Ben leaned against the counter with a bag of frozen peas on his head, waiting for the coffee to brew. The pain reliever was working, but slowly. He heard a thump in the hall, then Emilie walked up the stairs.

“Hey.” She blinked. “I’m here.”

Ben held out his arm and she stumbled over, tucking herself under it.

“No more champagne,” she mumbled into his chest. “Ever.”

“Agreed. From now on, we stick with scotch.”

That earned him a feeble laugh. Emilie stepped away and rubbed her face. “Where is everyone?”

Ben ignored the stab of worry that Tenzin hadn’t come home. She’d said she wouldn’t. He didn’t know why he was surprised.

“Tenzin’s out. Chloe texted me to say she stayed at Gavin’s house last night. She’s planning on sleeping late, and she’ll drive over with him tonight.”

Emilie’s eyebrows went up. “Oh really?”

“She made sure to specify his guest room was very nice.”

“Sure it was.”

Ben tossed the frozen peas on the counter and leaned back on the counter, taking in Emilie Mandel in all her morning glory. It was the first time he’d seen her so unbuttoned. Her hair was up in a loose knot. Her makeup was all gone. She’d borrowed a pair of Chloe’s sleep shorts and a T-shirt, both of which were a little baggy on her. She looked messy and relaxed and undeniably beautiful.

He crooked a finger at her. “Come ’ere.”

“How long until the coffee is ready?”

“A few more minutes.” He tugged on the waistband of her shorts. “But I have something to wake you up.”

He reached down, cupped her bottom, and lifted her up to the counter before she could protest. Then he stepped between her legs and caged her in with his arms. “Hi.”

Emilie’s mouth had dropped open in surprise. “You’re stronger than you look.”

“I don’t look strong?” He closed his eyes and nuzzled into her neck, which fell at the perfect height for nuzzling. Had he been thinking about that when he designed the kitchen? Possibly. The counter was the right height for all sorts of things.

“Of course you look strong, but that was a serious Tarzan move there. I’m so impressed I can’t even find it in me to protest the manhandling.” She put her arms around his neck and tilted her head so he had better access. “Good morning. You’re very snuggly this morning.”

He loved women. They were so delicious and soft and smelled so good. “I had all sorts of plans for last night, and then…”

“Champagne happened.”

“It was really good champagne.”

She smiled. “And you have fun friends. I can’t figure Tenzin out though.”

His smile froze. “Yeah, she’s… different.”

“I got that feeling.” Emilie kissed him softly. “I think it’s great she has you. Not everyone would be so cool with a roommate out of the norm, you know?”

He desperately wanted to change the subject, so he ran his palms along the tops of her thighs.

“So, I was saying that I had plans for last night.”

Her smiled turned from sweet to seductive. “Is that so?”

Ben leaned in and kissed along Emilie’s collarbone, letting his tongue taste her skin. “You know, I think this coffee maker is really slow.”

Emilie’s hands dug into the ridged muscles at the small of his back. “You mean we’ll have to entertain ourselves while it’s brewing?”

“I’m afraid so.”

Her voice was high and breathless. “What could we possibly do?”

Ben lifted Emilie and she wrapped her legs around his waist. “I have an idea, but we’ll have to go downstairs.”

“Does this idea have anything to do with the mirrors in the training area?”

He almost fell down the stairs. “It does now.”

* * *

Emilie was making another pot of coffee in the very slow coffee maker that night when Gavin and Chloe finally arrived. Ben wasn’t even going to touch all the unspoken vibes bouncing between them. He didn’t want to know. Gavin was being aloof. Chloe was being perky. Perky Chloe meant she was deliberately ignoring something, but again…

He wasn’t going to touch it.

Not my business.

The one who was his business landed in the roof garden a little past ten, walking back into the apartment as if she’d never left. Tenzin glanced at Ben, looked over at Emilie, then nodded and climbed up to her loft.

Emilie noticed Tenzin walking in. “How did she…?” She glanced at the front door, then the garden doors. “I missed something.”

“Stairs outside,” Chloe said smoothly. “Emilie, do you think the coffee is ready yet?”

Emilie cleared the frown from her forehead and said, “Uh, sure. Let me get you a cup.”

“Thanks so much.” Chloe leaned over the plans Gavin had spread over the library table.

Did Ben notice a new ease between them? Probably, but he wasn’t asking any questions.

Definitely not my business.

“This is the room,” she said. “Think about it. We searched this library off the main hallway, then went into this room, which was like a…”

“Billiard room,” Gavin said, reaching across the table to take the cup of coffee Emilie held. He set it down in front of Chloe. “We went from there to… here.” He pointed at a room on the blueprints. “But this room was far, far bigger.”

“I think they just combined them,” Chloe said. “Look, if they took out this wall, it would be the approximate size—”

“Clever girl,” he said. “You’re correct. They took out this wall and made these two bedrooms into one larger room. We jumped across that hall and into the bedroom with the painting.”

Ben noticed where they were pointing in relation to the plan he was forming in his mind. “This bedroom—the expanded one—did it look occupied?”

Chloe shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Good.”

Emilie leaned over the table. “I feel like I’m in a movie,” she said with a grin. “What are we planning?”

“We are planning nothing,” Gavin said. “I cannot be involved in this step at all. In fact, Chloe and I are going to have to create a plausible alibi for whenever Ben and Tenzin… do what they do.”

Chloe looked up. “We need an alibi?”

“We’ve already been seen snooping around the house,” Gavin said. “In that particular room, no less. If anything is stolen from it, the O’Briens will look at me first unless I can give them reason to dismiss me.” Gavin glanced at Ben. “My favors only go so far. I’m not willing to anger the O’Briens to steal a painting when I’m not making a profit.”

Chloe frowned. “So if you were making a profit?”

Gavin raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “An entirely hypothetical scenario. I’m a legitimate businessman.”

Tenzin climbed down the ladder, still playing human for Emilie. “For now. What did we decide?”

Ben tapped his chin. “We need to know more about this ‘Lady.’”

Emilie asked, “Why? Does it matter? She has my grandmother’s painting.”

“We need to know more so we can lure her away from the house,” Tenzin said.

Ben looked at Gavin. “She was at your pub.”

“One of thousands,” Gavin said. “You expect me to know the particulars of every single patron?”

Ben gave him a look, and Gavin smiled.

“All right. You win. She’s not one of thousands. Cormac sent her an introduction.”

Emilie frowned. “So she could go to your pub?”

Ben hesitated. They really needed to get Emilie away if they had any chance of strategizing openly. It would be impossible to organize an operation with Tenzin without talking about flying. Emilie wasn’t ready for that. Ben wasn’t ready to tell her.

“Hey, Emilie?” Chloe looked at her watch. “I’m borrowing Ben’s car tonight to run an errand in Harlem. Did you want me to drop you at home while I’m heading up there? It’s not that much farther.”

Bless you, Chloe.

But Emilie wasn’t an idiot. She turned to Ben. “Trying to get rid of me?”

He opened his mouth, but Tenzin was the one who answered.

“We need to plan, and you need plausible deniability,” she said. “On the off chance anything goes wrong, you can honestly say you didn’t know anything about what we’re doing. It’s not just you.” Tenzin nodded at Chloe and Gavin. “We’re kicking them out too.”

Gavin turned. “You think so?”

“I know so,” Tenzin said. She rolled up the map. “You’ve done your part. Chloe, are you comfortable staying at Gavin’s house for a few more nights until this is all settled?”

A look passed between Gavin and Chloe that Ben couldn’t read.

“Yeah,” Chloe said quietly. “Sure.”

“And thank you, Tenzin, for offering my house,” Gavin said. “That does seem to be a habit with your group of friends, doesn’t it?”

Tenzin shrugged. “Don’t have houses in convenient places then. Or decorate worse.”

Chloe said, “If I’m intruding—”

“Of course you’re not.” Gavin cut her off. “I told you earlier that you’re welcome to stay as long as you like. And tomorrow night you’re starting work at the pub. If you’re staying with me, I can give you a lift.”

Chloe opened her mouth to protest, but Gavin cut her off before she could argue.

“They have their plans,” he said. “I have mine. We need an alibi, and the pub will provide it. I’ll tell you more in the car when we’re taking Emilie home.” He cocked his arm in Emilie’s direction. “Shall we?”

Emilie glanced at Ben. “Can you… uh, help me get my stuff together downstairs?”

“Of course.” He took her hand and led her away from the others. He stepped down two stairs and paused while she hopped on his back with a giggle. “I wish you didn’t have to go, but…”

“I get it.” She kissed his neck. “Is it wrong that I’m so excited about this? I’m sending you to commit a crime.”

“It’s not a crime when the painting belongs to you in the first place.” He reached his bedroom door and kicked it open. “Whoever this woman is, she either stole it herself or bought it from someone who did. There’s a reason it’s not displayed with the others. She knows it doesn’t belong to her.”

Emilie slid off his back and walked around the room, picking up her few things that were scattered around. Dress. Earrings. He tossed her the lacy bra sitting on an end table.

“I’m going to miss you,” he said.

She smiled. “I’m just heading uptown.”

“I know, but it was kind of nice having an Emilie all to myself for the day.”

She paused, looking at the ground. “I wish…”

Ben stepped closer. “What?”

Emilie shook her head. “Nothing. Being silly. I better get home. My grandmother will be wondering at this point.” She held out her things. “I don’t suppose you have a bag I could borrow?”

He went to the closet and brought out a backpack. “Don’t tell your grandparents anything at this point. I’m not sure what our timeline is, but it could be a while, depending on what we need to do.”

She nodded as she folded her dress and placed it in the backpack along with a few other things. “Tell Chloe I’ll get her stuff back to her soon.”

“I wouldn’t worry. She’s got a ton of clothes.”

“Still.”

“Hey.” He tapped her chin to make her look up. “Everything all right?”

Her eyes were wide. “Yeah. I just wish I could stay longer.”

“When this is all over, we should plan a weekend away. Maybe go upstate or down south. Somewhere out of the city.”

She smiled. “That sounds nice. I have a brother who lives in Savannah.”

“You have a brother?” He frowned. He didn’t remember her mentioning a brother.

“Not really.” Her cheeks went red. “He’s one of those friends that feels like a brother. We knew each other in school. It’s not important.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. “I guess this is goodbye.”

“For now.” He wrapped an arm around her and lifted her up to deepen the kiss. Their tongues danced in new familiarity. She put her hand on his cheek and sighed, releasing a breathy moan against his lips.

“I could kiss you for hours.”

Ben nipped at her bottom lip. “Soon.” Reluctantly, he set her down and grabbed the backpack and her hand. Leading her upstairs, he thought about what it might be like to have her in the apartment. What if he told her the whole truth? Would she react as well as Chloe? It was too soon—way too soon. But he couldn’t help but let his mind wander ahead.

Ben kissed her goodbye at the door, leaving her in Chloe and Gavin’s care. When he turned around, Tenzin was stretched out in the air, hovering over the map of Rothman House, staring at the blueprints.

They both spoke at the same time. “I have a plan.”

* * *

“That won’t work,” she said.

“Why not? You can carry that much weight, can’t you?”

“Of course I can.” Tenzin munched on a small bowl of almonds. “It’s not the weight. If it’s framed like the others, it’s probably no more than a hundred pounds. The weight isn’t the issue. It’s the size.”

“They moved it into the house. It has to be small enough to get out. The dimensions aren’t—”

“The dimensions aren’t small enough for me to fly it off the top of the roof without anyone noticing.” She stood and leaned over the blueprints. “You’re right. The problem isn’t getting in, it’s getting the painting out. That said, just getting it up to the roof and flying away isn’t an option. This is not a piece of jewelry or a Fabergé egg. I can’t just—”

“A Fabergé egg?”

Tenzin looked up. “What?”

“Do you have a Fabergé egg?”

Her eyes darted away. “Maybe.”

“Maybe? You’re not going to give me a straight answer about a Fabergé egg?”

Tenzin opened her mouth. “Uh… no.” She looked back down. “It’s a guest house, so the security isn’t top-notch, but the O’Briens do have wind vampires patrolling the roof. They’ll notice another wind vampire. Especially one trying to take off with a large painting. The dimensions are awkward.”

“You are maddening.” He sat down and crossed his arms. “Fine. The roof is not an option. There’s no way to sneak it out the front door. The back is guarded more heavily than the front. So none of my ideas—”

“Who says we can’t take it out the front door?”

Ben frowned. “They’re big doors, Tenzin, but I do think the staff will notice someone walking out with a giant piece of art.”

“Of course they will,” she said. “But if we do this right, not only will they let us in the front door, they’ll help us carry the painting out.”

* * *

Three days later, Gavin called Ben.

“I have an in,” he said. “She’s a wine collector.”

“And you sell whiskey.”

Gavin made a small huffing sound on the other end of the line. “I’m a multifaceted creature, Benjamin. I have a wine cellar that rivals the finest in Paris. I also happen to have just obtained a case of 1980 La Romanée-Conti.”

“Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

“It would if you collected wine.” Gavin’s voice lowered. “I’m dropping hints and massaging egos at the moment. This woman is… eccentric. Not mad like yours, mind you, but a definite eccentric. I can tell Cormac is getting fed up with her, but her reputation in France can’t be ignored.”

“What is she?”

“She’s a patron. One of her sycophants called her a muse, if you can believe it. She’s rich and she funds new businesses, supports artists, has some winemaking enterprises here and there. Supposedly she’s working with a partner on a blood-wine that will blow all current competitors out of the water, so everyone is pandering.”

“Have you ever heard of this woman before?”

“That’s part of the mystique. She’s a shadow. No one even knows her name. Everyone, even that grumpy Irish bastard, calls her the Lady.”

Ben tried to imagine Cormac O’Brien deferring to a French aristocrat and almost burst out laughing.

“Is she an earth vampire?”

“No,” Gavin said. “Wind like me. At least that’s the rumor. I’ve never seen her fly.”

“Damn.” Wind vampires tended toward paranoia, which meant her rooms at Rothman House might have been reinforced. “Gavin, have you apologized for trespassing at the party?”

“Not yet, but I let Cormac know I’d like to. Simple mistake. Carried away by bloodlust. The usual excuses. Cormac doesn’t seem overly offended, but that’s where the wine comes in.”

“How?”

“I’m trying to arrange a tasting for her,” Gavin said. “Dinner and a couple of bottles of the 1980 La Romanée-Conti as an apology for trespassing on her territory. I figure a reasonable promise of groveling and ten-thousand-dollar wine should lure her out of the house. I can’t give you an exact night though. Does your… activity contain a certain margin for flexibility?”

“It will if it needs to.”

“Good.”

Ben cleared his throat. “How’s Chloe doing?”

“She’s fantastic. I’d say she was born to sell drinks, but that would insult her dancing.”

Chloe had been staying at Gavin’s for the past four nights, but she still came over during the day to grab things and practice with Tenzin. She didn’t share a whit of what she and Gavin were up to—if they were up to anything—but she seemed happy and content to stay at the vampire’s place for a while.

Gavin did have an enormous house. It was possible he was simply being a benevolent host with no ulterior motive.

Possible. Not probable.

“Be careful with her,” Ben said quietly.

Gavin paused at the other end of the line. “I’ll leave that alone and try not to be offended you said it. I know she’s important to you. She’s brilliant at the bar and doing extremely well. Most of my servers are a bit younger, and she’s a natural leader. I can see her managing very quickly if it suits her plans.”

“Don’t get too attached. Tenzin is already bitching that she’s not always around.”

“Well, Chloe disna belong to Tenzin, does she?” Gavin growled. “She’s an assistant, not a bloody servant.”

Ben’s eyebrows went up at the hostility in Gavin’s tone. “Fine. I’ll pass along the message. And you pass along whenever you get word from Her Lady of Eccentricity, okay?”

“Done. I’d like this finished as quickly and as cleanly as possible.”

“Trust me. I feel exactly the same way.”