Chapter 31 Brady
brADY
A sharp call cuts through the haze of sleep, and for one second, I’m disoriented by the loud nature sounds outside the window.
Until I realize the soft, warmth I’m wrapped around is Elizabeth.
Her back is pressed tight to my chest, her hair a tangled mess against my jaw, the faintest scent of her shampoo reaching my nose.
We’re both still dressed, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling her everywhere—the curve of her hip under my hand, the heat of her lower back, the length of her thighs locked against mine.
With my eyes closed, a sense of peace washes over me. It doesn’t matter that whatever this is between us has developed fast, or that everything around us is a mess. Elizabeth fits. Like she’s supposed to be here, in my arms... in my life. I lie quietly behind her, savoring the moment.
Her breathing changes as she shifts, slow and drowsily, her ass brushing against me.
My hips arch toward her on instinct, and a sultry noise lets me know she’s awake.
She shifts again, more deliberate this time, then rolls to face me.
Her blue eyes are still heavy with sleep, and her mouth is only inches from mine.
I kiss her. It’s so natural it happens before my brain is fully engaged.
Soft at first, but when her lips part in a sigh and her tongue brushes mine, heat shoots through my veins.
Her nails scrape through my hair. In the back of my mind, the thought that we are in her childhood bedroom with her parents nearby intrudes, but when her thigh presses between mine, my brain clicks off, my body fully taking over.
My hand slips beneath her shirt, meeting warm, soft skin.
Her scent rises, clouding my senses, and the quiet moan in her throat shoots straight to my cock.
She hooks a leg over my hip, pressing flush against me, aligning us perfectly.
I’m achingly hard, and my hand grips her ass, holding her firmly as I rock into her.
“Brady.” The pleading whimper punches straight through my control, ripping a curse from my throat as every cell in my body demands I take more. Give her more.
Elizabeth’s nails skim up the back of my neck, digging in when my hand curves over the swell of one breast, my thumb finding her nipple.
The quiet cry she makes as I tease the tight peak snaps what’s left of my control.
Rolling her onto her back, I brace one hand beside her head, as I grind into her.
“Oh my god.” Elizabeth head tips back giving me more access, and my lips descend to suck at her pulse, visibly pounding at the base of her neck.
Lifting my weight slightly, I slip my free hand beneath the waistband of her sleep shorts, desperate to feel her bare skin. Sliding a finger beneath the elastic, I move her panties to the side and groan at the feel of her hot and ready for me.
Elizabeth arches up, seeking more friction. My mouth seizes hers in a bruising kiss, and as I’m just about to work my own waist band down—
“brEAKFAST IS READY!” her mother yells from far too close to our door.
We freeze.
Elizabeth lets out a dramatic groan, flopping back against the pillow. “Noooo,” she whines.
I can’t help one last slide of my fingers through her heat, before removing my hand. Pressing a hard, fast kiss to her lips, my head ducks to bury my face in her neck, trying to get my body back under control.
When she continues to mutter under her breath about her mom being the ultimate cockblock, I laugh into her heated skin.
“We'd better get up,” I say, even though my body demands I finish what we started.
“Humph.” She pouts, swinging her legs off the bed when I force myself to push off her.
I pull on jeans and a dark T-shirt, leaving it untucked, thankful the hem hangs low enough to spare me from explaining anything at her parents’ breakfast table. Elizabeth smooths her shirt down and runs a brush through her hair, still looking adorably frustrated.
Coming up behind her, I kiss her cheek. “I’ll make it up to you, later.”
“This better be a damn good breakfast.” She meets my eyes in the mirror. “Is it super obvious what we were…”
“Yes,” I immediately answer, looking at her flushed skin, and swollen lips. I lift my finger to lightly brush over the mark I left on her neck. She glares at my reflection before reaching for a narrow tube of makeup.
We’re halfway down the stairs when my phone buzzes, Vincent’s name on the display. I step to the side to answer.
“My guy’s in town,” Vincent says without a greeting. “He’ll be at the office at one.”
Anticipation surges through me. At last, we might get some answers. “Good. We’ll head out after breakfast.”
When I hang up, Elizabeth tilts her head, watching me carefully from where she is waiting for me at the bottom of the steps. “Vincent?”
“Yeah.” I slip the phone into my pocket. “His expert is going to wait for us at Elite.”
She bites her bottom lip, hope flickering in her eyes. “Do you think he’ll be able to figure out what’s so special about the necklace?”
“Fingers crossed. How mad are your parents going to be if we disappear right after eating?”
“Not as disappointed in me as usual, if you mention coming back for Thanksgiving.”
She winks, and it strikes me how I’m willing to do pretty much whatever she wants, if it will keep that relaxed, happy look on her face.
By the time we get back to headquarters, tension has a firm grip on my ribs.
We take the stairs to the second floor, where the conference room is already set up. Everyone is waiting for us around the long table, seated in the padded, black leather chairs. Two laptops are open, ready to send information to three oversized monitors mounted on the far wall.
I don’t recognize the man standing next to Vincent. He appears to be in his late fifties, his lanky frame dressed in a stylish brown suit. Laid out in front of him is a black roll-up tool bundle, a small, goose-necked table lamp, and a black velvet mat.
“This is Hal.” Vincent introduces the man as he adjusts the wire-framed glasses that slightly magnify his sharp brown eyes.
“Let’s see what you’ve got.” Hal’s tone is clipped as he pulls on a pair of white gloves.
Elizabeth glances at me, and when I nod, she hands over the necklace without a word, placing the white velvet box in his outstretched palm. Her expression is guarded, and the elegant line of her shoulders is tense.
If Hal doesn’t figure out what secret the necklace is hiding, I’m going to have to take a much blunter approach to those I believe might be Lapidarists. That will take time. And that’s unacceptable. I want to start my life with Elizabeth free of this bullshit.
Hal places the box on the table, and I swear everyone in the room holds their breath as he lifts the hinged lid.
“Damn,” Sera whispers from behind me.
As carefully as if it were an explosive, Hal lifts the necklace from its case and lays it flat on the dark velvet mat. He then angles the small desk lamp toward it so light is directed down onto the stones. The facets flare, glittering with tiny sparks of fire under the beam of light.
He leans in with his loupe, hovering millimeters above the stones. I’m not sure how much time actually passes, but it’s long enough that I’m struggling to hold on to my patience.
Finally, the man speaks. “Platinum setting. The diamonds… Vvs1, looks like 20th-century cuts, perfectly matched. Whoever did the modern reset was extremely talented.” His gloved finger hovers, barely grazing down the length of the necklace.
“This is some of the best craftsmanship I’ve ever seen.
I’d say… ballpark retail? Around five hundred thousand. ”
Finn lets out a low whistle from his side of the table. “That’s a lot of money for a necklace.”
“But not that much money,” Vincent points out. “Not for what’s been happening. Not for these people."
Rhodes nods, rubbing the back of his neck. “I bet they spend that on their private jet fuel. Hard to believe someone’s willing to kill over this.”
“Ahem.” Hal clears his throat and glares at the younger man. “Can we keep all talk of criminal behavior quiet until I’m gone?” He sniffs. “I have a reputation to uphold.”
Rhodes barks out a laugh. “Sorry, Hal. Wouldn’t want to damage your delicate ears.”
Hal gives him a baleful stare before turning to Vincent. “The piece would be worth a lot more if not for the customization.”
Every antenna in my body springs to life, and my heart rate picks up. “What customization?”
“These diamonds,” Hal says slowly, as if noticing the sudden increase in tension around the room. “They’re engraved.”
Elizabeth’s blue eyes go wide with excitement. “What?”
Hal adjusts his glasses. “With names. A very fine laser engraving. Done with serious tech, not your average decorative inscription. Each diamond—well, several of them—has a name etched on it. Only visible with magnification. You wouldn’t even know they were there unless you were looking through a loupe. ”
My gut clenches. “How many?”
Hal shrugs, then squints again. “At least twenty-five.”
“Let me see,” I say.
He hands me the loupe, and I lean over, shifting the necklace under the light, and start scanning the stones. It takes a second to catch, but there—tiny, barely visible—is a name. And then another.
“Holy fuck.” My gaze rises to catch Elizabeth’s as savage satisfaction courses through me.
This is it. I’ve got the fuckers now.
“What?” Elizabeth asks, voice tight, picking up on the change in my mood.
I straighten. This isn’t something we should discuss in front of the jeweler. “Thank you, Hal. I’m going to keep your loupe for the day.”
Seemingly unbothered by the summary dismissal, Hal carefully packs up his things while Elizabeth shifts on her feet, impatient for me to speak.
“Pleasure as always, gentlemen,” Hal says, after Vincent hands him a thick envelope. He inclines his head toward Sera and Elizabeth. “Ladies.”