(1984) Night of the Magician by Stephanie James (Jayne Ann Krentz)

Author:Stephanie James (Jayne Ann Krentz) [James, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mom 05/31/2014
ISBN: 9780373806942
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 1984-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

6

Ariana made the phone call to her brother as soon as she walked into her apartment. Flinging down her carryall, she crossed the papaya-colored carpet to pick up the white phone beside the sofa. Drake Warfield sounded rather vague on the other end of the line, and she knew that she’d caught him in the middle of some serious bout of thinking.

Ruthlessly Ariana fought to get his full attention.

“You heard me, Drake, I said what exactly do you know about Lucian Hawk?“

“Ari, you asked me that question a few days ago, and I told you that I liked the guy and had heard he could be trusted. What more do you want to know? What the hell happened up there in the mountains, anyway? You sound a little upset.“

“Upset is an extremely mild word for what I’m feeling! And don’t you dare tell me you don’t know much about Lucian! I think you knew a lot more than you told me a few days ago!“

There was a thoughtful pause on the other end, and Ariana could practically hear her very intelligent brother putting two and two together. “I take it you found out he’s more than just a magician?“ Drake finally asked carefully.

“Oh, yes, Drake,“ she bit out furiously, “I found out. This morning. But you and Aunt Philomena knew all along, didn’t you?“

“Well, I knew he wasn’t exactly a pauper, Ari, and I did mention to Aunt Phil when I talked to her Saturday morning that he seemed perfect for you….“

“Perfect for me! Perfect for me?“ In the face of such brotherly audacity she couldn’t find a suitable response.

Ariana felt stunned. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me he was rich?“

“Now, Ari, he’s not super rich, just wealthier than you are,“ Drake temporized. “But what’s the matter with that? I thought you’d be pleased!“

“So did he!“ she grated “But you didn’t answer my question, Drake. Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you allow me to believe he was just a magician?“

“He is a magician. A damn good one.“

“Drake!“

“Okay, okay, Ari. I didn’t tell you because he asked me not to,“ Drake said simply.

Ariana went momentarily silent in the face of that response. “I see,“ she finally managed icily.

“Ari, it’s not as bad as it sounds,“ Drake said, trying to placate her. “After we were introduced by our mutual friend, I told Lucian why you wanted a magician and he sounded very interested. He was curious about you. We, uh, had a few drinks and I told him how cautious you are about men. How you wouldn’t consider dating someone without money….“

“For God’s sake!“

“Now, Ari, it’s true,“ Drake pointed out gently with brotherly forthrightness. “You’ve been vetting your dates on the basis of their financial statements for the past four years and you know it.“

“That’s my business, Drake!“

“At any rate, we kept talking about you, and I told him you were really very nice except for this hangup you seem to have developed about men who don’t have as much money as you do.

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