Chapter Fourteen
The conference room is noticeably cool and quiet.
Focus shifts to me, and I know my crew is waiting for me to formally introduce Delaney.
She’s not wearing a disguise today, but there’s no question my friends know exactly who she is.
I only hesitate because we didn’t discuss revealing her true identity.
Figuring it’s best if I stick to what they know and use her alias, I press my knee to hers beneath the table, hoping to reassure her, and say, “This is—”
“Delaney.” She sends me a small smile. “I’m Delaney Marquette.”
I’m absolutely gob smacked. The fact she revealed her true name means she trusts me, and she wants to trust my friends, too. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so good, and when I look over at her, still a little stunned, she offers me a shy smile.
And I see what I’ve been yearning to see—trust shining in her gorgeous blue-green eyes. It feels like I’ve won the greatest, most precious prize. Way better than a diamond. So much more amazing than a priceless trinket.
At that moment, I vow to do everything in my power to make this woman look at me like that every day for the rest of our lives.
Yeah, I’m falling hard for Miss Marquette. And the ride couldn’t be more thrilling.
“Is that a new alias?” Linc asks dryly.
A muscle jerks in my cheek. “It’s her real name.” I narrow my eyes at him in warning, sending a clear message: be fucking nice. No one messes with my girl.
“Any other aliases we should know about?” Cole presses.
“No,” she murmurs, shifting in her seat.
“You’re British.” Addie leans forward, folding her hands on the table. She never misses anything.
“Yes.”
“Where in England did you grow up?” Brighton asks.
“Manningtree in Essex.”
“How long have you been in the States?” Knox arches a brow.
“Fifteen years.”
“Why Denver?” Cole inquires.
“My dad was offered a teaching position.”
“Where?” Addie asks.
“The University of Denver.”
“Okay, enough,” I interrupt. They’re testing her, and it’s beginning to piss me off. For fuck’s sake, Addie married the detective who was trying to lock us all up not long ago. “This isn’t an inquisition.”
“Why are you here?” Knox’s brow furrows.
Delaney clears her throat, and our hands touch beneath the table, fingers lacing. “I’m going to be as forthright as possible, and I hope you’ll forgive me for what I’m about to say.” We exchange a look. “Things turned out better than we could’ve anticipated, but it was a bit of a rocky start.”
“Go ahead,” Addie encourages, steepling her fingers.
Delaney swallows hard, and I squeeze her hand. “I took a job from Adam Voss—”
“That guy’s a dick,” Linc grumbles.
“Yes, he is,” she agrees. “But he had information I’ve been searching for, and I couldn’t say no.”
“What kind of information?” Cole inquires.
“Specifically, a map of the tunnels beneath Heidenreichstein Castle in Austria. The last known location of the Phantom Orchid.”
“The Phantom Orchid?” Addie echoes. “Do you have any idea how many fakes are circulating?”
“Exactly why I needed Ryder’s expert eye. I didn’t think I could ask for his help, and I certainly didn’t want to involve all of you—no offense—so I, ah, kidnapped him when he least expected it.”
Everyone looks at me, and I shrug. “I was taking a shower at the gym.” I glance over at Linc. “It was right after we sparred.”
Knox presses his lips together, trying not to laugh, and Brighton’s green eyes flash with mirth.
“Well, that’s certainly a way to catch someone unawares,” Addie murmurs. If I’m not mistaken, I’d say she looks a little impressed. “Then what happened?”
“I cuffed him and forced him to go to Austria with me.”
“Naked?” Knox snorts out a laugh.
“Shut up, Knox,” I grumble.
“No, I allowed him to get dressed.” Delaney’s lips twitch.
“We scouted out the castle, broke in through the moat and searched the tunnels.” She lets go of my hand, reaches into her purse and pulls out the velvet bag.
“And we found it.” Her slim fingers open the drawstrings and she dumps the gem into her hand.
Several curses and a couple of gasps fill the air as everyone leans forward for a better look at the dazzling purple diamond. It sparkles brilliantly under the overhead light, so rare and unique. A thief’s wet dream.
“And you verified its authenticity?” Addie asks me.
“It’s the real deal,” I confirm.
“I’m confused.” Linc sits back and crosses his big arms. “Why’re you telling us? And why isn’t that thing sitting in Voss’s personal collection right now?”
“Because I never planned to give it to him,” Delaney admits, setting the diamond down on top of the bag.
My friends narrow their eyes, and Delaney holds up a placating hand before continuing.
“My father was an archeologist, and when I was little, I spent a lot of time running around on dig sites with him or hanging out in museums. He spent his entire life tracking down clues, trying to find the Phantom Orchid. He died from a very aggressive form of cancer before he succeeded in finding this stone. I guess you could say, I carried on his obsession. I found it for him. In his memory. There’s no way in hell I’d give it to a jerk like Voss. ”
As I look around the table at my friends’ expressions, I can feel the shift.
See their faces and demeanors softening.
Especially Addie. She lost her mom, her best friend, too.
But before she died, Alma “Angel” Mills had taught her only daughter the art of the heist and formed our little ring of thieves.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Addie says quietly, and the others nod.
A part of me knows Delaney is smart enough to play on their sympathy in order to get them on her side, but I don’t think she’s devious enough to make up a story like that. I may not know all the details of her past—yet—but I know her well enough to know she’s being sincere.
I especially see Addie empathizing with her. For some reason, the idea of them becoming friends makes me really happy. Delaney needs a close girlfriend, and Addie is one of the best women I know.
“I was planning to leave,” Delaney reveals. “Take the prize and retire. Just sail off into the sunset. Find some faraway beach and survive on coconuts.” She shrugs a shoulder. “It’s not like I’d be leaving anyone or anything behind. Or like anyone would miss me.”
Her words drive a spike through my heart. Maybe that used to be the case, but it’s not any longer. “But the plan has changed,” I announce, sending her a look that I hope is reassuring. One that tells her she isn’t alone anymore.
“Are you guys eloping?” Knox asks, face completely straight, blue eyes alight with glee.
I grind my molars and want to kick his shin, but he’s sitting too far away. “I swear to God, Knox. I will punch you in your pretty face—”
Knox lifts his hands and grins. “Kidding.” He looks from me to Delaney. “But you do make a lovely couple.”
I glare at the smirking bastard, my hands fisting beneath the table. “You do realize I’ve been training with Linc, right?”
Using his fists and possibly messing up his pretty face ranks low on Knox’s ways to fight. He much prefers using his silver tongue.
“Duly noted,” Knox drawls, but he doesn’t look sorry at all.
“Why didn’t you leave?” Addie asks, eyeing Delaney closely.
“Because I’ve been there. Wondering whether it would be best if I left.
Started fresh, somewhere nobody knew who I was, what I’d done.
What I’d been through. I always pictured an island, too, but my coconuts were filled with rum. ” Her lips tip up in a little smile.
Delaney nods. “Those are the best ones,” she agrees. Then she looks over at me. “I didn’t have a chance. He showed up at my door.”
I shift in my seat and face my friends. “Because I had a proposition for her.” Before Knox can insert an annoying comment, I continue, “You all know my parents own diamond mines, but you probably don’t know I have one, too.
One that caved in and was deemed lost. They considered it worthless.
Hence why they gave it to me.” I definitely have their attention now.
I never talk about my parents and our estranged relationship.
“Why do I have a feeling it’s not entirely worthless?” Cole asks.
“Because it might not be. The whole reason they originally acquired it is because they’d heard a rumor that this particular mine was where the Phantom Orchid was found. And they believed it was only a small part of a much bigger stone.”
“How big?” Brighton asks in a hushed tone.
“Twenty-five thousand carats. Give or take,” I reveal.
A couple of jaws drop, and Knox whistles under his breath.
“And you said the mine collapsed?” Addie taps a finger on the tabletop.
“Yes. Since they couldn’t do anything with it, they gave it to me for a birthday present. Because forget a puppy. What twelve-year-old kid doesn’t want a worthless, caved-in tunnel over in Africa?” I ask dryly.
“Your parents sound about as selfish as my dad was,” Addie murmurs, and I don’t miss the way Cole takes her hand in his and squeezes.
“Yeah. But, hey, I’ve got the deed. And if the rumors are true, and the rest of that gem is in there somewhere, they have no claim.”
“Sweet revenge,” Brighton states.
“So, what’s our next step?” Knox asks.
I feel Delaney tense up beside me. “Instead of disappearing to some nameless tropical island, I asked Delaney to go to Africa with me.”
“And I said yes,” she confirms.
“Randomly searching a collapsed mine is dangerous. Not to mention it could take years,” Cole states matter-of-factly.
“I’m hoping you guys might be up for a little African adventure.” My team exchanges looks and smiles.
“You’re definitely going to need a team to help you pull this off,” Addie says, and I can already see the gears spinning in her head.
“So what do you say?” I ask, looking around the table. “Are you in?”
“You know we’re in,” Knox answers. And even though I’m not surprised, because they always have my back, I’m damn grateful.