Page 71 of Velvet and Valor
“Bullshit, I just saw her.”
“Going out to sea with my nephew, Richard?” Moorcrock chuckles, his voice grating in my ear. “Yes, he knew exactly who she was. I truly hope the boy shows some restraint. He has certain…proclivities, you see. I fear for Ms. Mayweather’s safety the longer she is in his care…”
“What do you want, Moorcrock?” I demand.
“Step away from that whimpering gentleman for a moment.”
I obey Moorcrock, walking across the deck until my hostage is out of earshot.
“Okay, he can’t hear us any longer. What do you want?”
“You know what I want,” he replies. “Bring the gems, all of them.”
“I don’t have the gems, and neither does June! If I did, believe me, I’d bring them. I’ve got no skin in this game except her.”
Moorcrock snickers.
“It appears you are not as smart as you think you are. You’ll find the gems inside of June’s briefcase, contained within a breath mints container.”
“Why did you even stuff the gems in her briefcase in the first place?” I snap. “Why not your own pocket?”
“You really are a bit dimwitted aren’t you. The gems were in the briefcase your June took from the Triads courier,” Moorcrock said. “I will admit, it took me a bit to realize that she was not a hired gun when we picked her up. Your poor June seems to be the saddest case of wrong place, wrong time that I have ever witnessed.”
“So, you were working with the Triads courier? I don’t understand,” I say with mounting spite.
“Not exactly Mr. Sawyer. The courier was none the wiser to our interception and would have stayed that way until her untimely demise. Your June hit all of the bullet points of the description we were given for the courier. Right down to the movie reel briefcase. After we discovered she was not who we thought she was, we simply sought to rid ourselves of our mistake in the desert. Not the most thought-out plan, but those who improvise, thrive,” Moorcrock says.
“Yeah, well, you forgot about one little thing in your impromptu plan to screw the triad…me.”
Moorcrock chuckles.
“And now I’ve taken that disadvantage and turned it to my favor,” he says. “Because you’re going to get those gems for me, Mr. Sawyer. Otherwise, I will have to be less than gentle with Miss Mayweather.”
I tamp my anger down and struggle to control my fear for June’s safety. I wish I could shoot Moorcrock through the phone.
“Fine. I’ll bring them. Where?”
“Hang on to the phone. I’ll text you. And Mr. Sawyer? You are being watched. Don’t do anything stupid. Call the police, or your friends at Platinum Security—who we also have under surveillance—and June dies. It’s that simple.”
“How do I know if she’s still alive?” I demand.
“I suppose that you don’t.”
The call ends. Rage builds up inside of me at the thought of June in danger. The injured guard has flopped down to the deck. I don’t know if he’s faking it or not. I leave him be, though, and head down the steps to the main deck.
A cold sweat breaks out on my body. It’s a bit of a drive out to the beach house, but I don’t have much choice. It feels like I’m abandoning June, by leaving the marina. But it’s not like I could just jump in a boat and go look for her. I have no idea where she is, and the waves are getting choppier by the minute.
Here’s hoping that steering the boat takes up all of Ricky’s time, so he has to leave June alone. June’s no pushover. I know she can take care of herself, but she’s not ruthless. She’s not a killer. This is a world of ruthless murder and she’s too good for it, god-damn it.
Dane doesn’t take it very well when I tell him that he has to back off.
“I can’t explain any more than that,” I say. “I’ve got eyeballs on me. Just back off and tell everyone I’ve got this. Do not interfere, repeat, do not interfere.”
“Jax is going to hate this,” Dane replies.
“Ask me if I care. I wouldn’t be saying this if it weren’t super important. Nobody in Platinum Security should take any action for a bit. We’re being watched.”
A long pause.
