His Blackmailed Bride

His glance drifted over her. ‘How would you have managed that, Paige? You were out all evening.’

Her breath caught. ‘How did you kn…’ She looked down at herself, at the raincoat she’d forgotten to take off, and then back at him. ‘Right. I was out—for a while.’

He smiled coolly. ‘And you’re going out again?’

‘Going ou… oh, no, no, I just forgot to hang my coat away. I…’

‘Of course, you were going out again.’ His lips drew back in a parody of a smile. ‘After you found this.’

She looked into his outstretched hand. The ruby ring, pulsing with light, blazed in his palm.

‘My ring,’ she said with relief. ‘Thank goodness! I was afraid…’

‘You were afraid you’d lost it. And that would have been hell, wouldn’t it? After all, it’s quite valuable.’

It reminds me of the night we met, of how much my life has changed, of how much I love you.

That was what she wanted to say, but the look on his face stopped her. There was something wrong. She could see it in his eyes. They were as cold as she’d ever seen them.

Did he know about her father’s visit? No, he couldn’t. He… Norah! Norah had told him. Paige hadn’t introduced them, but all the housekeeper had to do was describe the man she’d seen—tall, fair-haired, older—and Quinn would know who it was. Her breathing quickened. Had she closed the secret drawer in the campaign table? Maybe Norah had found it open. Maybe Quinn already knew everything.

‘Quinn?’ Her voice sounded breathy and high-pitched. ‘How long… when did you get back?’

He smiled again, and she knew that she would remember the shark-like quality of his smile for as long as she lived.

‘I thought you wanted your ring, Paige.’ He held his hand out again. ‘Go on, take it.’

She hesitated, and then her fingers closed around the ruby. For the first time, it felt cold, as if the flame in its heart had been quenched.

‘Thank you,’ she said. Her mouth tasted of ashes, and she swallowed hard.

His eyes fixed on hers. ‘You’ll want to get that chain fixed. Hell, you can’t tell what bed you’ll lose it in next time.’

Her head rose sharply. He was smiling, as if what he’d said had been meant as a jest, but every instinct told her otherwise. Something terrible was happening. Something unknown.

She took a step forward. ‘Quinn. What is it? Why did you come back so soon?’

His mouth twisted. ‘Not soon enough, Paige.’

Her pulse began to race. ‘What… what do you mean?’

‘Come on, sweetheart. Don’t play dumb. You’re a lot of things, baby, but not dumb. Unlucky, maybe—but never dumb.’

Her heart turned over. Slowly, she raised her eyes to his and looked into their blue-green depths.

‘You know, don’t you?’

His expression was grim. ‘Yes, I know. I know all of it.’

‘How… how did you find out?’

‘Norah’s been with me for years, Paige. Did you think she wouldn’t tell me?’ He clasped her shoulders in his hands. ‘I telephoned this afternoon, when I realised I… when I realised I hadn’t left a number where I could be reached in an emergency.’ His voice twisted with darkness. ‘She told me about your… your guest. I came home as soon as I hung up the phone.’

‘And the money? Did I leave the drawer open?’

There was a hollow silence. ‘No,’ Quinn said, and he laughed bitterly. ‘No, finding the cupboard bare was just an educated guess.’

Paige nodded wearily. ‘I see.’