Upon hearing Murphy's concerned voice, Laura looked at Harry as they both rushed into the bedroom. "What- Where are you, Murphy?" Laura asked, finding the bedroom empty.
"Out here!" he called from the balcony.
They joined him. "Where's Daniel?" Laura asked.
"The door to the balcony was open, and there's no sign of him," Murphy said. "Except for this-" he pulled a sheet up that was tied to the railing.
"He's gone," Harry said, peering over the edge of the balcony. "He lowered himself to the balcony below, no doubt picked the lock and went through that room." Laura crossed the bedroom, but Harry caught up with her and grabbed her arm as they returned to the sitting room. "Where are you going?"
"Maybe we can catch him."
He shook his head. "I doubt it."
"And what if he takes a shot at stealing that tiara?" Murphy asked.
"He won't. He might have come here with the intention to steal it, but he's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar- and he's lost one of his oldest, and dearest friends in the process." Harry shook his head. "The tiara's safe. Tomorrow morning, we'll put it back onto that plane and send it back to London."
"You're just gonna let him go?" Murphy asked.
"What has he done, Murphy, eh? Pretended to be someone he wasn't? I did the same thing."
"But you weren't planning to-" Murphy reminded him.
"No. I wasn't. And we've no real proof that he was planning on that either, do we?"
"He's right, Murphy," Laura said.
"Okay. You're the client. You say we let him go, we let him go. But I'm gonna go down and keep an eye on the lobby, just in case." He looked at Laura. "You coming?"
Harry turned to look at Laura, who shook her head. "I have some things to settle here, first. I'll see you later."
"Okay," Murphy said, giving Harry a now familiar look of warning as he opened the door and left them alone.
"He doesn't trust me, for some reason," Harry told her.
"Murphy thinks he's my big brother," Laura explained. "He's afraid I'll get hurt-."
"Again?" Harry said. "Your sentence didn't sound finished, somehow." He shook his head. "Hurting you is the last thing that I would ever want to do. I do owe Daniel something as a result of all this, I suppose."
"What's that?"
"He introduced me to you."
"Oh."
Harry lifted her chin. "Have dinner with me this evening?"
"Oh, Harry. I want to, but-"
"Oh, I don't like sentences that end with that word. It usually means that I'm not going to like what comes next."
"I don't see that this can go anywhere. I mean, if there is anything *to* go anywhere, that is. You live in London, and I live here in Los Angeles. You have your responsibilities there, I have mine here."
"Hmm. I don't suppose you've ever considered opening a branch office in London, have you?"
"No," she said with a laugh. "I've never been to Europe."
"You'd love it," Harry told her. "And I'd love to be the one to show it to you." He looked thoughtfully at the wall beyond Laura. "Until I replace Hugh, I'm going to have to attend to my American investments in person, and that means I'll be visiting your fair city quite a bit, I should think." He smiled. "And I could use a good Investigative Agency. What would you say to my putting the Laura Holt Agency on permanent retainer?"
"Oh, I-" Laura's eyes widened at the amount of money he mentioned. "Harry-"
"Consider it an investment."
"In what?" Laura asked.
"The future," he said simply.
Laura lifted her chin. "My agency's not for sale, your Lordship."
"I wasn't suggesting otherwise."
"And neither am I."
"Everyone has their price, Miss Holt."
"I don't think you can afford mine."
"We'll see. Dinner? This evening? And I'll tell you how I found out that I was Little Lord Fontleroy in the flesh."
"Happy ending and all?" she asked.
"Well, that rather depends on you, Miss Holt," he said with a charming smile. "Please? I promise not to do anything you don't want me to do."
Laura was tempted. Damn tempted. But instead of saying yes, she shook her head. "I have to be up early to make sure the collection gets out of LA safely."
"I suppose it would be out of the question for me to tell you that I'd personally make certain you awoke in time for your appointment?" Laura's expression must have given her away, because Harry smiled. "Very well. I'll see you tomorrow morning. With a check for services rendered-" His words caused Laura to stop halfway to the door with his hand at her elbow.
"I can't- I mean- this was for charity. I can't take money for-"
"I insist. Your agency performed an invaluable service for the Foundation. And for me, personally. Please," he said, taking her hand. "Don't refuse your just due. I don't think your agency's creditors will understand your altruism in this matter. Do you?"
"No," she agreed, wondering just how much he knew about her agency's creditors. "We could use the money."
"Then you shall have it," he told her, bringing her hand to his lips. "Until tomorrow morning, Miss Holt." He didn't release her hand as he straightened; instead he drew her in closer, until she was bare inches from him. "Consider this a down payment on the retainer I mentioned," he whispered, pulling her close for a long kiss.
Laura fought the movement of her arms around his neck, but they traitorously refused to listen to her, and curved around Harry's neck, her fingers burying themselves in his dark, thick hair. The kiss shook Laura to her core, leaving her shaking inside. She slowly withdrew, putting her hands on his chest, feeling his own rapid heartbeat. It was almost her undoing. For a moment, she considered agreeing to anything- even opening a branch office of the Agency in London, just to stay with him.
"Oh, Laura," Harry sighed, closing his hands over hers. "Don't go. Stay. Please."
"I can't," she said. "I'm sorry. I can't." She pulled her hands away and walked quickly to the elevator, pressing the button. She knew he was still there in the hallway, watching her, willing her to turn around and look at him. But Laura knew that if she did, she'd be lost. She'd let herself go down this road once before. The result had been a broken heart and a long rebuilding process to put her life back together.
No, it was best this way. The elevator arrived, the doors opened, and she got inside. As she turned and the doors closed, she caught sight of him, still standing there, watching her, and went so far as to reach out, intending to stop the door from closing, but she was a split second too late, and the car slid smoothly down, taking her away from temptation.
They were from two different worlds, she reminded herself. She was a California girl, born and bred. Harry- Harry was Lord Harrison Something Something Bryce-Davies, the Earl of Bensonhurst, a member of the English aristocracy. He'd go back to London, and forget all about her.
Once they parted tomorrow morning at the airport, they'd never see each other again.
***
Upon arriving at the hotel the next morning- after a night spent tossing and turning in her solitary bed-, Laura was surprised to find a black limousine sitting in front of the entrance. She parked the Rabbit behind the car and got out to confront the uniformed chauffer. "Excuse me, but I'm afraid you'll have to move your car-"
"Ah, Miss Holt," Harry said, coming from the hotel where he must have been watching for her. "Good morning. I trust you slept well?" he asked.
Laura turned slowly, putting off having to meet that brilliant blue gaze for as long as possible. He certainly didn't look as if he'd had trouble sleeping, she thought. Of course, he'd probably gone out to find Leslie Maxwell and invited her to dinner. "We have a problem," she began, and saw him frown.
"Not the collection, I hope?"
"Oh, no." She waved her arm toward the limo. "*This*. The armored car is due any minute. We have to find out who this belongs to-"
"It's mine," he told her, lifting a hand to summon a red-coated parking valet. "I thought we would take it to the airport. If you'll give your keys to this young man, he'll see to your-" he gave the Rabbit an uncertain look before continuing, "car."
Laura sighed in resignation as she handed her keys to the attendant. "This really wasn't necessary, your Lordship," she insisted.
"Not for you, perhaps. But I do have a reputation to maintain," he reminded her. When Laura sighed again, in frustration this time and turned toward the entrance, Harry followed, a smile on his face. "Where is Murphy?"
"On the job," she assured him shortly, knocking on the door to the security room. "I thought that you would be too busy this morning getting Mr. Carter's body released so you can take it back to London-"
"It's already done," Harry informed her, drawing a surprised look as the door was opened by one of the uniformed security guards.
"So quickly?"
"It's amazing what the words 'diplomatic privilege' will accomplish. Opens almost any door, cuts through the thickest red tape-"
"Of course," Laura said.
One of the guards hung up the telephone. "The armored car's here, Miss Holt. We're all set," he told her, indicating the metal attaché cases fastened to his arm and the arms of two of his friends by handcuffs.
"Then let's get this show on the road, gentlemen," Laura said. The sooner that collection- and its owner- was on the airplane bound for London, the sooner Laura's life could get back to normal.
***
She watched the cases into the armored car, and then turned to get into the limo with Harry. Suddenly she stopped as a familiar smile found her. Harry noticed her distraction and asked, "What's wrong?"
Laura nodded toward the taxi that was parked down the way.
"Daniel," Harry realized, frowning.
"He didn't go very far, did he?" she noted. The taxi passed them, and Daniel nodded, smiling.
"We'd better go," Harry said, indicating that Laura should precede him into the limo. But this time it was Murphy who stopped her.
"Laura!" he yelled, sounding out of breath and in pain.
His white uniform was smudged with dirt, and he was holding the back of his head. "Murphy? What happened?" she asked.
"Someone hit me from behind," he said, "Took the collection. *all* of it."
Laura pushed Murphy into the limo, and followed him, giving Harry an "I-told-you-so" look as they passed him.
Harry joined them, telling the driver, "Follow that cab, Fred. And don't worry about the tickets. Just don't lose him."
"Yes sir, your Lordship," Fred said, putting the limo into motion.
Harry drummed his fingers on his leg in anger. "I can't believe that I let him con me that way." He winced in sympathy as Laura probed Murphy's wounded head. "I'm sorry, Murphy. If I'd been less concerned about adverse publicity and listened to you and Laura-"
"I'll be okay," Murphy told him. "Let's just get him."
***
The taxi barely came to a stop at the curb before the airline terminal before Daniel leapt out and ran inside, carrying his suitcase. Something began to niggle at Harry's mind as his father pushed through the glass doors into the building.
Laura and Harry were out of the limo as soon as Fred brought it to a stop, following Daniel as he moved swiftly away. Fear that he might escape made Laura call out. "Stop, thief!"
Not ten feet away, Leslie Maxwell was heading toward the ticket counter, a luggage cart behind her. Upon hearing Laura's words, she grabbed three of the cases and began to run. Seeing that, Murphy swerved past Laura and Harry to pursue the blonde instead.
Laura grabbed Daniel's arm. "You liar!" she accused, breathing heavily.
But Harry asked, "Daniel, you didn't?" as he took note of the small suitcase in Daniel's hand. It wasn't nearly large enough to contain the collection.
"I gave you my word, Harry," Daniel insisted. "But the person who *did* steal it is going to get away if you don't go after her."
***
Leslie ran into a cargo area, where several electric golf-carts were sitting idle. She tossed the cases onto one of them, then got behind the steering wheel and started the engine as Murphy jumped onto the back of the cart. Leslie turned the wheels sharply, catching him off guard.
The cart went to the left, Murphy to the right- into a pile of cardboard boxes, where he lay, stunned.
Harry and Laura grabbed a second cart. Harry started the engine and set out in pursuit as Laura hung onto the back of the cart. When he felt her arms around his neck, Harry risked taking a hand from the wheel to tug at her arm. "You're choking me!" he told her.
Laura loosened her hold, but reached around him, trying to grab the steering wheel. "Be careful!" she admonished. "You're going to lose her!"
Harry tried to spat her hands away, and in the struggle for control of the cart, neither of them saw Leslie stop her cart and turn, trying to grab the cases. The second car slammed into the first, sending Leslie into a nearby garbage bin, and the suitcases to the floor, where the zippers had burst open to reveal the silver attaché cases containing the jewelry.
Harry turned to look at Laura. "I take it you wanted to drive?" he asked.
To Be Continued . . .