Always a Thief - Kay Hooper [9]
“Whatever Max wants him to do.”
Jared knew that Wolfe was completely in love with Storm and she with him, and he also knew there were—now—no secrets between them, so he said bluntly, “He knew about Quinn before this, didn't he?”
“Yeah, but not because I told him.”
Jared lifted an eyebrow, but Storm shook her head with a smile. “I gather he got in touch right after he found out about the trap, but he didn't say how. Just that he and Quinn had a little . . . meeting.”
“And Quinn told him the truth?”
“Wolfe thinks he did.”
“What do you think?”
“I think . . . Quinn is the sort of man who always has an ace or two up his sleeve. Maybe even a rabbit. And never tells anybody the whole truth.”
Jared grimaced. “That's what I'm afraid of.”
“But you do believe he's working with you rather than against you this time?”
“Christ, I don't know. Before all this started, I would have said Max was the last man on earth who'd have to worry about Quinn stealing anything from him. Now . . . I just don't know.”
“This trap . . .” Storm pursed her lips, then went on slowly. “Interpol doesn't know about the bait, do they?”
“Interpol isn't in the habit of using priceless private collections of gems and artworks to bait traps.”
“Umm. That's what I thought. But they do know that Quinn is working with you to catch this thief they're calling Nightshade, an arrangement they approve because Nightshade is by all accounts way more vicious and deadly than Quinn is. Yes?”
“Yes.”
“And because when he finally did get caught, Quinn was quietly given a choice between rotting in prison for the rest of his life or putting his skills to good use playing on Interpol's team. So you're supposed to be holding the leash.”
“Supposed to be,” Jared said grimly, “is a good description. He claimed to need more freedom in order to do his job, so I let the leash play out and gave him what he wanted. God knows if I could even reel him in now.”
“Mixing your metaphors,” Storm murmured, then went on before Jared could do more than glare at her. “His working with Interpol is recent, right?”
“Right. Other than some . . . intelligence he's provided, this is the first active case he's been on. First time out on a leash, so to speak.”
“So you can't really know if this is going to work on any level. But you said he gave you his word he wouldn't try to escape you—or Interpol.”
“He did.”
“You also said his word was worth something, that he never breaks a promise.”
“That's what I keep telling myself.”
“You think he'd run if he got the chance?”
“Not before we catch Nightshade. It's personal for him.”
“How—”
“Don't ask; I don't know the details. I only know that Quinn wants Nightshade. Badly.”
“Umm. Well, in the meantime, I can see how Interpol might be a bit upset with you if they find out exactly what's going on over on this side of the pond. And I imagine Lloyd's of London wouldn't be very pleased if they knew about the trap either, since they insure the collection. And Wolfe is definitely risking his job with them. I guess I'm most surprised at Max being willing to take the risk. It took his family five centuries to build the collection, and every piece is irreplaceable.”
“Don't remind me. I think it's a lunatic idea and I have from the beginning.”
“Then it wasn't your idea. Why did you agree to it?”
“Max agreed. Once he did, there was nothing I could do about it except go along.”
Storm couldn't help but smile. “Sounds like you've got a pit bull at the other end of that leash. It was Quinn's idea, wasn't it? His plan?”
Jared nodded, and hesitated for an instant before saying, “If it had been anybody but Nightshade, I never would have even allowed Quinn to approach Max. But to stop a thief and murderer like Nightshade, almost any risk can be justified.”
“Even your brother's life?”
Jared's