even bothering to pay his respects to Lily Covington. He’d send a gift tomorrow to make up for the slight, but right now he needed to clear his head and collect his thoughts to deal with the problem at hand.
The lovely lady strolling along by his side.
She was obviously very confident in her ability to defend herself because she left the museum and took to the streets with that pulse still keeping even time in her throat.
Of course, if MI6 had a file on him then she had backup—if anything happened to her, he would be the likeliest suspect.
Amazing how he could feel so hemmed in on all sides in such a huge city. Ironically, tonight was one of those classic New York nights from the movies. Lights from a million windows sparkled beneath a low-hung moon that cast the city in a star-drenched sheen.
Joshua remembered his first visit to New York—the clichéd kid from the sticks who’d been overwhelmed and impressed by everything. He could still recollect that first trip down Fifth Avenue…and the definitive moment when he’d decided to turn his life around. Ironic that he’d be back in the same city where he’d made that life-altering decision.
So how much of his career had MI6 documented?
Joshua had worked with many powerful men, but he’d allied himself exclusively to Renouf over the past few years for one simple reason—Henri had proven himself the most disciplined.
Joshua admired the man’s skill as a strategist and appreciated his caution. Those qualities had earned his respect, and in a career where risk was the name of the game, Henri’s qualities had lessened those risks dramatically.
Until now, at least.
Joshua had honestly never expected to hear Henri’s name pop out of Lindy Gardner’s pretty mouth. Not that he would let her see his surprise. She already had enough of an advantage without him helping her out.
“Tell me about the White Star,” he asked as they passed under a street lamp.
“I was hoping you’d tell me.”
“To do that I’d have to know something about it.”
“Back to complicity again?”
“So it would seem.”
“Do you deny knowing Henri Renouf?”
“I’m a businessman, Lindy. So is Henri. We’ve done business from time to time. No mystery there. Don’t tell me you didn’t know that already.”
She shrugged, keeping her secrets as close as he kept his. The light of a streetlamp bathed her in a golden glow, another glimpse of this woman he suspected wore many guises, the woman who had changed his life.
No matter how this situation played out, Lindy had changed everything with her investigation. An international tail, even a gorgeous one, was the kiss of death to a man in his position.
Checking his pace, Joshua switched direction. The Star-bucks on the corner was still serving coffee at this hour, but he found himself lured by the night quiet and the sight of the stars glimmering overhead.
Leading Lindy to a nearby bus stop, he motioned to a bench and waited until she sat before settling beside her. He hooked his hands on his knees and stared into the street.
“Why did they assign you this case?” he asked.
“Because I’m good.”
That much he knew already. Lindy sure as hell shouldn’t have known where to find him tonight. Not when he hadn’t even known where he’d take delivery until after visiting Lily Covington this afternoon.
Lindy shouldn’t have known he’d be in New York.
As frequently happened in his business with Henri, the situation with the White Star had arisen unexpectedly. A call on a secure line had signaled Joshua that an acquisition had gone bad in the States, which had come as a surprise.
Henri had worked with Jean Allard before, and the thief had always proven efficient and reliable. Perhaps there was something to the White Star’s curse after all.
Allard had been cursed—by old-fashioned greed.
He’d held on to the amulet and upped his price. Henri had promptly sent in a hit man to deal with the thief. Then he’d sent Joshua to retrieve the amulet.
“What exactly do you want to know about the White Star?” Lindy asked.
“Anything you can tell me.”
“It’s an interesting piece. I’d never heard of it before. Seemed a little tame for Renouf, so when we got word he was connected to its theft from a high-end auction house, I wasn’t convinced my intel was accurate.”
“What convinced you?”
“You did.”
Joshua responded with a noncommittal nod. “You’re not accusing me of stealing, are you?”
“Of course not. The local authorities found the thief floating in the East River. They’re calling his death a random murder. You and I know better, don’t we?”
“Do we?”
She nodded patiently. “We do. The White Star’s theft went pear-shaped, and you’re here to pretty things up so the trail doesn’t lead from the thief to the man who hired him—Renouf.”
“Are you accusing me of murder?”
“Your arrival doesn’t coincide with the time of death, so you’re out of the running for that crime.”
“How convenient for me.”
“Very.” Her sultry eyes narrowed and she grew tense around the edges. “What I don’t know is where the White Star is now. The local authorities obtained the amulet from the bank’s security guard, but it seems to have disappeared from the precinct property room, where it was being held as evidence. I’ve questioned the officer associated with the case. He doesn’t have a clue. But you’re here, Joshua, so I did the math. Your appearance summed up the situation nicely.”
Unfortunately, it did, which meant this woman wasn’t bluffing. “Why do you think Henri Renouf wants the White Star if it’s not his typical fare?”
“You tell me. You know the guy.”
Joshua didn’t expect the question, didn’t expect her to admit she didn’t know. Lindy wasn’t playing this game the way he would expect an agent to play, and that kept throwing him. Her deal threw him—whether it was real or a double play. And then there was the disappointment he felt because she was turning his life upside down to get to Henri.
Would he rather she had chased him down that hallway because she’d been interested in him?
The thought almost made him laugh. He wasn’t normally sentimental. But this woman seated beside him provided a very beautiful reminder that tonight wasn’t normal by any stretch.
“I don’t know why
