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.If Whitlow lost the election in November, then Jonas would lose his power base in the White House.The thought of losing power was enough to put Jonas in a foul mood.He got up from the bed and paced back and forth across the expanse of lush beige carpeting.The project Dunst was working on was to find a buyer for the diamond Lynn had lifted several days ago.Jonas was confident the sale would occur without a hitch.Once again he stopped at the window and stared outside, where he could see in the distance the Eiffel Tower rising up against a cloudy sky.But his thoughts weren’t on the pleasures of Paris.He was worried about Lynn.Never had she questioned him about the work they did the way she had the other night.The intelligence she possessed that was such an asset just might eventually become a liability.It wasn’t just her intelligence he worried about.He’d always known that she would grow up, that she’d want a relationship with a man.He’d dreaded the moment that might occur, had known it would be the beginning of a loss of control for him.At least according to Dunst it was Nick he had to worry about instead of a classmate or stranger that he knew nothing about.He’d been thinking about bringing Nick into the fold, allowing him more responsibility, more access to the inner workings of his business dealings.Maybe now was the time for that.Surely in the last couple of days Nick and Lynn hadn’t developed a relationship so close that she would have told him about her special powers.He hoped his warnings to her from the time she was a mere toddler would keep her from sharing that particular information with anyone.Lynn had always been malleable and trusting concerning the work Jonas had her doing.She believed that each time she “retrieved” an artifact or jewel she was doing something good and altruistic.He didn’t want anything or anyone to change that.Somehow he’d manage to deal with the questions she asked and assuage any doubts she might entertain about their work.She was his golden goose, stealing treasures and allowing him to fill his coffers with money.He would do and say whatever necessary to keep her working for him.He smiled.Lynn had been his best, his finest acquisition.If he found out that she’d told Nick about her work and about her unusual skills, and if Nick became a problem, then Jonas would do what was necessary to solve the problem.Nick Barnes was expendable.If he wound up on the beach somewhere with a bullet in his head, the authorities would probably assume his murder had to do with his background, with the organized crime family he’d turned his back on.Jonas left the window and walked over to the minibar, where he fixed himself a scotch on the rocks.He shouldn’t be surprised that Lynn was testing her feminine wiles on a man.Jonas had been lucky she hadn’t experienced any real, deep relationship in the past.Maybe he should encourage this romance between her and Nick.At least Jonas could control the situation better if the suitor was Nick.Nick would have two choices.He could either go along with the program or he could wind up dead.Chapter 5Lynn stood at her bedroom window and looked out.The night was dark, with thick cloud cover obscuring any moonlight that might try to shine down to earth.Perfect, she thought as she left the window.It was just after midnight and she was ready to leave.Clad in a black pair of tight stretch slacks and a long-sleeved black T-shirt, she grabbed the stocking cap and a backpack of equipment from her bed and left the room.Adrenaline pumped through her as she silently made her way down the stairs.She knew Rita and Arturo would be sound asleep.She slipped as soundlessly as a shadow through the house out the mudroom door, then hurried across the driveway to where her car awaited her.She was focused solely on the task ahead.Get in, get the vase and get out.Moments later, as she drove toward the Markham Convention Center, her thoughts raced to the job ahead.There was much about her work that she didn’t understand.She hated feeling like a thief, but Jonas had assured her many times that these thefts were secretly sanctioned by the government.He’d told her that it was important that he remain as distant from their work as possible, that as a wealthy businessman he’d made political enemies that could make life difficult for him if it was discovered what he and Lynn did.He had also explained to her countless times that the local authorities weren’t aware of the government involvement, and if she were caught she would be treated like a common criminal until the appropriate authorities could be contacted.However, he’d always assured her that the worst she could expect was a couple of hours in jail cooling her heels.This made her all the more careful in the planning stages of each retrieval.The last thing she wanted was to get caught, arrested and taken down to a jail cell even if she’d only be there until the matter could be resolved.Besides, if she were honest with herself she’d have to confess that she loved the challenge of this work.She loved using her natural skills and intelligence to do something few real thieves would even attempt.It was a matter of pride that she not get caught and hauled into a police station like a common criminal.The Markham Convention Center was one of several buildings in a block on the south side of Miami.The buildings were specifically used by large groups holding conventions or for special-interest groups holding exhibits open to the public.Because normally the place was used for business conventions and not exclusively for exhibits, the security wasn’t terrific.There were alarms at the doors and security guards who walked the perimeter, but that was it.The exhibit going on now was advertised as Treasures from the Nile and touted as being one of the best collections of artifacts and archeological finds from Egypt.Lynn had been to the Markham Convention Center often in the past
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