Golden Lies - Barbara Freethy [22]
Maybe this stop had something to do with the dragon, a back room deal. It was a reach, he knew it. She certainly didn't have the dragon with her, but it was possible she knew more about its whereabouts than she'd let on earlier. His grandmother might be content to wait until morning to get her dragon back, but he wasn't. In fact, his impatience had been growing since he'd left Hathaway's a few hours earlier. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his gut. David Hathaway had taken the dragon out of the store and missed their meeting. Paige had been concerned despite her best efforts to appear calm. That's why he'd decided to follow her.
Deciding to risk his cover, he walked into the bar. He needed to know what Paige was doing in the back room.
Five minutes later he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.
Pool! She was playing pool. Paige's sweet ass was all he could see as she bent over the table, her attention focused on the cue stick between her fingers and the ball she was about to hit. It was a good shot, better than good, and she cleared the last two balls from the table. A murmur of appreciation from three old guys watching the action echoed his own thoughts. But he suspected they'd been watching her more than the game.
Paige exchanged a bouncing high five with the bartender. "Who's the best?" she demanded.
"That was a lucky shot," the guy replied.
"Luck had nothing to do with it. So tell me who's the best. Come on, you can say it."
"You're the best," he grumbled. "And not a pretty winner, by the way. Do you want to play again?"
"Do you feel like another butt-kicking?"
"Cocky, aren't you?"
"I could take you with my eyes closed."
"What about me?" Riley interrupted. "Could you take me with your eyes closed?"
Paige whirled around in surprise, her jaw dropping when she saw him. "What are you doing here? Oh, my God—did you follow me?"
Ignoring her questions, he said, "How about a game?"
"I don't think so." As she spoke, she stiffened, and there was no sign left of the unrestrained, laughing young woman he'd watched from the doorway. Her face went to stone. Her lips tightened. Her chin lifted in the air. Despite her casual clothes, she now looked exactly like the elegant, reserved businesswoman he'd met hours earlier—untouchable, unreadable, and unlikely to spend more than five minutes in conversation with him. He didn't care for the transformation.
"I have to go," she added.
"So, you're afraid you can't beat me," he drawled. "I can understand that."
"I am not afraid of losing. Tell him I'm not afraid, Jerry."
The bartender laughed. "Why don't you show him, Paige? You like a challenge."
"I'm tired."
"Scared." Riley smiled as a spark of anger flickered in her eyes. He had the urge to provoke her, to do anything to bring down the wall she'd put up when he entered the room.
"Fine. You want a game, I'll give you a game."
"I want a game, Miss Hathaway."
"I should have my head examined," she muttered as she moved to collect the balls.
"What did you say?"
"She said she should have her head examined," Jerry said helpfully, a big grin on his face. "I take it you two know each other."
"Yes," Riley replied.
"Barely," Paige corrected. "Don't be nice to him, Jerry. I think he followed me here."
"You're stalking her?" Jerry asked, his smile vanishing. "Maybe you should get the hell out of my bar, then."
"No, no," Paige said quickly. "It's not that way. It's not personal."
"She's right. It's not at all personal. It's business."
"Mr. McAllister's grandmother is selling a statue to us," Paige added.
"Maybe selling a statue, if it ever shows up again." He gave her a pointed look.
"It will."
"I hope so."
Jerry moved toward the door. "All right then. I'm not getting in the middle of this. But I'm warning you, dude. You mess with her, you mess with me. Let me know if you