Page 85 of Stuart Woods' Smolder

That would do. “Which way?”

“Go out the front door and turn right. At the next corner go right again.”

“Thanks.”

A pair of walls separated the employees-only area from the showroom. They overlapped so that there was a passageway between them, instead of a door between the two parts of the store. Which meant when Dalton left the employees-only area, he wasn’t immediately visible.

That turned out to be a very good thing, because while he was still hidden, he heard a familiar woman’s voice. He paused, trying to figure out who it was.

That sounds like—

He shook his head. No way. It couldn’t be her. To be sure, he eased forward and peeked around the dividing wall, then cursed to himself.

He’d been right. It was Monica Reyes.

She was talking with one of the store employees, who was holding out a business card to her. She didn’t appear interested in taking it, however.

She said something else. Dalton didn’t catch it all, but he was pretty sure the last two words were “until ten.” Then she started to turn toward him.

He jerked out of sight and pressed himself against the wall. He heard her steps heading toward the exit, then the sound of the door opening.

To be safe, he waited a full minute before peeking into the showroom again. She was gone.

He looked at the employee she’d talked to. The guy was seated now, but was staring toward the front of the store, his expression agitated.

“Dammit,” Dalton whispered. Fucking Monica Reyes.

Whatever she’d been doing here, it couldn’t be good. Then another thought hit him. What if the guy said something to Simon?

Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.

As much as he’d been hoping otherwise, she was a complication that wasn’t going away, and if he didn’t head her off at the pass, he’d be screwed.

He returned to Simon’s office.

“We might have a problem.”

Simon stopped typing and looked at Dalton. “What kind of problem?”

“You remember that employee I fired who was poking into areas she shouldn’t have?”

“I don’t recall you saying anything about anyone poking around where she shouldn’t. I do recall you mentioning that you had to fire an employee that was a pain in your ass.”

“That’s the one.”

Simon studied him silently before saying, “Are you saying she knows about us?”

“Nah. She just thinks there’s someone stealing paintings and covering them up as accidents.”

Simon gawked. “She’s been looking into the work we’ve taken?”

“I mean, yeah, but—but not anymore. That’s why I fired her. She’s harmless now.”

Simon narrowed his eyes. Dalton may have fired her, butfrom the way he was stammering, it would be obvious to anyone that she was anything but harmless. “You’re bringing her up now because…?”

“I saw her in the gallery, talking to one of your employees.”

“You’re kidding me, right?”

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