Warriors of Poseidon 06 - Atlantis Betrayed

Christophe’s face. The frustration there was too real to be feigned. Either that or he was the best actor she’d ever seen. It was up to her to make the decision and stand by it.
    Atlantis Betrayed – Warriors of Poseidon 06
    Page 69 of 188
    “Look, let’s leave it for now,” she finally said. “You’re either from Atlantis or you’re up to something so secret you can’t tell us about it. For whatever reason, I’ve decided to trust you, at least until you prove me wrong. Tonight you and I go pub-hopping in the low places to find out what we can, and Declan will use his computer magic to find out what the word is on the Internet.”
    She shot a warning glare at her brother when he looked like he might argue. “I need you on this, Dec.
    Nobody else has the skills you do.”
    “I’ll put out word in my own network. Discreetly, of course,” Hopkins said.
    “You still haven’t told me why you were after that particular sword,” Christophe said.
    Fiona shrugged. “I generally select an object that has no right to be where it is. An objet d’art with shaky provenance, where the owner either stole it personally or bought stolen merchandise, for example.
    Those owners are usually reluctant to get the police involved, and of course there are no insurance investigators involved, since the companies won’t insure stolen art.”
    “Makes it easier to fence, too,” Declan added.
    She groaned. “I’m winning big sister of the year, aren’t I? Introducing my baby brother to the world of stolen art before he’s had his first real girlfriend.”
    “Hey, there was Nora,” he protested, blushing fiercely.
    “You were twelve. Anyway, to continue, this time was different. Word was put out through one of my usual fences that a buyer was interested in Vanquish. This buyer is supposed to be some oil hotshot, too, because my five favorite words were spoken.”
    Christophe tilted his head. “Free pints at the pub?”
    “Money is not an object.”
    He laughed. “Women. Who can understand them?”
    Hopkins nodded until he caught her glaring at him, and then he pretended to brush a speck off his spotless coat.
    “This doesn’t make any sense, and I hate coincidences,” Fiona said, all but smacking herself in the head for her own stupidity. “Suddenly some rich oil guy wants Vanquish? At the exact same time you show up wanting it and someone else wants it enough to kill for? What don’t we know about this stupid sword? I think we should make a point to find out what my contacts know about this mysterious buyer. I didn’t ask enough questions this time, since so many programs need money so urgently. Maybe the buyer is counting on that?”
    “I agree, we need to find out exactly who this buyer is and why he or she wants the sword so much. But I need the Siren. Just the Siren. You can have Vanquish,” Christophe said, suddenly serious.
    Atlantis Betrayed – Warriors of Poseidon 06
    Page 70 of 188
    “What good does that do me? The value of the sword will drop considerably without it. I’ve got several new . . . ah, new dresses to buy,” she finished lamely; suddenly unwilling to admit the truth and have him think she was playing the philanthropy card.
    “New dresses. Right. I wasn’t born yesterday, Princess,” he said, stalking across the room toward her until he had her backed into the wall. “I know all about your Robin Hood tendencies. Which charities were supposed to benefit from this heist?”
    “Ironically enough, we are saving the whales, though that’s with my own money,” she whispered, her heart pounding from his nearness. His masculine scent teased her senses, and she suddenly wanted to lean in and press her lips to his neck.
    A black-sleeved arm inserted itself between them, rather ungently pushing Christophe away from her.
    “AIDS, children with autism, shelters for battered women, the homeless, a literacy group, and single mothers are on the list this time, to be precise,” Hopkins said. “In point of fact, you have a charity engagement tonight. For the whales, I believe.”
    “Maybe Christophe should go. Some of his relatives might be there,” Declan said, his voice strangled to hold in the laughter.
    Christophe took a step back, the heat in his eyes and his sexy smile reminding her of all the things he’d done to her the night before. Definitely not thoughts she wanted to have right then.
    “Try to remember I can kill you with both hands tied behind my back, kid,” he told