Never doubt my word.” He’d do what it took. He’d find a way. He wouldn’t leave her swinging between life and death because he’d blackmailed her in to helping him.
“I’m not going to sit back and be only an observer. I’m in this as deep as you are.”
If she were anyone else, he’d be recruiting her to be part of the Silver Knights and sweet-talking her back into his bed as soon as they got to Elskov. She was as brave as she was ferociously determined, and he already knew how deep her loyalties were for those she cared about. But the fact was, she wasn’t anyone else. She was Ruby Macintosh, daughter of one of North Europe’s most powerful crime bosses. There was no future for them, in or out of his bed. He couldn’t give her the freedom she deserved or the job she’d be fucking fantastic at, but he could make her a part of this operation.
“Fair enough, not that we’ve gotten anything out of last night’s work.” A fact that made his head pound almost as hard as Rolf’s must be. “Your stepfather isn’t using his phone.”
Ruby laughed. “Yeah, I saw him going into his office earlier. I almost felt bad for him.”
“He’s probably throwing up his guts in his room now.” Next time he’d half the dosage. “Only Joey’s left in the office.”
“Not for long.” She gave him an ornery grin that promised trouble ahead.
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you forget that I know this place better than you do. There’s more to me than colorful hair and an invitation to Fare Island.”
“Okay, so what do you know?”
“That Joey has never missed a meal in his life. Ever.” She strutted to the door and dropped her hand to the knob. “And that’s not going to change today when its Thursday, and that means his favorite meatballs, rye bread, and pickled gherkins.”
Because of the general pre-wedding chaos, the cook had made a full lunch that a couple of servants had set out on a side table. It was up to each house resident to serve themselves. No one would be bringing a tray to Joey, forcing him to abandon Rolf’s office for the dining room.
“How did you know Rolf wouldn’t be up for an evening in the office?” he asked as he walked over to stand beside her.
“He’s not a big drinker. Chances were slim to none that he’d be as happy as spring sheep today.”
She held her finger up to her lip and peeked around the library’s open door. Lucas had to shift so he stood behind her in order to see. That brought his body in line with hers in a way that made his cock wake up and say hello. With the perfect timing of an executioner, Joey strolled out of Rolf’s office and down the hall toward the dining room. As tempting as it was to stay pressed against her, they couldn’t miss this opportunity. They were out the door as soon as Joey turned the corner.
The office was empty. Shutting the door after Ruby ducked inside, Lucas made a beeline for Rolf’s desk. There were papers everywhere but no calendar. Working in unison without uttering a word, they searched through the stacks for any tidbit about Henriksen, a shipment of guns, or the exchange location, coming up empty on all counts.
Ten minutes later, they stood side by side staring at the desk making sure everything was in the same order as it had been before. Frustration was turning his gut into a seething pool of destructive acid, but he turned the business card for a shady art dealer a fraction of an inch to the left to its original position. This whole operation was turning into a bust and time was running out. They had days, not weeks, before Henriksen got ahold of the weapons and launched his guerrilla campaign on Elskov.
“Maybe the books?” Ruby asked, surveying the bookshelf behind the desk. “He’s not much of a reader, and I always wondered if he kept the books for another reason.”
Thick, leather-bound hardcover volumes with titles like An Academic Deconstruction of Viking Lore and The Great Fjord Battles of 835 ran the length of the bookshelf. None looked like anything that Rolf would sit down with next to a crackling blaze in the fireplace.