Not Without Juliet - By L.L. Muir Page 0,92

would be in charge of taking care of Percy while she was gone. She just hoped she wasn’t going away for a very long time.

She refused to panic. She’d gone from witness to defendant so fast her head was spinning. They were going to have to give her some time before they could expect her to take them seriously.

But if she really was going to face charges, it would be Dickie’s word against hers. She’d only been defending herself from the slime ball. Surely the ass had treated other witnesses like he’d treated her. She just had to insist the FBI look into that. But it might take some time. She just hoped Quinn’s and Percy’s lives wouldn’t move on before she could make it back.

Of course, she’d have plenty of money for the ticket, but that hardly raised her heart rate anymore. Money was everything ten days ago. Now there were so many more things in line ahead of it.

Well, not things—people.

Quinn came back in the room breathing hard. He gave her a wink, but didn’t come to her for some quality goodbyes. He walked around the desk and shared a very private whisper with Lord Dunbar.

Lord Dunbar cleared his throat, like he was trying to cover up the fact that he’d almost laughed. Then he nodded and turned forward.

“Proceed, Mr. Ross,” he said.

Quinn spun the laptop to face her again, then stood beside her.

“Agent Dixon, are you there?” he asked, even though the man’s face was filling the screen.

“Yes, I’m here,” he said, like he was doing everyone a favor by squeezing this conference call into his schedule.

“Is this the woman who assaulted you, sir?”

He took Juliet’s head and moved it until it was up close to the monitor.

“Yes. That’s her.”

“You’re certain?” Quinn’s hands wouldn’t let her sit back in her chair and she was dying to ask him what he was doing. Dunbar had one hand over his mouth and he was turning as red as Dickie.

Suddenly, Quinn let go of her head.

“Just one more moment, if you please, Agent Dixon.” He spun the laptop away again, then went to the doorway and pulled Jillian into the room. He gestured for Jules to get her ass out of the chair, then sat Jillian in her spot. He wiped the smile off his face and spun the laptop back.

“Hello, Dickie,” Jillian said.

The agent’s face darkened again. “What is this?”

“Just tell us what you see, Agent Dixon,” Quinn said.

Jules backed up against a bookcase to make sure she wasn’t part of the picture. She’d needed something to lean on anyway.

“I see the face of my assailant. How many times do I have to say it?”

Quinn butted in front of Jillian and grinned into Dickie’s face. “That should do it, I think.” He spun the laptop back to face Lord Dunbar. “My lord?”

Dunbar cleared his throat and sat forward in his crisp expensive suit to address the screen.

“Agent Dixon. You have just positively identified two different females, and I refuse to extradite a handful of British citizens just so you can take your pick. I strongly suggest you drop the charges against Juliet Bell—that is, Juliet Bell Ross—and if you feel we have erred, please invite your American superiors to contact me personally. I, for one, am certain they will find today’s events to be quite amusing.”

Lord Dunbar snapped the laptop shut and gave Jules a wink. Then he turned to Quinn.

“You might have made an entertaining barrister, Mr. Ross.”

“Once upon a time, my lord, I was.”

Dunbar laughed. “With a wife like yours, that experience should come in handy.”

Quinn gave a little bow.

“And Mr. Ross?” Dunbar got up from the desk and gestured for his men to leave the room ahead of him. “I’d make it legal before Dickie there comes to call.”

Quinn tilted his head back and gave Jules a look through narrowed eyes.

“Oh, I intend to, my lord. I intend to.”

Quinn reached out a hand and drew her away from the bookshelf and over to the window. Jillian joined them and together they watched eight cars fill with suits and policemen before moving down the drive toward the remnants of Castle Ross.

“They’ve prepared a little wedding supper for us, Mrs. Ross,” he murmured as he nuzzled her behind the ear.

Chills flooded her body, but it wasn’t quite enough to make her forget.

“Mrs. Ross? You must be talking to Jillian because I sure as hell didn’t just get married in a bathroom.”

Quinn cleared his throat. Then cleared it again.

“Don’t