I nodded, hoping the giddy call-girl look was believable.
Mitchell stood and flicked the collar of his shirt. “Oh yeah,” he quipped. “I’m in.”
***
The rest of the night continued on the same strange tangent. The food was wonderful and the company was good, but somehow Mitchell ended up three sheets to the wind.
It wasn’t like him to drink too much, but by the end of dessert he was sleepy and dopy, and the only thing propping him up on his chair was me.
“We should go,” I suggested. “It’s been a long day.”
I should’ve known polite excuses wouldn’t work. Vincent leaned across and refilled both our glasses. “The night is young,” he said. “Stay for one more drink.”
I tilted my head toward Mitchell. “I think some of us have had enough.”
Mitchell raised his hand. “Me,” he declared. “I’ve had enough.” His head lolled. “You have to take me home,” he begged.
I had no idea what was happening, and wasn’t sure that Mitchell did either. There were three empty bottles of wine on the table and none had been cleared away. Even if he’d consumed all three himself it wouldn’t explain the near-paralytic state he was in.
I kicked off the hoochie heels and slipped my flip-flops on. “I really have to get him to bed,” I insisted. “He’s beyond sloppy now.”
I tried to help Mitchell up, but couldn’t move him.
Both men rose and offered to help. “We’ll walk you home,” said Vincent.
“Thank you,” I muttered.
“Don’t be too hard on him in the morning.” Melito’s voice was soft with pity. “Getting a little charged is a sign that a wonderful evening was had.”
I forced a smile that probably looked odd.
Vincent got Mitchell to his feet. “Let’s go, Adonis. Your bed awaits.”
The walk next door was excruciatingly slow. Vincent struggled to get Mitchell to put one foot in front of the other, and Melito did nothing to help. “It’s such a lovely night, don’t you think?” He looked up at the sky. “Stars for as far as the eye can see.”
I wasn’t remotely interested in checking it out, and his attitude toward the situation at hand was starting to piss me off. I skipped ahead of him and rushed to unlock the front door.
Vincent manoeuvred Mitchell up the steps. “I’ll put him to bed,” he offered. “Don’t worry about a thing.” They disappeared into the shack, leaving me on the deck with Melito. Even though it was the last thing I wanted to do, I felt compelled to make small talk and thank him for the evening.
“It was our pleasure.” He leaned both hands on the railing and looked to the sky again. “Look at those jewels in nature’s crown,” he marvelled. “So brilliantly perfect in every way – like diamonds.” Very slowly, he dipped his head to look at me. “I have a thing for diamonds, Shiloh. Do you?”
“No, not really.” I always felt a pang of unease whenever an innocent comment hit too close to home, but this felt frighteningly different.
“Shame.” He pouted, sticking out his bottom lip. “Up until a few days ago, I had three hundred and thirty of them, but sadly, they’re missing. I was told you might know something about their whereabouts.”
“No.” The word came out in a panicky breath. “Nothing.”
The dim porch light flickered a few times, befitting the terrifying scene unfolding before me. Melito wasn’t a kind and eccentric neighbour. He was the devil – and I’d been living in his garden the whole time.
Vincent waltzed out. “They’re not in there,” he said. “I’ve turned the place upside down.”
Mitchell’s mystery bender suddenly made a whole lot more sense. He wasn’t drunk at all. They’d drugged him to keep him quiet while Vincent tore our house apart.
“I told you,” I said weakly. “I don’t have them.”
A sickening grin crept across Vincent’s face. Any hope I had of reasoning with him was lost. He wasn’t a softer touch. There were two devils at work – and they were evil in equal measure.
“I have some friends who work at the mine,” said Melito. “A couple, actually. Glen Harris – do you know him?”
It was important to give him one-word answers, and less when possible. I nodded but didn’t speak.
“He’s our courier,” said Vincent, interlocking his fingers. “He transports the jewels out of the mine on our behalf.”
Melito turned to me. “But you know that already, don’t you?”
It was time to change tack. Playing the terrified, doe-eyed innocent was never going to fly. I threw both hands up. “Look, all I wanted was in on a bit of action. There’s nothing wrong with making a little money on the side.”
“Indeed,” he agreed. “But you got greedy. Glen wanted to bring you in. You were our second courier. He assured us you were trustworthy.”
“I am!” Telling lies is always easier than admitting the truth, and I’d had lots of practice lately.
“I have another friend at the mine,” he explained. “He kept me in the loop while we were on vacation, usually via email.”
Melito took his phone from his pocket and swiped the screen. I swallowed hard, anticipating something horrible at any second. He cleared his throat and read out loud. “Glen Harris was arrested at his home last night after a tip-off from Shiloh Jenson. No diamonds were recovered. I believe she is in possession of all stones.”
He slowly turned his head. “Well?”
“It’s a lie,” I snapped. “I wanted a cut, not the whole lot. How would I get them out of the country by myself?” I was rambling now, and couldn’t seem to stop. “Who would I get to fence them for me?”
Melito shrugged. “I have no idea, darling.” His smooth tone made me want to retch. “But Reyo and I have been friends for many years. He has no reason to lie to me.”
My legs were barely functioning, battling to hold the weight of the thoughts now spinning through my head. From what I could ascertain in the seconds I’d had to think about it, there were only two possibilities: either Mike and Reyo were playing both sides, or they’d set me up.
Either way I was screwed.
“What do you want?” I asked, gripping the railing for support.
“It’s simple really.” Melito rested his back against the balustrade as if we were engaged in casual conversation. “I want my diamonds back. There’s a plane leaving here tomorrow afternoon at five. Either my diamonds are on it or….”
“Or what?” I spat, annoyed by the unnecessary dramatic pause.
He leaned so close that I could feel his breath on my face. “Or your boyfriend gets a bullet to the head.”
Fear couldn’t adequately describe how I felt at that point. Terror didn’t cut it either. But I knew if I collapsed in a heap we’d both be dead.
“Collateral damage,” I mused, somehow finding the fortitude to call his bluff. “We just might not be that close.”
Melito straightened up. “Really?” he asked. “I thought you liked him.”
I shrugged – a minor betrayal that caused me actual physical pain. “I like the shoes you gave me too,” I lied. “But I had no problem leaving them behind.”
The grin that crossed his face could only be described as evil. “I like you, Shiloh. I always have. Now be a good girl and fetch my diamonds.”
I straightened in a show of indifference. “I need time to consider my options.”
That was a lie too. All I needed time for was to figure out how I was going to get Mitchell and myself out of the country in one piece.
Both men broke into chuckles. “You have until five o’clock tomorrow evening,” said Melito. “After that, all bets are off.”
***
Our living room looked like a bomb had hit it, and the bedroom was worse. The mattress had been slashed to ribbons, drawers had been upended on the floor, and amidst all the chaos lay Mitchell, zonked out on what was left of the shredded bed. I had no idea what he’d been drugged with. Demanding to know would?
??ve shown concern, which could’ve been costly.
Using the last of my strength, I rolled him onto his side, putting his body in the safest possible position to cope with his stupefied state. For now, there was nothing more I could do. I lay beside him and closed my eyes, concentrating on the sound of his breathing. The lonely wait for morning began, and hour by hour I began to let him go.
***
In a strange twist of fate, the one person I’d been most leery of was now the only person I trusted. It was barely daylight when I called Mimi, but she answered on the third ring.
“Hi Mimi.” I rushed out the greeting. “Please, I need you to listen.”
“I’m listening,” she replied.
At best, the plan I’d concocted during the night was vague, but to her credit Mimi didn’t question it. I gave her a short but specific shopping list and told her I’d come to her house to collect it. “In three hours, okay?”
“I can do that,” she replied. “Three hours.”
Just like that, I’d set the ball rolling.
“Be careful, Mimi,” I warned.
“You too.” Her voice was quiet but strong. “Dumb girl.”
I ended the call not knowing how I’d make it through the day, but the resolve to try was high.
Mitchell hadn’t moved all night. I was prepared to let him sleep for as long as I could, because when he woke his whole world would be different. I had no idea how I’d explain that his friendly neighbours were the kingpins of Kaimte’s illegal diamond trade – and that was the easy part. Telling him that they were threatening to kill him would be infinitely more difficult.
If luck was on our side, we’d be on our way out of the country by the end of the day. Everything hinged on a clean getaway, which meant tying up as many loose ends as possible – starting with the phone that I kept hidden under the shack.
Like Mitchell, the Greeks were early risers. I was extra vigilant as I crept around the side of the shack, pausing every few steps to listen for any sign of movement next door. For once I was glad the walls were paper-thin. When I heard two different tempos of snoring, I relaxed a little.
I dropped to my knees, pushed the lattice aside and ducked under the house. I’d thought of a hundred ways to smash the phone to smithereens. I expected it to be almost cathartic – a mutinous act that would permanently cut all ties to Iron Mike.
The only way I was going to have control was if I stood my ground and took it. He’d ruled over me for weeks using threats and intimidation, but the days of keeping him in the loop via text messages and mandatory secret meetings were over. Time and time again he’d proven himself to be untrustworthy, and after Reyo’s fateful email to the Greeks, I wasn’t prepared to chance dealing with either of them again.
I snatched the phone off the cord, and for some unknown reason, switched it on. As soon as the screen lit up, I wished I’d stuck with my original plan. I didn’t recognise the number that showed up as a missed call. Sending an enquiring text would’ve been the smartest move, but I hadn’t felt overly bright in days. Instead, I called the number.
Federal Agent Dan Grace is an uppity hard-arse, but when I heard his voice on the other end of the line, it was the sweetest sound on earth.
Despite the fact the he’d uttered nothing beyond hello, I had the whole conversation worked out in my head. He’d tell me that the operation was over and give me instructions pertaining to safe passage out of the country.
Then he spoke again, and got the words all wrong.
“There’s a plane heading to a small airport outside of Antwerp,” he told me. “That’s in Belgium.”
“I know where Antwerp is.” My voice was quiet out of necessity. If the enemy hadn’t been snoring fifteen feet away from me, I might’ve given a slightly sassier reply.
“We know they’re planning to deliver the diamonds to a jeweller at the other end. A meeting has been pre-arranged.”
“Peachy,” I muttered. “Obviously Tweedledee sang like a bird.”
Dan’s trademark dark chuckle filtered through the phone. “Yes,” he confirmed. “We can barely shut him up.”
Now that I had confirmation that the AFP had snatched Glen, every ounce of concern I held for him was gone. Glen Harris was a coward, a thief and a drunk. And I hoped they planned to throw the book at him.
“All’s well that ends well, right?” Clearly my brain had stopped working. Nothing was well and nothing had ended.
“Not quite,” he replied. “There’s a problem.”
“Don’t tell me. You did something stupid – like jump the gun and confiscate the diamonds when you raided the house.”
He didn’t reply quickly enough.
“So to get you back in the game, your local contacts falsely informed the key players that I am holding the product. Am I right?”
After a long pause he spoke, but didn’t answer my question. “I want you on that plane.” His voice was quiet but unapologetic. “By any means necessary.”
“If I show up at that airstrip empty-handed, we’re dead.” I pressed the phone hard to my ear and hissed out the words, trying to whisper and yell at the same time.
“There’s no time to organise a replacement product,” he informed me. “It would take days to make arrangements with the mine. You’re going to have to figure it out on your own.”
“And what about my friend?” I asked. “A direct threat was made to his life.”
“Friend?” The sour edge to his tone infuriated me. “You were never supposed to make friends.”
To everyone but me, Mitchell was nothing more than a pawn. He’d been beaten up, tricked, lied to and drugged – and he was still considered disposable.
“I’m not leaving him here to fend for himself.” I dropped my head, growling into the phone. “He’ll be dead by morning.”
Dan managed to sound more inconvenienced that outraged. “I’ll organise safe passage for your … colleague,” he begrudgingly offered. “Meanwhile, you figure out how you’re going to make that flight. As soon as you touch down in Antwerp, a boarding party will pull you clear of trouble.”
I didn’t have a choice. The only way I could guarantee that Mitchell would get out safely was by agreeing to this absurd plan. I took heart in the fact that it wasn’t the first time I’d played the part of a patsy, and considering that I was still in one piece, I might possess just enough talent to pull it off again.
***
The sand under the house felt fifty degrees cooler than the open beach. When I lay down my whole body seemed to melt into it.
In moments of despair, our bodies have a way of shutting down to spare us pain. It wasn’t the most opportune time to be making sand angels, but I dragged my arms through the cool sand as if I had nothing but time on my hands. At that moment, I felt nothing – not fear, not worry. It was as if my heart had come up with a way of solving all of our problems, but hadn’t told me how.
An immeasurable amount of time passed before footsteps on the wooden floor above jolted me back to reality. Mitchell was awake, which meant I had no choice but to pull myself together and be on my game.
As I dragged my hands through the sand one last time, my left hand hooked something. I had no clue what it was until I raked through the powdery ground again, unearthing a red ribbon.
A few hard tugs were all it took before – like magic – a small calico bag surfaced. In an instant the biggest problem we had was solved. Inside the bag were hundreds of ugly, cloudy diamonds – more than enough to present to the Greeks and get Mitchell out of their line of fire – but even more spectacular than the treasure, was the accompanying handwritten note:
Dear Angels,
Please protect the dumb boy who lives here, for he is the smartest man I know. Bless him with love and keep him safe.
Love,
Charli xx
“Well, what do you know?” I whispered out loud. “He really does have a thousand angels watching over him.”
Dilemma
MITCHELL
I hadn’t been hung over for a long time, but it felt like I was doing it wrong. My mouth was dry and my head was foggy, stuffed with cotton wool. When I staggered into the living room, I wondered if I’d been eating the beans out of the beanbags. Judging by the scene in front of me it was entirely possible.
Something had attacked the room. What little furniture we had was upended and strewn everywhere, and I had no idea why. Try as I might, I couldn’t remember a thing beyond dessert the night before.
Clearly, Shiloh’s memory was as clear as a bell. When she walked through the door a few moments later, she didn’t bat an eyelid at the carnage. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
I could barely look at her. I cradled my hazy brain as I paced the messy room. “Did I do this?”
“No,” she replied. “You had nothing to do with it.” She took a bottle of water from the fridge. “I’ll tell you exactly what went on,” she said, handing it to me, “but you have to listen with an open mind.”
I promised to try. It was the best I could do, considering my brain was mincemeat.
“Vincent tore the house up,” she said. “He was looking for a stash of diamonds that were stolen from the mine. They’re thieves, Mitchell.”
“You’re out of your mind,” I told her. “I’ve known them for years. They would never be involved in anything like that.”
As I turned, Shiloh stepped in front of me, holding me in place with a firm hand to my chest. “You’re out of your mind,” she corrected. “And that’s because your Greek besties drugged you so they could ransack our house without interruption.”
It was quite possibly the most ridiculous statement she’d ever made, but I played along. “And why would they think their diamonds were here?”
She dropped her hand, a gesture that perfectly matched her crestfallen expression. “Because they think I have them.”
I shook my already foggy head, trying to clear it of nonsense. “Let me get this straight. Melito and Vincent stole the diamonds from the mine, and then you stole them again?”