Page 20 of Claimed Gem

He realized that if he did try to leave her behind, Stephanie was resourceful enough to find her own ride down to the docks.

She wasn’t trying to appease him or gain access to his brothers. She wasn’t trying to gain access to his money.

She appeared to be merely concerned about him.

Nevertheless, there was no way he could allow Stephanie to be a target as well. If something were to happen to her...

I would never be able to forgive myself.

He cleared his throat and tried to reason with her once more.

“Stephanie, I need you to stay here. I don’t want you anywhere you might get hurt. If you’re down at the docks, I won’t be able to protect myself. I won’t be able to focus on anything but making sure you’re safe.”

When he put it that way, Stephanie found herself unable to argue her case. She was a little hurt that Ries didn’t think she was capable enough to help take down the man at the docks. But she also understood what he’d been telling her. He didn’t want to worry about her in addition to himself, and he would if she tagged along. And if anything happened to him...

“Fine. I’ll stay behind.”

Ries looked relieved and gave her a small smile. “Thank you.”

Stephanie pushed aside the hurt and feelings of rejection that were plaguing her. Whether Ries had intended it to come across like this or not, his worries about her safety felt like a lack of trust in her abilities and a refusal to keep her involved. He was treating her in some ways as a child who needed to be protected - not a partner who could be trusted.

Chris returned to the apartment with half a dozen security personnel. They were all dressed in solid black. Chris looked over at Ries’ attire and told him, “You’ll need a change of clothes if you’re accompanying us.”

“Yes. Did you brief your team?” Ries asked.

“I did. Sunrise is less than two hours away. We’ll have a man on the docks getting his boat ready for a fishing expedition. Piotr did a good job of showing us where the kids meet this man. We’ll be hiding in the shadows and when he shows his face, we’ll grab him.”

“What about the kids?” Ries asked. “I don’t want them caught in the middle if crossfire breaks out.”

Chris sighed, “It may not be possible to keep them away but we’ll try to get this guy when he’s in the clear.”

Stephanie listened, silently making her own plans.

She’d agreed to stay behind to appease Ries but she was no pushover as he would soon find out. She had a right to be there and needed to know if the man paying the kids was the same man who had stolen the vase. If it was true, he could be the key to bringing down an entire ring of art smugglers.

The meeting broke up and everyone left, leaving Stephanie alone once more with Ries. He looked at her for a moment and headed for the bedroom. “I need to get changed.”

Stephanie nodded, refusing to give him anything more. Resisting the urge to follow him.

This is business.

But the more she saw of Ries, the more impressed she was.

She looked down at her own attire, silently thankful that she’d decided to slip a pair of black yoga pants and a black t-shirt over her skimpy waitress uniform. The t-shirt had a screen print of a popular 70’s rock band but that could be hidden simply by turning her shirt inside out.

Ries reappeared several minutes later, looking dark and dangerous, and more attractive than Stephanie was comfortable with. He looked like someone she’d let sweep her off her feet.

She swallowed the urge she had to run her hands over his tight-fitting t-shirt. She knew he was muscular but now she could see every one of the muscles beneath the shirt and it left her drooling as she watched him prepare for the confrontation.

He joined her at the bar and met her eyes. “Do you want to stay here or go back to your place? You’re welcome to stay here and when I get back, I’ll tell you everything that happened.”

Stephanie realized he was throwing her a bone and she nodded, refusing to take the bribe. “I’ll stay here.”

Ries’ shoulders relaxed, and he touched her hair for a moment, sending a thrill of heat through her body, before heading for the apartment door.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Help yourself to the fridge or the bar. If you get sleepy, you can use my bed or the couch. I imagine you’re tired from working tonight.”

“I’m a little sleepy,” she replied, faking a yawn.