The Russian's Tenacious Lover Read Free Page A

sighed. “Same thing here. I sat waiting over there by the window for the longest time and hoped perhaps I’d have a better chance if I moved closer to the bar.”
    He shook his head sadly. “False hope, I'm afraid. This table is as much part of the no-go zone as yours was.”
    “Mh, that’s too bad.” Her eyes shone with mirth as the corners of her mouth turned up at the edges. Her laughter sounded like tiny bells jingling, he thought.
    “Are you waiting for your boarding call?”
    “Yes, as a matter of fact I am. I’m flying to Moscow and had hoped to grab a bite to eat before boarding. Service on the plane is terrifically horrid.”
    He laughed, surprised at the coincidence. “I was just going to say the same. I’m also on my way to Moscow and know from experience if I don’t eat something now, I’ll starve to death before we land.”
    They shared a smile, kindred spirits facing the same predicament.
    “Lousy service, lousy airline, it seems we have a lot in common, mister…”
    “Spencer. Thomas Spencer. But everyone calls me Tom.”
    “Hi, Tom,” she said agreeably. “I’m Jennifer, but my friends call me Jenn.”
    She held out a delicate hand, and he pressed it, delighted at its softness. “Do you hail from Russia?” he inquired in an attempt to find out more about his fellow passenger in the short time allotted.
    “No, I’m English. Just going over there on business,” she replied easily. “You?”
    “Same here. Business trip, I’m afraid,” he acknowledged.
    “I actually wanted to ask you something, Tom.”
    He lifted his eyebrows, “But of course. As they say: shoot.”
    She gave him a sweet smile. “This business of yours wouldn’t by any chance have something to do with the diamond you stole last night, would it?”
    As his jaw dropped, the memory of where he’d seen this girl before suddenly crashed into his consciousness. Of course. Lord Crocket’s reception. She was the one who’d been staring at him from across the room. The only pretty face for miles around. And Lord and Lady Crocket’s daughter.
    “I saw you, you know,” she continued casually as if they were chatting about the weather. His throat had suddenly gone bone-dry and his hands clammy and cold. “I watched you break into my father’s study and steal Mummy’s diamond. I was watching you from the smoking room.”
    She planted her elbows on the table with her chin on her hands. “Thomas Spencer, aka The Shadow. Prime Thief of Britain.”
    “I-I-I—” he stuttered, his eyes drifting across the room, half expecting a half dozen bobbies to come charging in. Denial, he suddenly thought. Always the best defense. Wasn’t it Joan Collins who’d said that? He gave her his best noncommittal face and flicked an imaginary mote of dust from his coat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, my dear. I really don’t.”
    Jenn smiled. “Sure you do. And you know what? It’s fine. You don’t need to deny or confirm anything. I’m not a cop. I’m just a student. Let’s say, a student of crime. And I want you to teach me everything there is to know about your line of business, Tom.” Her eyes suddenly widened with a holy fire. “I want you to teach me how to crack a safe!”
    His eyebrows shot up into his dark fringe. “What?” he asked in a low voice.
    She nodded eagerly. “Yep. I’m bored to tears in this Podunk town of London, and I want some excitement in my life. I want you to be my teacher, Tom. I want to become a first-class burglar, just like you.”
    He stared at the teenager as if she’d just popped up out of a trap. “You must be crazy.”
    “That may be so,” she agreed with a shrug, “but I’m also a witness to a crime.” She stabbed her finger at the lapel of his overcoat. “ Your crime, Tom. And if I tell Daddy what you did, you’ll go away for a very long time, I promise you. Daddy knows his magistrates. Heck, he and the Prime Minister are like this.” She displayed entwined