All That Glitters
Chapter Four
After the police had finished questioning him, Tidus had
come directly to Rikku's house. He hadn't even taken the
time to return with Gippal, the security guard, to
drop off the golden Sword of LeFevre. First, he needed
to see Rikku and find out if she'd stolen Leblanc Dumont's
blue diamond ring.
All night long, Leblanc had been flashing that
eighteen-carat gem. A few times, she was out of his
sight. Then Tidus noticed the ring was different. It was a
fake. At exactly that moment, Rikku was walking out the
door. She turned toward Tidus and winked as if she had a
little secret.
Damn it! If Rikku stole that diamond, he wanted to know
how she'd done it and why she'd done it at his house.
Since he'd applied to be a foster parent, Tidus couldn't
afford the appearance of impropriety. Why now? Why now
did all these crazy women seem hell-bent on framing him?
He gazed into Rikku's wide blue eyes. "Where's the ring?"
She shuddered. In her tank top and shorts, she seemed
young and vulnerable — almost scared. But Tidus wasn't
misled by her apparent innocence. As a corporate
attorney, he came across his share of wrongdoers who
looked pure as lambs and had the hearts of stone-cold
predators.
"Rikku? Damn it, answer me."
Her adorable freckled nose twitched. Her mouth opened as
if to speak. Then she flung her arms around his neck.
She kissed him.
For an instant, he was too surprised to respond. Then he
felt the supple length of her body. Her breasts crushed
against his chest. The taste of her lips was pure
nectar.
His arms wrapped tightly around her. A growl of desire
rumbled in the back of his throat as he returned her
kiss. His tongue penetrated her lips and teeth. He
hadn't intended to make love to her…not while Gippal
still waited in the car. An unexpected burst of passion
surged through Tidus's veins. Let Gippal wait.
Everything about her excited him. Her scent of musk and
roses. The heat of her body. Her wiry strength and the
silky texture of her red-gold hair.
All of a sudden, she was pushing away from him. "Did you
hear that, Tidus?"
He stood gaping at her. All the blood had drained from
his brain to his groin, leaving him dumb as a tree
stump. "What?"
"It sounded like a gunshot."
Two sharp cracks echoed outside her door. Gunfire!
He ran toward the sound and flung open the door. The
entrance to her carriage house opened onto a cobblestone
alley. Her porch light shone on Gippal. He was down on
one knee, firing into the dark. Wincing, the security
guard stood. He lowered his weapon. "They got away."
"What happened?"
"You called me," Gippal said. "You called me on the
cell phone and told me to come inside."
Of course, Tidus hadn't made that call. "Then what?"
"When I was getting out of the car, somebody hit me
hard. I went down. I was only unconscious for a second,
but it was long enough for them to grab the sword and
run."
"Oh, no," Rikku exclaimed. "The sword was stolen?"
Tidus eyed her suspiciously. Had her kiss been a delaying
tactic to keep him inside? He pulled the cell phone from
his pocket to call the police.
Rikku pointed to the cobblestones beside the rear wheel
of his car. "Look!"
It was a red plastic sunburst — the signature of the cat
burglar.
* * *
The next day in the early afternoon, Rikku returned to
work at Leblanc Dumont's home with two plumbers. Their job
today was the installation of gold-plated fixtures in
the bathroom next to the grotesque bordello bedroom.
Normally, Rikku would have allowed the plumbers to handle
this work alone, but these fixtures were extremely
expensive, and she didn't want to install them without
Leblanc's express approval.
Rikku also had something else in mind. She intended to
get to the bottom of these jewel thefts. The police
didn't seem to be making any headway. In fact, they made
it clear last night that Rikku could consider herself a
suspect.
Last night was disastrous on so many levels. Most of
all, she regretted the timing of that impulsive kiss. At
the time, she was afraid that Tidus might be the thief.
She kissed him to buy time, to distract him. Hah! That
plan certainly backfired! His kiss had thrown her for a
loop. It was the best sensual experience she'd ever had
with her clothes on. Finally, she understood Tidus's
reputation as the most desirable and notorious bachelor
in Denver.
Unfortunately, he now distrusted her. If she ever hoped
to have any peace of mind — or any chance for more
kisses from Tidus — she must find the cat burglar. Her
investigation would start with Leblanc, who was the most
likely person to have slipped the ring into Rikku's
purse.
Wearing exercise spandex, Leblanc slithered into the
bathroom as the plumbers were unpacking the gold
fixtures to be installed on the red marble sink and tub.
She looked none the worse for wear after last night's
supposed assault. The blue diamond ring sparkled on her
finger. "What do you want, Rikku?"
"I need your approval before the plumbers get started."
She glanced at the hardware. "Lovely. One can't go wrong
with gold."
Like the fabled Sword of LeFevre? "I'm glad to see you
have your ring back. I'm shocked that you didn't notice
it missing. How could that happen?"
Her eyes turned cold. "So much was going on. I must have
taken if off when I washed my hands. Or when my doctor
was examining me. Someone must have substituted the fake
then."
"Someone?" Rikku questioned. "Someone who had access to
the ring so a copy could be made?"
"Are you fucking suggesting that I arranged the substitution?
Why in hell would I put my ring into your purse?"
Ah ha! "How did you know it was in my purse?"
"The detective told me," she said. "That doesn't look
good for your reputation. Does it, Rikku?"
"Were you trying to frame me?"
Hands on hips, Leblanc scowled furiously. "Why would I care
about what happens to a little nobody like you?"
Donna sashayed into the room. "Because you're both after
the same man."
Rikku glared at the psychic. If anybody looked
suspicious, it was Donna. Not only had she been at Tidus's
house when the ring was substituted, but she had also
appeared on Rikku's doorstep — which meant she was nearby
when the sword was stolen.
As Donna swirled, a dozen Mardi Gras necklaces clattered
around her throat like a death rattle. "And here he is,
ladies. What a coincidence! It's darling Tidus."
He looked anything but darling. Stern and angry in a
three-piece business suit, tension radiated from him in
palpable waves. "I want you three to be the first to
know. I'm offering a half-million-dollar reward for the
return of the sword."
"Why?" Leblanc asked. "That's far more than it's worth."
"Enough to make a cat burglar think twice," Donna said.
"Especially if the cat is greedy."
When he stared directly at Rikku, she felt hot, blushing
beneath her freckles. She'd be foolish to think she had
a chance with Tidus. But now that she'd tasted his lips,
she was hungry for the entrée.
"Rikku," he said, "I need to speak with you."
Yes! Her heart did a happy dance. He wanted to talk to
her! As she left the room, Rikku glanced over her
shoulder at the other two women. She was sure that one
of them was the cat burglar.
To be continued...
Chapter Four
After the police had finished questioning him, Tidus had
come directly to Rikku's house. He hadn't even taken the
time to return with Gippal, the security guard, to
drop off the golden Sword of LeFevre. First, he needed
to see Rikku and find out if she'd stolen Leblanc Dumont's
blue diamond ring.
All night long, Leblanc had been flashing that
eighteen-carat gem. A few times, she was out of his
sight. Then Tidus noticed the ring was different. It was a
fake. At exactly that moment, Rikku was walking out the
door. She turned toward Tidus and winked as if she had a
little secret.
Damn it! If Rikku stole that diamond, he wanted to know
how she'd done it and why she'd done it at his house.
Since he'd applied to be a foster parent, Tidus couldn't
afford the appearance of impropriety. Why now? Why now
did all these crazy women seem hell-bent on framing him?
He gazed into Rikku's wide blue eyes. "Where's the ring?"
She shuddered. In her tank top and shorts, she seemed
young and vulnerable — almost scared. But Tidus wasn't
misled by her apparent innocence. As a corporate
attorney, he came across his share of wrongdoers who
looked pure as lambs and had the hearts of stone-cold
predators.
"Rikku? Damn it, answer me."
Her adorable freckled nose twitched. Her mouth opened as
if to speak. Then she flung her arms around his neck.
She kissed him.
For an instant, he was too surprised to respond. Then he
felt the supple length of her body. Her breasts crushed
against his chest. The taste of her lips was pure
nectar.
His arms wrapped tightly around her. A growl of desire
rumbled in the back of his throat as he returned her
kiss. His tongue penetrated her lips and teeth. He
hadn't intended to make love to her…not while Gippal
still waited in the car. An unexpected burst of passion
surged through Tidus's veins. Let Gippal wait.
Everything about her excited him. Her scent of musk and
roses. The heat of her body. Her wiry strength and the
silky texture of her red-gold hair.
All of a sudden, she was pushing away from him. "Did you
hear that, Tidus?"
He stood gaping at her. All the blood had drained from
his brain to his groin, leaving him dumb as a tree
stump. "What?"
"It sounded like a gunshot."
Two sharp cracks echoed outside her door. Gunfire!
He ran toward the sound and flung open the door. The
entrance to her carriage house opened onto a cobblestone
alley. Her porch light shone on Gippal. He was down on
one knee, firing into the dark. Wincing, the security
guard stood. He lowered his weapon. "They got away."
"What happened?"
"You called me," Gippal said. "You called me on the
cell phone and told me to come inside."
Of course, Tidus hadn't made that call. "Then what?"
"When I was getting out of the car, somebody hit me
hard. I went down. I was only unconscious for a second,
but it was long enough for them to grab the sword and
run."
"Oh, no," Rikku exclaimed. "The sword was stolen?"
Tidus eyed her suspiciously. Had her kiss been a delaying
tactic to keep him inside? He pulled the cell phone from
his pocket to call the police.
Rikku pointed to the cobblestones beside the rear wheel
of his car. "Look!"
It was a red plastic sunburst — the signature of the cat
burglar.
* * *
The next day in the early afternoon, Rikku returned to
work at Leblanc Dumont's home with two plumbers. Their job
today was the installation of gold-plated fixtures in
the bathroom next to the grotesque bordello bedroom.
Normally, Rikku would have allowed the plumbers to handle
this work alone, but these fixtures were extremely
expensive, and she didn't want to install them without
Leblanc's express approval.
Rikku also had something else in mind. She intended to
get to the bottom of these jewel thefts. The police
didn't seem to be making any headway. In fact, they made
it clear last night that Rikku could consider herself a
suspect.
Last night was disastrous on so many levels. Most of
all, she regretted the timing of that impulsive kiss. At
the time, she was afraid that Tidus might be the thief.
She kissed him to buy time, to distract him. Hah! That
plan certainly backfired! His kiss had thrown her for a
loop. It was the best sensual experience she'd ever had
with her clothes on. Finally, she understood Tidus's
reputation as the most desirable and notorious bachelor
in Denver.
Unfortunately, he now distrusted her. If she ever hoped
to have any peace of mind — or any chance for more
kisses from Tidus — she must find the cat burglar. Her
investigation would start with Leblanc, who was the most
likely person to have slipped the ring into Rikku's
purse.
Wearing exercise spandex, Leblanc slithered into the
bathroom as the plumbers were unpacking the gold
fixtures to be installed on the red marble sink and tub.
She looked none the worse for wear after last night's
supposed assault. The blue diamond ring sparkled on her
finger. "What do you want, Rikku?"
"I need your approval before the plumbers get started."
She glanced at the hardware. "Lovely. One can't go wrong
with gold."
Like the fabled Sword of LeFevre? "I'm glad to see you
have your ring back. I'm shocked that you didn't notice
it missing. How could that happen?"
Her eyes turned cold. "So much was going on. I must have
taken if off when I washed my hands. Or when my doctor
was examining me. Someone must have substituted the fake
then."
"Someone?" Rikku questioned. "Someone who had access to
the ring so a copy could be made?"
"Are you fucking suggesting that I arranged the substitution?
Why in hell would I put my ring into your purse?"
Ah ha! "How did you know it was in my purse?"
"The detective told me," she said. "That doesn't look
good for your reputation. Does it, Rikku?"
"Were you trying to frame me?"
Hands on hips, Leblanc scowled furiously. "Why would I care
about what happens to a little nobody like you?"
Donna sashayed into the room. "Because you're both after
the same man."
Rikku glared at the psychic. If anybody looked
suspicious, it was Donna. Not only had she been at Tidus's
house when the ring was substituted, but she had also
appeared on Rikku's doorstep — which meant she was nearby
when the sword was stolen.
As Donna swirled, a dozen Mardi Gras necklaces clattered
around her throat like a death rattle. "And here he is,
ladies. What a coincidence! It's darling Tidus."
He looked anything but darling. Stern and angry in a
three-piece business suit, tension radiated from him in
palpable waves. "I want you three to be the first to
know. I'm offering a half-million-dollar reward for the
return of the sword."
"Why?" Leblanc asked. "That's far more than it's worth."
"Enough to make a cat burglar think twice," Donna said.
"Especially if the cat is greedy."
When he stared directly at Rikku, she felt hot, blushing
beneath her freckles. She'd be foolish to think she had
a chance with Tidus. But now that she'd tasted his lips,
she was hungry for the entrée.
"Rikku," he said, "I need to speak with you."
Yes! Her heart did a happy dance. He wanted to talk to
her! As she left the room, Rikku glanced over her
shoulder at the other two women. She was sure that one
of them was the cat burglar.
To be continued...
