Somehow the reminder of how fit he was (not that she needed a reminder—his lean strength was obvious with every move he made) made her feel even more uncomfortable.
“You said you didn’t care about avoiding attention. I asked why you’d want other people knowing your business.” Jace leaned against the desk which rested against the opposite wall as the bed.
“I guess I’ve never had much to hide,” she muttered. “Why exactly are we in a bedroom? There are perfectly good tables upstairs we could’ve used for this.”
He pushed himself forward and took a step closer to her. “Well, you seemed so comfortable threatening me over the phone, Ms. Devereaux. I wanted to see how brave you were when I got you all to myself.”
A chill went down her spine at the stark reminder that she was alone with a man she knew nothing about. “I think you’re mistaking desperation for bravery,” she said, especially proud of herself when her voice didn’t crack.
His eyes roamed up and down her body, and the urge to run back upstairs intensified tenfold. “What exactly makes you so desperate to bother Victoria Green?”
“I’m not trying to bother anyone!” she insisted. “But Victoria is a large part of the reason my sister is probably going to prison. Why does everyone think it’s so insane that I’m curious about what happened?”
“Because thinking she’d feel comfortable talking to you is insane. What could she tell you anyway? Do you have a particular goal with your half-assed attempts to talk to her?”
“My goals are my own business,” said Emma. “And unless we’re in business together, I don’t see any reason to tell you anything. Now, I came here with an offer for you.”
“And I came here to say no to your offer,” he shot back. “Now are we done here?”
“You haven’t even heard what I had to say!”
“And you haven’t listened to what I’ve been saying. I am on vacation and I’m not going to help you investigate a client of mine.”
“I can pay you. Whatever your normal fee is, I can triple it.”
“Lady, with what you have in your trust fund, you can probably pay a lot more than that. But it doesn’t matter. I have money and I don’t need any of yours.”
“Well, you have to want something. Just tell me and I can get it for you.”
“The only thing I want right now is a vacation. I finished a job yesterday and don’t plan to work again until I damn well feel like it.”
“It’s easy work. All I need you to do is tag along while I ask around about Joslyn and give me your professional opinion about what I’m looking at. Hardly exhausting stuff.”
He didn’t appear the slightest bit convinced by her pleas. “But it still conflicts with my last job. Nothing you can say is going to change that.”
“Well, you were there. Could you at least give me your story about what happened that night?”
“There’s nothing to say. Your sister had a gun and was going to force Victoria to jump off the roof of her apartment building. Luckily, her and her two-bit goon she hired were taken out beforehand.”
Emma’s eyes widened. Jace really did know more about that night than any of the reporters she’d managed to get a hold of. “I thought she was just going to shoot her,” murmured Emma.
“Nope,” said Jace. “Your sister is as guilty as guilty gets. So if you’re trying to clear her name, I suggest you set your sights on a more achievable goal. You know, like world peace.”
Emma tightened her lips. “I’m not trying to prove her innocence. I already knew she’s guilty.”
Suddenly, he looked just as confused as her cousins did when she brought up her Joslyn quest. “Then what the hell are you doing here?”
She took a steadying breath before she met his eyes. “I’m here because I think I’m the reason she did this. After our parents died, there was a lot of suspicion on her, even though the police never proved anything. I pushed her out of my life during what could’ve been the darkest moment of hers. She lost everything: her friends, her trust fund, and her sister. I want to find out if I’m responsible for this.”
Jace was silent for a moment and Emma was infinitely grateful that he didn’t laugh in her face. Sure, the logical part of her mind knew Joslyn made her own decisions and that sane, rational people didn’t resort to murder. But she needed clarity before writing off her last living family. “So will you help me?”
His face answered before he spoke. “I can’t do that.”
Emma squared her shoulders and refused to let the defeat show in her face. Jace had done everything in his power to make her feel small and out of control and she’d be damned if she let him win any more than he already had. “Fine then. I’ll just ask you a few more questions and then I’ll be out of your hair.”
Jace shook his head and stepped forward, closing the distance between them until she could feel his body heat. She jutted her chin up and refused to back down.
“Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to turn around and go up those stairs. Once you’re out of here, you’re going to forget you ever met me and pretend that there’s nothing Victoria Green can tell you that you don’t already know.”
A deep anger settled in her gut at the idea of this virtual stranger telling her what to do. “And if I don’t?”
He leaned in, until his face was inches from hers. “Well, for starters, I will throw you over my damn shoulder and carry you out of here until you’re far enough away I’m sure you’ll leave me alone. Think I’m bluffing?”
For a long moment, she debated the merits of slapping him right in his smug face. Screw slapping—punching would be much more effective.
“What’s it gonna be, Georgia? Are you walking out on your own or do you need assistance?”
Emma shook her head. Jace wasn’t worth the bruised knuckles. “I’d rather avoid being touched by a Neanderthal, thank you very much,” she said in her sweetest voice, laying her natural accent on a bit thicker than normal.
If he wanted to get rid of her, fine. She’d leave gracefully. Her anger simmered just beneath the surface as she walked up the stairs. Let him win the battle. But she sure as hell wasn’t going to give up, and when all was said and done, she’d win the war.
Jace watched Emma as she moved up the stairs, her back tense with rage. He was rather impressed when she managed to refrain from slamming the door shut. He’d gone full-blown asshole on her and he didn’t know many women who could keep their tempers under control for that.
But it was for her own good, he told himself. She was on some mission to wash herself clean of her sister’s sins. Nothing she found by talking to people who should be left alone would lift that burden from her shoulders. That kind of redemption would only come from time and distance. If hell froze over and he ever actually saw her again in the distant future, she’d probably even thank him.
Okay, maybe she wouldn’t thank him. But somewhere deep inside her stubborn head, she’d have to know he was right.
Now that the heiress situation was handled, maybe he could actually get back to his vacation, starting with a green shake from upstairs. The small, one-room basement was hardly the most lavish place he’d ever rented out, but it had everything he needed for his stay. He’d paid cash for another two weeks and doubted he’d be extending his stay any longer.