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“Then how do you know I didn’t give the ring back?”
“Because you’d be a fool to give away that kind of security now that your career has—shall we say—suffered some setbacks.”
There it was again, the barest hint of disapproval, and this time Cassie was a little annoyed by it. “How is it you seem to know so much about me?” she demanded.
“I make it my business to know everything about the people involved in the cases I’m working. I don’t like surprises.”
Then brace yourself, mister.
But Cassie wasn’t yet ready to come clean with Jack Fury. A part of her wanted to trust him because, after all, what was her alternative? Jump back into the water? They were too far out for her to swim to shore, and if she hailed another boat, how could she be certain she wasn’t flagging down the real jewel thief? If he even existed.
But that wasn’t the real reason Cassie kept silent. To be honest, there was something deeply thrilling about being the object of Jack Fury’s attention. And once he found out she wasn’t Celeste, she’d be about as interesting to him as yesterday’s catch.
He was just so different from anyone Cassie had ever met before. She’d known there was something special about him the moment she’d set eyes on him at Metro. But she’d thought at first her attraction stemmed from the effortless way he blended into the arty world to which she’d always hoped to belong. Now she realized it was something else. Her thirst for adventure—for something more—drew her to him.
She’d been starved for life for far too long, and now Jack Fury, with a story as improbable as his hair color, promised her a feast.
Cassie thought back to that night at the restaurant, the little game they’d played with one another, and she shuddered.
The attraction was still there, no question about it. She just wasn’t sure what to do about it.
Her mind raced with the possibilities. “What about the boat?”
“What about it?”
“Do you think your jewel thief had something to do with the explosion?”
He hesitated. “That’s what I intend to find out.”
He turned away from her then, and Cassie saw his hand snake out to grab something from underneath a towel on one of the seats. He was so quick about it that she had only a brief glimpse of something dark and metallic, but she knew instinctively that it was a gun.
So he was armed and, for all she knew, dangerous. And here she was alone with him on the high seas.
A measure of common sense returned. Adventure was one thing, but deliberately placing herself in imminent peril quite another.
What did she think she was doing? How could she even consider starting something up with Jack Fury? She knew nothing about the man. She didn’t even know if he was a real cop. What if he’d made up the whole Interpol-jewel thief story? What if, instead, he was some kind of…stalker?
Maybe he’d blown up the boat, just so he could rescue her. Get close to her.
Cassie had seen a similar scenario in a movie once. A psycho who’d set up all kinds of bizarre situations just so he could be near the object of his fascination.
Jack Fury might be a little on the strange side, but to be fair, he hadn’t done anything truly psychotic. Although Cassie was pretty sure he’d been staring at her breasts earlier, but she could hardly blame him for that. Her new Brazilian swimsuit was pretty skimpy, and truthfully, she might have been a little disappointed if he hadn’t snuck a peek.
Still, why had he told the man in the other boat that he’d called the coast guard when he obviously hadn’t?
Unless…he hadn’t wanted the others to call…
Because…he had something to hide…
Come to think of it, Cassie wasn’t all that keen on involving the authorities, either. Ethan Gold had made arrangements for Celeste to have the use of his boat, but Cassie wasn’t Celeste. Technically, she’d taken it out without Professor Gold’s permission, which meant that if he pressed charges, she could end up in jail. Or be forced to cough up the dough to reimburse him for damages. In either case, she’d be in deep doo-doo.
But back to Jack Fury…
He didn’t appear crazy or perverted, thank goodness. Then again, neither, apparently, had Ted Bundy.
But try as she might, Cassie just couldn’t picture a psycho killer in a pair of lime-green board shorts.
She couldn’t exactly picture an Interpol agent in a getup like that, either, but that didn’t stop her from appreciating the way those shorts hugged his lean hips and accentuated the ripple of subtle muscle in his abs and chest. The way they rode so low that with just a little tug…
What in the world had gotten into her? She’d just destroyed someone’s boat, barely escaped with her life, and now here she was, moments later, lusting after the guy who’d pulled her out of the water.
A guy who claimed to be an Interpol agent on the trail of an international jewel thief.
If Cassie bought that, he probably had a nice little bridge in Brooklyn he’d like to sell her, too.
CHAPTER SEVEN
A FEW MINUTES later they were back at the marina, and Cassie hopped out of the boat to help Jack tie off. “What do we do now?” she asked anxiously.
Jack grabbed a nylon bag from one of the seats and dug around for his cell phone. “I’ve got a buddy who works for the Galveston Police Department. I’ll see if I can track him down and get him over here.”
“What about the coast guard?”
“The coast guard knows how to reach me. Right now I want to talk to the locals first.”
After he made the call, they walked to a seaside restaurant near the marina to wait, and Jack guided her to a booth near the back. He took the seat facing the door and ordered coffee for both of them. They talked quietly until his friend arrived a short while later.
“There’s Vargas,” Jack said as he spotted the cop at the door. He slid out of the booth. “Excuse me for a minute. I want to fill him in on what’s going on.”
Or warn him not to say too much, Cassie thought uneasily. She turned and watched Jack stride to the front of the restaurant. The man he spoke to looked to be in his midthirties, dark hair, dark eyes, and the kind of good-humored expression that made you instantly like him.
He glanced toward the back of the restaurant, and when his gaze met Cassie’s, recognition and something she couldn’t name sparked in his black eyes before he turned back to Jack.
They conferred for a few minutes longer before joining Cassie. Jack made the introductions. “This is Sergeant Vargas with the Galveston PD. Celeste Fortune.”
Vargas nodded and reached to shake Cassie’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Fortune. Jack’s told me a lot about you.”
Her brows lifted in surprise. “He has? Just now?”
Vargas grinned. “He’s a real fast talker, our Jack.” He clapped Jack’s shoulder. “Mind if I have a minute alone with Miss Fortune?”
Jack frowned. “Is that really necessary?”
“I think so.”
Jack hesitated, obviously displeased by the sergeant’s suggestion, then he shrugged and backed off.
Vargas waited until Jack was out of earshot, then he took the seat across from Cassie. “Jack tells me you ran into a little trouble today. Care to tell me what happened?”
Nervously, Cassie toyed with her cup. “I’ll tell you what I know, which isn’t much. But first…I wonder if I could ask you something.”
When the waitress brought Vargas over a cup of coffee, he thanked her politely, then immediately refocused his attention on Cassie as he stirred a packet of sweetener into the liquid. “What is it?”
“Could I see some identification?”
He looked surprised by the request, but he obligingly hauled out his badge and ID and allowed Cassie to scrutinize his credentials.
Satisfied that he really was a cop, she glanced up with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. It’s just…I don’t really know Jack Fury very well. I only have his word that he’s who he says he is. Unlike you, he wasn’t willing to show me any identification, but I take it you know him? You can vouch for him?”
“Jack?” Vargas took a careful sip of his coffee and grimaced. “We go way back. Worked a case together five years ago and we’ve been buddies ever since.”
“Then he really is a cop?”
His gaze met Cassie’s over the rim of his cup. “He was one of the best when I worked with him.”
She sat back in relief. “That’s good to know. All that business about an international jewel thief…Interpol…I didn’t quite know what to believe.”
Vargas’s expression turned sober. “Here’s what you can believe, Miss Fortune. If Jack Fury thinks you’re in danger, you’d better listen up. He has the best instincts of any cop I ever knew. His investigative techniques may be a little unorthodox, but I learned a long time ago there’s usually a method to his madness. And as for his integrity…I’d trust him with my life.”
He sounded so sincere, Cassie couldn’t help but believe him. She nodded gratefully. “Thanks.”
“Now let’s get back to you,” Vargas said briskly. “Tell me what happened today.”
“There isn’t much I can add to what Jack told you on the phone. The boat I took out earlier exploded in the Gulf. I don’t know how or why. All I know is that one minute everything seemed fine, and the next thing I knew, it was in flames.”
“You were in the water at the time?”
“Yes, I…” She glanced down. “I dropped something in the water and I jumped in to get it. That’s when it happened.”
“Lucky timing.” Vargas stirred another packet of sweetener into his coffee. “The boat is registered in your name?”
“No. It belongs to a man named Ethan Gold. But I had his permission to use it,” she rushed to assure him. “I’m staying in his beach house this weekend.”
“Where can I reach Mr. Gold?”
“It’s Professor Gold. He teaches drama at the University of Houston. But I’m…not sure where he is at the moment.” Cassie was treading in dangerous water. She had to be careful because if she admitted who she was, all sorts of questions would ensue. And possibly a few legal entanglements as well. She might even be thrown in jail until her cousin surfaced to vouch for her.
If she surfaced. Cassie was no longer certain that she could count on Celeste to bail her out of trouble. Truth be told, she was no longer certain of anything. What had started out as a harmless charade had suddenly turned very deadly, and Cassie didn’t know what to do. Who to trust. But until she had a chance to think things through, maybe even confer with an attorney, self-preservation told her to keep her mouth shut.
“Professor Gold is out of town this weekend,” she explained. “I don’t know where he is.”
“Do you have his home address?”
“Not with me. I’m sure I have it somewhere back at my hotel. I think he lives in the West University area.”
He glanced up. “You think? You don’t know?”
Cassie tried to shrug casually. “We’re not that close. He was my drama professor years ago. We’ve kept in touch sporadically through phone calls and letters, but I haven’t actually seen him in quite some time.”
“But he offered you the use of his beach house and boat. Sounds to me as if you two are still pretty close.”
“Not really. He’s…a very generous man.” Cassie had no idea if Vargas believed her or not. She could read nothing from his expression.
Very deliberately, he stirred even more sweetener into his coffee. “Did he ever mention any trouble he might be in?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know anyone who might want him dead?” Vargas said bluntly.
Cassie gasped. “Dead?”
“Boats don’t just explode for no reason, Miss Fortune. If Professor Gold wasn’t the target, then we have to assume that—”
She was. Or, more accurately, Celeste. A shudder ripped up Cassie’s spine. She had the sudden urge to tell Vargas everything, but the fear of repercussions—namely, jail—held her back.
“Is there anyone who would want to harm you, Miss Fortune?”
“I…don’t know.”
His gaze darkened as he leaned toward her. “If I were you, I’d give the question a great deal of thought. Like I said, boats don’t just explode.” He scooted out of the booth and stood. “In the meantime, I’ll need the professor’s address and phone number. Have Jack give me a call when you get back to your hotel.”
Cassie glanced up. “That’s it? That’s all you need from me?”
His gaze bore into hers. “Unless you have something more to tell me.”
“Uh, no, I’ve told you everything I know,” Cassie said nervously. Even though his expression remained neutral, she had a feeling he could see right through her.
But all he said was, “I’ll be in touch.”
Cassie turned to watch him leave. Just outside the door of the restaurant, he stopped to have a word with Jack who had changed from his swim trunks into jeans and a casual shirt. He and Sergeant Vargas conversed for several minutes, then Vargas disappeared and Jack entered the restaurant.
Cassie turned quickly and pretended she hadn’t been watching them. When Jack approached the table, she made a point of staring out the window.
“Ready to go?”
She turned. “Go where?”
He shrugged. “Back to Houston, I guess. I’ll give you a lift. You still look too shaky to drive.”
“But I have a rental car…and the keys were in my bag on the boat.” Along with her driver’s license and some spare cash. Without money or wheels, Cassie would have no way of getting back to the hotel. Unless she called one of the Cantrells to come get her, and hell would freeze over before she’d do that.
There was nothing to do but accept Jack’s offer.
“You can call the rental company from the hotel,” he said as she slid out of the booth.
He took her elbow as they left the restaurant, and in spite of the warning bells he set off, Cassie shivered at his touch.
* * *
