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“I have some wine open, if you're interested,” Brent said.

“Water for me. I don't think I can stomach alcohol yet.”

Jessie followed him to the kitchen and took a seat at the table. A glass of red wine, half-full, sat on the counter. She watched him get the bottle of wine and top off his glass. The other one, presumably Daniel's, he moved to the sink and then proceeded to get Jessie a glass of water.

Brent had not yet responded to her mention of the diamonds. She delayed the topic and tried to make Brent comfortable. “How exactly is Daniel involved with Trace Elements? You said you hired him on at the jewelry store. Doesn't that change your family-owned business to something else?”

“Daniel is an employee in the jewelry store. He's not a partner in the company. He's the only person with skills that match mine when it comes to cutting gems and appraising them.”

“Where's he from?”

“South Africa.” Brent took a sip of his wine. “So, what can I do for you?”

“My mother's hotel room got broken into this afternoon. I thought you might know something about that.”

The glass in Brent's hand paused on his way to his lips. “Is your mother okay?”

“She's shaken up, but yes, she's fine.” The expression on his face bothered her, like he wasn't surprised.

“Was anything taken?”

“My mother has nothing of value on her. Whatever the person wanted, he figured out there wasn't anything worth taking. She moved to a different room and now she's out to dinner with Luke.”

“Your mother and Luke? There's a first.”

“They don't have much choice, given the circumstances. The hospital is a difficult place to breathe let alone coexist and have a real conversation.” Jessie idly traced the top of her glass with her finger. Careful to phrase her next sentence, she said, “I keep asking myself if Luke is somehow involved in Melanie's attack.”

“Not possible.”

“You sound so sure.”

“Luke loves his wife.”

“I'm sure he does, but the fact is, the police are inspecting Luke's house because diamonds are missing. You knew about that, didn't you? Earlier today, I asked you if there was anything I needed to know. Why didn't you tell me then?”

“The diamonds are none of your business.”

“They are!”

“I see it differently than you do. The diamonds are property of Trace Elements and therefore, you don't need to know about them.”

Jessie got up and walked over to him.

Screw the resolve to keep a secret.
She balled her fists at her side.

He put down his glass. He stared back hard. “What do you want to say to me?”

“I know about the green diamond!” she blurted. Her hand flew to her mouth. Her heart raced like horses trampling the ground. “Go ahead and lie to my face. Tell me there wasn't a big diamond that got stolen from Luke's vault on the same night my sister got attacked!”

Brent grabbed her shoulders. “Where's the diamond?”

She rebuffed him. “Like I'd tell you. Maybe if you'd been honest with me, I would have told you. You talk about trust like everyone else has to earn it. What about me? Didn't you stop to think that you have to earn mine? Yes, I have one of the diamonds. Melanie gave it to me; not to Luke or the police or to
you
.”

“Tell me where the diamond's located.”

“No.”

“You don't have a choice.”

“I
do
have a choice. I can protect my sister. It's you who has to explain. Why do you want the diamond?”

Brent's lips crushed down on hers. His arms came next. They formed a fortress around her body. No time to hesitate; no time to think. Just react, just feel, and let his tongue glide around hers. His lips, slick and warm, worked over hers. Each hitch of his mouth set heat smoldering through her. Electricity bolted up her thighs and a powerful current moved through her breasts. The energy connected in the middle and everything within her flared with sweet longing.

Every demanding push of his lips freed up forgotten corners of her heart. Like each slip of his tongue awakened a new part of her. She moaned at the pleasure rising up through her. Brent rewarded her by cupping her rear end and drawing her tight against his length. She liked feeling the power she had over him. His arousal turned her on. She did this to him. She felt pride at this fact and slid her tongue around his, moving her lips with his. The color of this moment glowed like the diamond in her pocket.

Brent kissed her down her neck while his hands pushed up her sweater. He lowered his face to taste her breasts. His lips flickered over her cleavage and sent bursts of pleasure through her erect, aching nipples. He unfastened her bra in the space of a fast breath and freed her breasts. He pushed up her sweater and closed his mouth around her nipple. The firmness of his lips set off a cry from her mouth. She felt all of him, from his stubble scratching over her breast to his thighs pressing against hers. Jessie arched her shoulders and let her head fall back. She ran her hand through his hair. The fervor of his intense, intimate movement undid her.

Brent's lips blazed a trail from her breasts, to her midsection, to the waist of her jeans. He ran his firm hand over the junction of her thighs and paused to look up at her face.

She looked at him with fresh eyes. She wasn't thinking about anyone else right now. Just him. And for a moment, she thought he saw it too. She put her hand tenderly on his jaw. Only the sound of their jagged breaths made noise.

He straightened, and slowly she ran her hands up over his shirt and the broad muscular chest beneath. He was like a roadblock she couldn't, perhaps didn't
want
to get around. She stood in awe of his physical strength.

Brent's hands slid down the front of her jeans. In one heart-stopping moment, Jessie felt his hand rub over her pocket…and over the diamond. He stopped his finger. She held her breath. Their gazes met.

“You brought it with you,” he said, already digging his finger in her pocket.

She fought to remove his hand. “No.”

Too late. Brent pulled out the diamond. He looked at it and cursed.

She thrust her hand at his. “Give that back.”

“No chance.”

“Melanie wanted me to keep it safe.”

“Melanie stole this,” he roared.

“What are you talking about?”

“She took all seven of the diamonds.”

“She couldn't have. You said so yourself that she didn't have access to the vault.”

Brent stalked past her without a word.

Jessie took off after him.

Brent didn't slow down. She leapt at him and grabbed his shirt. She yanked back on the fabric. Brent stumbled backwards hard. The impact of his body sent Jessie flying on her back onto the hardwood floor, with the breath knocked straight out of her.

She rolled over onto her stomach and lunged at the back of his leg. The maneuver worked. She secured her hand around his ankle and held on with everything she had. Brent stumbled out of her hold and flew forward. His large body rocked the house as he crashed to the floor. Jessie's head snapped up, and her chest pounded against the floor. They both looked ahead at the same time, to the diamond lying on the floor just out of their immediate reach.

Jessie stumbled to her feet.

He tried to get up, but Jessie dropped her body onto his and lay flat on top of him. She elbowed him in the lower back and his neck. He cursed and swung his arm around to grab her as Jessie army-crawled over him. He missed grabbing her arm, but his hand clamped around her ankle. He tried to pull her back. She kicked back and stunned him in the face.

Jessie swiped the diamond off the floor and stumbled to a run. She moved through the house, looking for a door. Brent was up and charging after her. She made it to the kitchen and spotted the back door. She pulled it open and flew outside. There was no slowing down now.

“Jessie, stop!” Brent yelled. “I won't hurt you. Come back.”

Jessie ran hard. She scrambled over the bushes leading to the front yard and yelped at the prickly points scratching through her clothes. She moved with adrenaline-pumping purpose. The sound of her footsteps and her breath filled the air as she flew around the corner of the house and into the street. The heavy fog swallowed her up and she disappeared into the night.

She didn't think he'd followed her. The cool night air stung her nose and her chest. The wind chilled her to the bone. She took a risk and slowed her jog to a walk, only to shiver uncontrollably. Her nose ran and she wiped away the trickling liquid. However miserable she was, she would take that over returning to his house.

Jessie had no idea about her whereabouts. She also didn't have her purse or her phone and her bra hung loose from its straps. No money for cabs or Uber meant no means to get back to the hotel. She was alone with only the houses hiding in the fog. The trees loomed like skeletons. She couldn't think straight; couldn't process what happened back there let alone figure out where to go. He'd pounced on her—like she meant nothing to him. To think she went to him to get answers.

So she walked.

The street eventually gave way to a city section with businesses and gas stations. Being exposed like this made her too nervous to step into the light of the street lamps, so she chose to go to an alley. She wouldn't stay there long; she only wanted enough time to refasten her bra and make sure Brent wasn't looking for her.

The alley opened up and gave way to another path leading to another street. No cars moved on the road and nobody appeared to be present. Jessie took her chances and continued walking. Oddly, she felt protected by the night, and the dumpsters gave her a place to hide if Brent did try to find her.

Jessie found a place to sit between a series of crates and the door to a bagel shop. She pressed back against the wall. The outline of the brick building and a lightless window across the way caught her eye. Brent might be out there and much, much closer than she wanted to think about. Or maybe he stayed home. Tonight had changed everything for her. She slid her hand over her pocket to check on the diamond. The only person with the answer lay in a coma across town.

Jessie brought her knees to her chest. The night passed with the wind. Brent didn't come for her. The moment she couldn't take the cold anymore, she got up and moved. Darkness remained her cover. She walked out of the alley and stayed close to the buildings. She crossed the street in strange neighborhoods with people tucked in their warm beds.

A gas station at the end of the block stood out like a beacon. She asked for directions to the hotel and found herself to be a good twenty blocks away. The attendant wrote down how to get there, and out of kindness, offered her a cup of coffee or water. She chose water, gulped down contents of the plastic cup, and moved along.

The city at night took on a life of its own. The noises of sirens in the distance. The sound of a random engine revving and the car flying by her, going through a red light. Shadows hung on the street corners. Shapes shifted. Footsteps shuffled and fell away into the channels leading to more alleys. She preferred the alleys to being seen, but the night life there terrified her. The demons and darkness propelled her to keep to a light jog and not stop for anyone or anything. If she saw someone, she crossed the street. She kept her head up and her eyes peeled.

Finally the hotel came into view. Jessie had never been so happy to see the sight of the luxury establishment. She made her way through the front doors and ignored the curious glance from the doorman. A blast of warm air hit her frozen face and she nearly cried.

The front desk agent cast an accusatory glance at Jessie. “May I help you?” she said.

“I'm Jessica Cahill,” she said, and proceeded to give her room number.

“I'll need to see some identification.”

“I don't have any on me.”

“I can't give you a room key without seeing a driver's license.”

“My mother, Leslie Cahill, is also a guest in this hotel. Please get her on the phone. She'll come down and vouch for me.”

“Is there a problem?” Manager Rowe said, entering through an office door at the back of the desk area.

“You.” Jessie snapped. “You moved my mother to the other room earlier.”

“Yes.”

“I'm her daughter. Surely you remember me from earlier. I'm staying in this hotel and I lost my room key.”

The front desk agent looked at Mr. Rowe as if to say,
I tried.

“Give her a key; she's a guest here.” He walked around the desk and pulled Jessie to the side. “Do you need some help?” he asked discreetly.

“No.”

“Very well.” He snapped and the front desk agent handed him a key. “There you are.”

Jessie thanked him and left the lobby. Sore legs carried her over to the elevator. A cramp bloomed in her neck. She made it to her room and wanted nothing more than to fall on the bed and sleep.

She couldn't wind down until she inspected each piece of the room again. The break-in at her mother's room didn't seem quite so random anymore.

The contents of her bag appeared to be intact. Now she just felt paranoid. She looked at the door like she expected him to knock or try to enter.

She retreated to the warmth of her bed and turned off the lamp before sliding under the covers. She curled her fingers around the diamond and vowed not to let go.

* * * *

Jessie woke up in a panic with the memory of Brent chasing her.

The dawn marched in with an obnoxious parade of orange. She'd forgotten to close the curtains the previous night. Jessie turned her head away from the window. A headache spanned from the base of her skull to her forehead. A rock rolled under her hand and she bolted up to check on the diamond. A sigh of relief escaped through her mouth. Until she thought of Brent. The pit in her stomach dropped. The diamond wouldn't be safe like this in her hand for long, unless she did something about it.