Page 29 of The Diamond Thief
13
Jacob
This reunion has gone differently than I expected.
I sip the chilled glass of wine and consider everything that has just happened. Jade has undergone training in subterfuge, but not like mine. I can see that she doesn’t believe that I’ve forgotten who she is. A point for her for that.
She also didn’t panic, not past the initial shock of seeing me. Another point. She isn’t quite certain about what she wants to do about the situation. She wonders why I’m toying with her. As if it isn’t obvious.
But the thing I really have to take stock of right now is my own reaction.
I anticipated that I would feel a rush of murderous rage when I saw that thieving woman again. But that has not been the case.
In fact, sitting here, the van emptied of her presence, I find myself longing for her to return.
This is absolutely ludicrous. The only thing I should long for is her head on a pike.
She looks damnably young and innocent with that blond pixie cut. But everything else about her screams sex. I have already begun to layer this new look of hers on my memories, and I find that I must have more of her. I had the dark-haired Jade.
Now I want the blond imp, Marissa.
I’m not one to leave anything to chance. At least not now that she’s busted me once. I have to consider how Antony remarked that I underestimated her. Perhaps that is obvious. But perhaps I was just sloppy.
I send a message to the guard inquiring about the others.
He responds quickly.
The girl has gone into the woods to find her friend.
I can’t help but ask based on what I know of my comrade.
Is the red-haired one with Elliott?
I can almost feel the laugh in his response.
They seemed rather friendly as they disappeared.
I shake my head. I told Elliott to seduce the girl, to ensure that there were moments that I could get Jade alone. He seemed all too eager to comply with my request.
I consider my options.
I can take the girl now, as planned. Return her to one of my bunkers and pry the information from her. I’m not sure of the point of that little story she told of dropping the swords in the river. It seems possible that she wasn’t aware of what she was taking.
I set my glass down and decide that perhaps I am due a little fun. I will pursue this Marissa/Jade. Maybe we will even run this job.
It’s such a minor heist—it’s literally as simple as scratching our noses. But I long to see Jade at work. If she is as good as Antony tries to make her out to be, maybe she is an asset to put on my team. Once we’ve straightened out the matter of the swords, of course. After speaking with her, I feel she will be reasonable.
I stand and head out the back door. The driver still kneels beside the tire. “We’re done here,” I say.
The driver nods. “What would you have us do?”
“You stay with the van.” I gesture to my guard. “You’ll drive my car. I’m going to look for the girl.”
If my hunch is correct, and my hunches are always correct, Jade will have gone to seek out her friend and alert her to the situation. I head down the trail, my hands in my pockets. I resist the urge to whistle. This is one fine afternoon, the air brisk, the sugar maples pure red fire.
Jade is back in my hands. Elliott has no doubt put together a well-planned job. And perhaps before this day is out, I will have resolved the matter my swords and possibly even bedded the girl once again. Yes, definitely a fine day.
A stick breaks to my left. I pause, listening. Quite possibly no one on this job is trained in outdoor stealth and surveillance. They do not know where to step, how to cover their trail, how to slink through trees and leaves unnoticed.
