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...