Cut (24 page)

“You turned them into a necklace.”

“Afraid not.” He chuckled. “The client had the diamonds set in the necklace. A gift for his mistress. The relationship went sour with the other woman once he refused to divorce his wife so he didn't mind selling them back to me.”

She put her hand over her collarbone and met his gaze.

“Things that get lost have a way of getting found,” he said. “Do you agree?”

“Depends what's lost.”

“Interesting answer. What have you lost, Miss Cahill?”

She laughed nervously and disregarded his question. “Are you going to let me wear the necklace or dangle it in front of me all night?”

Brent's rough fingers skimmed the back of her neck as he fastened the necklace in place. His hands lingered on her skin. She didn't ask him to move them away. She preferred his touch. Heat spread down her shoulders and back. Even as the diamonds felt heavy and cold on her chest.

Brent's hand slid down her bare shoulder. He stepped in front of her and eyed the diamonds. He lifted her chin with his hand. “They suit you.”

“Thank you.”

He took her waist and hoisted her up against his lean body. “I don't know how this evening will go, but I know how it will end.”

Pleasure coursed through her middle. He made her damp in places without ever touching her there. The nerve she built up to tell him about the green diamond retreated like an army of cowards running at the first sight of danger. The thought of giving in to him took precedence over telling him the truth. He made it hard for her to say no.

She wanted to hang on a little longer to him, because once she told him about the diamond, he'd leave. She reminded herself to be mad at him. She could keep her distance if he thought she carried around her anger from what he'd said this morning. It would buy her some time to enjoy the evening. She fiddled with her hair and answered with the safe response of, “Let's get a drink.”

“After you,” he said, offering his arm.

Whitaker's turned out to be a spacious old mansion with modern touches. Columns formed a walkway to the center of the building. Elegance beamed with every detail from the wide molding on the ceiling to the hardwood floors. A large stone fireplace created the centerpiece of the main room with two lion heads carved underneath the mantel.

Ladies dressed in black cocktail dresses manned a check-in table. One of them, a brunette with a braid like Jessie's, scanned a hand-held tablet for Brent's name. She took down the information on his driver's license and completed his registration. She also handed him a small shiny black booklet bound with silver strings and a card with his bidding number.

Brent put his hand on the small of her back. Jessie stepped to the side, forcing him to drop his hand. From what she could see, the entire place gave off a gold glow between the crystal chandeliers and lit candles. The crowd held a glamorous presence with exotic drinks and elegant jewels around their necks.

The women Jessie encountered as they walked by looked at the necklace on her first, then their stares darted to Brent. The unmistakable envy on their faces made Jessie curve her hand around his arm.

He led her to the fireplace. Heat radiated off the flame and cast a delicious smolder on Brent's face. She thought he seemed quieter than usual, but she didn't comment on this. She held her glass of champagne and asked him, “How does an auction like this work?” she asked.

“You have to be invited,” he answered and sipped his whiskey. “At least to one of Salvador Alvarez's auctions. He owns some of the most famous pieces on earth. The Fire Dragon, for example, is the largest red diamond ever found and is on loan and on display at the Smithsonian.”

“How would he buy such a diamond?”

“From Jefferies Abbott.”

Jessie frowned and lowered her voice, “Abbott? The name from the business card. The owner of D & F?”

“The Abbott family holds deep roots in the diamond industry. You're bound to hear his name tonight. Who knows, you might even meet him.” Brent lifted his glass. “The deeper you get in the diamond industry, the smaller the circle of players becomes. Most of the guests either know each other, or they have heard of one another.”

“Jefferies, the diamonds, and Melanie, I feel like there's a connection.”

“Maybe; maybe not.”

“You still haven't told me why those diamonds are so important.” She swore she saw his mouth clench. “The diamonds were in a vault in Melanie's house. Obviously they belong to Luke.”

He rested his elbow on the mantel and angled his face close to hers. “You're sure about that?”

No, she wasn't. Not with the way he looked at her, with a gaze that challenged her assumption.

His gaze dropped to her necklace and lower, to the tip of her cleavage. “Thank you for accepting my invitation. I know it hasn't been easy between us.”

“I wish things had gone different, for you, for me, and Melanie. I wish I knew what she was thinking with only leaving me one diamond. I wonder about those other six.” She was sure he wouldn't tell her. “Are they also green?”

“The other diamonds are not green. They are pink.”

“Pink?” She slid her hand under the necklace. “These are pink. Why can't you take one of them?”

“For one thing, these diamonds are different shapes than the ones I want. The ones on your necklace are round. I need diamonds that are cushion cut. They also need to be bigger by at least two carats. The pink diamonds from the vault range in size from four carats to six.”

“It's going to be a long shot to get them to be an exact match.”

“I'm afraid so. The cut isn't the only issue. The color I'm after is very specific. A pink diamond ranges from the color of delicate pastels to a deep raspberry.”

“How do they get their color?”

“They get their color from the heat and pressure within the earth. During the formation, the crystals within the diamond change. Remember that with diamonds, light matters. Once the distortion takes place, the diamond picks up green light and the result is an intense pink color.”

“What shade of pink are you after?”

“Three of the diamonds are fancy pink, and the other three are vivid pink with hues that span from bubblegum to light purple. The terms
fancy
,
intense
, and
vivid
refer to the strength of the color. I'm not sure if you remembered that. I had a chart on the desk in my attic. Think of those terms arranged in a pyramid with vivid at the top. There's your rarest of them all.”

Jessie's stomach fluttered and not in a good way. This wasn't what she wanted to hear. The diamonds couldn't be bought from just anywhere. It was more than that though, the way he described the diamonds was like they belonged to something specific—something she couldn't figure out. She took a gamble and asked, “The way you talk about these diamonds…do they go in a specific necklace or piece of jewelry or something?”

Brent put his hand on the mantel. She put her hand on her heart. He was going to tell her.

“They fit in a tiara,” he said.

A tiara.
Jessie tried to keep her hand on the champagne glass without letting it slip and break. The diamonds did belong to something important. The questions charged from her mind to her lips. These weren't run-of-the-mill diamonds. They belonged to a tiara.
Someone else's
tiara.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” said a man from the center of the room, effectively cutting her off. “We'll begin promptly in five minutes. Please finish your drinks and find your seats in the Queen Elizabeth room.”

“Queen Elizabeth?” Jessie said, placing her empty glass on a nearby table. The name Elizabeth, in any form, reminded her of Melanie's note. The note she would never see again.

“The rooms are named after royalty. Whitaker's does more than jewel auctions, they are in the business of antiques, art and photography collections, even liquors.” Brent held out his elbow. Jessie put a tentative hand on his arm and they strolled into the auction room together.

“Do you come to these auctions very often?” she said.

“Luke and I take turns. We probably attend three or four a year. It depends if the auction house has something we want to buy.”

She spoke low and close to him. “You know, I ‘get' you the same as you understand me.”

“What do you get?”

“The way you talk about Luke and how uncomfortable you two seem with each other at the hospital. I know what it's like to ride on the cusp of a sibling's success. Growing up, Melanie always had the invites to the best parties. She had the cuter boyfriends. I got to come along by default. I just didn't know if this was a big night for you. With Luke worried about Melanie, I thought maybe this was your chance to get out and represent the company.” She squeezed his arm and added, “I hope Luke isn't upset when he finds out how much you spent on me this evening.”

A sardonic grin rode up his lips. “You're actually thinking about me when I'm not around. There's a first.”

“I think about you all the time.”

Brent held eye contact, but he said nothing.

She hadn't meant to say that, it just slipped from her heart and out from her mouth.

He led her over to a row of chairs. “We should take our seats.”

The auction room outdid the main room with the fireplace. This room boasted high ceilings crowned in silver baroque molding. Three large antique chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting a radiant light over the room. Velvet curtains graced the long windows. Three steps led up to a small stage area with a podium. A flat screen television hung beside the presenter's space. A fervor of anticipation and excited chatter swept through the room.

Guests sat down in their assigned seats. “What happens now?” she asked.

“Each auction has an auctioneer, in our case, Mr. Salvador Alvarez, and a ring man, the person responsible for holding up the item. The items will be read in the order they are presented in this booklet and the bidding will begin.”

The lights dimmed and returned to full light along with a hush from the crowd. A tall, suave-looking man with dark slicked-back hair stepped up to the podium. “Ladies and gentlemen, Welcome. My name is Salvador Alvarez.” He spoke loud and clear with the faintest trace of a Spanish accent. “Tonight I will take you on a fascinating and exciting journey through my personal collection of diamonds and gemstones.

“I have been in the business of collecting and selling diamonds for many years. I am always asked what makes a diamond so special. Only you can answer such a question for yourself. The answer I have come to give for me personally is this: a diamond is a survivor of land and time. They withstand pressure and change. They are old and buried. They are children of the riverbeds and mother earth chooses when they are ready to be found. Their natural beauty dazzles unlike any other. A diamond is a tantalizing temptress. She is bold, she responds to light, and her color is unrivaled. She is envied. She is perfect and full of imperfections all at the same time.

“I am drawn to her mysteries. I am in awe at what she becomes. You are also taken aback by her, otherwise, you would not be in this room with me. Without further ado, we will begin.”

A collective awe and applause spread through the crowd at the image on the screen. The television mounted on the wall next to the podium displayed a picture of an orange stone in the shape of a square, with tiny diamonds all around and set in a ring. “This is the Marmalade Diamond. She is six-point-five carats. Radiant-cut with a vivid pumpkin orange color and VS clarity factor. Her origins are South African,” Salvador said.

He unveiled the diamond, seated like royalty on a blue display box. “The bidding will open at one million, six-hundred thousand.”

The man seated in front of Jessie held up his bid card. “One million, seven-hundred,” he shouted. Another man upped the ante. Salvador nodded and asked for more. The bids flooded the room with all-out war. The price climbed. Two million. Two and half. Three. Jessie sat on the edge of her seat.

“Do I hear more than five million, four-hundred thousand?” Salvador asked. “Going once, going twice,” Salvador said, looking around the room.

“Seven,” yelled someone from the back and held up his bid number.

The guests gasped. They turned to look at the gentleman standing in the back of the room. A pleased smile crossed Salvador's handsome face.

“Eight,” Brent said, holding up his card.

“Eight!” Salvador's lips erupted in a large smile. “Do I have nine from the gentleman in the back?”

“Nine,” said the other bidder.

“Ten,” Brent said.

The cool composure of Brent astounded Jessie. He sounded as calm as if ordering at a restaurant. Obviously, she'd underestimated the wealth of Trace Elements as a whole. The other gentleman forced eye contact with Brent. A twisted smile rode up Brent's lips. Did he know this other bidder?

“Going once, going twice, sold to Mr. Harrison of Trace Elements.”

The room exploded in applause. Brent finally looked back to the direction of the other bidder. She saw nothing but contempt in Brent's eyes for this other man.

“Our next item,” Salvador announced…

The evening moved with frightening speed as each gemstone sold within minutes. The sale never got old to watch. Jessie found herself engrossed in each detail of every new item.

She now understood the value of these diamonds. She couldn't help but think about the one Melanie had entrusted to her and she felt sick. It had truly been something special. It also belonged to a tiara. She grew hot and sweaty at the task ahead of telling Brent what she had done. Jessie sank in her chair a little. The evening would be over soon and she couldn't keep her secret from him any longer.

“He's presented all of the collection,” Jessie said disappointed at the end of the auction.