Cut (22 page)

“She hasn't accepted yet, but she will.”

“Such confidence.” Kendra moved around Luke's desk and sifted through some papers in one of the file folders. “Do you need me to pull any strings for her?”

“All of them,” he said.

“Who is this young woman?”

“Jessica Cahill.”

Kendra laughed. She wiped the smile off her face. “Oh, you're serious.”

“I am.”

“I would start thinking about a backup.”

“She'll accept.” Brent would only take Jessica as his date. No one else. He changed the subject. “Any word on what pieces Alvarez has up for sale?”

“I emailed you the catalogue,” she said, referring to the booklet of items Salvador included in the auction tonight. Buyers had a chance to peruse the items prior to the event. She busied herself and didn't pay him much more attention.

He took the opportunity to catch Kendra off-guard. “Will Elizabeth be attending tonight?”

Kendra looked up. She stared at him with a dubious expression. “Elizabeth?”

“The new lawyer working for our jewelry store.”

“How do you know about her?” she stammered.

“I know everything that goes on in my company.”

“Don't put me in the middle.”

“Who is she?”

“I wasn't supposed to say anything.”

“You also aren't supposed to keep company secrets from me.”

“Her name is Elizabeth Downey. She's in her late twenties.”

“I don't want her resumé. What's my brother doing with her?”

“I can't discuss this with you.”

“Are they having an affair?”

“No,” she said coldly and straightened the papers with a
thump
. “They are not having an affair. Excuse me.”

Brent sent two messages to Daniel. The first one included Daniel's help in getting Jessica to the auction. The second item he needed was the address of Ms. Downey. He'd have to find out on his own what his brother and Elizabeth were up to. He stalked out of the room and decided to find out right now.

The law offices of Downey & Corbin proved easy enough to find. The building sat three doors down from the future site of Trace Elements in Union Square. Brent stared up at the multi-level building with the modern architecture and black awning. The equation between his brother and Ms. Downey remained unclear and underhanded. A secret lawyer for their own company happened to be named Elizabeth and she worked a few doors down.

Coincidence? I think not.

With no appointment and no plan, Brent entered the building.

The first floor included doors to other businesses, a plaque with the names of the professionals in the other offices, and an elevator. Sure enough, Elizabeth Downey and her associates occupied the third floor.

He took the elevator up to her floor and found her office. A reception area with empty chairs greeted him.

“May I help you?” said a woman poised behind her computer. The name on the nameplate read Marjorie.

“I'm here to see Ms. Downey,” Brent said.

Marjorie's eyebrows furrowed. “Do you have an appointment?”

“No. This is a walk-in.”

“I'm sorry, you must have an appointment.” She clicked on her keyboard and said, “She's got an opening Wednesday afternoon.”

“I'll just say hello and I'll be gone.” Brent walked over to the door separating the waiting area from Elizabeth's office.

“You can't go back there!” Marjorie shouted.

Brent pushed open the door and almost rammed into somebody. A blonde with bright green eyes and full lips.

“What's this all about?” she said.

“I need to see Elizabeth Downey,” he responded.

“You'll need to make an appointment.”

Marjorie stuck out her head. “I told him the same thing. He barged into your office.”

“What's your name?” the blonde said.

“My name is Brent Harrison.”

She gave him a once over. A smile passed at the corner of her lips. “Now I see the resemblance. You look like your brother.”

“I can call security, Ms. Downey,” Marjorie interjected, ready to put the building on alert.

“No need, Marjorie. Mr. Harrison is welcome to come back to my office. I have ten minutes for you, no more.” She walked him further into her office. “You're welcome to take a seat.”

“No thank you.”

She moved around her desk. The pencil skirt showed off her slender hips and the high heels she wore elongated her legs. Brent wasn't blind. Neither was Luke. She was stunning.

She took a seat. “What brings you to my office?”

He got right to the point. “Are you sleeping with my brother?”

She threw her head back and laughed. “I do appreciate the bluntness that runs in your family. You say whatever you want. Good. That makes my job much easier.”

“What, exactly, is your job?”

“Let's go back to the first question. I'm not sleeping with your brother. I'm married.”

Brent's eyes moved down to her left hand. A glitzy square diamond sat upon the band around her ring finger.

The smile slid off her lips. “I don't sleep with clients. I also don't think we've officially met. I am Elizabeth Downey.”

“You were with my brother the night his wife got attacked.”

“Having drinks doesn't make me guilty of anything. Luke and I are business partners.”

“I am also one of the business partners in Trace Elements. I know everything that goes on in our company. How come I don't know about you?”

“You'll have to ask your brother.”

Brent wasn't getting something. He could sense it in her eyes. “Will you tell me anything?”

“If you ask me a question that I can answer.”

Ambiguous statements didn't help him. The muscle in his neck bunched. “Tell me about the seven diamonds belonging to the Abbott Tiara. Do you have them?”

“The Abbott Tiara? I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“My sister-in-law gave a note to someone close to me. We are supposed to find Elizabeth to get the rest of the diamonds. She has a note with your name on it.”

Elizabeth frowned. “Did the note specifically instruct her to find me? Elizabeth Downey?”

“No, but…”

“Mr. Harrison, even if I did know about these diamonds, which I don't, I wouldn't tell you. I don't have an office in the heart of Union Square because I blab the details of my clients. If Luke gave me the diamonds or the knowledge of their whereabouts I wouldn't tell you. I suggest you take the matter up with your brother.”

“I need you to tell me.”

She rose up from her seat slowly. “That's not going to happen. Now, I'll ask you to leave.”

“Name your price. I'll pay you to tell me.”

“The only thing I want is for you to go.”

“You want me to do what?” Jessie said, unable to shut the door fast enough. Daniel's arm stopped her like a bus.

He pushed the door back.

“You think because you work with the Harrison brothers that you can plow your way in my hotel room. I don't think so.”

“I'm to take you to find a dress for this evening.”

“A dress.” She threw her head back in laughter. “You're taking me out to dinner? No thanks.”

“Not me. Brent.”

“Brent has some nerve.”

“He's busy and he couldn't come himself.”

“No one's that busy.”

A room service attendant wheeled a cart by. The young man looked at them with an inquisitive expression. Jessie said hello and waited for him to pass by them.

She looked back to Daniel. “Is this a joke?”

“No.”

She considered the fact that he might not have any idea about the things Brent said to her in front of his house. “Do you have any idea what he said to me today?”

“No.”

“Go tell Brent to ask someone else.”

Daniel's face turned solemn. “There is no one else. Just you.”

The answer wasn't what caused her to hold her breath. The authenticity in his voice did and it grabbed at her heart. She breathed through her nose and exhaled slowly. Ever since she came back from Luke's house, she thought of nothing else except for what Brent had said to her. She didn't like his assessment of her. She prided herself on handling the rudeness of other people and she'd been called worse before. What stayed with her was his honesty. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind around her. No one had ever done that before to her. Still, her emotions felt fresh. She didn't know whether to kiss Brent or slap him. Maybe she'd been looking for someone else at the bachelorette party—someone able to see right through her. Isn't that what she wanted? Someone to see her heart, despite her mistakes in everything she said and did? Because she never did or said the right thing and she lived her life knowing people tended to take her the wrong way.

She looked at Daniel. “If this is Brent's version of an apology, then he has a lot more work to do. He thinks he can ask me out on a date and I'll accept.”

“You misunderstand him.”

“I don't misunderstand cruelty.”

“Brent is never wrong about people.”

“He's after a diamond, Daniel. Where have you been?”

Daniel cocked his head. “So? Are you going to give him this diamond?”

“Never.”

“That will ruin him.”

Daniel's answer intrigued her. “How so?”

“I'm not going to say. I'm here to find out if you will go with me.”

“No offense, but you're the last person I'd shop with.”

Daniel folded his arms in front of his chest. “Why?”

She eyed his bulky, offensive frame. “You're not exactly shopping-buddy material.”

“I am the youngest brother of six sisters, plus I have a half-sister. My oldest, Caitlin, is a big fashion designer in New York.”

“Of course she is.”

Daniel's frown deepened. “I won't leave until you agree.”

She took his word. “You're a smart businessman, otherwise you wouldn't be working for Brent and Luke. Therefore, I won't accept until I get something in return. A business deal. You give me the information and I will go with you.”

“What kind of information do you want?”

“Tell me a personal fact about Brent.”

“That's tricky. He's a private man.”

Jessie raised her eyebrows.

“He doesn't like carrots.”

“Not exactly the sort of intel I'm out to get.”

“Come with me and I promise to give you something more personal.”

Jessica stuck out her hand. “If you go back on your word, I'll refuse to show up at the dinner.”

“I never said you are going to dinner.”

“Where are we going?”

“There's an auction this evening and Brent is taking you as his date.” Daniel extended his hand and grasped hers. “Tell me we have a deal.”

The idea to go with Daniel couldn't have been worse. Four hours wasn't a lot of time to get ready for the formal event. Hair, makeup, not to mention find a dress. The insecurities she felt at seeing Brent fluttered with each breath. She would go, but she would not make this easy for him.

Jessie and Daniel walked through the lobby. The awning of the hotel entrance protected her from the light rain as she waited for Daniel to get his car. The black SUV rolled up to a stop and Jessie got in. “Where to first?” she said.

“I have appointment for you at a boutique in Union Square,” he said and stepped on the gas.

“Why is this date so important to Brent?”

“Brent tends to find himself in impossible situations that require the world to move at the crook of his finger.”

“He enjoys this.”

“He lives for last minute.” Daniel grinned. “The first time I met him we were after the same gemstone. A mine full of Tanzanite had been discovered.”

“The bluish colored stone.”

“Yes, and difficult to come by. You find it in the surrounding foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. There's not much of the stuff found in the world, and unless more of these mines are discovered, the demand will always exceed the supply.”

“I see.”

“A stone like this is different because the light will show different variations of the color. There are fragments of blue and purple. Discovered in the late sixties by Jefferies Abbott, and to this day, all of the Tanzanite mines are strictly under his control.”

Jefferies Abbott,
she thought with concern. That name again. The one with the initials J.A. on the business card. She wouldn't ask Daniel about him though. She refocused on what Daniel was saying.

“Brent and I were competitors long before we became coworkers. We both lived in the belly of the jungles and the spine of the mountains. We searched out areas around Mount Kilimanjaro, the black markets, and mines you will never know exist. A local had discovered a small mine of Tanzanite that he wouldn't sell to Mr. Abbott. Every gemstone hunter flocked to this area to try and purchase this stone. Brent and I got there first.”

Riveted by this story, Jessie said, “What happened?”

“We fought. He broke my nose and I dislocated his shoulder. Brent ended up in the owner's favor and bought the Tanzanite. He had more money than me. We survived similar stints along the way before he asked me to work for him.”

Daniel weaved through the traffic at high speed. The city unwound in front of them in long rows of houses mixed with tall buildings.

Jessie sat up straighter. “Union Square,” she said, recognizing the area from the day before. She scanned the buildings for the Trace Elements store front.

People moved about the sidewalks in their winter coats, gloves, and scarves. Entrances to buildings impressed her with their ornate gold molding around some doors and awnings spread out over others. The anxiety she felt about facing Brent struck down all the energy this situation might have brought if he was an ordinary man taking her out on a regular date.