Played

PROLOGUE

He moved like a cat through the dark, narrow tunnels running under the city of San Francisco. The air was damp, filled with odors of dead, rotting animals and standing water. Cobwebs brushed his face at every turn. Rats ran over his feet, disturbed by his presence in a world that belonged solely to them—until now. The secret tunnels had been built during Prohibition to run liquor under the hills of San Francisco and later had been used as escape routes for a band of criminals in the forties and fifties. Few people knew how to navigate the maze of passageways. There were too many stops and starts, too many blocked exits and detours. Fortunately, he had a map that showed him exactly what to do.

Pausing, he turned his flashlight on the yellowed piece of paper in his hand. The lines and directions had been scrawled more than eighty years earlier, and it had taken a long and complicated scheme to get his hands on this very important piece of paper. He hoped it had been worth the effort. It was possible that part of the tunnels had collapsed with the development of the city or perhaps due to one of the earthquakes that rumbled through the area every few years, but if his luck held, this path would provide him direct access to the object of his desire.

Redirecting his light on the tunnel in front of him, he continued, confident that he would get what he wanted, as he always did. Many men and a few women had tried to stop him over the years. No one had succeeded. He was quite simply invincible.

He felt a surge of adrenaline as the stream of light bounced off a series of spikes set into the wall in front of him. He stopped, running his finger over one of the ladder steps. Then he threw back his head and looked up. A trapdoor was just above him. He’d found his way in—and his way out.

He thought about the activity going on in the building above him at the Barclay Auction House. They were preparing for the evening’s glamorous preview party of Renaissance art and jewelry, including the Benedetti diamond, expected to sell for millions of dollars.

Unless, of course, something happened to the diamond before then...

He smiled to himself. At this very moment, the Barclay security team was meeting with the Italian security team, which had accompanied the collection from Florence. They would convince themselves that their security was impenetrable, that no one could steal their precious diamond. But they would be wrong.

Pulling out the ID from his pocket, he gazed at the name that was not his own, at the photo of the face that he had skillfully reconstructed with makeup, contact lenses, tanning spray and hair color. He now knew this man inside and out, his history, his friends, and his relationship to the important people at Barclay’s, namely Christina Alberti. She would not suspect that he was not who he appeared to be—until it was too late. The plan was set.

Retracing his steps through the dark tunnel, he exited several blocks away from the auction house, then unzipped his baggy coveralls and tossed them into a nearby dumpster. He straightened the tie of his black tuxedo. Let the party begin.

PLAYED is the second book in a romantic suspense duo. TAKEN is book #1. Each book has a complete story, but to fully enjoy the two parts, readers should start with TAKEN!