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)
“We amateur detectives are strong in the ways of Google,” I said, glowing with pleasure from the kiss and the compliment. I smoothed my dress when he released me, and my thoughts turned more serious. “Do you think he’s our Mr. Smith?”
“It’s possible,” he said. “What’s his motivation, though? Usually, there’s a specific one.”
I snapped my fingers. “Eli said Tristan wanted to do business with him, but Eli didn’t seem too interested. Maybe Tristan is pissed because Eli turned down a business deal?”
“Nice work, Sherlock. Let’s make him suspect number one.”
The ideas came together faster and faster, and I couldn’t stand still. I paced the room like Jake had the other night. “When we talked about hiding the gems, you said the art at the club had the same out-of-proportion style of frame. What if Eli and Willow moved the diamonds to Sapphire?”
A devilish smile curled Jake’s lips as if he couldn’t wait to infiltrate the club once again. “I believe this calls for a return visit to Sapphire.”
A burst of heat shot down my chest as I remembered what he did to me up against the wall in the bathroom. “I did enjoy our last experience there.”
Heat flared in Jake’s eyes as well. “Let’s make it a double then.”
I was so there.
40
HAPPY PLACE
Jake
“I’ve got to hand it to the guy, Andrew,” I said on the phone. While Ruby made calls of her own in the room, I updated my client while walking the stone path that edged the hotel property. “Eli knows how to hide things.”
Andrew heaved a sigh, but said on the bright side, “But now we know that he turned the stolen money into diamonds, and it’s on Flamingo Key.”
I slowed my pace and rubbed the back of my neck. “It’s not quite that simple. He’s moving things around a lot. We’re closing in on them, but there’s luck and timing involved.”
“Who is ‘we’?” Andrew asked.
I winced. I didn’t intend to hide Ruby’s participation from Andrew, but I gave myself a mental slap for revealing it by accident. “You remember I asked about Ruby, his stepdaughter? Turns out she’s after the same thing we are—following the money and making things right. So we’ve teamed up. Pooled our resources.” I left out mention of anything else we were sharing. That was our business alone.
Andrew made a thoughtful sound. “She’s a lovely lady. Takes after her mother that way.”
Okay, that was an interesting tidbit he’d volunteered. But I left the non-sequitur alone and turned back to the case. “You should also know we’re not the only ones looking for the gems.”
Andrew grumbled an unintelligible string of curse words, and I let him vent, but not too long.
“What would you like me to do?” I asked. “I’m willing to go the distance, but I need to know if that’s what you want.”
“Do what you can do. My shareholders are breathing down my neck. I need this resolved, the sooner and quieter the better. But please don’t get yourself arrested.”
“I’ll do my best to stay above the law,” I deadpanned. Andrew likely wouldn’t appreciate the irony.
Instead of hanging up, Andrew cleared his throat. “Listen, there’s a bonus in it for you if you can pull this off.”
He rattled off a healthy number that stopped me in my tracks. That would cover summer school and a big chunk of law school tuition, making life for my family a hell of a lot easier. All I had to do was beat the competition and wrap things up before Ruby left for her tour in three days.
“You’re on,” I agreed. I hung up with Andrew and returned to my room and my date. The next few hours were a reprieve from the jewel hunt, and I intended to enjoy them.
Later that evening, I glided across the seafloor at Turquoise Rock with Ruby. The underwater grottos made a perfect dive at dusk. A school of silvery grassy sweepers darted past us, stirring the cool waters forty feet below the surface.
My hometown of Key Largo was one of the top scuba destinations in the world, and I’d gone on a lot of dives there, but Ruby knew this place. Her ease in the water was evident as she slipped through the rocky tunnels. She’d bounced with delight when we’d arrived and I’d let her in on the surprise date—a thirty-minute sunset dive that was coming to a close. With air running low, it was time to say goodbye to the ocean.
We broke the glassy surface under streaks of vibrant pink and bright orange across the sky. We treaded water and watched the sun disappear below the horizon in a burst of radiant color, then a glorious fade to dusk. I shifted my gaze to Ruby, keeping silent because nature’s beauty said everything I could have voiced. Rapture was in her eyes—they sparkled as she stared into the distance. This was her happy place and I felt beyond lucky to share it with her.