Page 2 of The Perfect Lie
Patton put the diamonds back in the velvet box and snapped the lid shut. “What now?”
“I have a plan.” I knew exactly what I was going to do, and it didn’t include giving the diamonds back to Salko or Curtis. As dangerous as it was keeping fifty million dollars in diamonds, it would give me the power I needed to bring Salko down once and for all.
After carefully filling the hole with the dirt so the ground looked undisturbed, we walked back to the SUV with the black bag. I was already thinking of how I could use the diamonds against Salko and Curtis. As far as Salko knew, Curtis still had the diamonds in his possession. There was no reason for him to think otherwise. It was safe to speculate that Curtis needed the coordinates to find where he buried the diamonds. Otherwise, he would have already dug them up. Without the exact coordinates, he would be digging holes for a very long time.
∞
When we arrived at the warehouse, I could see through the computer room entrance. The guys were congregated around Calvin, looking at something on his computer screen. Instead of finding out what had their attention, I headed up the stairs with the black duffel bag filled with diamonds. When I reached the top of the stairs, I saw the living area was unoccupied, and so was the kitchen. I was glad that I didn’t have to explain what was inside the duffel bag. Hearing laughter, I almost hightailed it back downstairs until I realized it came from one of the bedrooms.
With a smile, I headed toward the two secured rooms where we kept the weapons. One room had a fireproof safe that required my fingerprint to open. It wasn’t like I didn’t trust the men. I just didn’t want them in a situation where someone could hold it against them.
Knowing the diamonds were secured in the safe, my focus shifted to what was so interesting on Calvin’s computer. Even though I could no longer hear laughter as I headed down the stairs, the light was still on in the bedroom, letting me know the girls were still together. Something inside, probably my intuition, told me to check on them before heading downstairs.
Turning on my heels, I made my way to the bedroom closest to the kitchen. When I tapped lightly on the door, four sets of eyes looked my way. The only ones I was interested in were the beautiful brown ones, which were the color of silky chocolate.
Reyna was at my side in an instant, her arms wrapped around my shoulders in a tender embrace. “I’ve missed you. When did you get back?”
“We just got here,” I looked over at the mess of papers sprawled across the comforter. “Looks like you girls have been busy.”
Reyna turned her head toward the girls. “We are planning my birthday party.” Switching her gaze to me, she lifted to her toes before placing a kiss on my lips. “Thank you.”
If it was within my power, I would stop at nothing to make Reyna happy, as long as it didn’t jeopardize her safety. Releasing her, I left the room and headed down the stairs for the second time.
The men were still gathered around Calvin’s computer as I entered the enclosed area. Patton had joined them, and based on the way he was rubbing his chin, something had him baffled. Eager to see what they were looking at, I picked up my pace until I was standing behind Patton. I leaned in so I could get a peek at the screen. My heart fell to my stomach, unable to comprehend what I was staring at.
I had to get a better view of the screen for my own sanity, so I pushed Axe and Marcus out of the way. “Where the fuck did this come from?”
Calvin took in a deep breath and said, “It came from a reliable source. It was taken less than two hours ago.”
“There is no way this could be real. I saw her. She was confirmed dead.” Anger and hurt consumed me as I took Axe by the shirt. “You saw her. The night of her bachelorette party. Gwen was beaten to death.”
Torn, I glanced over to the entrance to find Reyna standing there. “Davian. Was Gwen your fiancée? Is it true? Is she still alive?”
Reyna’s words were coated with so much hurt and hopelessness, and I felt like my entire world had come down. Everything pointed to Salko. He staged Gwen’s death and took the woman I loved from me. For five years, I mourned her death. He stole the life we were supposed to spend together.
Releasing the grip I had on Axe’s shirt, I turned and faced the screen. Instead of answering Reyna’s question, I studied the man who was standing next to Gwen. “No matter what it takes, Salko is a dead man.”
~1~
Five years ago
Crosby McCall
How could everything I worked so hard to accomplish be jeopardized by the imprudent actions of one man’s selfish, insatiable appetite? Rui Salko, of all people, should practice the highest level of discretion. The one thing I had going for myself was that the secret of my true identity hadn’t been revealed and remained safely hidden away. Only Rui knew my identity, and unless he wanted to cut his own throat, he would be stupid to spill my secret. In that respect, blood was thicker than water.
I fumed as I downed the rest of my drink. I still hadn’t come up with a plan to end this thing between Davian and Gwen. He and Gwen would be married in a matter of days, and I still had no fucking clue how to stop it. Whatever I came up with, it needed to happen tonight. Time was running out. It had been a long time since I felt a noose around my neck—slowly tightening by the minute. Rui was right. The wedding between Gwen and Davian couldn’t happen. Was I to blame? Hell yeah. I should never have introduced them in the first place.Why the hell had I allowed Lorenzo Cross to talk me into introducing them?I allowed it because it was the only way to steer him away from the truth.
I might have been the one who raised Gwen since she was three, molding her into the perfect daughter, but I was no more her father than the man who betrayed Rui twenty years ago. The man who, in my opinion, was only the sperm donor. In my book, he was a piece of shit and didn’t have the right to breathe. I chuckled, remembering. It felt good to see that son-of-a-bitch die.
Placing my emptied glass on my desk, I straightened my three-hundred-dollar tie and headed out of my study in search of my lovely wife. As I climbed the stairs to our bedroom, where I was sure she would be, thoughts of how happy she was when we adopted Gwen surfaced. If she ever found out the truth about how Gwen came to be our daughter, she would never forgive me.
As I reached for the doorknob, my cell vibrated inside the inner pocket of my suit jacket. Before I could greet the caller, a familiar voice came over the airwaves. “It’s done. Everything is set for this evening. Soon Gwen McCall will only be a memory.”
“What are you going to do?” Disapproval echoed between my gritted teeth at the thought of her dying. Rui was ruthless, but taking Gwen’s life was unacceptable.
“Settle down. We aren’t going to kill her. At least not in the physical sense.”
“Do you realize the effect this will have on Delilah? She will be devastated.”
