Roshaan
She’s nervous as she steps onto the trellised and bougainvillea-covered patio.
Theo stands up at a table and waves her over.
Her heart does a funny little squeeze as tension whips tightly across her chest. It’s such a confounding response that she has to this man.
A heady mix of hot desire and trepidation at the same time.
He seems to manage to balance her on this knife-edge at all times.
It took him forever to respond to her messages, and when he did, he sounded happy and excited, and before she could even speak, he suggested they meet for a special lunch to discuss things.
Hendrick’s comments about her ring and Dr. Marsh’s words of warning weigh heavily on her mind as she makes her way to the table.
She doesn’t need a real stone; she just doesn’t want to be lied to. This lunch will be her tipping point. If he doesn’t give her satisfactory answers, she’s out. She will break up with him.
After listening to Gideon, she’s doubly worried. She doesn’t want to go down with a psychopathic con artist. If that’s what Theo really is. Yet a deeper, needier part of Roshaan is still hoping it’s all been a grave misunderstanding and he’ll somehow explain it all away and make things right again.
He greets her with a kiss and pulls out a chair. He looks amazing—of course he does—and there’s a bottle of fancy wine on the table, plus bread and dolmades, which she loves.
Tension straps tighter and she takes a seat. She fiddles with her ring as he pours her a glass of wine. She shouldn’t drink, because she does have to work later, but she makes an exception.
“Cheers.” He raises his glass.
Roshaan hesitates, then lifts her glass and touches it to his. “What are we celebrating?”
“Celebrating?”
“The chichi wine, this place—it’s fancy.”
Darkness flashes through his eyes, followed by a tight smile.
“Why are you asking me this, Rosh? Why shouldn’t I spring for a nice meal for us? Do you think I don’t have the money?”
She swallows. “I’m sorry. I—I guess I’m just worried about things. About what you plan to do with the information from the spy cams. About . . . everything.”
He holds her gaze, assessing her. The intensity in his eyes is disquieting. Theo really does appear to have an uncanny ability to read people, to see their thoughts, and Roshaan fears he sees her doubts laid bare.
“What’s really going on, Rosh? Is it still this Maxine thing? Do you not trust me?”
She sucks in a shaky breath. “Hendrick Lodewijk, one of my elites—”
“What did that flake say about your ring?”
Her throat tightens. “He says the stone is beautiful but . . . he doesn’t believe it’s real.”
Theo doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t blink. Just stares.
“Theo?”
“What in the hell does this man think he knows about stones? Why should you take his word?”
“He used to be a gem dealer. I—I asked him to look at it.”
“You what?”
Her face goes hot.
“Let me get this straight, you asked some stranger if the ring I gave you was a fake?”
Her hands begin to tremble and her eyes burn. “Theo—I didn’t mean it like that. I—it just happened.”
“Do you really not trust me, Roshaan? What are you in this relationship for, then? Emeralds? Jewels? What do you want from me exactly?”
“Please, Theo, it’s not like that.”
He curses in Greek, looks out over the sea. When he faces her again, his eyes are liquid with emotion.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
He reaches across the checkered tablecloth and takes both her hands in his. He moves his thumb slowly, seductively across her palm.
“I know, Rosh—I . . .” He sucks in a shaky breath. “The truth is, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to tell you. After this trip it would all have been sorted. I’d have gotten the original back.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I bought you a rare emerald in Turkey. I wanted the best for you. But I ran into a spot of trouble, and I had to pawn it temporarily. I’ll get it back.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“I lost big at gambling.”
“Theo. You said you’d stopped.”
“I know, I know. It was one last time. At Rhodes. I was doing well. Until . . .” He rakes both hands through his hair.
“Until your luck turned?”
“Yeah.”
She closes her eyes, despair curdling with anger inside her.
“It was a sure thing, Rosh. I—”
“It’s never a sure thing,” she snaps. “Don’t you see? You’re an addict. How much this time?”
He exhales hard. “It’s not just the loss. I borrowed. A loan shark. Moldovan. Connected. I had a plan to pay him back quickly. Unfortunately the plan backfired. Now they want their money back.”
“They?”
“Like I said, the Moldovan is connected, Rosh. To an organized crime ring out of Moldova but with a base in Athens. They run an operation out of a bodybuilding gym. And now they’re after me. They’re threatening me.”
“How?”
“It’s bad. And this is why we need the spy cams. I swear, I wouldn’t have asked you otherwise.”
She stares at him in disbelief. “You told me they were just for your act.”
He doesn’t reply.
Anxiety claws her. “Theo, what exactly are you planning to do with the surveillance footage?”
“If I don’t pay up by the end of next month, they will go after my sister in Athens, Rosh. They’ll hurt her. Send me her fingers. Next, they’ll go after my mother. It’s what they do. They torture. Rape. They lop off fingers. They kill.”
Roshaan has never seen Theo like this. So ashen. So visibly shaken. Her anxiety tilts toward raw fear.
Please, Allah, give me strength. This man is a roller-coaster ride.
“You’ve got to help me, Rosh. You can’t abandon me—not now. Please.”
They both fall silent as the food arrives. Theo apparently ordered ahead—a seafood platter for two. The most expensive item on the menu.
When the server leaves, Theo says, “Once this trip is over, we’ll have the funds. I’ll settle the debt, get your ring back. We’ll get married. Have babies. Whatever you want.” He smiles.
“How is spying on my elites going to bring you money? What exactly do you mean?”
He exhales again, this time with an air of frustration. “There’s some incredibly valuable dirt coming in. I can’t even begin to tell you what else I’ve seen on those cams. I witnessed something early this morning in Avi Galev’s suite that is fucking insane—mind-blowing.”
“Like what?”
“It’s probably safer I don’t tell you. These guys—the Moldovans—I don’t want them coming after you, too.”
Her pulse quickens. “Theo? Tell me what you’re doing with the footage you’re recording, or I’m out. I swear. I—”
“I offered to make some of it available to the Moldovans. As repayment, and then some extra on the side. We settled on a figure—it’s a fucking big sum.
When this comes together, we’ll be rich, Roshaan.
You and me. The stuff I saw—fuck, those rich folks will pay through their noses several times over to keep it quiet. ”
Her blood turns to ice.
“Extortion,” she whispers. “You are going to extort them.”
“Not me. The Moldovans. I’m just giving them the material.”
She swears.
“It’s a one-off. These elites of yours have the money. It’ll mean nothing to them. They can afford it so easily.”
She’s going to be sick. “You need to stop. There’s still time to stop.”
“Don’t you see? We can’t stop.”
We.
“We’ll finish this trip, and it’ll all be over. But, Rosh—you need to understand. If you do turn on me, they’ll kill me. And maybe you. You can’t back down.”
She feels dizzy. She’s going to throw up.
This is worse than her worst nightmare. If she tells the authorities, she goes down. If she stays the course, she’s a Moldovan target, too. They could even threaten her family.
She’s trapped. Doomed.
She hears Dr. Marsh’s warning in her mind.
Either way, there are consequences. It’s easier said than done, but you must choose your hard. Give him up. Or go down with him.
Her watch alarm buzzes. She jumps. It’s time to get back to the Orchid.
She pushes her plate away. “I’ve got to go.”
“You haven’t touched your food.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“We’ll talk more later?”
“Whatever.”
She comes to her feet as he calls for the bill. When it comes, he pats his pockets and curses. “Shit. Must’ve left my wallet on the ship.”
She says nothing, gets out her credit card, and pays. For the very expensive date he invited her on.