Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 510(@200wpm)___ 408(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
“What if they’re not there?” he suggested casually. “What if they’re, say, in the nightclub?”
“Then I’ll go there and find them,” I said, calling on my best tough girl act. I was looking for a way to get Mom’s money back. A big bag of diamonds would do that but so would evidence I could use as leverage.
I was more determined than ever, and certain I needed to do it without interference. I fished for some bills and set them on the table. “I’d better go. I have work to do.”
As I stood, one of my longtime friends appeared beside the table, exclaiming, “Ruby!” The restaurant owner wrapped me in a hug. “So good to see you. I’ve missed seeing you around my hometown.”
“I’ve missed you too, Tanice,” I said, hugging her back. “Thanks for dessert. You always know how to treat a girl.”
“That’s what my new girlfriend says too,” she said with a wink.
“And she’s right. We’ll have to get together soon.”
Tanice stepped back, smiling. “A bunch of us are having a party on Devon’s boat later this week. Want me to text you the details? Kalila is off camping, but she should be back then.”
“That sounds great. I’ll be there.”
“We can catch up and you can see the whole crew. And meet my new girl.”
“I’m there,” I said, excited for the chance. Tanice squeezed my arm, then scurried off.
When she was gone, Jake met my gaze with a smug look and said, “Why should you work with me?” He tipped his forehead toward my disappearing friend. “That’s why.”
15
NO MORE LATE NIGHTS ON A LOUNGE CHAIR
Jake
I had a plan. It was crazy, but we might pull it off together. I vastly preferred to work solo, especially after the Rosalinda fiasco. But I had a hunch that feisty, fiery Ruby wasn’t going to step out of the way. If we didn’t team up, I’d keep running into her and we’d keep butting heads. And because of who she was, she could be my best weapon in this case. Better to work with her than against her.
I just needed her to see the benefits.
“Teaming up makes sense for us both,” I said. She sat back down, and I took the chance to make my pitch. “You need me and I need you. You know everyone on this island, which is great. But it also means that people recognize you. But me? No one knows me. I could be anyone, go places you can’t go unnoticed. You have inside access, but I can walk around unseen.”
She crossed her arms. She hadn’t said yes yet. “Show me this evidence,” she said.
That was kind of hot. Her take-no-prisoners attitude. She didn’t simply go along with anything. She challenged me every step of the way. Which made me want to throw her onto the bed tonight and make her lose control as I fucked her.
And…that was what I needed to stop thinking about.
I focused on the mission. The goddamn job. I held out my phone and showed her the email, giving her time to read it, then walked her through the details, pointing out how the dates in the email lined up with withdrawals and transfers, letting her take in the full scope of the crime.
Her face tightened as if she’d just eaten something sour, and when she was done reading, she blinked. “Isn’t this kind of circumstantial?”
There was a hint of desperate hope in her tone, and it pained me to see her final illusions about her stepfather shattered. But I had to think like a mercenary. I had to think about her as a mercenary.
“It is circumstantial, but it’s also convincing. It convinced Andrew. It convinced my sister. It convinced me enough to come down here and devote my time and risk my neck to get it back. My job is to get this ten million and return it to the rightful owners. You want to know about the money for your mom’s sake,” I said, pressing on, since I was close. I sensed it. She was seeing the benefits, I knew it. “We both have our reasons, and we both bring something to the table.”
She huffed, her vulnerability gone for a moment, or at least hidden. “Fine. But I’m the one with the invitation to Eli’s house on Thursday night, and I’ll have free roam of the house.”
“Of course,” I said, deadpan. “You can just grab a handful of the diamonds he keeps in a bowl on his desk.”
She shot me a side-eye. “What I meant was I can scope out likely places to hide diamonds in a house. You know…recon. From a woman on the inside,” she said, squaring her shoulders, like she was showing me how tough she was. I thought she was stunning when I met her last night, but I sure liked this side of her a whole helluva lot, full of bravado, her eyes shining with possibilities. “Maybe there’s a loose floorboard somewhere. Or a piece of art hiding a safe behind it.”