I was surprising everyone today. “I need to talk to you, Nate.”
“Is Milly okay?” I hesitated a little too long, and Nate added, “Oh, my God!”
“He’s fine,” I said quickly. “But I need you to let me up to the house.”
There was a long silence, and then the gate clicked open and swung wide.
The leathers had been a good choice for another reason, I found out, when Nate opened the door and his eyes went wide at the sight of me. Hopefully lust might make him more agreeable.
I kicked the stand on the bike and jogged up the steps. “Has he called you?” I asked without preliminaries. Luckily, Nate was still too distracted by my appearance to play offended at my abruptness.
“No,” he said sadly, even as his eyes wandered over me. “Do you want to come in?”
“Miller sent me to pick up that thing you were holding for his sister.” I didn’t like lying, but it would take less time in the long run.
A slight frown tugged at Nate’s manicured brows. “Oh…”
“Nate,” I said, putting a hand on his shoulder, “this is important, and I don’t have much time. Go on now and get Annie’s package for me. I’m going to take it to Miller. And—” Oh, I hated myself for a moment. “And I’ll make sure he calls you tonight.”
Nate’s deep brown eyes brightened and he gave a quick nod. Five minutes later, I was holding a cloth bag stamped with a boho-vegan supermarket logo, which was wrapped tightly around an unwieldy lump.
“Don’t lose it,” Nate said, biting his lip. “Annie said it was pretty valuable. Um. She told me not to look inside, but I…”
I had already tipped the heavy, tissue-papered interior out and seen the rip in the packaging. I spread it wider, confirming my suspicions. Caroline Castellani’s sapphire necklace.
Anaïs Beaumont had given it to Nate in lieu of cash, and asked him to hold it for her.
She’d put a damn target on the kid, and he’d been completely oblivious.
“If anyone ever asks, Nate,” I said, giving him the full force of my stare, “youneverlooked. You never had this in the first place. Okay?”
With that, I turned to leave, bundling the package back up as I walked and tucking it into my leather jacket. I pulled the zipper back up all the way and re-mounted the bike.
“Wait!” Nate called, jogging down after me, as I pulled my helmet off the handlebar to put it back on. “Is he really okay? Milly? Will you really get him to call me?”
I looked at him, at the earnest worry in his eyes, and reached out to squeeze his shoulder. “You’re a good friend, Nate.” I tugged my helmet down and started the bike. The roar of it made Nate stand back and I touched my helmet in a goodbye, then took off.
* * *
I arrived at Redwood Manor under the suspicious glare of the guards both at the bottom gate and those at the main house when I reached it.
“Boss hasn’t asked for you,” the head guard groused at me as he frisked me and removed my weapons. “You keep turning up unannounced, Jacopo, I’m gonna get cranky.”
I shoved him away and looked him straight in the eye. “You keep wasting my time,I’mgonna get cranky.”
He moved a few steps back. “What’s that you got in your jacket? Open up and show me.”
“No. Boss’s eyes only.”
We wasted a few more seconds glaring at each other and then he waved me into the house. “You start any trouble in there, you’re not gonna walk away,” he called after me.
The butler was there as usual, waiting with the same pained expression he always wore. “You are here to see Mr. Castellani, sir?” he said with a weary tone.
“That’s right.”
“I’ll see if he is available,” he said stiffly. “However, he is expecting guests for the evening…sir.” With that, he withdrew.
So far, I had to admit, it had been a pretty mild reception.
