Why was she really here? Was it for explanations? Or apologies? Or did she just need to reassure herself that things were completely over with Liam Quinn?

After their confrontation in the attic she’d been so hurt and angry that she hadn’t had a chance to think. Her only impulse had been to lash out at him. But after she’d returned to her apartment and begun to clean up the mess, she realized that whatever Liam believed or did not believe didn’t really make a difference. The management at Intertel Bank was under the impression that she’d stolen a quarter-million dollars.

Before she moved on to a new life, she’d have to clean up the mess from the old. And that meant proving her innocence…and finding a way to rationalize her very passionate but short relationship with Liam Quinn. Ellie looked both ways before crossing the street, then she jogged up the steps of the pub. Loud Irish music and the clamor of voices could be heard from outside and she gathered her resolve, determined to remain unemotional when speaking with Liam.

Satisfied that she was ready, she pulled open the door and stepped inside. The first person she recognized was Liam’s father, Seamus Quinn. Then she saw Dylan, the firefighter, behind the bar with his father. She caught his eye and gave him a little wave. He looked at her for a long moment and then smiled and motioned her over.

“Hey there, Ellie!”

She returned his smile. “Hi, Dylan,” she said, raising her voice to be heard over the music.

“So you’ve decided to venture inside Quinn’s. What can I get you? Have you ever had a Guinness? Or maybe you’d like something more suited to a lady’s tastes.”

“Actually, I don’t need anything to drink. I was just looking for Liam. Do you know where he is?”

Dylan glanced over his shoulder. “He was down at the end of the bar with Sean and Brian. But maybe he’s left. I’ll just go-”

“No,” Ellie said. “I’ll go ask. Thanks.”

She wandered toward the end of the bar and found Brian and Sean. When they saw her, Sean turned to look toward a small alcove in the back. A crowd was gathered around the pool table and she saw Liam there, standing next to a curvaceous blonde in skin-tight jeans. The blonde leaned into him, wrapping her arm around his, and Ellie felt a surge of jealousy mixed with a healthy dose of anger. How quickly he’d forgotten her.

She watched him for a long moment as he leaned over the table and made a shot. He had an athletic grace that made even the act of wielding a pool cue seem sexy and provocative. Ellie’s gaze followed that of Liam’s companion, her eyes fixing on his backside. Whether he and the blonde were together or not didn’t change what she’d come to say.

She walked back to the table and waited for Liam to see her. After he took another shot, he glanced up, his gaze meeting hers. She felt the breath leave her lungs and had to force herself to take another. At first he registered surprise, and then he smiled. Without taking his eyes from hers, Liam tossed his pool cue on the table, knocking the balls in all directions, and circled around to stand in front of her.

“You’re here,” he murmured, his gaze scanning her features as if he hadn’t seen her in years. “I thought maybe you’d left town.”

She shook her head. “Can I talk to you?”

“Sure.”

“Somewhere a bit more private?”

“Liam, aren’t you going to finish our game?”

Liam glanced back at the girl he’d been with, her lips now pursed in a pretty pout. “I can’t. Find yourself another Quinn brother. This place is crawling with them.”

“I think I need to talk to Sean, too,” Ellie said.

Liam called out to his brother and motioned him over. They all found a booth in a dark corner of the pub and sat, Sean and Liam on one side and Ellie across the table.

She tried to avoid looking at Liam, but it was hard. He was staring at her, his eyes fixed on her face. Ellie forced a smile. “I don’t know if you’re still looking for Ronald Pettibone. I mean, you know where he is. But I think I know what he wants.” She reached inside her purse and pulled out a music box.

“What is this?” Liam asked, reaching out to pick it up.

“Ronald gave this to me a few weeks before we broke up. And then right before I left New York, he asked if he could have it back. He said it was a family heirloom. But this isn’t an antique. I was so angry at him, I refused. Then I left New York to start over in Boston. And the next thing I knew, Ronald shows up here. I think he may have been the one to break into my apartment.”

“So do I,” Liam said.

Ellie glanced over at Sean and he nodded in agreement. “And I think this is what he was looking for,” she continued. “I had it in a box down in my landlord’s storage locker. Ronald wouldn’t have known to look there.” She reached out to turn the music box over, her hand brushing against Liam’s. For an instant she remembered what those hands had done to her, how they’d moved over her body, how they’d driven her wild with need. Ellie swallowed hard. “The bottom comes off. You just push that little clip forward.”

Liam popped the bottom off, then glanced up at Ellie. “There’s a key in here,” he said.

Ellie nodded. “It’s for a safe-deposit box and that bank is here in Boston. We came here on a long weekend and that’s when he gave me the music box. We weren’t together every minute and he may have had time to visit the bank. It’s Rawson Bank. They have a branch a few blocks from the hotel where we stayed. I think that whatever is in that safe-deposit box has something to do with the embezzlement.”

“If we could get in the box and-”

She shook her head. “Unless he put the box in my name, we won’t be able to open it. I would have had to sign a card at the bank and I don’t remember doing that, so I don’t think that’s the case.”

Liam handed the key to Sean. “We’ll check it out.”

“No,” Ellie said.

“No?” Sean asked.

“I have a plan. I’m going to call him and tell him that I know about the embezzlement and that I want part of the money in exchange for the key.”

“Ellie, I don’t want you to-”

She held up her hand, stopping Liam’s protest. “I’m going to do this. I’ll do it alone or you can be a part of it. But if I don’t get it straight, then they’re always going to think I’m an embezzler.”

Liam slid out of the booth then reached over and grabbed Ellie’s hand, dragging her after him. “Excuse us, I need to talk to Ellie alone.”

As he pulled her toward the kitchen, Ellie tried to yank her hand away. “You can’t talk me out of this.”

When they reached the kitchen, Liam backed her up against a counter and braced his hands on either side of her, blocking her escape. He caught her gaze, his eyes intense and unyielding. “Ellie, this guy has already proved that he is willing to kill for this money. I don’t want you taking this into your own hands. Sean and I will track down the money and we’ll go to the authorities.”

“No,” Ellie said.

“If this doesn’t work, then Ronald is going to pass the blame to you. And he might walk away from this free and clear while you serve his time in jail. Do you want to risk that?”

“I didn’t do this,” Ellie said.

“I know you didn’t.”

“Do you?”

Liam sighed. “Ellie, I never really believed that you were a part of this. Ask Sean. From the moment I met you, I questioned whether you could have done this. Do you think I would have gotten involved with you if I really thought you were a criminal?”

“And why did you get involved with me?”

“Because…I don’t know…I couldn’t help myself.”

“Or maybe you were just doing a job?”

“I know you’re angry and you feel as if I deceived you and-”

“You did,” she said.

“I’m sorry.” He stared down into her eyes and Ellie willed the tears from falling. Slowly he brought his hands to her cheeks, cupping her face in his palms. He bent closer and she knew he was about to kiss her. At the last moment Ellie turned her head and stepped away from him.

“So how are we going to handle this?” she asked.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“I-I mean about Ronald. I think I should call him and invite him over. But I don’t want to show him the key right then. He might…”

“Damn it, Ellie, you can’t-”

“Stop,” she said. She took a deep breath. “Maybe I can tell Ronald that I have the key in a safe place. Then we can go get it, then go to the bank, then when we’re there, you can arrest him.”

“I can’t arrest him. Sean can’t, either. According to Sean, once we have Ronald dead to rights, then we call the bank. They call the authorities, the grand jury indicts Ronald, an arrest warrant is issued and then they grab him. It’s all pretty complicated.”

Ellie looked up at him. “I can do this. I know I can get him to tell me what he did.”

This time, Liam didn’t hesitate. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to him, kissing her long and hard. She didn’t pull away. Instead she smoothed her hands over his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. When it was clear Liam wasn’t going to stop until she did, she pulled back, and he pressed his forehead against hers. She wanted to tell him how he’d hurt her, how much she’d cared and how fragile she felt.

But Ellie wasn’t ready to tell him what was in her heart. If he didn’t return her feelings, then she was certain that her heart would break into a million pieces. And this time it wouldn’t mend. She was in love with Liam Quinn, really and truly in love for the first time in her life.

“I should go,” she said.

“No. We’re going to talk about this. If you’re going to do this, I have to know you’ll be safe,” he murmured.

“What should I do? Just tell me.”

“You’re going to call Ronald tonight and say you want to meet him. But it has to be somewhere that we can watch you. And listen.”

Ellie nodded.

“Don’t tell him what you want to talk about. Or if he asks, just mention that thing about finding a job. Keep it light. Make him believe that he’s finally got an opening.”

“I can’t believe I ever cared about him,” Ellie said. “I should have dumped him before he had a chance to dump me.” She frowned. “The only thing I can’t figure out is why he dumped me before he got the key back.”

“He probably figured he could charm his way back into your life at any time. And he had to wait for the right time, once the suspicion was off him. But after you quit at Intertel and came to Boston, it must have taken him a while to track you down.” Liam paused. “Maybe I should be there when you call him.”

Though Ellie would have welcomed his support, she knew she couldn’t fall back into their relationship so quickly. It was easy to love Liam Quinn, to depend upon him. But for once in her life she was going to take off her rose-colored glasses and see the guy for who he really was. A man who had deceived her, a man who had betrayed her.

“I’ll call you,” she said.

“I’ll drive you home.” He touched his finger to her lips before she could protest. “I just want to make sure you’re safe.”

Ellie nodded. She did feel much safer when he was with her-at least physically. But emotionally she knew that all it would take was another kiss and she’d risk losing her heart. Though he’d been there to save her from danger before, this time she’d have to save herself.

ELLIE SMOOTHED HER HANDS over the front of the black cocktail dress, then tugged at the neckline in an attempt to hide a bit more skin. She’d purchased the dress nearly three years ago for a special date she’d had with a Wall Street stockbroker, thinking that it might impress him. But then he’d called and canceled at the last minute and she’d never heard from him again.

When she’d pulled it from her closet, the tags still dangled from the dress. But at least it would be put to good use now. Tonight she was determined to trap a man and, in the process, to clear her own name.

She should be scared, or at least a little worried that she might not be able to pull this off. But since she’d met Liam, Ellie had learned that even she had the capacity to wield her feminine power. She may not be a femme fatale, but she’d gained a confidence that she’d never had before, secure in the knowledge that at least one devastatingly attractive and charming man found her sexy.

Ellie tugged on the hem, which rose to midthigh. But when she did that, the neckline plunged, revealing a fair amount of cleavage. “Just leave it alone,” she murmured, adjusting her bra. She took a deep breath and examined herself critically. “I look…good.” She turned to her side. “Really good. He’s going to be putty in my hands.”

“Is that what you’re wearing?”

Ellie’s heart skipped a beat at the deep sound of Liam’s voice. He and Sean had arrived at her apartment several hours ago to plant a microphone. And since that time, Liam had been hovering over her, watching her get ready for her “date,” silently observing-and driving her a bit crazy, as well. Sean had merely wished her luck and returned to the attic across the street.