Always a Thief - Kay Hooper [76]
Quinn answered that with genuine sincerity. “I'll do everything in my power to make certain she's not.”
Max frowned slightly. “You didn't answer my question.”
“I answered it the only way I could. Max, there are a few things I didn't exactly plan on in all this, and Morgan's one of them. It seems to be . . . more than usually difficult to predict what she might do at any given moment, so I can't be sure she won't charge up another damned fire escape. But I won't let anything happen to her.”
“Are you so in control of the situation that you can promise that?”
“Max—” Quinn broke off, then sighed. “Look, after tonight, I'll know how in control of the situation I am, and until then I can't give you an answer. You'll just have to trust me to know what I'm doing.”
“All right,” Max responded slowly. “I'll wait—until tomorrow.”
“That's all I ask.” With any luck, he'd think of something plausible by then. Either that or else figure out a way to avoid Max until this was finished. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find Morgan.”
“Tell her I said hello.” Max waited until the other man turned away, then added, “Alex? Did you steal the Carstairs necklace?”
Quinn wasn't imprudent enough to conjure a hurt expression or even to sound offended, but he did manage an utterly sincere answer. “No, Max, I didn't steal it.”
Max didn't say another word; he merely nodded and watched the younger man walk out of the gallery. A moment later, he didn't react with surprise when Wolfe entered from the opposite end and joined him. Wearing his black leather jacket and a faint scowl, Wolfe didn't look much like a crack security expert—and even less so with a little blond cat riding on his shoulder.
But Max was familiar with the appearance (even to the cat, since Wolfe was often accompanied by Bear these days). Still gazing after Quinn, he said meditatively, “I'm beginning to think Alex is lying to me.”
“Now you know how it feels,” Wolfe told him, unsurprised and not without a certain amount of satisfaction.
“I never lied to you. I merely withheld portions of the truth.”
“Yeah, sure.” Somewhat morosely, Wolfe added, “Maybe Alex is doing the same thing. We both know he only lies about something when he's sure he's going to eventually come clean. If he's lying now, I'll bet it's because he's in deeper than he's told us.”
“I'd take that bet,” Max agreed. Then he sighed. “And we may have another problem. Mother called. She's in Australia—but she's heading this way.”
Wolfe's face brightened, but that instant reaction was quickly altered by a scowl. “The timing isn't exactly the best, Max. Couldn't you stop her?”
“Stop Mother?” Max asked in polite disbelief.
“Sorry, I forgot myself.” Wolfe shook his head. “Well, maybe it'll be over by the time she gets here.”
“Yah,” Bear commented in a distinctly sardonic tone.
Max looked at the little cat and sighed. “Bear, I couldn't have said it better myself.”
The lobby was nearly deserted when Morgan crossed it to get to the stairs, but she met Leo Cassady about halfway up. The lean and handsome collector smiled as soon as he saw her and stopped when they reached the same tread.
“Hello, Morgan. I hear I unintentionally played matchmaker at my party last Saturday.”
She felt a little jolt at the reminder that it had been barely a week since she officially met Alex Brandon, but she was able to smile at Leo. “Let's just say I have a feeling my life will never be the same again.”
“And it's all my fault?”
“Well, it was your party, Leo. But . . . we would have met anyway, I imagine. Collectors have been drawn to the exhibit in droves.”
Somewhat wryly, he said, “Yes, I can't seem to stay away from it myself. Is Alex here now?”
“He's around somewhere,” Morgan replied casually. “Max too.”
“I talked to Max upstairs, but I didn't see Alex. Tell him I said hello, will you?”
“Sure. See you later.”
Morgan continued up the stairs as he continued down, and when she was at the top, she paused to look back and watch Leo's elegant figure strolling through the lobby to the front doors. Even his lazy saunter