Dark Lover by Brenda Joyce Page B

want to watch yer blood pressure.”
    â€œI know exactly one person who could disable my security system and get away with the Duisean page without triggering a single alarm,” Hemmer snapped.
    Ian grinned. “Surely there are other thieves as skilled as me in the world.”
    â€œI invited you into my home as a friend .”
    Ian dropped his smile. “We were never friends. Ye asked me to get ye the van Gogh and ye paid me handsomely to do so.”
    â€œThat made us business partners, Maclean.”
    â€œAye…an’ possession is ten-tenths of the law, now isn’t it? Ye’d know that better than anyone.” Ian walked over to a seventeenth-century cupboard to pour himself a glass of the fine wine.
    Hemmer followed. “So it was you! You bastard! You came to my party only to steal from me.”
    He was calm. “It takes a thief to know one.” He sipped and was impressed.
    Hemmer was shaking. “Have you bothered to consider that I am one man you do not want to cross?”
    Ian shrugged. “I’m trembling.”
    Hemmer grimaced, eyes ablaze. “How much? How much will you extort from me? How much will it cost me to get the page back?”
    Ian tried to slip into his mind, but the power eluded him. All he felt was Hemmer’s fury and a sense that Hemmer meant to make him suffer for what he’d done, but he hadn’t needed telepathy to comprehend that. Hemmer had toknow that the page had god-given powers. Ian didn’t think he’d pay over two hundred million dollars for it, otherwise. The man wasn’t even Irish.
    But there was more. A black shadow clouded Hemmer’s thoughts—a distinct but undefined presence. Was someone else involved in Hemmer’s desire to possess the page? Ian tried again, but he couldn’t quite bring that other person into focus— if there were another person involved. He couldn’t find a name. He merely glimpsed the black shadow, which remained. If the shadow was a demon, that certainly upped the stakes. “I’m taking bids until Friday at midnight. Make yer best offer.”
    Hemmer choked on outrage. “You’re taking bids? The page is mine! How much do you want for it?”
    â€œMake yer best offer,” he repeated flatly. “I’m selling to the highest bidder.” He smiled and added softly, “Good luck.”
    Hemmer breathed hard. “You’ll be sorry, Maclean. I am not the kind of man you really wish to cross.”
    Ian was amused. He feared demons—not evil billionaires like Rupert Hemmer. If Hemmer was playing with demons, he might be afraid, but that still wouldn’t stop him. Because hundreds of millions of dollars were at stake. And wealth was power. “Really? Good luck making me pay, as well.”
    Hemmer slowly smiled. It was a moment before he spoke. “I didn’t trust you when we first met. I should have known. So, did you enjoy my wife last night? Did you enjoy her today?”
    He’d known they were being taped. He shrugged. “She was skilled enough.”
    Hemmer went still. “I know you think yourself above us all. But you should fear me, Maclean. No one has as much power as I do in mortal realm—and I have allies. Allies that will make you seem weak and pathetic.”
    A twinge of wariness went through him. He’d been right. Hemmer had demonic allies. He’d intended to sellto the highest bidder, but he did not want to become involved with any great black powers.
    On the other hand, he’d spent twenty-five years making himself as safe as possible, and a hundred million dollars or so would be the icing on the cake. Being safe—making his world impregnable—was the driving force of his existence. People thought he was a greedy bastard—how wrong they were.
    And he didn’t like threats. There’d been a thousand of them during his years of captivity. “I don’t like being