Love & Redemption (32 page)

“As nice as that is, you missed some vital information. They can’t use any old diamond for this, and nothing except a diamond will work. Do you know anything about the new laser technology?”

Gavin narrowed his eyebrows. “Lasers, as in spy movies and fantasy?”

“Not so much a fantasy anymore. It’s happening. The diamond doesn’t have to be very big, but scientists are using the technology mostly for medical purposes, creating a superior laser. That same practice is helping show the way for other uses. Such as whatever Paul plans.” Jenessa stood and fetched her purse from the entertainment center, pulling her tablet from inside. She tapped on the screen, then crossed to sit next to Gavin. “I’ve been doing some research on Sierra Valentine, the girl they murdered.”

Shuddering, Gavin nodded to indicate he knew who she meant. He’d never get the image of Sierra’s last moments out of his mind.

“Apparently, she worked for S.A.T.O. and was supposed to be the girl to wear the bracelet to whatever high society function it was intended for.” Jenessa flipped to a news article on the tablet, which showed a picture of Sierra with President Sharp. “She already had an in, being an up and coming star. She had received several invitations to White House functions and was scheduled to sing at a benefit next fall.”

“How do you know she worked for S.A.T.O.?”

“Besides what you reported Stephen and Terrance said to her in that room, you mean?”

At Gavin’s nod, she closed the news article, opening a typed document.

“I’ve been researching her and tracking down where the diamonds came from,” she responded. “These aren’t just any diamonds. Each was handpicked by her, paid for with more money than she should have had, and made into this collection. She had some very exacting standards for what she was looking for, which I found when I hacked into an underground jewelry trader’s records that she dealt with.”

“Clever of you. Digging up personal records.”

“Yes.” Jenessa said it without an ounce of shame. She was good at her job and knew it, and didn’t care who’s privacy she violated in the name of justice. “After she collected the last diamond, there was a weird, encrypted message that would have only made sense to the person it was meant for. I think it was to tell Paul that she had them all. About two months after that, the messages about the sale of the diamonds went out, and I caught the phone call that made Nick send Shelley to that opera house.”

Sierra had been so afraid when she saw Terrance and Stephen there, begging for her life. They said she would have been a top agent and shouldn’t have crossed Paul.

Staring at Jenessa’s notes as if they held more answers, Gavin said, “I wonder what made her change her mind and go against Paul.”

Jenessa turned off the tablet. “My guess is she found out what they were going to be used for, and instead of turning them over to him for mass destruction...” she shrugged, “...or whatever, she decided to get rid of them to someone who just wanted diamonds for jewels. Your estimate of their worth is lower than what I’m finding. It would have been a good deal for anyone into black market diamonds.”

Feeling the loss of the young starlet all over again, a sadness descended on Gavin. Then, he had another thought that clenched his chest with anxiety. “Paul didn’t hesitate to kill Sierra when she double crossed him. Shelley did the same thing, nearly getting him captured a few months ago.” Wringing his hands together, Gavin didn’t want to ask his question, but knew he had to. “Do you really think there’s any way he’ll let her live?”

“I...” She stopping, blinking a few times before shrugging. “We have to find her fast.”

Not encouraging.

A chime sounded and Jenessa jumped. After digging in her pocket, she pulled her phone out. “A forward from Nick? He must be off the plane.” Her face paled and she licked her lips. “Oh, no.”

“What is it?” Gavin tried to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

She handed him the phone. “It’s a video that came to Nick from Shelley’s phone.”

The still shot frozen on the video clip showed Shelley. Though the lighting was dim in the picture, the blood across her lip was easy to see, as well as the swelling and bruising on her chin.

Gavin tapped on the video to make it play.

“You see this, Nick?” came Stephen’s voice as the camera zoomed in on Shelley. “This is only the beginning. What would Carlie think if you let me kill her best friend?” His laughter testified to the fact that he would enjoy killing her. “Get me the diamonds. You have four hours to make arrangements, or what I’ve done to her this time will seem like a love tap.”

Gavin thrust the phone at Jenessa, unable to look into Shelley’s pain-filled eyes any longer. “Nick needs to get his ass here. If he won’t do something to save Shelley, I will.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

Gavin felt nearly out of his mind with worry twenty minutes later when Nick knocked on his door. Jenessa opened it with a ready smile for their boss, but Gavin didn’t feel as generous.

“It’s about time you got here.” He resumed pacing the track from the bed to the bathroom. “I hope you have a plan.”

Nick raised his eyebrows, but stuck his hand out when Gavin drew near. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

Slightly embarrassed at his lack of manners, Gavin shook his hand. “Sorry, boss, I’m going out of my mind. Stephen’s beating her while I sit doing nothing. We have to save her.”

Nick shuddered visibly. “Don’t call me boss. Nick is fine.” He crossed the room and sat in the chair near the window, glancing at his watch. “We have under three hours before Stephen contacts us again. I need to know everything that happened. Maybe we can figure out where they’re holding Shelley.”

While explaining what happened on the 2nd Avenue platform, a feeling of helplessness overwhelmed Gavin. “I know there are other places in the city where tunnels for train lines were dug but never used. If they have Shelley at one of those other sites, it could take us a long time to find the right one.”

Nick glanced at Jenessa. “And you have the diamonds after the explosion at the precinct?”

She nodded. “They’re in my room safe here. I didn’t know where else to hold them. As I told you before, we have reason to suspect a traitor in the FBI. Also, we’re sure Ken’s working for S.A.T.O.”

“But you ruled out Agent Dan Worth as a suspect?” Nick asked.

“We did,” Jenessa said, blushing slightly and confirming Gavin’s suspicion that things were heating up between her and the other agent.

“Good.” Nick nodded as though coming to a decision. “We have to deal with this situation with Shelley, but those diamonds need to be secured. Call Agent Worth and tell him I need to see him. I’ll have him take care of it.”

Gavin gritted his teeth in frustration. He knew there was little chance Nick would hand over the diamonds to Paul, but it might be the only way to ensure her safety. It was time to give Nick more incentive to help Shelley, and perhaps do whatever it took to get her back.

“I talked to Paul,” he said, staring intently at Nick. “He wanted me to tell you that you’re like a son to him, but if you don’t hand over the diamonds, he’s going after Carlie.”

“What?” Nick rose from the chair, his dark eyes boring into Gavin’s. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

He whipped out his phone and punched in some numbers. “Is she safe?” he asked whoever answered the line. “I knew moving back to Sayle was a bad idea. Paul’s threatening her.” He paused, listening to the other person. “Hal, you know how vicious he is. Hide her somewhere until I work this out.”

Nick lowered the phone, still glaring at Gavin. “You should have told me right away. I can’t let anything happen to Carlie.”

Sighing, Gavin sat on the edge of the bed. He couldn’t either. Shelley would never forgive him. “That’s why we have to hand over the diamonds, or at least make them think we’re going to.”

Nick clenched his fists. “That might save Carlie, but not Shelley. They’ll still kill her. You must realize that. We have to keep the diamonds away from them and find a different way.” He pointed to Jenessa. “Call Dan.”

“I already sent him a text, sir. He’s on his way.”

Gavin’s heart sank. It seemed Nick agreed with his fears. Shelley crossed S.A.T.O. They called her a traitor. Paul Billings wouldn’t give her a pass, not even for the diamonds. “There has to be a way.”

The three of them stared at each other, but no one spoke. A plan didn’t spring to Gavin’s mind, and apparently Nick and Jenessa could think of nothing either.

A jingling of music startled Gavin from his bleak thoughts. “What’s that?”

Jenessa pulled her phone from her pocket, a frown on her face. “It’s Ken Travers. Why would he call me?”

“Answer it,” Nick ordered.

With a shrug, Jenessa lifted the phone. “Agent Jones.”

Gavin watched her intently, seeing her face go from skeptical to confused. He wished he knew what Ken was saying.

“And you expect us to believe you’re not involved?” she asked, voice heavy with scorn. After a few more moments, she lowered the phone and looked at Nick. “Sergeant Travers wants to meet with you, sir. He says he can help.”

“Tell him to come here,” Nick said. As Jenessa returned to her conversation, Nick glanced at Gavin and grinned. “Don’t look so shocked. You have a lot to learn if you’re going to work for me. Even our enemies can help us.”

It wasn’t like they had much choice. They were out of ideas.

***

Shelley piled the blankets on top of Emma. The poor girl couldn’t quit shivering. Whether that was from cold or fear, Shelley wasn’t entirely certain.

“Don’t worry, Emma. My friend will find us.”

She pouted from beneath her nest of covers. “He hit you!”

This had been a longstanding complaint for the last hour. “I’m okay, sweetling. I know how to take a punch. I’m a fighter, so don’t worry about me.”

“But your leg hurts,” she pointed out with the practicality of a six year old. “He should take it easy on you.”

Shelley forced a smile, though she felt rather sad at the way S.A.T.O. had stripped Emma’s innocence away. The poor girl was quickly learning life wasn’t fair. People didn’t take it easy on you when you were hurt. That treatment only happened for very small children, under the protection of their parents.

If Shelley had that sort of protection longer, her life might have turned out differently. She wondered what kind of lasting effect this experience would have on Emma, assuming they managed to get out alive. Would she get out of control once she hit her teen years, as Shelley had?

Without proper guidance, she might. Shelley hoped her father would stop spending so much time on his business, leaving Emma under the care of nannies. Now that he’d almost lost her, hopefully it would make him realize what was important in life.

She looked down at Emma, deciding the girl deserved the truth. “Bad men don’t take it easy on anyone, even if they’re hurt.”

Emma nodded and her eyes grew watery. “They hurt Rose. It’s not fair. When will I see her again?”

Shelley sighed, pulling Emma to her side and smoothing her hair back. Rose was a parent to Emma. Her loss would be hard on the girl. “I’m not sure you’ll be able to see her anymore. I think Rose is with your mom. But that also means she’s better now, and the bad men can’t hurt her anymore.”

Snaking her hand from beneath the blankets, Emma gripped Shelley’s fingers. “But you’re going to be my mommy now, right? You won’t let the bad men send me to my real mom and Rose?”

She couldn’t let that delusion persist, as much as she hated to hurt the girl. “Emma, I’m not your mom. I’m not anyone’s mom. But I promise to help you and keep you safe.”

Emma dropped her hand and pulled away. “You don’t want to love me?” Her lower lip quivered. “Who will? Daddy hates me. Rose was my only friend.” Her quivering lips got worse and tears rolled down her face. “I’m scared.”

Shelley gathered her back into her arms, kissing her forehead. “Shhh... it’s okay. Your daddy doesn’t hate you, he’s working hard to get you back. And I love you, even if I’m not your mom.”

Though she meant the words only for comfort, Shelley realized it was true. Something about this girl’s sad story pulled at her heartstrings. She did love the child. She’d do whatever she could to protect her.

Emma cried into Shelley’s shoulder, likely wearing herself out further. Shelley hoped she’d fall asleep again. This kind of stress was not good on her.

There was one thing she wished she could ask Emma, but didn’t dare. Why did the girl think her dad hated her?

***

Ken Travers took the chair next to Nick, looking distinctly uncomfortable at Nick’s glowering stare.

“What do you have to tell us?” Nick was a big man, which would intimidate anyone. The way he leaned into Ken’s personal space had to make the man nervous.

Ken blew out a breath in an obvious attempt to calm himself. “I think my brother-in-law’s working with S.A.T.O.”

Gavin’s short, bitter laugh couldn’t be contained. “
You’re
the one working with them. I heard what Terrance said.”

Ken glared at Gavin, and Nick didn’t seem too happy at his outburst either. Gavin forced himself to bite his tongue. Nick thought Ken could help them, but they needed to convince him they trusted him to get him to talk. Gavin understood the theory, but all he wanted to do was beat Ken and force him to talk. Torture might be illegal, but Gavin wasn’t above doing anything at this point.

“Terrance knocked me out,” Ken said. “From what Jenessa said about that drug, it could have killed me. Why do you think I’d work with them?”

“He has a point,” Jenessa said. “And Shelley always believed he was a jerk, but a good cop and not corrupt.”

Though Gavin wished he didn’t have to give a slime ball—who tried repeatedly to sleep with his woman—the benefit of the doubt, Jenessa was right. Shelley came around to his way of thinking when they were trapped, believing they would die soon, but she always had faith in Ken before that.

“Fine.” Gavin nodded his acceptance to go along with the conversation, at least for now. “What makes you think Brent’s involved? They kidnapped his daughter for shit sakes!”