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...
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...
