Chapter 5 Maya
MAYA
Mercy on a cracker!
Noah Lucas. His eyes had caught me first—glassy blue-gray and stunned like a man watching his favorite daydream come to life. And yet, I was the one asking him to come back.
I hadn’t expected much. Maybe some gruff ranch hand with two left thumbs who smelled like saddles.
Instead, I got him.
Tall, broad, and built to bring women to their knees.
There was polish beneath the grit, but it was the scent of sawdust that scrambled my better judgment.
His jaw was all hard lines, his stubble caught the light gloriously, and his hair looked wind-tousled in a way that shouldn’t have worked, but somehow did.
But then there were his eyes, set beneath a strong brow, expressive yet unexpectedly gentle.
They should’ve felt like sin. Instead, they made trouble feel like an invitation.
Even when they lingered a second too long after walking in on me half-naked.
And the baby?
My God.
I wasn’t even the baby-loving type, but something about the way that little guy was strapped to Noah’s chest, kicking his legs while Noah fumbled his way through a full-body crisis? Totally uncalled for.
A guy like that shouldn’t be allowed to look hot while holding a baby.
I rushed out of the tent with my head mostly down as I crossed the field toward the ranch’s long, winding driveway. Every step felt stretched out and exposed. Still, some part of me kept wanting to look around.
But he was nowhere in sight.
And God help me, was that disappointment?
Get a grip, Maya Belrose!
I didn’t have time to nurse a semi-crush on a man who’d accidentally seen me trying to cover my spilling boobs.
I had work to do.
And if I knew what was good for me, I’d stay the hell away from Noah Lucas.
The Lazy Moose was behind me now, and that stupid cowboy was finally starting to fade from my mind. What lay ahead mattered more, and it would take everything I had.
The motel sign flickered weakly when I pulled in, my room waiting. I dropped my bag on the desk and set up under the single desk lamp.
I let the necklace settle into my palm, its weight both familiar and suffocating as I felt the brush of metal against my skin. The diamonds caught the light, winking as if they knew their freedom was coming.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” I murmured.
Second thoughts pressed in, clear and relentless.
But my resolve was unshaken.
I was doing this for Cleo. Without the transplant, she wouldn’t make it.
My fingers curled around the necklace, the edges biting into my skin.
“And fuck you, Annamaria.”
This treasure was leaving her life for good.
“That thief!”
Those words bruised. Ironic and ugly.
Maybe that was rich, coming from me. I was the one who’d been convicted after all.
But the truth?
She was the real thief.
With careful hands, I eased the metal prongs apart, targeting the smaller stones. Larger diamonds would’ve been faster, easier. But big, flawless rocks would attract too much attention.
I reached for the tool I’d crafted myself—a modified needle file, its edge honed to perfection. Not too sharp. Not too rough. Just fine enough to slide between the delicate prongs and lift the diamonds without leaving a mark.
One wrong move and I’d risk scratching the stone.
And in this game? Details were everything.
I applied controlled pressure, coaxing the first diamond free. No chips. No scratches. Just as I’d been taught.
I’d learned this from my cellmate before Katy. She was a woman with quick fingers and a past just as tangled as mine.
She’d been a jewelry thief—one of the best. And when the prison first paired us up, she made sure I knew exactly where I ranked. She was petty and nasty, always setting me up against other inmates.
But when she’d gotten beaten up in a dispute, I’d stepped in. And in return, she’d taught me things. She wasn’t kind. Not like Katy. But she spilled trade secrets, and that was enough.
I twisted the fourth stone free, holding my breath as it came loose.
More importantly, the diamonds had to be pristine. No scratches. No evidence of my hands ever touching it.
Mom might never know what I’d done.
But Dad would, and he’d understand. He’d stand behind me like he always had.