Page 38 of A Real Good Bad Thing

I parked the car, but was still lost in thought, hands on the wheel. Jake covered my icy hand with his warm one. “You still with me?” he asked gently.

I nodded a few more times than necessary, then gulped. “This is how we find out if Eli bought diamonds to hide his money and get it out of the mainland US, right?” I knew the answer—yes—but I had to ask anyway. I was only an amateur detective after all. But the reminder of the goal calmed my erratic pulse.

He hummed, a note of concern. “Ruby,” he said, carefully.

“Yes?”

“Are you doubting he pilfered funds from the business and its clients?”

The truth?

I was.

And it bothered me that I was stuck on this issue.

Why was it more painful to think of my stepdad as a thief than simply an unfaithful husband, as he’d been? I suppose I was still bothered by the very real possibility that he’d given me a gift bought with stolen money. That was a new level of, well, gross. It was so beyond tacky that I’d almost hoped it would be too tacky for him.

But I was doubting myself more. So I answered truthfully when I said, “I’m doubting my sanity for handing a diamond that could give my mom years of security to someone I’ve known for two days.”

He took my point seriously. “So follow me to International Diamonds and make sure I go inside.”

That was a fair offer. I appreciated it, but it posed other issues. “What if someone sees us together? Or saw us dancing at Sapphire last night, and they spot you getting out of the car?”

Jake turned in his seat to face me, all the better to give me that lopsided grin. “We’ll tell the truth. We met at the club, where you hit on me.”

I folded my arms. “That’s not how I remember it.”

“You chatted me up non-verbally with your sexy hips and come-hither stare.” His hand skimmed my bare thigh.

“I didn’t even know you were still in the club,” I said, trying to ignore my galloping pulse.

“But as soon as you saw me, you found me irresistible and had to have me.” His thumb stroked above my knee. “So you picked me up and took me back to your room.”

I smirked. This man. The flirt was strong in him. “By way of the club’s restroom?”

“Oh, I think we can be convincing without giving all the details.”

If anyone could read my mind, they wouldn’t have to imagine any of the specifics. I was reliving them all in my head.

“Yeah,” Jake breathed, a low rumble in his throat as he gazed hotly at my face, my neck, everywhere. “That look right there. Utterly convincing.”

With that, he pulled his ball cap low and got out of the car while no one was near.

If he could get information half as well as he could get me hot and bothered, he was going to come back with a gold mine of clues.

19

A COVER-UP KISS

Jake

International Diamonds commanded the corner of the street, impossible to miss. I pushed open the door, immediately blasted by air-conditioning and dazzled by case upon case of glittering gems and row upon row of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and more.

The place thronged with shoppers, mostly in tourist attire. A pair of men in slacks and button-down shirts seemed to be doing more serious business in a far corner.

Crowded was good. Even if the stone I carried was memorable, my face and clothes would blend in with the steady stream of customers.

I wandered to a counter, casually peering through the glass at the loose gems until someone approached me on the other side. A young woman in a white lab coat, with black glasses and dark hair twisted up in a bun, asked, “May I help you, sir?”

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