“Yeah, it was great. My sister is going to hate me.”
“She doesn’t have to know the part you played in it. If all goes according to plan, she won’t even know I had anything to do with it.”
Sabrina gazed up at me, her green eyes brimming with hope. “Really?”
“That’s how this works. Our agency never takes credit for the apprehension of criminals. The FBI will take credit for it, assuming this all goes down in the States.”
Sabrina halted, a shudder going through her. “Promise me if you don’t find the diamonds before she marries him, you’ll follow my sister wherever she goes, even on her honeymoon. Swear to me you won’t let her out of your sight,” she begged.
After what I’d witnessed watching them here, the thought of surveilling them on their honeymoon made my stomach turn, but I would do anything for Sabrina. And ... that was a problem in my line of work. Damn emotions. “I promise. I won’t let anything happen to Lexi.”
“You have to swear to me you’ll do whatever it takes to save her.”
“Sabrina.” I took her gorgeous face in my hands and let my thumbs brush over her cold cheeks. “I swear on my life, she’ll be safe.”
“Thank you.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me.
Surprised but pleased that she’d initiated the kiss, my lips didn’t hesitate to capture hers.
“Ugh.” She pushed me away before I could deepen the kiss. “Why did I do that?” She marched off.
I easily caught up and took her hand.
She tried to shake me off, but I wasn’t having it. “Why are you upset?”
“Are you kidding me? It’s one thing for you to kiss me, but I shouldn’t be kissing you.”
I chuckled. “What’s the difference in who kisses who?”
“Uh, isn’t it obvious? If I kiss you, it says I have zero respect for myself.”
“I don’t follow.”
“Of course you don’t, because this is what you do. You probably have a string of heartbroken women around the globe wondering what they did to make you disappear. I’m just a pawn in your little spy game. But for me, you’re the man who left me.”
“Sabrina, this isn’t a game for me. And you’re the only woman I’ve ever had a real relationship with. When I kiss you, I’m not playing.”
“Maybe not, but soon you’re going to ride off into the sunset and I’m never going to see you again, and I hate how much that thought hurts me,” she said wide eyed, as if surprised by her own admission.
Her words landed a one-two punch. Guilt like I’d never felt before overcame me. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her, but I also wanted to take advantage of every second we had together, knowing it might be our last. “I’m sorry, Sabrina. You can walk away now.” Those words nearly killed me.
“I can’t. I have to save my sister and ...,” she trailed off.
“And what?” Selfishly, I was hoping she would say that, like me, she wanted to enjoy what little time we had remaining.
“Nothing. Let’s just get the job done.”
Right, the job. Somehow, I kept forgetting this was an assignment.
“I bet he had the diamond cut and polished in New York. Do you think that’s where he’s hiding them?” Sabrina asked. Her intuition served her well.
I swung Sabrina’s hand between us, clinging to it as we walked toward the cottage. “I think you’re right about where he had the diamond cut, but I don’t think he’d hide the diamonds there. He clearly doesn’t trust whomever he’s working with. He would want to keep the diamonds as far away as possible from them. My guess is that he’s keeping them close, or perhaps on Emerald Isle.”
“You think they’re here?”
“It’s possible. I’m going to see if I can sneak into his room at your parents’ house. I’m also going to dispatch a team to check out his home on Emerald Isle. Your sister is going to be pleased to hear that her back-ordered furniture is getting delivered this week. But it won’t be an ordinary delivery crew.”
“You can do that?” Sabrina asked with awe, but the thought also repelled her.