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To Catch a Thief
Christina Skye
Nell MacInnes can spot a forgery from a mile away.After all, she learned from the best – her father is one of the art world's most notorious thieves. His brutal beating by the very authorities who claim to keep the world safe from harm taught her one more valuable lsson – trust no one. The last thing rugged navy SEAL Dakota Smith needs on his mission is a tempting woman he doesn't trust.But a sketch by Leonardo da Vinci has gone missing, and the art conservator's skill in detecting forgery would be invaluable, if only her ties to the criminal world are as dead as she says they are.Soon an edgy partnership and white-hot attraction are forged between Nell and Dakota as they race to Draycott Abbey to track down a ruthless criminal with terrorist ties before time runs out – and the da Vinci is lost forever.
CHRISTINA SKYE
is code for romance and adventure!
CODE NAME: BIKINI
“A fun, antic read.”
—Publishers Weekly
“When it comes to sexy suspense and high-tech adventure, the Code Name series delivers big time.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Fast-paced action, flashes of humor, and futuristic flavor typify this romantic action-adventure. Fans of the ‘Code Name’ series will enjoy this delicious addition.”
—Kristin Ramsdell, Library Journal
CODE NAME: BLONDIE
“Romantic thrills and adventure from the expert.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Skye is terrific at writing fast-paced adventure romances…a tantalizing addition to the compelling Code Name series.”
—Booklist
CODE NAME: BABY
“Thrilling…fans should eagerly await the next in the series.”
—Publishers Weekly
THE DRAYCOTT LEGACY
“Christina Skye’s delightfully haunting Draycott Abbey tales…pass the test of time, as they remain some of the better romantic fantasies available.”
—Harriet Klausner
Christina Skye
To Catch A Thief
Dear Reader,
Some characters you never forget.
Some stories grip you from the first word, locked deep in the heart. For me, that love struck with a great gray cat, a brooding English abbey and its aristocratic guardian ghost, Adrian Draycott.
I’ve walked through eight books and two novellas set at the abbey now. Each story brings more secrets and the heady scent of rich heritage roses climbing up tower and parapet.
Dangerous magic.
White-hot passion.
Undying love.
How could any writer resist?
And just to keep the tension hot, I’ve brought a rugged Navy SEAL from my Code Name series to the abbey, locked in pursuit of a vicious enemy.
I hope you enjoy the adventure.
See you at the abbey.
Christina
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER-TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
EPILOGUE
AUTHOR NOTE
Acknowledgments
In a world where distances loom large and the handling of books can become vastly impersonal, one group of people makes a daily, hourly difference in the reading experience.
It is my greatest pleasure to thank those extraordinary people here. I refer to all the extraordinary booksellers who cherish and protect the children of a writer’s heart.
You know who you are. But you may not realize how far your influence extends and how deeply you touch the lives of readers every day.
I hope you will accept my heartfelt thanks for all the thousand things you do to care for every new book you unpack from a box or straighten on a shelf.
I also want to send a special nod to Cindi in Wisconsin, Ellen in New Jersey, Sharon in Pennsylvania, Marcy and Tom in Oregon, Beth Anne in Colorado, Sharon in Ohio, Rosemary and Margaret in Australia, Kellie in Hawaii, Terry in Chicago, Penny and Janet in Indiana, Molly in Louisiana, and Phyllis, Kathy and Vicky in Arizona.
You are all totally amazing.
That’s why this one’s for you.
To Catch A Thief
PROLOGUE
Draycott Abbey
Sussex, England
May 1622
THE BOOK WAS THE KEY.
All its dangerous secrets lay inside fragile yellow pages. He had to hide these secrets now, while twelve guests slumbered over their spilled port, with wigs askew. Their sleep would not hold forever, and he must act before their greed and suspicion returned.
In the shadows across the elegant room, the Earl of Wetherton mumbled in drunken dreams, his heavy goblet cracking as his wrist sent the glass flying to the floor.
Motionless, Viscount Draycott studied the ornate walls of the house he knew and loved beyond all logic. As the last candle guttered out, the cynical aristocrat stood in a bar of moonlight, cradling a fine leather book. The weight of history pressed down, filling him with excitement.
And finally with dread.
Such a treasure, a notebook from the hand of Leonardo da Vinci, carried too many secrets. According to the man who had lost the notebook, it was cursed. Equally cursed was the exquisite piece of art now hidden upstairs in his suite. But the memory of the luminous beauty of the art made the viscount forget the danger.
A sudden movement at the drifting curtains made him slip back into the shadows. Who came in stealth through the darkness?
But the figure was only a great gray cat, slipping up the stairs with black-tipped paws, as quiet as the night. Behind the cat the viscount saw a new maidservant, her eyes wide as she crossed the hall, a basket of freshly folded linens in her arms. A cat and the new maid.
