sip of his drink and blinked.
Josh Lanyon
81
Seven and Seven. Maybe he was a fool, but didn’t it mean something that Robert still remembered what he drank?
He said more calmly, “Let’s say it took me a while to learn I had other options.”
“I know about your ties to the Chernov Russian crime family. You’re Nicholas Chernov’s youngest son. The black sheep of the family.”
Noel didn’t move a muscle. That was the only reason he didn’t drop his glass.
“I’m not quite as stupid as you think I am.”
Someone who seemed to be speaking on Noel’s behalf said, “I don’t think you’re stupid. I never did.”
Robert’s smile was polite. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did. There’s no question my stupidity permitted you to slip away with the Boaz diamond ring.”
“Ego maybe,” Noel acknowledged. He liked Robert far too much to try and flatter him with polite fictions. “You did underestimate me.”
“I did. Yeah.” Robert pushed away from the sink and brought his drink over to the table. He sat down across from Noel. “I hadn’t done my homework then. But I’ve devoted a lot of time and attention to you over the years, Noel, and I think I know you about as well as any man can know another.”
“I’m flattered.”
82
Icecapade
“Don’t be. I had a lot of time on my hands after I was relocated to Wisconsin.”
Noel cleared his throat. “I bet.”
“So your story is you’d have retired even if you hadn’t been injured?”
“It’s the truth.”
“Why would you have? You liked the money and you sure as hell liked the rush.”
“Because I’m not stupid either and I knew my number was coming up.” Noel added wryly,
“True, I didn’t expect my luck to run out on a mountain in the French Pyrenees.”
Robert’s lips tightened. He looked down at his drink. “It is ironic given the balconies and window ledges you scaled.”
“I wanted to be out by the time I was thirty.
That was always my plan. I’d been making investments—good, solid, legal investments—the whole time I was working. I didn’t want to be climbing fire escapes when I was thirty, and I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder. I wanted…a life. A quiet, normal life.”
Robert made that spluttery sound. “And you decided the way to get that was cat burglary? You never considered, oh, I don’t know. Investment banking?”
Josh Lanyon
83
“No.” Noel drained his glass. “Sandwiches for dinner okay with you? I’ve got to get this turkey ready and all the stuff that goes with it.”
Robert stared at him. “You think we’re having dinner together?”
Noel expelled a long, harsh breath. “I do. Yeah.
I’m not stupid either. I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I do know that if you were only here to question me about a bunch of copycat burglaries, you wouldn’t have spent the day trotting around the countryside rescuing llamas and fixing generators. You wouldn’t have come at all. Given our history, you’d be the last person the Bureau would send.”
“Maybe I’m doing this on my own time.”
“ That , I totally believe.”
Robert met his gaze without blinking and Noel felt his own resolve crumble. “And I’m not forgetting what you said about wanting to fuck me. I’d sort of prefer to make love, but whatever you want.” He shrugged.
Robert picked up his glass and finished his own drink.
Noel leaned forward. “Why are you here?
What do you want, Robert?”
“Maybe I’m not sure myself.” That seemed to be further than Robert had meant to go because his face closed immediately.
84
Icecapade
Noel rose. He moved around the kitchen preparing thick sandwiches of roast beef and tomato on sourdough bread.
“You want to freshen our drinks?” He carried the plates to the front parlor.
He was opening the boxes of ornaments when Robert rejoined him with their drinks.
“You wait till Christmas Eve to trim your tree?” Robert picked up
Josh Lanyon
81
Seven and Seven. Maybe he was a fool, but didn’t it mean something that Robert still remembered what he drank?
He said more calmly, “Let’s say it took me a while to learn I had other options.”
“I know about your ties to the Chernov Russian crime family. You’re Nicholas Chernov’s youngest son. The black sheep of the family.”
Noel didn’t move a muscle. That was the only reason he didn’t drop his glass.
“I’m not quite as stupid as you think I am.”
Someone who seemed to be speaking on Noel’s behalf said, “I don’t think you’re stupid. I never did.”
Robert’s smile was polite. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did. There’s no question my stupidity permitted you to slip away with the Boaz diamond ring.”
“Ego maybe,” Noel acknowledged. He liked Robert far too much to try and flatter him with polite fictions. “You did underestimate me.”
“I did. Yeah.” Robert pushed away from the sink and brought his drink over to the table. He sat down across from Noel. “I hadn’t done my homework then. But I’ve devoted a lot of time and attention to you over the years, Noel, and I think I know you about as well as any man can know another.”
“I’m flattered.”
82
Icecapade
“Don’t be. I had a lot of time on my hands after I was relocated to Wisconsin.”
Noel cleared his throat. “I bet.”
“So your story is you’d have retired even if you hadn’t been injured?”
“It’s the truth.”
“Why would you have? You liked the money and you sure as hell liked the rush.”
“Because I’m not stupid either and I knew my number was coming up.” Noel added wryly,
“True, I didn’t expect my luck to run out on a mountain in the French Pyrenees.”
Robert’s lips tightened. He looked down at his drink. “It is ironic given the balconies and window ledges you scaled.”
“I wanted to be out by the time I was thirty.
That was always my plan. I’d been making investments—good, solid, legal investments—the whole time I was working. I didn’t want to be climbing fire escapes when I was thirty, and I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder. I wanted…a life. A quiet, normal life.”
Robert made that spluttery sound. “And you decided the way to get that was cat burglary? You never considered, oh, I don’t know. Investment banking?”
Josh Lanyon
83
“No.” Noel drained his glass. “Sandwiches for dinner okay with you? I’ve got to get this turkey ready and all the stuff that goes with it.”
Robert stared at him. “You think we’re having dinner together?”
Noel expelled a long, harsh breath. “I do. Yeah.
I’m not stupid either. I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I do know that if you were only here to question me about a bunch of copycat burglaries, you wouldn’t have spent the day trotting around the countryside rescuing llamas and fixing generators. You wouldn’t have come at all. Given our history, you’d be the last person the Bureau would send.”
“Maybe I’m doing this on my own time.”
“ That , I totally believe.”
Robert met his gaze without blinking and Noel felt his own resolve crumble. “And I’m not forgetting what you said about wanting to fuck me. I’d sort of prefer to make love, but whatever you want.” He shrugged.
Robert picked up his glass and finished his own drink.
Noel leaned forward. “Why are you here?
What do you want, Robert?”
“Maybe I’m not sure myself.” That seemed to be further than Robert had meant to go because his face closed immediately.
84
Icecapade
Noel rose. He moved around the kitchen preparing thick sandwiches of roast beef and tomato on sourdough bread.
“You want to freshen our drinks?” He carried the plates to the front parlor.
He was opening the boxes of ornaments when Robert rejoined him with their drinks.
“You wait till Christmas Eve to trim your tree?” Robert picked up
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