The Rome Affair by Addison Fox

Author:Addison Fox
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-07-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Complicated.

The thought had kept Kensington company as the afternoon wore on. And although she knew she needed to focus on the task at hand—namely, just how clean or dirty was Ambassador Hubert Pryce?—all she could seem to wrap her mind around was Jack.

As someone who’d always prided herself on having a poker face, it was a bit mortifying to realize Pryce had seen right through the facade when it came to the subject of Jack Andrews. A mortification only reinforced by the fact that she was so distracted she’d gotten no closer to figuring out what was in that drawer in Pryce’s study.

The only bright spot in the day, strangely enough, had been the time spent with the ambassador. Although she never had an opportunity to get to the study, several rounds of backgammon had given her some things to think about.

The man had access to the rarefied world of international relations. He also had a personal fortune worth well over two hundred and fifty million. Despite both ease of access and financial backing to run any scam he could imagine, something kept ringing false.

Did they believe him guilty because he was handy?

And if he wasn’t responsible, why did all the evidence gathered to date by Dante’s team indicate Castello di Carte at the center of what was going on?

Hubert’s probing of her relationship with Jack had given her an opportunity to press him on his own past relationships, which was the line that still seemed worth tugging on.

Hubert spoke of his late wife and his grown children but deftly avoided any comment on the purported mistresses. He also spoke of his purchase of the vineyard, and in his stories about making wine over the past several years she heard true joy and pleasure in his words.

“He’s had the vineyard for about five years but the issues only kicked in within the past twelve months.”

Jack’s intel had played in the back of her mind throughout the afternoon. Was there something significant about the gap between Pryce’s acquisition of the vineyard and the time the Italian government began to suspect a problem?

Jack strode into the room. She turned from a small sideboard in the dining room, where trays of appetizers and crudités had been set up for the guests to take as they wanted. His hair showed the distinct signs of being run through repeatedly with his fingers and she couldn’t hold back the internal leap of feminine appreciation that tingled under her skin.

“Let me guess. You got your clock cleaned.”

“How’d you know?”

“Winners usually look a heck of a lot happier and—” she tapped her ear “—I heard it all.”

A sly grin lit his face. “If I looked happier, wouldn’t that negate the benefits of having a poker face?”

She added a bunch of grapes to her plate. “Not if the game’s over and the winnings are in your pocket.”

“You’ve got me there. I started off strong but lost my mojo about halfway through the game as I kept keying into your conversation.

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