License to Thrill

her chic, precision-cut hair, the woman walked toward them with such smoothness, Kat wondered if her pointed-toed, crocodile stilettos were equipped with rollers. Her gaze flicked over Kat in quick dismissal. From her accent and her bearing, Kat guessed the visitor's identity, which James' introduction verified.
    "Katherine McKray, this is Tania Mercer."
    Kat conjured up a smile and extended her hand, which still bore the slight yellowing stains of wood dye. "How do you—"
    "James," Tania said, turning away, her eyes wide. "Tell me this isn't the woman who stole my letter?"
    His mouth quirked. "No, Tania. The charges against Kat have been dropped."
    She glanced back to Kat warily. "Are you quite sure she didn't do it?"
    "Yes, Ms. Mercer," Kat said distinctly, dropping her hand. "Quite."
    Lady Mercer narrowed her eyes, apparently unconvinced.
    "Tania," James said evenly, "what are you doing here?"
    She flashed him a brilliant smile, and laid a manicured hand on his arm. "Darling, instead of meeting you in New York, I thought I would come and release you from this nonsense, then we could fly out together. Are you surprised?"
    Kat gave him credit—he certainly looked surprised.
    "I didn't realize we had decided you would join me in New York."
    "Oh, James," she said with a laugh and a wave. "We really should try to talk more when we're together. I'm starving—let's get a bite to eat, shall we?"
    Her feelings smarting, Kat began to back away quietly.
    "Tania, you must not have received my message—I was planning to leave for New York tonight anyway."
    She frowned beautifully. "No, I didn't. I've been pining away for you at the London cottage and decided to come straight away. Poor Mary doesn't even know I'm here."
    When Kat felt safely out of range, she turned and hurried down a long hallway toward the back exit, then pushed the release bar and stepped out into the parking lot. If that was the kind of woman James wanted, he'd probably been laughing at Kat behind her back. When she heard James call after her from the doorway, she quickly blinked away hot, absurd tears.
    "Kat," he said loudly, striding up behind her and touching her forearm. "We weren't finished talking."
    "Yes, James, we were."
    He frowned. "I don't like the notion of you coming back here—doesn't it bother you knowing the person who stole your things and planted evidence could very well be employed here, or perhaps signing your paycheck?"
    She chewed on the inside of her cheek during his speech, then brushed back a wild strand of hair the wind had caught. "Sure it does, but whoever it was got what they wanted—the letter—and the charges against me have been dropped. I've been working in a near-hostile environment for years, four more days isn't going to kill me."
    Kat turned and marched in the direction of her dilapidated van, which had been pulled to the farthest corner of the long parking lot and left at an odd angle. Suddenly she felt a shove against her chest, as if a wall had walked into her, followed by a horrific explosion that rocked the ground where she'd been thrown facedown. Instinctively, she covered her head with her arms, and felt debris raining down around her. A piercing wail, like an unrelenting dog whistle, whined in her ears, blocking out everything else. She lay frozen, not sure what had happened, but very sure it was bad.
    Strong hands grabbed her shoulders and rolled her over, and she struck out wildly, terrified. But the hands subdued her arms and held her still. James came into focus, faded, and came back His mouth moved and he looked angry—no, not angry… scared. She blinked hard, trying to read his lips, trying to comprehend what had happened. At last, his voice came to her in muffled syllables, still unrecognizable, but blessed confirmation that she was not deaf.
    She concentrated on his wide, searching eyes, and tensed her limbs, one by one to see if they were still attached. When she realized that he was desperately trying to get her to respond to him, she nodded slowly, and his face relaxed in relief. He yelled something to someone behind him, but Kat's head felt too heavy to lift and look around.
    The fact that an explosion had occurred leaked into her brain. From the gallery? A neighboring building? A gas line perhaps? Other faces appeared over hers, some distantly recognizable.
    James waved everyone back and hovered over her, stroking her hair back from her face. His hair was tousled and his impeccable clothes