Officer Lou Hernandez is surprised when he's asked to help Gideon Monahan catch an art forger. He's not too happy, however, when he meets the man he'll be working with. Lou thinks Rory Kinley is a supercilious pain in the ass. Rory, on the other hand, sees no reason why Lou has been brought into this. After all, he's just a cop, albeit one who is good at going undercover.<br><br>The art forger they're after -- Nate Hanks -- cons collectors, saying he has an undiscovered painting by a famous artist. He's killed one of his marks already to keep from being caught.<br><br>Lou and Rory will have to set aside their differences as they set up a sting to stop Hanks. When they do, they discover they may not be as incompatible as they thought. The question becomes, will their growing feelings survive what's to come -- or be destroyed in the process?

It Takes a Forger

“So maybe he doesn’tregret tonight,” Rory murmured as he pulled the car into traffic. He smiled. “I know I don’t, for whatever that’s worth.”   6


The next week was hectic. As soon as the apartment above the gallery was painted, Lou moved in. He couldn’t take furniture from his real place, since, as he pointed out to Rory, it would tie Steve Valencia to Officer Lou Hernandez, which was asking for trouble. So he spent an hour at a local, high-end store choosing a sofa, chairs, a bed, and the rest of what he needed—furniture that suited the fairly wealthy man he was pretending to be. They were delivered the same afternoon, along with a decent-sized TV and some DVDs from an electronics store. After a bit of arranging to make everything fit, he had a new, if temporary, home.


Chapter 18