Cut (38 page)

“Then you know Detective Brennan.”

“He's an associate—a friend of mine. Through our conversation, Detective Brennan let me know that you'd had another run-in with Mr. Wilhelm.”

“Before Melanie died, yes.”

“Mr. Wilhelm is an extension of Jefferies. I have known him for years. He gave you a business card I presume.”

“How did you know?”

“It's how Jefferies conducts business of a sensitive nature. It's his calling card if you will.” Salvador snapped his fingers. “Hand me the card.”

She'd forgotten all about the card Andrew had given her. She patted down the coat hanging over the back of her chair. “Here it is.”

Salvador held out his hand.

Jessie passed the card to him. “There's no phone number or email address.”

“That you can see.”

“Huh?”

“Turn off the light,” he said.

She got up and flipped the light switch.

A light on Salvador's phone illuminated the room. He held the light to the card and a glowing nine-digit number appeared.

She swallowed over the knot in her throat. “There's a number.”

“Do you have the six diamonds?”

“I do.”

“Good, because you're going to call Jefferies. Tell him you have the diamonds. Also tell him you have a replacement for the green one.”

“What are we replacing it with?”

He smiled with a quirk. “Funny you should ask.”

Jessie got up and turned the light back on. She returned to the chair and watched.

Salvador reached into his pocket. He extracted a red stone. “A green diamond is a special thing, but this diamond is perfection in my hands. She's extraordinary. I'll tell you everything you need to know about her. Then you'll tell Jefferies. He'll be tempted enough not to hang up on you.”

She didn't call him out on the fact that he wasn't so willing to help her earlier. He was here now. She supposed that counted for something. “What about Gabriel?” she said.

“Don't end the call until he agrees to make a trade.”

Jessie stared at the red diamond. “I can't do this.”

“You're the only person who can. He won't negotiate with me. He hated the fact that I dated his daughter. He thinks Brent got her pregnant. There's no one else. Can't you see that?”

“We should call Detective Brennan.”

“No police.”

“He'll get away. Even if I get him to agree, he's the mastermind behind my sister's murder. I couldn't live with myself if that happened.”

“Don't worry about his fate. Revenge sorts itself out at the right time.”

“What if you go through all this and Gabriel isn't even yours?”

“But what if he is? Family means everything to me. A son would mean I've done my duty as a man in keeping my legacy alive.”

“I don't think that matters much to people anymore.”

“It does to me!”

Jessie jumped back in her chair.

Salvador ran his hand over his hair. The anger in his eyes tempered. “You make the trade and I will take care of Jefferies. I cannot be at peace if there's a chance my son is out there, without me. I won't leave him behind.” Salvador took her hand and transferred the red diamond to her palm. “Make the call.”

“Okay.”

Salvador walked her through the specs of the diamond and what to say.

She used her cell phone and dialed the number on the business card. The phone rang five times. She was about to hang up when someone answered.

“Who is this?” said the familiar voice with the suave accent.

“Andrew Wilhelm gave me this card. My name is Jessie Cahill.” She cleared her throat. “I have a few items—diamonds—that might be of interest to you.”

“Are you sitting in a room full of police recording this call?”

“There's no police. Just me.”

Salvador circled his finger in the air, a sign for her to hurry.

“I have the six pink diamonds belonging to your late wife's tiara.”

“What else?”

“I have a red diamond.”

“Cut?” he snapped.

“Cushion,” she answered, using the script Salvador had written.

“Color?”

“Intense.”

“Size?”

“Six-point-one carats.”

“Impossible. The largest red diamond ever found is five-point-eleven carats. I know that because it was mine until I sold it.”

“I can send you a picture.”

“Where, might I ask, did you get such a diamond?”

“From a friend.”

“You must have made a very important friend.”

“I don't want to talk about my friend. I want to talk about making an exchange.”

“What is it that you want from me, Miss Cahill?”

“Your grandson, Gabriel, for the red diamond.”

“Interesting.”

She rammed the phone up to her ear. Sooner than expected, she heard a baby cry. “Who is that?”

“Gabriel.”

The noise could be from any child, but he couldn't prove who it was to her over the phone, but at least she knew there was a chance. She let her impatience be made known. “You have three seconds to decide.”

She caught sight of Salvador's apprehensive face. She held up her hand as if to tell him to stay out of it.

“Meet me at Whitaker's in twenty minutes,” Jefferies said. “No police. No help. If you try to bring anyone, remember that I have access to your nieces. There are other people with me who can take over what Daniel started. If you betray me, I will never forget and you will spend your life wondering and living in fear of the moment I come to find you. Come alone or don't show up at all.”

She felt the
click
of the phone in her bones. “He wants me to meet him at Whitaker's.”

“How much time do we have?”

“Twenty minutes.”

Salvador leapt from his chair and grabbed Jessie's arm. She stumbled forward and hit the ground running. The note swished off her leg and floated onto the floor as they ran out the door.

A small crowd of people waiting to get on the elevator had formed in the hallway. The doors opened and Salvador butted through and shouted for everyone to stay back. He punched the button with his fingers. The doors closed in front of the angered faces of the people who'd been about to step inside.

The elevator descended to the lobby level. Salvador turned to Jessie. He checked the time on his phone.

“I don't have a car,” Jessie said, bolting out of the elevator the second the doors opened.

“I do,” Salvador shouted over his shoulder.

They ran to the car, parked illegally in a fire zone around the corner. A valet stormed over to Salvador and spouted, “Move this car!”

Jessie flung open the door and jumped inside. She'd never been in a sports car before, let alone one shooting like a bullet down the street. The proximity to the ground made her stomach turn. She tried not to think about the encounter with Jefferies. The hairpin turns knocked the coward right out of her. There wasn't time to be afraid. She grabbed the handle with a solid hand. Her knees slammed together. Salvador moved them through the city like a predator out for prey. Except Jessie wasn't sure which category she would be by the end of the night.

She wouldn't be in Salvador's car and on her way to meet Jefferies in the first place, if not for Brent. Finally, she found a gesture big enough to repair the damage. Selflessness was what he'd seen in her and she wanted to prove her worth both to him and to herself. There was no point in doing any of this if she didn't love him. She could have walked away. She could have remained uninvolved, but her heart wouldn't let her. Her future demanded she risk the night to find out what tomorrow might bring. She did this knowing they may never see each other again. But he would hear what she'd tried to do, and he'd smile. He would think fondly of her. That would be enough for her, so when she saw him in her dreams, she would be at peace.

“We're here,” Salvador said, in what felt like minutes later. He nodded to the great mansion of Whitaker's. “You remember what we discussed.”

“I'm afraid something will go wrong,” she said.

“Something will always go wrong. Just go in there and be strong. Think on your feet. You don't know this man. Jefferies will be unpredictable. He won't negotiate until he's certain the police are not waiting outside. Put him at ease that you are alone. You have to keep that in mind too.” Salvador turned to face her. “No one is coming to rescue you. Get Gabriel. Give him this diamond and get out of there.”

Jessie got out of the car on trembling legs. “I'll see you soon,” was all she said.

“Good luck.”

She approached Whitaker's cautiously. The night wind blew around her. The branches shook. Lights on the lawn angled up to the house and shone on the exterior, making the front of the house look like a giant face with dark eyes. She was alone. Jessie felt the contents of her stomach slither up her throat. Sweat trickled down her neck and back.

She reached the front door and extended her hand. She found the door unlocked and entered.

“On time,” Jefferies said, standing right on the other side of the door. He wore a suit and tie and a slick grin.

“Where's Gabriel?”

“All in good time, Miss Cahill.” He nodded to the front door. “Did you come alone?”

“Do you see anyone else?”

“I wonder, if say, Mr. Alvarez is outside waiting for you.”

“He is outside. He gave me the diamond.”

“I thought as much.”

“I didn't call the police.”

“Then I'm impressed by your intelligence. Men like Mr. Alvarez are tricky. I don't think he wants the authorities too close to him. He's been running from the law his entire life. He has a panache for doing things his way, which means he wants something out of this deal and I can only assume that is this baby named Gabriel.”

“Look, are we going to make this trade or not?”

“You don't deal with business meetings very often do you? If you did, you'd know there are certain protocols involved. A show, a dance if you will. Small talk and lawyers and such.”

“I didn't bring a lawyer. Do I need one?”

He laughed. “Of course not.”

She found herself more impatient than afraid. She held out her hand and showed him the diamond.

The greed in his eyes flared. “Now
that
is a bargaining chip.”

He took a step towards her. She closed her hand with a tight fist. “First, I want to see Gabriel.”

Jefferies clapped his hands. A husky woman appeared holding a baby carrier in one hand and a diaper bag slung over her shoulder. She did not make eye contact with Jessie, and instead, set down the baby carrier.

“Walk away from the baby,” Jessie commanded, surprised by the strength of her own voice.

Jefferies didn't even acknowledge the baby. He kept his impertinent gaze on Jessie. “Where are the other six diamonds that belong to my tiara?”

“In my pocket.”

“Let's have a look.” He motioned to a table off to the side with a desk lamp and some tools.

She took out the diamonds from her pocket and placed them on the table. She paused at putting the red one on the table too.

“All of them,” he ordered.

Jessie did as he asked. He walked up behind her and peered over her shoulder at the cluster of diamonds. He reached over her and arranged them in a tidy row. They created one impressive line of jewels. The colors together made a kaleidoscope of pink broken up only by the darkest hue of the one in the middle.

Her gaze moved to the black box on the table. Without waiting for his approval, she reached over and opened the box. Inside, she found the tiara—a crown studded with tiny diamonds and rimmed in gold. It looked slightly different from the image she'd seen on her phone back in her hotel room. Seven empty holes existed where the diamonds should have sat, poised to shine. For one twisted moment, she saw why he fought to get back such a masterpiece.

“I know that look,” Jefferies said, grinning. “Victoria had the same one the first time I showed her the tiara. She was a little girl then. She thought it was magic.”

“It's beautiful,” Jessie agreed.

“You'll need to stick around to make sure the diamonds are the right fit.”

That, Jessie wouldn't do. The diamonds might seduce her, but Jefferies would take her life if she hung around. He'd already taken Melanie's.

Melanie's dead because of this man.

She broke her gaze from the diamonds to meet Jefferies' gaze. “You gave Daniel permission to hurt my sister,” she said defiantly.

“So I did.”

“You have no remorse.”

“None at all.” Jefferies eyes grew big. His face beat red with anger. “I told him to use any means necessary to get my diamonds back.”

Heat rose up Jessie's spine. She barred her teeth. She felt breathless and strong, like something as evil as Jefferies had awakened inside of her. “She's dead because of you.”

“Beautiful things always come at a price. Sometimes, that cost is life.”

Jessie got in his personal space. She wasn't afraid of him. “My sister's life mattered.”

Jefferies' hand shot out. He grabbed her neck. Jessie ducked before he could hold onto her. She shoved the tiara in his mouth. He jolted back in shock and screamed. He advanced forward on her and tried to swipe the tiara out of her hand. She held it back, just out of his reach. “If you touch me again, I'll break this in half.”

“Don't do that,” he said like a frightened boy, stepping back. A line of blood trailed out of his mouth and he wiped it away.

“I want to see what Brent's face looks like when I take away the one thing you love most in this world. Didn't you say something similar to me?”

Jefferies' confidence dropped a notch.