She chuckled. “That bad, huh? Okay, I’ll let you get back to it. How about tomorrow? Do you have to work over the weekend?”
“I’m free both days,” he assured her. “Think about how you’d like to spend them.”
“I’ll do that.” She spared Juice a quick glance and kept her voice light and casual. “I’ll talk to you later.”
A brief pause, then, “You’re not alone, are you?”
“Good guess.”
“Family?”
She winked at Juice to include him in the conversation. “An old family friend.”
“You tempt me to say something that will make you blush.”
“Do that and it will be the topic of conversation for quite some time to come,” she warned.
“Ah.” It took every ounce of self-possession to keep from shuddering at the deep, sexy way he drew out the sound. “That sort of old family friend. I assume that means you’re not the only chiacchierona.”
“He’d resent that. He’d also resemble it—but only on occasion. In his line of work he has to know when to talk…and when not to.”
That elicited a laugh. “Then I’ll spare your blushes and call later when we can talk dirty in private.”
He’d succeeded in making her blush, anyway, a fact Juice noted with an uplifted eyebrow. “I’ll definitely make it worth your while,” she shot back.
“Now I’m blushing.”
And with that the line went dead, leaving her grinning like an idiot.
“I see the rumors aren’t rumors, after all,” Juice observed in a deep, rumbling bass. “Would I be correct in assuming Constantine Romano caused you to turn that interesting shade of red?”
Her smile broadened. “You would.”
“Serious?”
She hesitated, then nodded. “I think so.”
“I’m happy for you.” He leaned forward and rested his massive arms on his knees. “So what’s up, G? You said you had a job for me.”
“I do.” She glanced toward the open door. Better if they weren’t overheard, she decided, and crossed her office to close it. “Would it be possible to keep this between the two of us?” she asked, resuming her seat.
“I’d have to know the particulars before I answered that question.”
She blew out a sigh. “Fair enough. I’d like you to find a diamond for me. It went missing about a year and a half ago.”
“I don’t suppose you’re talking about Brimstone?”
Her mouth dropped open. “You know about Brimstone?”
“I know lots of stuff.” His dark eyes gleamed with laughter. “Most of which you don’t.”
“That doesn’t seem fair,” she complained. “I don’t suppose you can tell me the whereabouts of Brimstone?”
“I can’t.”
Hmm. “Can’t…or won’t?”
“Can’t,” he repeated gently. “I don’t know where it is.”
“Could you find out?”
His gaze intensified. No wonder Luc had hired Juice. Brilliant. Able to find anything or anyone. And, when he chose to be, one of the most intimidating men she’d ever met. “Why do you want to find it?”
“Someone else is after the stone and I think the Dantes should find it first.”
“Makes sense.”
“One more thing… In addition to finding Brimstone, there’s a person I want you to track down. Don’t approach him or do anything once you locate him,” she hastened to add. “Just keep tabs on him.”
“If you’re talking about David d’Angelo, that’s already covered.”
She should have known. “Luc?” she guessed.
He ticked off on his fingers. “Luc. Rafe. Draco. Your father. Primo. Various cousins. Pretty much the whole Dante clan.”
Alarm filled her. “What are they going to do when you find him?”
“Make him disappear.” He paused a beat. Then a slow grin split his dark face. “God, you’re easy. I’m kidding, G. They want the same thing you do. To keep tabs on the guy. Dig up any dirt on him. Make sure he doesn’t take advantage of some other poor woman. They want to see him pay…legally. After what he did to you, would you expect any less?”