Page 116 of Savannah Royals
“I found one forThe Dancerfaster than you could blink. It’s not about the money, Kat. We don’tneedthis, but Iwantit.”
“For what? Some kind of trophy?”
He shrugs. “If it was the old days, you wouldn’t even have to ask. We’d steal the necklace together, you’d put it on in my bedroom, and you’d let me make love to you wearing it. All night long.”
“Well,thatis certainly not going to happen, so if that’s the end game, I’m afraid you’re going to be sadly disappointed.”
We’re quiet for a moment, staring at each other.
“You really want out?” Paul finally asks.
My heartbeat picks up. “I really do.”
“Fine. Do this job with me, then you’re free. I’ll cut you loose, and I won’t ask for anything again. If it’s truly what you want.”
I lick my lips. Tempted.
“I’m serious. You wanna escape scot-free with your nine lives? This is it, Kitty-Kat. The last job. We should go out with a bang, shouldn’t we?”
“Can we pick another job?” I ask weakly.
“No.” He shakes his head. “This is it—the ultimate heist. If you’re going to have a last, this should be it.”
I think for a few minutes, but I still feel absolutely sick about it. I could say yes, appease him, but then what? If I steal from Matthew’s family, he’ll know who did it. And he’ll never forgive me. I could try to make a fake so perfect, they’d never know…but even if I succeeded and the necklace went back in the vault for another twenty-five years, there would always be a festering secret between us.
No more secrets.
Paul must realize I’m still not convinced, because he pulls his trump card. “Okay, I’ll sweeten the deal, Kitty-Kat…or sour it, depending on your view.”
“How?” I frown.
Paul leans in close. His breath is hot on my cheek as he whispers, “I know where your saintly little boyfriend lives. I know where he works. How and when he goes back and forth. I know where his family lives. Where you like to go out together. I know it all. Need I go on?”
I inhale sharply. The walls close in.
“You’re at my mercy, Kat. I think I’d take the deal if I were you. Before the terms change.”
“Fine.” There’s no other option.
He leans back. “Smart girl.”
“But this is it. After this, you leave Matthew and me alone. I want your word.”
“You have it,” he promises. “You know I’m good for it. Part of the code.”
“Then let’s quit piddlin’ and get Ray back in here. This is going to take weeks, so I need to start straight away. The ball is in March.”
“Done.” Before he walks away, he gives me one final look. “Don’t try to get cute with this job, doll. I want that necklace, and you’re going to get it for me.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
TheworkontheDaMolin rubies is all-consuming, a massive undertaking that monopolizes all my free time. I tell Matthew that Paul has his sights on a new con, but it’ll be the last one. It’s my ticket out. When he asks for details, I’m vague.
“There’s a job in a few weeks,” I tell him. “A heist. Paul has me working on something for it, that’s why I’m pulling such long hours at Ray’s. But it’ll be over by mid-March, and this is his price—one final job and I get to walk. For good.”
Matthew’s jaw ticks, the pieces clicking into place. He knows the Ides of March ball is in a few weeks; he’s already invited me to be his date. I don’t know if he connects the dots all the way to his own family, but I’ve given him enough for now.
Over the course of the month, the necklace is pieced together before my eyes. Additional photographs and reports reveal the main strand of the necklace is three rows of tiny diamonds, each cut to the same exacting microscopic specifications. It’s a replication nightmare in the sense of tediousness, but the real challenge comes with the rubies. Duplicating the cut, color, and clarity of those elliptical gems is a large-scale challenge. Not to mention attempting to account for each tiny inclusion and flaw. While I work, my mind is constantly churning, trying to figure out if I’m really going to go through with this.
