All That Glitters

Chapter Five

Even after last night's robbery, confusion, and that one

insanely impulsive kiss, Tidus wanted to see her alone.

Rikku considered that a good sign. She joined him in the

corridor outside Leblanc's flamboyantly redecorated

boudoir.

In his business suit, he appeared ready for the cold,

hard world of corporate law. "Walk me to the door," he

said.

She fell into step beside him, descending the pink

marble staircase with a polished brass banister. Outside

on the wide verandah were tall, white columns that put

Scarlett's Tara to shame.

"I need your help, Rikku."

Another good sign! He was willing to trust her. "I'll do

anything."

His eyebrows raised as he gave her a sexy smile.

"Anything?"

"To help you find the sword," she said quickly. "I think

Leblanc is the cat burglar. Who else could have put the

diamond ring in my purse?"

"You're assuming the same person was after the diamond

and the sword."

"There can't be two cat burglars." Actually, there could

be two or four or even more. There could be a whole gang

of cat burglars dashing around Denver, grabbing precious

gems and leaving the red plastic sunburst behind.

"We'll start with your initial hypothesis," he said in a

lawyerly tone. "If Leblanc took the sword, it's probably

hidden in her house. You can help me by looking for it

while you're working here."

She and Tidus were definitely on the same page — the one

that said Leblanc was guilty. "I'll do it," Rikku said.

"If you find anything suspicious, tell me. Don't

investigate by yourself. This cat burglar could be

dangerous."

She nodded. Rikku had grown up on the streets; she knew

better than to stroll blindly into peril. "What made you

decide to trust me?"

"Because you kiss like an angel."

She felt herself blushing under her freckles. "Last

night, you seemed to think I had something to do with

the burglary."

"You thought the same about me. Why?"

How could she explain? Behind his buttoned-down

corporate facade, there was something dangerous about

Tidus. He was unpredictable and edgy. "Donna said you were

a thief."

He shrugged off Donna's accusation. "We only have three

weeks until the Benefit Ball. I want the Sword of

LeFevre back before then."

"The police have been trying to catch the cat burglar

for months. What makes you think we can figure this out

in three weeks?"

"Because…" he leaned toward her and whispered, "You and

I understand what it means to be a thief. To want

something so much that you can't resist."

"Even when you know it might be bad for you."

"We'll be good partners."

Lightly, he caressed her shoulder and arm. He squeezed

her hand, then broke away quickly. Pinpricks of

excitement danced beneath her skin as she watched him

descend the stairs from Leblanc's verandah and step into

the sunlight. When he turned back toward her, he dangled

her wristwatch between two fingers.

He'd stolen her watch. "You're good," she said with a

smile.

With a grin, he tossed the watch back to her and got

into his car.

When Rikku returned to the foyer, she almost tripped over

Donna, who lurked silently inside the doorway. "You were

spying on us."

Donna handed her a tarot card. "From the major arcana.

The Sun."

Rikku stared at the tarot picture of a garden with two

young boys beneath a large sun — as in sunburst, the

calling card of the cat burglar. Before she could

question the psychic, Donna had made her exit.

Slipping the card into her pocket, Rikku returned to

Leblanc's boudoir. There was only one problem with Tidus's

plan for checking out hiding places. Rikku was almost

done with this project. She needed to convince Lily to

hire her for more work — which meant putting good taste

on hold.

In the bedroom, Leblanc stood at the window, frowning at

the drapes. "I'm not thrilled with all this red."

"I'd love to hear your other ideas." Rikku gritted her

teeth. "Your decorating sense is so different and

dramatic."

"Anyone can be beige." Leblanc strutted across the room in

her formfitting spandex. "I'm colorful."

Like an explosion in a paint factory. "Now that we're

almost done with the bedroom, I'm wondering if there are

any other projects."

"My exercise room in the basement seems terribly

cramped. I might consider moving the equipment upstairs

to the sunroom."

"Fantastic," Rikku said. "And, of course, you'll want

more mirrors. And maybe statuary."

"Dozens of mirrors. Come, take a look."

Those were exactly the words Rikku wanted to hear. She

was on the job.

* * *

The next couple of weeks passed in a flurry of intense

activity. Rikku worked at her regular decorating projects

and finalized her sketches for the Benefit Ball

decorations. Tidus's business took him out of town. During

their few, fleeting moments together, they made zero

progress toward catching the cat burglar. Worse than

that, there had been no more kisses.

Two days before the ball, Rikku made a discovery at

Leblanc's house. She telephoned Tidus at his office right

away.

"There's a secret room," she said. "In the basement of

Leblanc's house, a doorway is camouflaged into the

paneling."

"Have you gone inside?"

"It's locked."

"I'll pick you up at midnight," he said. "Wear black."

She was fairly certain that his intention was to sneak

into Leblanc's house. Not a good idea! If they were caught,

her decorating business would be deader than the

proverbial doornail. But the secret room was intriguing.

And a midnight rendezvous with Tidus sounded very

appealing. Or was it? What kind of relationship was

founded on a date that included breaking and entering?

At midnight, she opened her door for Tidus, who was

dressed all in black, looking mysterious — dangerously

seductive. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her

hard, taking her breath away. "I've missed you."

"Tidus, we shouldn't break into Leblanc's house. It's not —"

"Nothing bad will happen. Trust me."

She'd heard those words before from bad companions who

led her directly into disaster. But Tidus was different.

"What kind of corporate attorney does midnight

break-ins?"

"One who understands that doing what's right sometimes

means bending the law. We need to recover the sword.

Proceeds from the auction are going to benefit homeless

children."

When he kissed her again, Rikku's objections faded to a

cautionary whisper. Be careful. He could hurt you in so

many ways.

At Leblanc's house, there was no need to break a window.

Rikku had the key to the front door. Though she had been

here dozens of times, the house had never before seemed

ominous. She and Tidus crept through the moonlit foyer to

the staircase leading down. In the pitch dark basement

hallway, they came to the secret door. The handle and

lock were hidden behind an autographed picture of a

Denver Bronco football player.

With trembling hands, Rikku held the flashlight while Tidus

expertly picked the lock. If she was caught, her career

was over. This was a terrible mistake! She never should

have come here.

They were inside the room. Tidus closed the door and

turned on the overhead light.

To be continued...