Family Jewels by Rita Sable

all of her art supplies and jeweler’s hand tools too. Apparently, she planned to do some work while she was away, since he couldn’t tell her how long that would be. The trunk of his rental car contained everything she held most dear. Perhaps she was just paranoid. He couldn’t blame her for that.
    Finished with her paperwork, Cynthia swung her purse onto the counter and opened it. She smiled at him while digging inside and then pulled out her wallet, removing a photo of her cat. She used a paper clip to attach the photo to the missing pet report.
    She handed it to the young man behind the counter. “Do you need anything else?”
    “Is he wearing a collar and tags?”
    “Yes. A white leather collar and his rabies tag. You’ll call me right away, if he shows up?”
    “Yeah,” the young man confirmed. “But just so you know, our policy is three nights. We can’t keep cats more than that, so if we call, you gotta come get him. We euthanize on the fourth day.”
    Cynthia paled visibly at that news. “Okay. Thanks.”
    Outside the sky had darkened to lead gray and snow fell in heavy, lazy flakes. It accumulated on the ground and made piles of dirty slush on the street as traffic moved through it. Walking became tricky. People scooted over slick spots and slowed their steps to keep from slipping. Cynthia stopped on the sidewalk outside the Humane Society building and buttoned her forest green Loden-style coat up to her chin.
    “That was fun.” She managed a wry grimace, yanking her backpack and purse up higher. “I wish we didn’t need places like this animal shelter. It’s horrible.”
    “I agree. But at least the animals are cared for in some fashion, for a while. It could be a lot worse. I’m very sorry about your missing cat.”
    She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks. I’m sorry to bother you with him. You’ve been very patient and accommodating.”
    “I’m not complaining. You have a way of making me forget who I really am, Cyn.” He caught her cold hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm, drawing her close to his side. “Despite the precarious circumstances of our being together, I’m enjoying your company.”
    A spark of hope lit up her eyes before she turned her gaze away. “Who are you, Trevor? I mean the real you?”
    “Who am I,” he sighed. “I’m afraid that’s a convoluted tale.”
    “I need to know. I feel vulnerable and totally out of my element with you, with this whole mess I’m in. I’m feeling nervous about everything and it’s all happening too fast. Maybe we should go someplace and talk. I need to understand what’s going on. And I want to know more about the diamond you’re looking for.”
    All the passion from their kiss earlier seemed like yesterday’s dream. They were strangers, both caught up in a dangerous mystery he still needed to solve. He shouldn’t allow his rampant hormones for this beautiful American woman to sway him from his job.
    By God , man , just fuck her and get her out of your mind .
    Oddly enough, the truth of the matter was he felt powerless to use her body in that way. For the first time in years he wanted to engage a woman’s mind and soul in bed as much as her body. That spelled trouble.
    Trevor pushed the annoying thought away, determined to look it over more thoroughly at a more convenient time. As was his habit, he took a moment to gauge the people around them. One man in particular looked out of place for this snowy, late afternoon. Without seeing his face, the man’s black trench coat and rubber-soled shoes had that “professional” look of a hired thug. The fact that he tried to read a newspaper on the street corner under the falling snow struck Trevor as particularly odd and stupid.
    Trevor urged Cynthia down the sidewalk. “Let’s get off the street. We passed a Starbucks’ coffee shop on our way here. That would be a good place to talk some more. Besides, I’m way under my daily quota for