rolled to the elbows, dark slacks, slimline black shoes. Leah loved his shoes. Loved his bare forearms, brooding dark eyes, sculpted cheekbones. Loved his New York accent. Loved the hollow at his throat.
Loved the way he folded her against him and murmured, ‘I’m going stir-crazy here.’
By now they had moved to the main window, looking out over the brilliant gloss of the sea. Whitecaps, the curve of the bay, a fringe of green at the shoreline, people in the water. Whales, if you had a good pair of binoculars and patience. But Leah wasn’t interested in whales. She was looking down, intent on the crown of Rafi’s head, now partly concealed by the skirt bundled at her waist.
Afterwards, entangled slickly on the bed, Leah combed his chest hairs with her fingers. ‘I put the idea in Alan’s head.’
‘Great.’
She stroked, he stroked, she purred, and then she said, ‘I just wish we didn’t have to wait.’
‘Me too.’
‘I’d like to put the painting in a suitcase and fly off with you tonight and get paid tomorrow.’
‘Me too.’
‘A million dollars.’
‘Maybe less. What do I know about art? The buyer has to see it first,’ Halperin said.
‘Raf, you said a million. A million would set us up.’
‘Depends on the condition.’
Leah placed the flat of her hand on his chest, the slenderness of her fingers against his hard, taut torso. ‘So long as Trask doesn’t stuff up.’
Rafael turned onto his side and fondled her nipples. ‘What’s our fall guy like?’
Leah thought about her two encounters with Wyatt. ‘Tough. Hard. Surly.’
‘He may not give up the painting without a fight.’
‘Trask’s no pushover. Plus, we’ve already scouted Ormerod’s house and street.’
Raf nodded. ‘Have you given any thought to disappearing the body?’
Distracted, the sensations in her breasts touching off sensations in her groin, Leah forced herself to concentrate. ‘Maybe at sea?’
After a while, Rafi said, ‘Will he come after you? Trask?’
‘One moment I’m in Noosa, the next I’m gone,’ Leah said. ‘He won’t know where. He won’t know I’m in New York with you.’
It gave her a quite peculiar thrill to see the scowl on her lover’s face. She snuggled against him, ‘Settle down, I’m not sleeping with him.’
‘Yeah, but he wants to sleep with you.’
‘Then he’ll have to keep wanting, won’t he?’
After a while, Raf hitched himself onto one elbow and said, ‘Can you get me a gun?’
Leah went very still. ‘Are you saying you want to hit Wyatt? It’s not exactly the kind of thing you or I are good at.’
‘Nothing like that. I’m stuck here alone day after day, I don’t know who half the players are, and something could go wrong. I’m vulnerable here.’
Leah gnawed on her bottom lip. Along with computers, iPhones, cameras, coin collections and gold bars, Gavin Wurlitzer had burgled the occasional firearm. ‘A little .32
automatic?’
‘Perfect.’
They had sex again and by now the afternoon sun was streaming across the bed.
‘I have to go,’ Leah said.
‘We could have dinner tonight.’
‘Raf, we can’t be seen together.’ She touched his perfect lips with the tip of her finger. ‘ You can’t be seen. Everyone thinks you went home to New York.’
‘Bitch-face is in a hotel down on the Gold Coast.’
‘Bitch-face could decide she wants to be here in Noosa for the handover. And what if Trask sees you?’
Raf sulked. It was cute, a twist of his lips, a little frown between his depthless eyes. She kissed it away. ‘You’ll have your revenge soon enough.’
After all, he’d done the groundwork—only for Hannah Sten to say thanks, you can go home now. Fuck that.
14
On Tuesday morning Wyatt drove to Noosa Junction to replenish his wardrobe at the Salvation Army op shop. A daypack, faded yellow boardshorts, plain white T-shirt, straw hat, canvas trainers and wraparound mirror sunglasses. Used clothing, because he didn’t want anyone
Loved the way he folded her against him and murmured, ‘I’m going stir-crazy here.’
By now they had moved to the main window, looking out over the brilliant gloss of the sea. Whitecaps, the curve of the bay, a fringe of green at the shoreline, people in the water. Whales, if you had a good pair of binoculars and patience. But Leah wasn’t interested in whales. She was looking down, intent on the crown of Rafi’s head, now partly concealed by the skirt bundled at her waist.
Afterwards, entangled slickly on the bed, Leah combed his chest hairs with her fingers. ‘I put the idea in Alan’s head.’
‘Great.’
She stroked, he stroked, she purred, and then she said, ‘I just wish we didn’t have to wait.’
‘Me too.’
‘I’d like to put the painting in a suitcase and fly off with you tonight and get paid tomorrow.’
‘Me too.’
‘A million dollars.’
‘Maybe less. What do I know about art? The buyer has to see it first,’ Halperin said.
‘Raf, you said a million. A million would set us up.’
‘Depends on the condition.’
Leah placed the flat of her hand on his chest, the slenderness of her fingers against his hard, taut torso. ‘So long as Trask doesn’t stuff up.’
Rafael turned onto his side and fondled her nipples. ‘What’s our fall guy like?’
Leah thought about her two encounters with Wyatt. ‘Tough. Hard. Surly.’
‘He may not give up the painting without a fight.’
‘Trask’s no pushover. Plus, we’ve already scouted Ormerod’s house and street.’
Raf nodded. ‘Have you given any thought to disappearing the body?’
Distracted, the sensations in her breasts touching off sensations in her groin, Leah forced herself to concentrate. ‘Maybe at sea?’
After a while, Rafi said, ‘Will he come after you? Trask?’
‘One moment I’m in Noosa, the next I’m gone,’ Leah said. ‘He won’t know where. He won’t know I’m in New York with you.’
It gave her a quite peculiar thrill to see the scowl on her lover’s face. She snuggled against him, ‘Settle down, I’m not sleeping with him.’
‘Yeah, but he wants to sleep with you.’
‘Then he’ll have to keep wanting, won’t he?’
After a while, Raf hitched himself onto one elbow and said, ‘Can you get me a gun?’
Leah went very still. ‘Are you saying you want to hit Wyatt? It’s not exactly the kind of thing you or I are good at.’
‘Nothing like that. I’m stuck here alone day after day, I don’t know who half the players are, and something could go wrong. I’m vulnerable here.’
Leah gnawed on her bottom lip. Along with computers, iPhones, cameras, coin collections and gold bars, Gavin Wurlitzer had burgled the occasional firearm. ‘A little .32
automatic?’
‘Perfect.’
They had sex again and by now the afternoon sun was streaming across the bed.
‘I have to go,’ Leah said.
‘We could have dinner tonight.’
‘Raf, we can’t be seen together.’ She touched his perfect lips with the tip of her finger. ‘ You can’t be seen. Everyone thinks you went home to New York.’
‘Bitch-face is in a hotel down on the Gold Coast.’
‘Bitch-face could decide she wants to be here in Noosa for the handover. And what if Trask sees you?’
Raf sulked. It was cute, a twist of his lips, a little frown between his depthless eyes. She kissed it away. ‘You’ll have your revenge soon enough.’
After all, he’d done the groundwork—only for Hannah Sten to say thanks, you can go home now. Fuck that.
14
On Tuesday morning Wyatt drove to Noosa Junction to replenish his wardrobe at the Salvation Army op shop. A daypack, faded yellow boardshorts, plain white T-shirt, straw hat, canvas trainers and wraparound mirror sunglasses. Used clothing, because he didn’t want anyone
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