Page 72 of Landry

“Flashlight.” Dion held out his empty hand.

One of the men slapped a light into his hand.

Dion stepped out of the boat, passed Richard and sneered. “Keep an eye on him. If we don’t get the necklace, we’ll need him to tell Tony why.”

To Camille and Billy Ray, he said, “Move. Your ten minutes are up. Kid, if you don’t get that bear to me in the next few seconds, I’ll shoot your mother.”

“Go on, Billy Ray. Find Fuzzy,” Camille whispered. “I’m with you.”

Billy Ray opened the latch with his free hand and pushed the door inward. He stepped to the side with the door and pulled Camille with him.

Dion followed.

As soon as Camille cleared the door, Billy Ray shoved her hard. “Duck,” he cried and slammed the door on Dion’s gun hand.

The gun went off.

Dion dropped it, his hand caught in the door. When he jerked his hand free, Billy Ray slammed the door shut and shoved the latch into its wooden brace, effectively locking Dion and his thugs out of the hut.

“Son of a bitch!” Dion cursed and pounded the door. “Open the damned door.”

“What now?” Camille whispered. They were stuck inside a hut barely held together by old nails and weathered boards.

Billy Ray pushed the tiny handmade wooden table to the side and stuck his finger into a hole in the floor. He pulled hard. The floorboard came up. “Go,” he said.

Camille shook her head. “I can’t fit through that gap. You go. Get out of the hut and hide until they leave.”

Billy Ray shook his head. “Not without you.”

Something, or someone, hit the door hard, shaking the entire hut and pushing the old nails in the wooden brace half an inch from the brace post.

Another body slam hit the door.

At the moment, the door crashed in, and Billy Ray dropped the floorboard and moved to stand over it. One of Dion’s biggest men stumbled through, righted himself and stood just inside, his back against the door, a flashlight pointed at Billy Ray and Camille.

Dion entered, holding the gun in his other hand. “I’m tired of playing games. Get the damned bear or she dies.” He aimed his pistol at Camille.

Billy Ray held up his hands. “Okay, I’ll get it. Just don’t hurt her.”

“My hand is shaking. My finger can slip on the trigger any second,” Dion warned. “And don’t try anything else. Heroics will get her killed just as easily.”

Billy Ray climbed onto the table, reached up into the rafters and jumped down with the bear in his hand.

Dion waved the gun. “Rip it open.”

Billy Ray hesitated.

“Do, Billy Ray. Ava would want you to,” Camille said softly.

The boy dug his fingers into the seam at the back of the bear and pulled it apart. Stuffing fell out, drifting to the floor, then a soft, cloth-wrapped wad of quilt batting, tied with a string, landed with a soft thump on the floor.

“Pick it up and open it,” Dion said.

Billy Ray bent to pick up the small, cushioned package, slid the string off and unfolded the quilt batting to reveal a necklace.

The flashlight beam skimmed over the diamonds, making them glitter and refract light onto the surrounding walls. There had to be a few dozen diamonds, all easily larger than a karat.

No wonder Tony wanted it back. It had to be worth a fortune.

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