The Diamond Affair Read online

  "Why did you go to Aaron's place if you weren't looking for the Florentine?" she asked.

  "Same reason I took Evie. Make it look real, like a falling out between colleagues. But you fucked that plan up so I had to make another one. This one." He shrugged. "Enough questions. Untie your friend," he said to Ruby. "She's going to shoot you."

  Evie gasped around her gag. Ruby's blood froze in her veins. She had to get away. Had to save herself and Evie. If she could just distract Frankie long enough—"

  "Now!" he shouted.

  Ruby's fingers shook but she managed to untie the knots on Evie's bonds. When she was free, Evie embraced her. "He's going to do it," she said, dragging in deep breaths between sobs. "But I won't kill you. He can't make me."

  "I don't have to. Because I'm going to do it myself." Frankie lifted the gun.

  Ruby went numb. Her brain shut down. Her body went slack. It was only thanks to Evie's tight grasp that she remained upright. Her gaze lost focus and Frankie became a blur through her pooling tears.

  He aimed at Ruby's head.

  Evie screamed.

  Ruby closed her eyes.

  The gun fired.

  CHAPTER 18

  I can't lose her too.

  The single thought pounded through Jake's head on the interminable drive to save Ruby. He hardly heard Beauvoir's directions but somehow he managed to follow them.

  At some point on the drive through Melbourne's outer suburbs, he realized the sharp pain in his chest wasn't a heart attack waiting to happen. It was heartache. Gnawing, gaping, heartache. He needed Ruby.

  And that scared him.

  But not half as much as the thought of losing her.

  Please, he silently begged, not her too.

  Not like everyone else—his parents, one after the other, those Afghani kids. He'd lost everyone he'd ever cared about, some through violence, some simply because they decided to walk away. But they'd all left him one way or another.

  He wouldn't lose Ruby too. Not like this.

  He pressed his foot down on the accelerator of Beauvoir's sports car. Houses and endless freeway slipped past his window then became trees that towered over the narrow road. For the last half hour of their journey, they saw no other vehicles.

  "Turn here," Beauvoir said.

  But Jake skidded to a stop instead. The car Ruby had taken from the Brighton house was parked on the side of the road ahead.

  She was here. That was one thing to be grateful for. But if he was too late...

  "The cabin is down that driveway," Beauvoir said. "You can just make out a light through the trees."

  Jake got out. It was better to leave the car on the road. The element of surprise...

  He ran. The moon had retreated behind pregnant clouds, covering him. He couldn't hear Beauvoir behind him. It didn't matter. The man wasn't a threat anymore.

  Frankie was.

  A scream split the thick, humid air. It came from the cabin.

  Every little piece of Jake screamed back in response: Not Ruby, not Ruby, please not Ruby.

  Blood pumped through his veins, made his legs faster and his heart pound against his ribs. Not Ruby, not Ruby. He flung open the door to the cabin.

  Not Ruby.

  Aimed.

  Not Ruby!

  Fired.

  Frankie staggered as if under a huge weight. His gun tumbled to the floor and he followed it. Jake spared a glance to make sure he was dead before he caught Ruby as she flew into his arms.

  She heaved one shuddering breath and shed a bucket full of tears all over his T-shirt. He held her tightly and rocked her while she let it out.

  "It's all right," he murmured into her hair. "You're safe. Everyone's safe. I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere."

  He froze. The words had just slipped out but he couldn't take them back. Of all the stupid things to say...

  Ruby kept on crying into his chest, her fingers clutching the back of his T-shirt. Holding on. Maybe she hadn't heard, or hadn't registered.

  Hopefully.

  Beauvoir entered and his gaze flicked from Jake's to Frankie's. He stared at the body, his fists bunching at his sides. No emotion registered on his face. He just stared.

  Ruby drew in a deep breath against Jake's chest and wiped away her tears. She pulled away and went to Evie, still crying on the floor in the corner. The women hugged. Jake ached to have Ruby's arms surround him again. But not now.

  Not ever.

  Beauvoir stood in the doorway. The sweet scent of rain mixed with dust and eucalyptus trees drifted into the room. He shook his head at Frankie, lying in a pool of blood.

  "There's your thief," Jake said.

  Beauvoir nudged the body with his toe as if checking to see if Frankie was really dead. Then he bent and patted him down. "If he's the thief, where's my diamond?"

  "Here." Ruby threw something at Beauvoir who caught it.

  "My Florentine!"

  "No," Ruby said. "It's not. It's not even a real diamond."

  "It's a fake?" Jake stared at the yellowish rock which Beauvoir held up to the light. "You've been chasing Ruby all this time for a fake!" He'd already killed one man tonight. It wouldn't matter if he killed another. He wanted to do it. Badly.

  "You told me it was real!" Beauvoir moved toward the two women, still crouching on the floor in the corner. Ruby stood about the same time Jake caught the back of Beauvoir's jacket.

  "You touch her and I'll rip your heart out through your nose."

  Beauvoir flinched.

  "The one I saw was real," Ruby said. "A real diamond anyway. Whether it is the Florentine, no one can say for certain although I was reasonably sure, which I told you that day." She nodded at the rock in Beauvoir's fist. "This is not that diamond. This is a fake."

  Ruby went on to tell them about how Frankie had planned to set her and Evie up to enable his escape. "He wanted to buy himself some time to get back to Melbourne and catch a plane out of Australia."

  "His escape," Jake said, his brows lifted in a question. "Not their escape?"

  "Well, yeah, he did have an accomplice. He said he didn't steal it originally." She shrugged. "He must have been brought into the deal later. Whoever he worked with must have the real Florentine now. Do you know who?"

  "Yes," Beauvoir said quietly, menacingly. His fist closed around the stone. Even in the dim light Ruby could see his knuckles turn white. It was amazing the stone didn't turn to dust and trickle through his fingers.

  "His daughter," Jake said.

  "Penny!" Wow, she hadn't seen that coming.

  "Okay," Evie said, hands on hips. She'd apparently fully recovered from her shock. "I want answers. What the hell is going on? Who is Penny? And who the hell are you?" she said to Beauvoir.

  "The man who owes you both a very big apology," Jake said. "I'm thinking an around the world cruise, maybe a new car, and fresh flowers every week for the rest of his life. Which will be short if I find out he hasn't complied with your wishes for compensation."

  "Make mine pink roses," Evie said.

  Ruby hugged her, glad to have her back. She wanted to hug Jake again too but he was looking all manly and dangerous and she didn't think he'd want his image destroyed in front of Beauvoir.

  To hell with his image. She threw her arms around him and kissed him square on the lips. As soon as he responded, she pulled away. "Let's go."

  Jake cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, good idea."

  Beauvoir flipped open his phone and dialed a number. Jake snatched it away. "Who are you calling?"

  "My daughter."

  "Not if you want to see your diamond again. And your daughter. My guess is she's waiting for his call," he nodded at the body, "before she sets out for the airport. I'd go straight home if I were you. And I'm coming with you."

  "What?" Ruby and Beauvoir said together. "But I wanted to talk to you," Ruby said.

  "And I want to make sure this job is done," he said, ignoring her and looking straight at Beauvoir. "I'm goi
ng interstate soon and I don't like leaving unfinished business behind."

  Like he was leaving his father behind? Like he was leaving her? "You're still going to Sydney," she said, quietly.

  He inclined his head, a barely perceptible nod. Her heart shattered. Tears pooled in her eyes when she thought she had none left to shed. Nothing had changed and she got the feeling that nothing she could possibly say would ever change his mind.

  They all filed out to the Beauvoir car, leaving the other behind. Ruby didn't feel up to driving. Jake drove while Beauvoir, sitting in the front passenger seat, organized a cleanup crew to remove Frankie's body. Ruby tried not to think about him. She hadn't liked him but seeing him lifeless and knowing she'd had a part in his death made her want to throw up.

  She tried to focus on the current situation and what they had to do. As much as she wanted to get the police involved now Beauvoir was no longer after her, she didn't mention it—involving the police now that the bad guy was dead would lead to a lot of unnecessary questions. Questions that might lead them straight to Penny. Whatever she was, she was still just a kid. Her father's ire would be enough for her to deal with.

  They drove in silence. Evie grabbed Ruby's hand and held it most of the way back to Melbourne. They were still friends, and always would be. Ruby squeezed her hand and gave her a smile, even though she couldn't muster any warmth for it.

  All the warmth had seeped out of her when Jake had declared his intention of leaving.

  They dropped Evie back at her apartment. Ruby refused to get out of the car. "This is my business too, Jake, and I want to see it through to the end."

  "Ruby," he said with obvious effort, "it's all over. Your friend needs you."

  "She's calling her boyfriend to come over. I'll only be in the way." And if Ruby went back to her own apartment, she would be alone. She didn't want to be alone. She wanted to be curled up in bed with Jake's strong arms holding her, pressing her to his body. But that wouldn't happen. "So I'm coming with you."

  He unbuckled his seatbelt. "Don't make me come back there and forcibly remove you from this vehicle."

  "Just try it."

  "Shut up!" Beauvoir yelled. "Just shut up and drive. I need to see my daughter." This last part was said with a kind of strained agony.

  Jake buckled up his seat belt and gave Ruby a this-is-not-finished glare.

  She could only wish they weren't finished.

  Most of the downstairs lights were on at the Beauvoir house when they arrived and some of the upstairs ones too. Guy was out of the car before it pulled to a complete stop in the driveway. He took the stairs two at a time up to the front door and dug out his keys from his pocket. The door opened before he'd finished finding the right one.

  Sonya stood in the entrance, Sinestri beside her, his arm around her waist. It dropped like a stone to his side when he spotted Beauvoir. "It's not what it seems," he said quickly. "I'm not... That is..." He cleared his throat. "It's not what it seems!"

  "It is!" Sonya said, hands on hips. "You're such a coward, Harry. You always have been."

  Sinestri looked wounded. He straightened, clearly wanting to be Sonya's white knight. Beauvoir shoved them both out of the way and stormed into the house.

  "Penny!" he shouted. He turned to his wife. "Where is she?"

  "In her room," Sonya snapped. "Where the little nerd always is. You're so predictable, Guy. This is precisely why I'm leaving you. You always put her before me. You never once looked at me with as much love as you looked at her. I hate you!"

  "Good," Beauvoir said, striding toward the stairs. "Then get out. Take your lover with you. By the way, Sinestri, all future business dealings we have in the pipeline are off." He ran up the stairs.

  Jake followed him. Ruby followed Jake. She heard Sonya's angry stomp on the stairs behind her and Sinestri's heavy sigh as he trailed behind them all.

  In a déjà vu experience, the door to Penny's bedroom opened before Beauvoir could reach it. He suddenly reeled back, almost stepping on Jake's toes. Ruby only just stopped before smacking into Jake. He must have known she was close because he reached around without looking and held her, using his body as a shield.

  That was the first clue Ruby had that Penny held a gun.

  "Stay back or I'll shoot," Penny said. That was the second.

  Sonya let out a little squeal from behind Ruby.

  "Darling," Beauvoir said, an edge of fear to his otherwise calm voice. "You can't do this. Put the gun down and come here. Nothing bad will happen. I promise. It'll be all right."

  "Where's Frankie?" Penny said, her voice shaking. "Tell me where he is!" she shouted when no one answered her.

  "He's dead," Jake said.

  Don't tell her you did it, Ruby silently willed him. For God's sake, don't tell her. I don't want to lose you.

  "Dead?" Penny echoed. She sounded like a little girl. Lost. Scared.

  Ruby wrenched herself free of Jake's grip and stepped out from his shadow. He tried to shove her back but when Penny raised the gun at him, he stopped. He mumbled something that sounded like, "Don't." It wasn't clear if he was talking to Ruby, Penny or a higher power.

  Ruby held up her hands in surrender. "You loved him, didn't you?" she said to Penny.

  Sonya made a sound of disgust in the back of her throat. Penny glared at her. "You wouldn't know about love, you frigid cow."

  "Wouldn't I?" Sonya took Sinestri's hand in her own and lifted her chin. "I love this man. I've loved him for years." Her eyes shone with unshed tears. "We were lost to each other but he found me. After all this time, he found me. As I was telling your father downstairs, I'm leaving him for Harry and he can't stop me."

  "Fine," Beauvoir said, his face half-turned in profile. "Leave. Go on! Get out of my house!"

  "Not so fast," Penny said when Sonya turned to go. "I don't want you calling the cops. Not until I'm long gone." She chewed her bottom lip. Clearly she wasn't sure how to go about her plan of escape with all five of them in her way.

  "We'll go together." Beauvoir took a step toward his daughter. "Just you and me. We'll go to whichever country you want with the Florentine. Pick one. Any one." He took another step, then another. He was only three feet away from her. If she shot him, he'd die instantly.

  "Get back," Penny warned. But her voice shook, as did her hand.

  "Do as she says," Jake said in a low, commanding voice that Ruby knew all too well.

  "Darling," Beauvoir went on as if neither had spoken, "I'll have it made into a stunning necklace for you. Or a brooch. Your mother loved brooches."

  "Don't speak to me about my mother!" Penny's face turned a dark shade of red and tears swam in her eyes. "You killed my mother and I hate you!"

  BANG!

  Red-hot pain ripped through Ruby's body. What was it doing there? What had happened?

  Then she saw the blood. It was everywhere. All over her. Beauvoir's blood? But he was standing in front of her, unharmed. It didn't make sense.

  Her legs buckled beneath her and she fell to her knees. So much pain. Like a thousand knives cutting her, tearing her body apart.

  Then the cold came. So cold.

  But Jake was there, warming her, holding her. His face near hers, white with shock, his eyes wide and a little wild. He said something but she couldn't hear him. She tried to tell him to talk louder but nothing came out of her mouth.

  Don't let me get any colder, Jake.

  She was falling but he held her tight as if he was afraid she would slip away altogether. His face, always so closed to expression, suddenly crumpled. Tears shone in his eyes but that couldn't be right. Jake wouldn't cry. He was too strong. Too...uncaring.

  Not true. He cared for her.

  Jake...

  She cared for him too.

  I love you. Since her mouth wouldn't work against the onslaught of so much pain, she tried to convey it with her eyes. She didn't know if it worked.

  She was much too tired to stay awake and find out.

&nb
sp; CHAPTER 19

  There wasn't a lot of time for thinking. Jake had things to do. There were cops to placate. Furniture movers to organize. A funeral to attend. And a phone call to make to a mate. Ex mate. Matt wouldn't want to remain friends after this.

  So much to do. Thank God. Because the last thing Jake wanted to do was remember and think.

  ***

  Ruby woke up with one hell of a stomach ache. It felt like someone had thrust a sledgehammer into her gut. The nurses told her what had happened, or at least the little they knew. Evie filled her in with a few (wildly) speculative suggestions. When she was alone again in her hospital bed, Ruby had time to think it all through. Too much time. All she knew for certain was that Penny had shot at her father and missed, hitting Ruby instead. The shaking hands could explain the poor aim, but Ruby liked to think fatherly love had played a part too. Evie had told her that couldn't be true because Guy had then removed the gun from Penny's hand in the confused aftermath and soundly whacked his daughter with it. She'd ended up with a bruised forehead. He'd ended up with the Florentine after removing it from her pocket.

  One other fact Ruby knew for certain was that someone had called the cops. Sonya or Sinestri probably. Both had strong motive to put Beauvoir behind bars for a long time. It seemed Penny had, so far, escaped arrest since the diamond had been discovered on Guy's person and not hers. The fact she'd stolen it from her father had been conveniently swept under the carpet. Apparently she'd overheard her father telling Sonya the plans for transporting it, and had snuck into the back of the car and removed it from the locked case using the key she'd lifted from her father earlier. She'd proved herself to be quite the little thief.

  The third known fact was that no one else had been injured. That alone had been a blessing.

  The last fact she knew was that Jake hadn't visited her once since she'd been in hospital. An ambulance had delivered her, the nurse said. No one matching Jake's description had been in.

  Ruby tried not to care. She had a body to heal and a life to resume. There wasn't energy enough left for Jake.

  Or so she told herself. Truth was, she wanted him. From the moment she'd woken up, she'd held her breath every time someone walked in the door. She'd had a steady stream of friends, neighbors, and even a few clients. But no Jake.