“Oh, God, I think I’m going to be sick.” She crawled on all fours to the side of the boat. Then pulling herself up, she hung her head over the rail and retched noisily into the water until there was nothing left in her stomach.
Jack stood by helplessly, not quite certain what to do. The sight of the woman upchucking over the side of the boat was in such extreme contradiction to the woman on the silver screen. He couldn’t get over it.
But far from being repulsed, Jack had the utmost sympathy for her because he’d been in her position more than a few times. Usually by his own doing, but still…
He wet a towel in the water, then held it out to her as her dry heaves finally subsided. She collapsed weakly in the bottom of the boat, holding the towel to her face. “That must have been attractive.”
Jack grinned. “Just consider it your contribution to the Gulf’s ecological system. I’m sure the fish appreciate the effort.”
“That’s disgusting.” But she looked grateful that he’d decided to make light of an awkward situation. “I guess it just hit me all at once…how close I came to…” She shuddered violently. “If I hadn’t jumped in the water, I’d be dead right now.”
Jack had been thinking about that, too.
“How could something like that happen?” She pressed the wet towel to her forehead as she gazed up at him. “How could a boat just explode like that?”
Jack shrugged. “Could have been a fuel leak.” But he didn’t really believe that. He glanced up and quickly scanned the water. Attracted by the explosion, several boats raced toward them. Jack turned and surreptitiously pulled a .38 from his bag, then slipped it underneath a towel on the seat beside them.
The nearest boat, a maroon-and-white cabin cruiser similar to the one that had exploded, began to hail them. A moment later, the craft pulled alongside them. Jack kept his hand on the seat, mere inches from the .38.
“Anyone hurt?” a man called out.
“Everyone’s fine,” Jack said. “We think there may have been a fuel leak.”
“Hell of an explosion,” the newcomer observed. He had three passengers with him, two women and a man. They all gazed at the flaming wreckage in awe. “Anything we can do to help?”
“I’ve notified the coast guard,” Jack said. “In the meantime, better not get too close.”
The man nodded, then turning to say something to the others, he pulled away. Several boats were ringing the smoldering wreckage by now, but most of them had enough sense to keep a safe distance.
“We should get out of here, too,” Jack said. “A stray gust of wind, and we could have a real disaster on our hands.”
Celeste was still shivering as she gazed up at him. “Shouldn’t we wait for the coast guard? You did radio them, right? You said you did.”
“It’s all taken care of. Don’t worry,” he said. “Right now, let’s put some distance between us and that fire.”
As he started to turn away, she scrambled to her feet. Struggling to keep her balance, she stared at him in wide-eyed fear. “I’m not going anywhere with you. Not until you tell me who you are and why you’ve been following me.”
Yeah, genius. Tell her who you are and why you’ve been following her. I can’t wait to hear this myself.
“Are you a reporter?” she asked suddenly.
He shook his head. “No, I’m a cop.” Jack had never particularly subscribed to the honesty-is-the-best-policy approach, but he knew from his undercover stints with HPD that a little truth could sometimes go a long way. At least that was his hope.
“A…cop?” Something that might have been guilt flickered in her eyes as her hand flew to her throat. It was a defensive gesture, but Jack had no idea why.
Interesting. It appeared Celeste Fortune had a few secrets of her own. “My name is Jack Fury. I work for…Interpol.”
“Interpol?” She frowned in confusion. “But I thought…I thought Interpol was some kind of European police agency.”
“It is. But I was born and raised around here. I know the territory. That’s why I was given the assignment.”
“What kind of assignment?”
“For the past several months, we’ve been on the trail of a notorious jewel thief. We’ve followed him all over Europe, and now we’ve reason to believe that he’s here in the States. In Houston, to be exact, and we think he’s set his sights on the Mirabelle Hotel.” He was improvising his butt off, and getting himself in deeper and deeper by the minute.
Celeste gasped. “The Mirabelle? But that’s where I’m—”
“Yes, I know.”
The next few seconds were critical. She’d either accept him at his word, or start screaming bloody murder. It was to Jack’s advantage not to allow her much time to consider the two choices. “That’s why I’ve been following you,” he hastened to add.
“But—” She bit her lip in confusion. “I don’t understand. You don’t think I’m somehow connected to this thief, do you?”
His gaze held hers. “No. I think you’re his next target.”
* * *
CASSIE STARED AT him in shock. “Me? Why would a jewel thief target me? I don’t have anything of value—” She broke off, realizing her gaffe. Cassie Boudreaux owned nothing of value, but Celeste Fortune had undoubtedly been showered with expensive gifts from her rich lover.
Jack Fury cocked his head. “Nothing of value? I wouldn’t exactly call the Boucheron diamond worthless.” When she said nothing, he smiled. “Yes, we know all about Owen Fleming’s recent acquisition from Sotheby’s. When the stone didn’t turn up on his wife’s finger, we assumed he’d bought it for his mistress. You.”
Was that censure in his tone? Cassie wondered. Or was she imagining his disapproval? She couldn’t help feeling guilty about the affair even though she hadn’t been one of the participants. But Jack didn’t know that. He couldn’t know that she was only culpable of impersonating her cousin, but that wasn’t a crime, was it? Was it?
“As you can see, I’m not in possession of any rings,” she managed to say coolly as she waved her hands in front of him.
“You’d hardly wear a rare ten-carat pink diamond to the beach, now would you? If you’re smart, you’ve got it stashed someplace safe.”
As she watched him, Cassie’s suspicions suddenly returned. There was something about him…about his demeanor…about this whole setup…
Why had Celeste never mentioned the Boucheron diamond? Surely, a stone of such…epic proportions was something Cassie should have been made aware of, in case people asked questions. And by people, she meant Jack Fury.
She lifted her chin, prepared to improvise as best she could. “If you expect me to tell you where I keep my jewelry, you’re in for a shock. You say you’re a cop, but you haven’t shown me any identification. For all I know, you’re the jewel thief.”
“I haven’t shown you any identification because I’m undercover,” he said. “I can’t exactly go around flashing my ID and badge, now can I?”
Cassie’s gaze narrowed. Again, his explanation was just a little too convenient. On the other hand, if he really was working undercover, that might explain the overprocessed hair.
Still, Cassie knew she’d be a fool to simply take him at his word. And yet…even as her doubts continued to mount, she couldn’t help but remember the way