Hidden Legacy Read Free Page B

all he’d ask of her. Lucas flicked off the screen, and didn’t call for back up.
    He rounded the back of the Dunkin’ Donuts, and loped to the woods surrounding his house. Before he’d gone far, he spotted a ruby-red Saturn parked along the logging road leading to private property farther inland from the main road. The crystal cut like a brilliant diamond hanging from the rearview mirror was a dead giveaway. Juliana’s car.
    He tried the door. It opened. Her subtle scent of roses and jasmine surrounded him, reviving half-forgotten memories. He shook his head, scattering the pictures of the past, and climbed in.
    Jewel, don’t you know that even in a small town like Hopewell you’re supposed to lock your doors. You never know who you might find waiting for you in the back seat of your car.

 
     
     
    Chapter 2

     
    Judging by how tightly Juliana hung on to the strap of the oversized bag cradled securely between her right arm and her side, Lucas guessed that’s where she’d stowed the Nadyenka Sapphire. She approached the car with the demeanor of a woman with a purpose, her steps sure and straight, her path true. Though her glance flitted across the surrounding woods, no one in his right mind would have deflected her from her goal.
    As she neared, he scrunched down in the back seat that was too narrow for his frame. A not-so-bright thing to do in regular circumstances, but these circumstances weren’t exactly normal. Something, he sensed, was too orchestrated. And he’d worked this business long enough to know there was no such thing as coincidence. He couldn’t quite see the whole picture—yet—but when he did, he’d defeat the Phantom.
    Something crunched beneath his hip. With a hand, he reached for the object. An empty juice box, now crushed by his weight. He smiled. She’d always liked grape juice.
    Juliana got in, breathing as if she’d just run a marathon. She tossed the ill-fitting wig onto the passenger’s seat. As she reached for the keys already in the ignition, her hand shook. The adrenaline flowing through her blood filled the atmosphere inside the car with electricity, crackling in him a sudden desire for action.
    Patience. No sudden movement .
    Silently letting go of the juice box, he uncurled from his cramped position.
    “Nice day for a car ride in the country,” he said, casually draping an arm over the seat and around her shoulders, hemming her in.
    Crying out, Juliana jerked her head up and stared at him, eyes rounded, in the rearview mirror. Her skin paled, making her features appear porcelain-fragile. Her knuckles whitened against the steering wheel.
    “Lucas, my God! What are you doing here? Get out, get out! Now .”
    He’d expected the surprise. He’d expected the question. He hadn’t expected her to ask him to leave as if he’d just committed a crime instead of her.
    She’d been so in control when he’d met her six years ago, so in charge of her composure. Now she seemed on the edge of panic.
    Out of place in Juliana—out of place for the Phantom.
    “Nice to see you, too, Jewel. What’ve you been up to this morning?”
    “Lucas, please, get out.” Her voice rasped—breathy, needful, almost desperate. Her body hardened beneath his hand as if one more breath would stretch her past her limit and break her into pieces. What was going on?
    “Either you tell me what you were doing in my house, or we sit here all day.”
    She fumbled with the car keys, overcranked the starter, causing the motor to whine and screech. “I have to get home.”
    Her gaze darted in all directions, searching her surroundings.
    “What are you looking for?” His guts roiled with sudden knowing. She wasn’t the Phantom. She wasn’t in this alone. A partner? Was this how the Phantom had managed the other thefts, too? How he’d managed to commit his crimes in broad daylight without being seen? By using decoys to acquire the gems he craved as much as an addict needed drugs?
    She fumbled with the