2. Damon
2
DAMON
I checked my agenda for the morning, frowning when I saw hours blocked off and no name associated with the appointment. I buzzed Jazz, who had an office downstairs. “Jazz, what the hell is this meeting?”
“Oh, um, about that. Can’t say.”
I groaned. “Jesus Christ, Jazz, I told you to check with me before you book just anyone. Especially to come here. You know how I feel about my privacy.” My penthouse in The Park on the Upper West Side had become a sanctuary. I didn’t bring anyone here. With my job, better no one ever get too close.
As far as the world was concerned, I was an art dealer. I found rare pieces all over the world, and it made me rich. People knew my name, but so few saw my face, and I liked it that way. Anonymity was how I stayed breathing.
Only Jazz and a handful of people actually knew my real job. Even fewer knew my face.
“Normally I would. But this is an old friend, and I can’t exactly put him on the books,” she said.
“Who’s the meeting with, Jazz?”
“I told you: an old friend. He’s going to be here in two minutes.”
I didn’t need old friends coming out of the woodwork. I was too preoccupied right now. After several days, I still hadn’t been able to get in touch with my brother.
When the security alarm announced someone at the door, I made my way down to the lower floor of the penthouse. Usually, I only took personal appointments here. Never dates or anything like that; I liked hotels for that. But there were a handful of people I knew well enough to trust letting in. When I checked the security panel to see who it was, my heart lurched a little. “For fuck’s sake, Jazz,” I yelled. “Why couldn’t you tell me who it was?”
I opened the door before the buzzer even rang. “Lucas Newsome? Son of a bitch, what are you doing here?”
I clapped him on the back, and he slapped me just as hard, then pulled back and looked at me.
“Check you out. La-di-da,” he said in a singsong voice. “Looks like you’ve come up in the world since that job we did in Vegas.”
I groaned. Would he never let that go? I’d been trapped under some high roller’s hotel bed for two days while he played a private poker game in his suite and entertained escorts. I shuddered. “Jesus Christ, Vegas was a fucking lifetime ago.”
“Yeah. Imagine my surprise when I went looking for a guy who was great with his hands and Malibu sent me to you.”
I whistled low as I waved him in. “Jesus Christ, no wonder Jazz didn’t tell me. She wanted it to be a surprise.”
From her office, she called out, “Hey, Lucas! I’ll be right out to say hi.” And then to me, she added, “I told you so.”
I rolled my eyes. “One of these days, I need to move her out of the shadows. Give her a shot at normal.”
Lucas laughed. “Nah, you’re never getting rid of Jazz. She runs you.”
He was right. I might kid myself sometimes, but she was my right hand. She knew everything, including where the proverbial bodies were buried.
“Man, what brings you to town? Are you just passing through New York? Obviously, I’ve heard all the stuff about, you know, you being a prince now and shit. I didn’t know you were back, or I would have called you.”
He rocked back on his heels as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, it’s been an adjustment,” he said. “I’ve been going back and forth between the islands and here.”
“I’m sorry about your dad. Are you okay?”
He shrugged. “It’s . . . a confusing time.”
“But, bro, you’re a fucking prince.”
Lucas rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but a prince with my background comes with some baggage .”
I studied him closely. “Fuck, this isn’t a social call, is it?”
He shook his head. “No, it’s not.”
“Jazz, we’ll be in my office.” And by office , I meant my balcony that offered out-of-this-world views of the Upper West Side. “Do you want something to drink?”
Lucas shook his head. “I could probably use a scotch to calm my ass down, but I’m not going to ask for that because I need a favor.”
I winced. “You’re a prince now. What could I possibly do for you? You have the bankroll to hire anyone for a job.”
“Like I said, I need a guy who’s good with his hands. Not to mention discreet and loyal. Know anyone like that?”
As far as skill went, I was one of the best. But there were others. And these days I was pulling back from fieldwork. When it came to discretion and loyalty, I knew why he’d come to me. That thing they said about no honor among thieves was right. Luckily, Lucas and I were actually friends. “And Malibu told you I was still in business?”
He shrugged. “Are you or aren’t you?”
Malibu Law was another friend. I’d been working with her for years. She was an old contact of Paul’s, and she’d helped me out when I’d been in a pinch once or twice after his death. In return, I kept bringing her my best scores to fence.
“Fucking hell,” I said, “what do you need?”
“You know I wouldn’t come asking if it weren’t important. You’re doing well for yourself, obviously. The art game is lucrative, and your hands are cleaner this way. Plus what happened with Reinhart. I know you’re pulling back. But this is urgent.”
Nick Reinhart had worked with me for five years or so, then double-crossed me on a job. To make matters worse, Jazz had been on that job. He’d nearly gotten us killed with his antics. It was one thing to double-cross me on a job; it was a whole other thing to nearly get my people killed.
When all was said and done, two of us had walked away that day. The other one had been left bloody and bruised in a hotel laundry room for the authorities to find.
“Lucas, what kind of jam are you in that you or your fancy royal brother can’t get you out of?”
“That’s just it. That whole being-a-prince thing put a big old target on my back. And my brother’s. Every idiot who feels wronged or wants to test his mettle wants a go at me.”
I handed him a Perrier from the fridge outside, and we both leaned on the balcony railing. “And why do you need the likes of me?”
“There’s this necklace. The Royal Heart. Normally, it goes on display when a new monarch is about to be coronated or when a monarch takes a wife.”
“Isn’t your brother engaged?”
“Exactly. Their wedding is next month.”
I could see where this was going. “Do I dare guess?”
“The Royal Heart has gone missing.”
I whistled low. “For fuck’s sake. I assume he filed the insurance claim.”
Lucas winced. “Um, yeah, that’s the thing. He can’t.”
And here was the rub. The real reason he’d come to me instead of Interpol or somebody official. “Why?”
Lucas shoved his hands in his pockets. “He doesn’t know it’s gone. There’s a Royal Heart there. It’s just not the real one.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Look, two weeks ago, we were talking about the plans for the wedding, right? It’ll be my first official royal gig since his coronation, so it’s a big deal. Sebastian said we’re all going to wear the crown jewels for the ceremony. We were talking about the Royal Heart, and I mentioned that I’d never seen the crown jewels. So we went down to the vault, and he was walking me through everything, and I happened to notice that the fucking Royal Heart is made of glass.”
“Are you sure it was a fake? I mean, the shit was in the vault, right? Who could have taken it?”
“I don’t know, but at some point, someone replaced it. Sebastian said it had been taken for cleaning as soon as he’d announced he was taking a bride. Which was just weeks after he’d let the world know I was his brother. So probably then. Which is honestly how I would have stolen it.”
I shook my head. “Oh, for the love of God. You’re worried he’s going to think it was you, aren’t you?”
Lucas gave me a sheepish smile. “Well, you know, I don’t exactly have the best reputation. He put his crown on the line to legitimize me. But let’s face it, I’m a jewel thief and a con man. He won’t believe me.”
“Just talk to him. He’s your brother. He might understand that you had nothing to do with it.”
He winced. “Except it would seem that the actual Royal Heart is part of the Black Rose Auction coming up in a few weeks. The plan is to get it at the event and put it back like it was never missing. I’ll tell him everything after.”
My eyes went wide. “Are you kidding? This has to be a joke.”
The Black Rose Auction was one of the most exclusive underground auction events in the world. Everything from art to jewelry to virginities were up for auction. It was wild. I’d had a piece or two go through there. The man who ran it was known only as Reaper . He owned a string of exclusive sex clubs. And he was known for his ruthlessness.
Not all auction items were necessarily on the open market. Some were black-market items. This was the auction for the world’s most exclusive commodities—legal and illegal.
“Man, are you sure they have the Royal Heart? Because there’s no way to get into the auction this late.”
Lucas grinned. “It’s like you don’t even know me. I have a way to get into the auction and access the vault. But it’s a Klenman vault. Which means it’s a two-person mechanism.”
I ran my hands through my hair. “That is a tall order, Lucas. And you are good, but you’re not Klenman good. That’s insanity.”
“I know. But I just found my brother. I can’t let him think that I, or possibly someone I know, stole the crown jewels of the Winston Isles. And my future sister-in-law is awesome. You’ll really like her. This is how a royal brother shows his love, Damon. I can’t let her walk down the aisle with some shit that’s not real.”
I stared at him. “Man, I really think you should tell him.”
“I can’t. I need to get it back. If I can’t, I’ll tell him then. But I should at least try and fix it first.”
I sighed. “Look, I’d love to do you a favor, but I’ve got a lot going on right now, Lucas.”
“I know. And you know I wouldn’t ask if I weren’t desperate.”
“I hear you. But you’re forgetting one small fact: we need two people good enough for that kind of vault, and I only know a handful. I’m not even the highest on that list.”
“Obviously, I can fund this little endeavor. I need someone else who’s just as good as you are. I figure it’ll be a three-person gig. Possibly four.”
“Four?”
He rolled his shoulders. “My sister-in-law-to-be, Penny, she’s good with her hands and weapons, and she’s a royal guard. Well, she was... is. I mean, she’s temporarily my personal royal guard until I get my permanent assignment. Anyway, we’re going to attend this auction and try to get the necklace back.”
“You told her?” I stared at him incredulously.
“The thing about Penny is she’s astute. She knew right away while we were walking around the jewels that something was wrong. I told her my suspicions. At first she didn’t believe me, but I proved it. So here we are.”
“You know, I don’t even want to know how you proved it, because a part of me sees you carrying around a jeweler’s loupe with you everywhere you go.”
“You’re not far off.”
“Lucas, I don’t know if I can get involved in this. It’s risky. I’ve survived this long by making calculated moves. I’m putting my livelihood on the line if I do this.”
Not to mention Reaper... Well, he was ruthless and not an enemy I wanted. Every inch of that place would be surveilled, no guests would be allowed weapons, and if we were caught, death would be a mercy. It wasn’t worth it.
“I knew you’d say that. But listen, the plan is solid. If you don’t like it, you can walk. And I’ll sweeten the pot. I know you’ve been trying to reach your brother, Max. You’re not going to find him. But I know where he is.”
I stood up straight then. “What the fuck, Lucas?”
He held his hands up. “I didn’t do anything to him. I just heard through the grapevine.”
“Shit, Malibu?”
He nodded. “Yeah, she had some leverage.”
“Why the fuck didn’t she call me to come and get him?”
“Well, you know Malibu. She’s a fence, so she’s still trying to make her coin. I’m sure if it got really drastic, she would have just called you. But she saw an opportunity, so she’s taking it.”
“Fucking hell. Where is he?”
“Do you remember James Manganiello?”
I stared at him, my heart knocking against my ribs. “No, there’s no fucking way.”
“Apparently the kid is in trouble. He owes Manganiello a favor.”
Fuck, I was going to kill my brother. Manganiello trafficked in favors. Dangerous favors. If he had Max on the hook, Max was going to have to do something that would likely get him killed. And Manganiello didn’t trade in money. I couldn’t just roll up and buy my brother out. Fuck. What the hell was I going to do?
Lucas interrupted my panicked thoughts. “I will deal with your Max problem. Manganiello owes me a favor. I’m willing to use that to help Max out.”
“How big a favor does he owe you, Lucas?”
“Let’s just say I saved his sister from a con man once.”
I shook my head and dragged my hand down my face. “Fuck, was it you? Is the con man in the room with us right now?”
He rolled his eyes. “No. It was my piece-of-shit stepfather. I warned her and got him out of her life. Doesn’t matter. Manganiello owes me a favor now. Hopefully, it’s big enough to buy out Max.”
“Fucking hell.”
“Look, I’ve already got a meeting with Manganiello on the books. All you’ve got to do is find me someone as good as you are for the safe. It’s a simple job. And for what it’s worth, I’m going to get Max out of trouble anyway. You and I go way back.”
I cursed under my breath. “I don’t want to owe you.”
“We’re not keeping tabs, remember?”
“Fine. I’ll do it. But we need someone else. I have a name, but there’s no way it’s going to happen.”
Lucas didn’t seem the least bit concerned. “We don’t know until we ask. Time is of the essence, and we have precious little of it. Who’s the other person you’re thinking of?”
This was such a bad idea for so many reasons. But Lucas and I went way back, and he’d saved my ass once or twice. Besides, after everything he’d been through, the guy deserved a win. I just hoped I wasn’t opening a can of worms right now. “Her name is Ari Denton.”
Ari
I was dead on my feet. Just plain exhausted. My boss, Galen Trent, had wanted a rundown of our team’s last assignment, and I was responsible for the full analysis and breakdown. Our company was contracted by insurance companies and private collectors to recover lost or stolen items.
Last night, our team had recovered a Picasso. Unfortunately, there was also a minor injury due to a shooting. It was a flesh wound that was addressed in the field, but the field agents had to report it and deal with the police. Which had meant paperwork. So. Much. Paperwork. But GT Securities prided itself on expediency, accuracy, and discretion, so I’d stayed late.
Besides, Galen had hired me straight out of an internship that was part of my criminology degree. I’d apparently impressed him with my knowledge of safes and their internal mechanisms. He eventually hired me partly for my unique ability to completely detach from a situation and analyze all angles. To me, it was like a puzzle. And I was good at it.
But tonight had been more complicated. Thanks to having to involve the police.
It meant more paperwork for me, but since taking a bullet had been the only way to walk out with that painting, police were necessary. And the red tape had taken hours to navigate.
At least I hadn’t had to come far to crash. Thanks to Galen, I lived in company housing close to the office. Housing in the city was nuts, but Galen had come to the rescue. My rent came straight out of my paycheck. It made things easy, and I would always appreciate Galen for the option, even though he was getting something out of it too. I had expertise he knew he could use, and he was the only person at my job who knew how I’d developed those skills.
GT Securities had several executive apartments all over the city. I had chosen one in Greenwich Village. It was a fourth-floor walk-up, nothing too fancy, but I loved the neighborhood, and the apartment had lots of windows and natural light. Plus, it was at the heart of NYU, and I loved the vibe.
And I’d made it my own, adding hues of red, orange, and yellow to pick up the light from the afternoon sun with pillows and throws and artwork. In the bedrooms, I’d used more calming blues and greens.
I hung my keys on the hook in my entryway, then toed off my heels before groaning as I scooped them up and placed them neatly in the shoe cupboard. Just as I did, the hairs on the nape of my neck stood at attention, so much so that I reached my hand up to massage away the prickle of awareness.
When it wouldn’t dissipate, I peered around my apartment briefly. My front door locks, all four of them, had been engaged when I came in. I’d had to punch in my keypad code to undo the two dead bolts and the standard locks. No one had come through this way.
Better safe than sorry.
I reached under the entryway table and palmed my tranq gun, then eased the tape away from it. I might not like actual guns, but I did know how to shoot, which was a requirement at GT Securities. I had a license to carry.
Considering how my father had died, I knew I could never put a bullet in someone, but I could sure as hell tranq them. And I had loaded enough tranquilizers in this gun to take down an elephant.
Barefoot, I slowly approached my sitting room, my feet making minuscule sucking sounds as I walked across the hardwood.
Normally I loved the open floor plan of my apartment because it let me see everything at once, but it provided precious little cover if I should need it. It took only a brief stop in the kitchen to peer inside the pantry and I’d covered the entire living area.
My scan said nothing had been disturbed, but there was something wrong about the air. A charge of electricity. I had two choices. The first was to run downstairs to the doorman and call the police. The second was to keep going on my own.
I deserved to be in my own bed tonight, so I kept going. Because maybe this was nothing. Maybe I was imagining the weirdness I was feeling.
You know better than that. Someone is here.
I inched toward the hall bathroom, checked behind the shower curtain, and even knowing it was too small for someone to fit inside, I checked the cabinet too. Might as well be thorough.
I checked the guest room next. The window was small, barely big enough to climb through, although it led onto a small fire escape. I double-checked the lock and found it closed tight. Besides, the security sensor hadn’t been tripped. The cleaning service Galen used for all the units had been through today, so the place was tidy. There wasn’t anything left out of place, so why did it feel like someone had been here?
That feeling was even worse in my bedroom. I had an en suite and a massive window that also led onto the fire escape. I checked under the bed, in my closet, and in the bathroom, but nothing. It wasn’t until I inched by the window to the fire escape that a prickling alarm of dread tickled my scalp again.
Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.
Before I could force my body to heed the warning, a rough hand clamped over my mouth. My head swam, and my pulse bucked and kicked under my skin as panic tried to seize me.
“Easy, Ari Sari, I just want to talk.”
Though my brain wanted to flood my body with relief, I knew enough to be wary. That voice. It was even deeper than the last time I’d heard it. I was suddenly all too aware of my intruder’s size. He was somewhere over six feet tall. I was nearly five foot eight, yet in his hold, I felt petite. Part of that had to do with his broadness too.
With Damon’s chest against my back and one of his arms tightly banded around my waist, I knew the scrawny kid from my childhood was most definitely a man now, with tight, corded muscles and big, broad hands. And goddamn, he smelled the same. Like something earthy, piney, and a little bit spicy.
To my utter horror, I purposely took a whiff.
The hell is wrong with you?
The first time I’d seen him after he left us in that garage, I’d caught him stuffing money in my mailbox at my aunt’s place. A huge wad of it. Like now, in the middle of the night. Trying to be sneaky. We didn’t speak. But all those same emotions bubbled to the surface. Ones I didn’t want. Ones that reminded me of his quick smile and how he smelled.
The next and last time I saw him was when I graduated from college. I was drinking in an off-campus bar after I’d put my aunt on a flight to Florida. He came to give me more money. To help me start my life, he said. But I didn’t want his damned money. And this time I had plenty to say. All those years of resentment and complicated feelings poured right out.
I fully unloaded everything I’d ever felt at him. Yes. Even the schoolgirl fantasies. Including the way his laugh at first had irritated me but then started to make my clit throb. Yes. I told him all that.
In my defense, I’d just graduated with no one else watching besides my aunt. I needed someone to unload on. Anger and longing had produced an odd cocktail that day.
He eased his hold on my mouth but didn’t release me, instead sliding his hand down to wrap around my neck with the barest hint of pressure, letting me know he wasn’t here to hurt me but could if he wanted.
Excellent.
“I thought I told you last time I saw you that if you came back, I would shoot you and then hand you over to the police. Didn’t you believe me?”
“Oh, I believed you. But this is important. So it was worth risking you shooting me.”
I frowned at the change in his tone. Was that—was that idiot laughing at me?
I struggled in his hold, but he just held me tighter. “I’m serious, Ari. I came to talk. When you hear me out, I’ll be out of your hair.”
He waited, his hand poised around my neck, for my answer.
“What the hell do you want?” I asked, sighing in exasperation.
“I need your help. If there were another way to do this, I would. But I have a safe?—”
Before he could finish the sentence, I twisted the hand at my waist, using a pressure point to my advantage.
When he howled and loosened his grip more, I stepped forward, bringing his body with me, then used the momentum to take his body on a proverbial around-the-world journey, twisting his arm up and around, then flipping him over . He groaned as his back hit my rug, but then he was already scrambling back to his feet. I had to be quicker. My heart thumped an erratic rhythm in my chest as I turned to run, but his whiskey eyes locked with mine, bolting me in place, the pale moonlight highlighting the scar on his cheek.
Now that he was all grown up, that scar kept his face from being too pretty. It, along with that sculpted square jaw, only made him more handsome.
I had known he would come back yet again one day. He hadn’t been far from my thoughts since that fateful night eight years ago that changed me and my life forever. Despite his presence being unwelcome and making me miss my father, I did wonder what the hell Damon wanted after all this time. Especially what he wanted badly enough to show up here and wait for me in the dark.
Whatever he wanted couldn’t be good for me.
But maybe it could be fun.
What? No. This was not the time for inappropriate thoughts.
I had no choice. It was either run or fire.
I didn’t hesitate, and there was barely a sound as I easily fired off a round from the tranq gun.
I watched as he staggered back, shock and disbelief crossing his face, and I knew I’d hit my mark.