In Their Footsteps & Thief of Hearts (7 page)

“Does this mean you’re not having supper with me?” Up until that moment, Jordan had sat watching them, his gaze playing Ping-Pong. Now he cut in impatiently.

“We are definitely having supper. Because I’m hungry, Beryl, and I’m not moving from this booth until I’ve eaten.”

With a sigh of resignation, Beryl took the menu. “I guess that answers that. Jordie’s stomach has spoken.” Amiel Foch’s telephone rang at precisely seven-fifteen.

“I have a new task for you,” said the caller. “It’s a matter of some urgency. Perhaps this time around, you’ll prove successful.”

The criticism stung, and Amiel Foch, with twenty-five years’ experience in the business, barely managed to suppress a retort. The caller held the purse strings; he could afford to hurl insults. Foch had his retirement to consider. Requests for his services were few and far between these days. One’s reflexes, after all, did not improve with age.

Foch said, with quiet control, “I planted the device as you instructed. It went off at the time specified.”

“And all it did was make a lot of bloody noise. The target was scarcely hurt.”

“She did the unexpected. One cannot control such things.”

“Let’s hope this time you keep things under better control.”

“What is the name?”

“Two names. A brother and sister, Beryl and Jordan 64

Tess Gerritsen

Tavistock. They’re staying at the Ritz. I want to know where they go. Who they see.”

“Nothing more?”

“For now, just surveillance. But things may change at any time, depending on what they learn. With any luck, they’ll simply turn around and run home to England.”

“If they do not?”

“Then we’ll take further action.”

“What about Mme St. Pierre? Do you wish me to try again?”

The caller paused. “No,” he said at last, “she can wait.

For now, the Tavistocks take priority.” Over a meal of poached salmon and duck with rasp-berry sauce, Beryl and Richard thrusted and parried questions and answers. Richard, an accomplished verbal duelist, revealed only the barest sketch of his personal life.

He was born and reared in Connecticut. His father, a retired cop, was still living. After leaving Princeton University, Richard joined the U.S. State Department and served as political officer at embassies around the world. Then, five years ago, he left government service to start up business as a security consultant. Sakaroff and Wolf, based in Washington, D.C., was born.

“And that’s what brought me to London last week,” he said. “Several American firms wanted security for their executives during the summit. I was hired as consultant.”

“And that’s all you were doing in London?” she asked.

“That’s all I was doing in London. Until I got Hugh’s invitation to Chetwynd.” His gaze met hers across the table.

His directness unsettled her.
Is he telling me the truth,
In Their Footsteps

65

fiction or something in between?
That matter-of-fact recitation of his career had struck her as rehearsed, but then, it would be. People in the intelligence business always had their life histories down pat, the details mem-orized, fact blending smoothly with fantasy. What did she really know about him? Only that he smiled easily, laughed easily. That his appetite was hearty and he drank his coffee black.

And that she was intensely, insanely, attracted to him.

After supper, he offered to drive them back to the Ritz.

Jordan sat in the back seat, Beryl in the front—right next to Richard. She kept glancing sideways at him as they drove up Boulevard Saint-Germain toward the Seine.

Even the traffic, outrageously rude and noisy, did not seem to ruffle him. At a stoplight, he turned and looked at her and that one glimpse of his face through the darkness of the car was enough to make her heart do a somersault.

Calmly he shifted his attention back to the road. “It’s still early,” he said. “Are you sure you want to go back to the hotel?”

“What’s my choice?”

“A drive. A walk. Whatever you’d like. After all, you’re in Paris. Why not make the most of it?” He reached down to shift gears, and his hand brushed past her knee. A shiver ran through her—a warm, delicious sizzle of anticipation.

He’s tempting me. Making me dizzy with all the possibilities. Or is it the wine? What harm can there be in a little
stroll, a little fresh air?

She called over her shoulder, “How about it, Jordie?

Do you feel like taking a walk?” She was answered by a loud snore.

66

Tess Gerritsen

Beryl turned and saw to her astonishment that her brother was sprawled across the back seat. A sleepless night and two glasses of wine at supper had left him dead to the world. “I guess that’s a negative,” she said with a laugh.

“What about just you and me?”

That invitation, voiced so softly, sent another shiver of temptation up her spine. After all, she thought, she was in Paris….

“A short walk,” she agreed. “But first, let’s put Jordan to bed.”

“Valet service coming up,” Richard said, laughing.

“First stop, the Ritz.”

Jordan snored all the way back to the hotel.

They walked in the Tuileries, a stroll that took them along a gravel path through formal gardens, past statues glowing a ghostly white under the street lamps.

“And here we are again,” said Richard, “walking through another garden. Now if only we could find a maze with a nice little stone bench at the center.”

“Why?” she asked with a smile. “Are you hoping for a repeat scenario?”

“With a slightly different ending. You know, after you left me in there, it took me a good five minutes to find my way out.”

“I know.” She laughed. “I was waiting at the door, counting the minutes. Five minutes wasn’t bad, really. But other men have done better.”

“So that’s how you screen your men. You’re the cheese in the maze—”

“And you were the rat.”

In Their Footsteps

67

They both laughed then, and the sound of their voices floated through the night air.

“And my performance was only…adequate?” he said.

“Average.”

He moved toward her, his smile gleaming in the shadows. “Better than adquate?”

“For you, I’ll make allowances. After all, it was dark….”

“Yes, it was.” He moved closer, so close she had to tilt her head up to look at him. So close she could almost feel the heat radiating from his body. “Very dark,” he whispered.

“And perhaps you were disoriented?”

“Extremely.”

“And it
was
a nasty trick I played….”

“For which you should be soundly punished.” He reached over and took her face in his hands. The taste of his lips on hers sent a shudder of pleasure through her body.
If this is my punishment,
she thought,
oh, let me
commit the crime again….
His fingers slid through her hair, tangling in the strands as his kiss pressed ever deeper.

She felt her legs wobble and melt away, but she had no need of them; he was there to support them both. She heard his murmur of need and knew that these kisses were dangerous, that he, too, was fast slipping toward the same cliff’s edge. She didn’t care—she was ready to make the leap.

And then, without warning, he froze.

One moment he was kissing her, and an instant later his hands went rigid against her face. He didn’t pull away.

Even as she felt his whole body grow tense against her, he kept her firmly in his embrace. His lips glided to her ear.

“Start walking,” he whispered. “Toward the Concorde.” 68

Tess Gerritsen

“What?”

“Just move. Don’t show any alarm. I’ll hold your hand.” She focused on his face, and through the shadows she saw his look of feral alertness. Swallowing back the questions, she allowed him to take her hand. They turned and began to walk casually toward the Place de la Concorde.

He gave her no explanation, but she knew just by the way he gripped her hand that something was wrong, that this was not a game. Like any other pair of lovers, they strolled through the garden, past flower beds deep in shadow, past statues lined up in ghostly formation. Gradually she became more and more aware of sounds: the distant roar of traffic, the wind in the trees, their shoes crunching across the gravel…

And the footsteps, following somewhere behind them.

Nervously she clutched his hand. His answering squeeze of reassurance was enough to dull the razor edge of fear.
I’ve known this man only a day,
she thought,
and
already I feel that I can count on him.

Richard picked up his pace—so gradually she almost didn’t notice it. The footsteps still pursued them. They veered right and crossed the park toward Rue de Rivoli. The sounds of traffic grew louder, obscuring the footsteps of their pursuer. Now was the greatest danger—as they left the darkness behind them and their pursuer saw his last chance to make a move. Bright lights beckoned from the street ahead.
We can make it if we run,
she thought.
A dash through
the trees and we’ll be safe, surrounded by other people.
She prepared for the sprint, waiting for Richard’s cue.

But he made no sudden moves. Neither did their pursuer. Hand in hand, she and Richard strolled nonchalantly into the naked glare of Rue de Rivoli.

In Their Footsteps

69

Only as they joined the stream of evening pedestrians did Beryl’s pulse begin to slow again. There was no danger here, she thought. Surely no one would dare attack them on a busy street.

Then she glanced at Richard’s face and saw that the tension was still there.

They crossed the street and walked another block.

“Stop for a minute,” he murmured. “Take a long look in that window.”

They paused in front of a chocolate shop. Through the glass they saw a tempting display of confections: rasp-berry creams and velvety truffles and Turkish delight, all nestled in webs of spun sugar. In the shop, a young woman stood over a vat of melted chocolate, dipping fresh straw-berries.

“What are we waiting for?” whispered Beryl.

“To see what happens.”

She stared in the window and saw the reflections of people passing behind them. A couple holding hands. A trio of students in backpacks. A family with four children.

“Let’s start walking again,” he said.

They headed west on Rue de Rivoli, their pace again leisurely, unhurried. She was caught by surprise when he suddenly pulled her to the right, onto an intersecting street.

“Move it!” he barked.

All at once they were sprinting. They made another sharp right onto Mont Thabor, and ducked under an arch.

There, huddled in the shadow of a doorway, he pulled her against him so tightly that she felt his heart pounding against hers, his breath warming her brow. They waited.

Seconds later, running footsteps echoed along the street.

The sound moved closer, slowed, stopped. Then there was 70

Tess Gerritsen

no sound at all. Almost too terrified to look, Beryl slowly shifted in Richard’s arms, just enough to see a shadow slide past their archway. The footsteps moved down the street and faded away.

Richard chanced a quick look up the street, then gave Beryl’s hand a tug. “All clear,” he whispered. “Let’s get out of here.”

They turned onto Castiglione Street and didn’t stop running until they were back at the hotel. Only when they were safely in her suite and he’d bolted the door behind them, did she find her voice again.

“What happened out there?” she demanded.

He shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

“Do you think he meant to rob us?” She moved to the phone. “I should call the police—”

“He wasn’t after our money.”

“What?” She turned and frowned at him.

“Think about it. Even on Rue de Rivoli, with all those witnesses, he didn’t stop following us. Any other thief would’ve given up and gone back to the park. Found himself another victim. But he didn’t. He stayed with us.”

“I didn’t even see him! How do you know there
was
any—”

“A middle-aged man. Short, stocky. The sort of face most people would forget.”

She stared at him, her agitation mounting. “What are you saying, Richard? That he was following us in particular?”

“Yes.”

“But why would anyone follow you?”

“I could ask the same question of you.”

“I’m of no interest to anyone.”

In Their Footsteps

71

“Think about it. About why you came to Paris.”

“It’s just a family matter.”

“Apparently not. Since you now seem to have strange men following you around town.”

“How do I know he wasn’t following you? You’re the one who works for the CIA!”

“Correction. I work for myself.”

“Oh, don’t palm off that rubbish on me! I practically grew up in MI6! I can smell you people a mile away!”

“Can you?” His eyebrow shot up. “And the odor didn’t scare you off?”

“Maybe it should have.”

He was pacing the room now, moving about like a restless animal, locking windows, pulling curtains. “Since I can’t seem to deceive your highly perceptive nose, I’ll just confess it. My job description is a bit looser than I’ve admitted to.”

“I’m astonished.”

“But I’m still convinced the man was following
you.
”

“Why would anyone follow me?”

“Because you’re digging in a mine field. You don’t understand, Beryl. When your parents were killed, there was more involved than just another sex scandal.”

“Wait a minute.” She crossed toward him, her gaze hard on his face. “What do you know about it?”

“I knew you were coming to Paris.”

“Who told you?”

“Claude Daumier. He called me in London. Said that Hugh was worried. That someone had to keep an eye on you and Jordan.”

“So you’re our nanny?”

He laughed. “In a manner of speaking.” 72

Tess Gerritsen

“And how much do you know about my mother and father?”