Out of habit, Ian hesitated. In Italy, people only spoke of such things in hushed voices and whispers. “How much Italian history do you know?”
Her mouth quirked. “Do you mean ancient Rome?”
Her teasing smile would not beguile him. Not even a little. “For centuries, the Italian city-states ruled themselves. Although they are now united under the Italian flag, each region is home to several unofficial…militias. The men who run them also hold monopolies on certain enterprises. They succeed by secrecy and intimidation, and their reach now extends well beyond Italy.”
“And these…militias want the emeralds?”
“Since the crusades ended, three of them have competed for it. To them, the necklace is more than a trophy. It’s a chance for them to bet huge stakes of their business against each other. An excuse for a turf battle.”
“And how do they—”
“We don’t have time for all that now.” If he had his way, that was all she’d find out about the emeralds. “What are the plans for tonight?”
Diana cast down her eyes and fiddled with the gloves on the table. “You should change.”
The feigned modesty irked him. She’d seen him without a shirt often during summers at the shore. She refused to look him in the eye because she was withholding something from him.
He was going to enjoy prying it out of her.
Slowly, he shed his coat and vest. He took his damn time unfastening his tie, and the buttons of his shirt, and let it fall from his shoulders. As Diana watched him undress in the mirror, her gaze traveled the length of his body in a way he’d dreamed about.
He thought of a thousand different things he could do to distract her with his mouth and his touch, so she wouldn’t dream of leaving the cabin.
In the mirror, she raised a delicate finger over the ink tattooed on his heart. The motion was something akin to an imaginary caress.
Her reaction heated his skin and stroked his ego. He slowly closed the distance between them and stood behind her, facing their reflections. “You’re holding back something. It’s more dangerous for me to go in there without knowing everything.”
“You won’t like it.”
The blush rising over her cheeks was the best form of encouragement. He inched closer. “Tell me.”
“Put your shirt on,” she whispered.
Diana kept her eyes on him while he reached for the shirt, but she averted them when he tucked it into his trousers.
“Tell me the part I won’t like,” he insisted.
“Our orders to extract the two women from Costa also included a specific request that I wear the emeralds.”
He swore. “It is obviously a trap!”
“Of course it is.” Her voice shook. “But we have to go. There are lives at stake. And this could be our best chance to uncover information that will lead us to the traitor.”
Ian expelled a breath, and in a somewhat calmer voice, said, “When you walk into that auction wearing the necklace, it will signal Il Corno and other factions to set chase for us. We might manage a clean escape tonight, but as long as you have the emeralds, they will pursue you.”
“I know. We’ll have to splinter off after the cargo exchange. I’ll take the necklace and the others will take the new passengers back on theEver Hart.”
He hated the pallor that had replaced her flush. “There must be an easier way to find out who betrayed you.”
“Probably. But there are still two women we can help protect tonight. Their father is offering an outrageous sum for us to move them to safety. Amelia believes if we follow the payments, we’ll uncover the traitor.”
“And the other women?” Ian asked. “The ones who have no wealthy fathers to pay for their rescue?”
“There isn’t enough time to get them out. Attempting it with limited resources will get everyone killed.” Her throat bobbed on a swallow. “The organization I pledged my loyalty to would never allow me to leave them behind. There is some other agenda at play.”
The uncertainty in her voice made Ian take a protective step closer to her. One of the back buttons of her dress was only partially done, and his fingers found the fabric and pushed the shell of the button through the slippery silk.
His hand grazed the bare skin of her neck, and something like a low moan sounded from her throat. He rested his fingers against her throat for a moment longer than needed, stopping just short of stroking the necklace.