Free Family Jewels by Rita Sable

confess? I can help you, Cyn. But only if I know everything.”
    The wide back end of a slow-moving trash truck lumbered ahead of them. Trevor sped past it, dodging in front as soon as the car’s bumper cleared. That driver honked at them too. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second and then popped them open wide again when velocity pushed her back in her seat. Trevor sped up through an intersection just as the light turned red. Cynthia held her breath, fully expecting another car to hit them broadside.
    “Shit.” Her breath whistled out from between her clenched teeth. “Slow down! You’re gonna get us killed.”
    “Not bloody likely,” he murmured, expertly maneuvering around a stretch limousine. Without warning he swerved the car into a parking garage, barely waiting long enough for the automated ticket to spit out and raise the gate.
    “Why are we parking?”
    “We’re not. We’re losing our tail. And we need to finish our talk.”
    He drove around the garage until he found a secluded parking space on the fourth level. He turned off the engine and slid his seat back. It gave him enough legroom to swivel sideways to face her.
    Cynthia unbuckled her seat belt. If she needed to get out of the car quickly, for whatever reason…
    “Relax. I’m not going to hurt you.”
    Her breath came quick and shallow. Her hands trembled. How foolish had she been to trust him to this point? What the hell did she know about Trevor St. James? Nothing. It didn’t matter now that Captain Hill had introduced them, practically insisted she speak to him. Trevor was a big, strong man and would easily be able to overpower her in such close confines. And she didn’t have the benefit of a golf club this time.
    He reached over to her shoulder and lifted the collar of his jacket up. “May I?”
    She leaned forward and let him take his coat, immediately missing the warmth and security it offered. He reached inside the pocket and produced a small key, then leaned over to unlock the glove compartment. She jerked when his hand brushed against her knee.
    “Please, just relax. I’m going to put my harness and gun back on, where they belong. If push comes to shove, I’d rather not be caught unprepared.”
    She watched warily when he shrugged into the leather harness, settling the big gun against his left side. He tugged his jacket back on, hiding his weapon from view.
    “Better?”
    Cynthia forced a smile, dimly aware that her whole body trembled. She took a deep breath, cringing when it warbled in her throat. Even her damned chin quivered.
    He raised his hand and stroked his knuckles across her cheek with the most feather-soft of touches. “You’re a very beautiful and brave woman, Cynthia Lyons. I won’t let them near you. I promise.”
    Her eyes blurred and prickled with tears. She swiped the annoying wetness away, knocking his hand away too. “Stop it! I don’t need coddling, Agent. I can and do take care of myself.”
    Trevor pulled back. “I don’t doubt that for a moment.”
    “Good. Tell me why they want me.”
    “It’s very complicated.” His voice dropped, husky and soothing inside the confines of the car. The warm British baritone made goose bumps dance across the skin of her arms.
    “Complicated?” She blinked through blurry vision. “Well, my life is complicated, too. Nothing makes sense to me anymore. I need to know why these guys want me.”
    “They want what you have, not specifically you, if that’s any consolation.”
    She laughed sarcastically. “No, it’s not. I’m trying to understand, Trevor. But you’re not giving me a single reason to break my code of ethics and ruin my career.”
    Trevor leaned his head back and closed his eyes for a moment. Despite her rising fear and confusion, the corded muscles in his neck and the sharp angle of his jaw fascinated her. When he opened his eyes, she jolted at the raw desperation in them.
    “I need your trust,” he said. “You must describe the diamond to me.