Free Collection by T.K. Lasser Page A

bodies!”
    â€œWe're as easy to kill here as we are there.” As he explained, Jane's face got even redder. “I mean, it's not like we'd be any safer here than in Cuba. These guys don't exactly plan to get caught.” Lucien realized that his attempt to comfort her was falling far short of the mark.
    â€œLook, this doesn't change anything. I sold him a real painting, and he's being offered a fake. He'll see that when he goes to take a look at it. I can continue to procure paintings for him, and he'll value that. He won't kill you, I'm his golden goose.”
    â€œI'm pretty sure the golden goose didn't have a girlfriend, much less a fake one. You can't predict how he'll treat me. I'm not valuable to him. Plus, I'm pretty sure you're not telling me the whole truth.”
    â€œYou're not valuable to him, but you're valuable to me. I know men like him. He wants what he wants, and he doesn't like a bad deal. He can be violent, but only if provoked. He deals in things, Jane, not people. He's not interested in people any further than what they can do for him. I can do things for him. If he kills you, I won't want to do anything for him. He knows that.”
    â€œYou know that. I know that. Just make sure you know he knows that.” Awkward, but effective. She tried not to sound scared, but she knew that her pitch was a little too high, her voice a little too earnest.
    Jane tried to detect where he was lying, but she couldn't. He was providing her the reassurance that she needed, but a part of her still found it too convenient. Something was off, but she wasn't sure what. It wasn't a bright flare of awareness, but an underlying burn. Maybe she was lying to herself. How else could this situation end, but very badly? She had started the day convinced that Lucien was unlike any other man she had ever met, and she wasn't disappointed so far. She just hoped that he could back up his story when her life was on the line.
    It suddenly occurred to her that when he said that she was valuable to him, he definitely hadn't lied. She knew that they were playing a game with the boyfriend-girlfriend thing, but he had meant what he said. Jane imagined that he was simply taking his role seriously, which he should since he had gotten her into this mess. Still, she wondered if he might feel more for her than chivalrous obligation. Maybe she would ask him, if she survived the night.
    Lucien knew Jane was upset, but he couldn't make her calm down. She just had to tough it out. He had a feeling that she could and would manage that. Surprisingly, she had not fallen apart yet. She was more resilient than she looked. Then again, they hadn't taken off yet.

9
    A FEW HOURS LATER, Lucien looked out his window to see the lush landscape of Cuba below. It had changed in the past few hundred years, and yet it hadn't. Outside of Havana and away from the high-rises, there was little indication that this was a modern country. Lucien saw past and present smothering one another. The coastline seemed to remain static. The beach was sandy, the water warm and blue, and the palms swayed with the wind now as it ever did. Yet, there was a danger in Cuba that belied its peaceful setting.
    Under normal circumstances, Lucien enjoyed visiting here. There were certain business deals that were best handled out of U.S. jurisdiction for the comfort of all parties, and Cuba was a good option. It was close enough to fly by private plane, and if you knew the right people, you were virtually anonymous and completely invisible for the duration of your stay. Lucien had no doubt that Raleigh Harris knew the right people, and paid well to enjoy anonymity.
    The jet made a smooth final approach toward a private airstrip not far from a large estate. The compound was far enough from any cities that no one could approach it and the numerous outbuildings without being seen well in advance. There were fields and forest around the house, and Lucien knew that if he had to, he