Shackled by Diamonds

Her voice choked off.

‘I just wanted you to be alive,’ Anna whispered. ‘And I’m sorry—so sorry, Leo.’

Leo was staring at her. He’d stopped listening to her saying sorry because the novelty was over—now she was just getting in a state. Besides, it was out of character for Anna. Something else she’d said, however, was not. He forced his gradually un-fogging brain to remember what it was.

Then it came to him.

‘What do you mean, spoilt and arrogant?’ he demanded.

She stopped apologising abruptly.

‘Well, you are. You turned up in my room in your Schloss and just thought you could help yourself.’

Leo’s eyes darkened. ‘You’d been inviting me all evening!’

She pulled back, jerking her hand free.

‘I had not!’

‘Good God, do you think I can’t tell when a woman lights up for me?’ Leo demanded.

‘Well, that can’t be hard—considering they all do!’ she snapped.

His heavy eyes drooped. ‘Not like you, they don’t, Anna Delane. No woman has ever lit up for me the way you do. No woman ever will. You made me so angry,’ he said contemplatively, looking at her from his weary pose against the pillows. ‘Denying what was happening. I thought you a hypocrite. When I caught you with the bracelet I was almost glad, you know. Furious, but glad.’ His eyes drooped even more. ‘It gave me the leverage I needed.’

‘Gave you the chance to blackmail me into bed!’ she flashed back.

‘Well, I wasn’t going to let you go to jail, was I?’ he riposted. ‘Not when I wanted you so much. And when I knew, knew you wanted me too. Whatever you said or did! And you did want me, Anna. You wanted me every night, every time.’

She jumped to her feet. How could he make her so angry, so fast?

‘You didn’t give me any choice!’ she exclaimed seethingly.

‘No,’ he said smugly. ‘I didn’t, did I? But—’ his expression changed ‘—I could never get you to purr out of bed. You wouldn’t, would you, Anna Delane?’ He sighed. ‘You’re a hard case, yineka mou, and if I had any sense at all I’d send you packing on the first plane back to London. Coach class,’ he said darkly. His voice changed again. ‘But I’m damned if I got myself shot full of holes just to lose you now. Not when I’ve finally got you being nice to me. And, speaking of being shot full of holes…’ Yet again his voice changed, hardened, his eyes flashing—the familiar, imperious Leo. ‘I need the truth about the bracelet, Anna—the police will want to talk to both of us, and if my security chief doesn’t have a full dossier on your abductors by the time I get out of here he’ll be looking for a new job!’

There was no baiting tone in his voice now—it was grim and bleak.

Anna opened her mouth, then closed it again.

She owed Leo the truth. He’d risked his life for her.

But she had to protect Jenny. More than ever now, she had to protect her. But she wanted to tell him the truth so much.

He saw her face working and pressed on.

‘Anna—I’m not going to press charges about the bracelet. I got it back—and I got you back. But are you involved in other criminal activities? Are you involved with the likes of the scum who took you and damn near killed you? I need to know.’

The harsh edge in his voice showed her he wanted answers. Yet what he had said had made her expression lighten.

‘Do you mean that?’ There was an eagerness in her voice that took him aback. ‘You won’t press charges about the bracelet?’

His eyes narrowed again. ‘Yes. Why?’

‘Do you promise, Leo? Do you?’

‘I just told you—’

Anna took a deep breath.

‘It wasn’t me who took the bracelet!’

Leo looked at her measuringly. If she had not had the truth to protect her a frisson of fear would have gone through her. His voice was harsh when he spoke.

‘Anna, I caught you red-handed—’

She shook her head. Surely, after nearly losing his own life, he would see what had driven Jenny to theft? Dear God, even she had not thought Khalil that vicious, sending in rabid, murdering gunmen like that to find her.

She swallowed.

‘You caught me trying to return the bracelet, not stealing it,’ she said. ‘But the place was swarming, so I had to keep walking. I was trying to think what to do, where I could leave it so it wouldn’t point any finger of suspicion at—’

She fell silent again.

‘At…?’ prompted Leo. His voice was quiet, dangerously quiet.

She took a breath.

‘At Jenny.’