Page 28 of Dragon’s Rogue

“Maybe yes, maybe no,” he said, flirting back. “But I have been keeping one from you. I have someone coming tonight who is very much hoping to meet you.”

He let that dangle, watching her face. Her heart lurched, though she managed to keep her expression serene. Years of practice.

“How mysterious,” she said, accepting a refill of champagne from a passing waiter. “I’m on tenterhooks.”

Jean-Claude just smiled.

Blaze’s heart was racing. Had the coven tracked her down already? Would Jean-Claude have betrayed her to them, if they came to him for information and he realized who they were after?

She knew the answer to that. Hell, yes, if they offered him enough.

What would they do when they found out she no longer had the idol? How hard would it be for them to find it?

Or did they have it already? Was it her they wanted? Revenge, maybe?

She had to get out of here. But first, she needed what she came for.

“I ran into an interesting duo recently,” she said. “Retrieval specialists. Small-time, I’m thinking, but maybe trying to make their way to the bigtime.”

Jean-Claude frowned briefly. “New operatives? Here in Portland?” He looked displeased, which meant he hadn’t authorized anyone new working in Portland. Interesting.

“Rumor has it they’re working out of St. Johns. A man and a woman.” She was taking a risk asking Jean-Claude about them. If he decided to go after them, he could very well find the idol before she did.

Jean-Claude shook his head and made a ‘tsk-tsk’ sound.

“My dear Blaze,” he said. “Usually you are far more subtle. Surely you know information is not, as you say, a freebie?”

“Of course not,” she said demurely. “I heard that you might be interested in one of my new pieces?”

Jacques held out his arm, and she tucked her hand through the crook of his elbow as they strolled over to the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over Portland. She’d never minding touching him before—he was an attractive man, though too old for her. Not to mention as dangerous as a poisonous snake.

But tonight she got a shiver when she touched him, as if something cold and oily were reaching out for her.

Like that smoke from the idol last night.

She was imagining things.

“Could you perhaps be referring to the Dragonfly of Morocco?” he asked. Blaze smiled and inclined her head. There was no way she was giving up that piece, but he didn’t need to know that. “I must admit,” he went on, “it would make a lovely addition to my collection. Perhaps if I were able to tell you something you wanted to know, you might consider taking pity on me, and not driving such a hard bargain as you usually do?”

Blaze laughed. “Are you accusing me of taking advantage of you, Jean-Claude?”

“I am helpless before your beauty and business acumen.”

“Who isn’t?”

He threw back his head and laughed.

She went on, “I might be able to see my way clear to coming down on the price, a bit, should you happen to know something of interest. If it panned out, of course.”

She took a sip of her champagne.

Jean-Claude shrugged. “I know of only one retrieval specialist working out of North Portland. But she doesn’t handle anything magical, so she is of no interest to me.” He winced. “Besides, her sister owns one of those horrible tourist shops. Crystals and ceramic unicorns or some such.” He sounded like she sold week-old roadkill.

It took all Blaze’s control not to let surprise show on her face. That Rebel woman wasn’t innocent. She was a retrieval specialist after all. And clearly she’d branched out into acquiring magical artifacts. Recently, too, or Jean-Claude would have known about it.

Damn. She should have stuck around and made Rebel tell what she knew.

“And her partner?” Blaze tried to sound casual.