Of course, it had been Pauly’s table. I should have realized it when I sat down there. It wasn’t just a table like one Pauly would get. It wa0s the one he always got when he wanted to talk somewhat privately. Once I’d agreed to the deal, Ryan got up to find Pauly, who was having dinner in the lounge. Pauly liked to be seen, so he tended to eat among the people, unless privacy was necessary.

When I saw Pauly and Ryan headed this way, I stood up and met them a few paces away. Ryan seemed surprised by the move. While you could talk a few details here, you couldn’t talk real business out in the open. “Is there a room in the back available?” I asked Pauly.

He nodded. “Stacie told me the princess room is clear. Do you remember the way?”

Of course, I did, but I shook my head. I didn’t want Pauly to think that everything was coming back so easy to me. I almost regretted knowing Hindi. And I certainly regretted ever letting on to him that I knew it. Pauly started off, and Ryan gave me a “ladies first,” flourish with his hand, so I followed second and Ryan pulled up the rear.  We walked toward the back wall, then turned to follow the length of the bar until it ended and a narrow hallway appeared. A sign reading “Authorized personnel Only” was affixed to a black door in white lettering. Pauly pushed open the door and started down the corridor, turned into another and then he stopped at a door with a picture of a princess cut diamond on it. This was generally one of the smaller private rooms.

I’d been here before with Pauly and my father, when I was younger. After the divorce, but before dad went to prison. Back when I wasn’t sure which of my parents were right. They were both strong forces and I’d taken my father’s word that what my mother didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. But what people don’t know does hurt them. My father got caught and went to prison. He didn’t know he had pancreatic cancer and finding out so late killed him.

I sighed. This kind of life, ever alluring, always ended badly. I wanted normal.

We entered the room, which was about 10 feet square, with a low glass table in the center, surrounded by four thin, high-backed chairs. It was the kind of set you’d see in a Modern Homes magazine. Sleek, elegant, expensive. Pauly shuffled in and pulled out a chair for me. I sat, as I watched Ryan push the door shut, then walk over to join Pauly and I at the table.

Pauly smiled. I folded my arms across my chest and said, “Talk.”

“Alright, alright. Hold your horses,” he said, his tone a bit gruff, and then turned to Ryan. “What do you know about the diamond trade?”

Ryan looked as if he was surprised Pauly was talking to him. He forced a smile and shook his head. “Nothing, really.”

Pauly sighed, breathed out. “That’s fine. I don’t need you for the bulk of the job. You’re just eye candy and insurance.”

I raised a brow. So, did Ryan. “What is it exactly that we’re trying to do?” I asked leaning forward. “Besides trying not to die.”

Pauly chuckled. “You were always so dramatic, kid. I remember Raj told me about that time when you were 10 and tried to dye your hair red using marker, after your mother said you couldn’t do it.”

Ryan smirked. I shot him a nasty look. “We’re not reminiscing, Pauly. I’m sure there are other people who’d like a room. Let’s move this along.”

He nodded. Instead of looking to me, he looked at Ryan again. “Surat is the diamond cutting capital of the world. Roughly 90 percent of the world’s rough diamonds get sent there to get cut. If you want diamonds, that’s the place to get them.”

Ryan’s lips parted ever so slightly, as if this fact impressed him.

“Because it’s the diamond-cutting capital of the world, security is incredibly tight there,” I chime in, because I want Ryan to know exactly what he’s getting himself into. Maybe if he backs out, I won’t be stuck doing this. “Trying to rob these people is, frankly, insane.”

Pauly turned his gaze to me. “We’re not really robbing them, Onyx,” he said. “I might be a fool in love, but I’m not crazy. We’re doing a deal involving some rough stuff, the discards.”

Oh, good heavens. I blew out in exasperation. “There are no discards in diamond cutting,” I retorted. “Nothing useable, at least.”

Pauly shrugged. “On some level, you’re right, but you and I know, some are easier to cut than others. The ones that are easy, get cut first. The discards, the ones that will take more time and finesse are set aside.”

“We’re taking rough ones?” I ask. “You know a cutter here?”

Pauly shook his head. “I know a cutter there. That’s why I need you. He’s going to get you in to look at the rough pile and I need you to pick out some good ones for me. I need someone who, once she has access, can go quickly through the roughs and get me a specific dollar amount. It will be quick, but requires someone who knows their stuff and speaks the language. I’ll arrange everything, but you need to go in, make the selections, and then my guys will spend the next day getting them cut properly.”

I stared at him, not really sure what the endgame was. He needed someone who knew diamonds and could be quick. But he knew other people beside me. “Why not get someone else to do this?”

He looked down at the glass table, then at his thick, manicured fingers. Pauly always liked to take care of himself. “Obviously, you’re good at selection. You’re trained for this.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“And, it’s a foreign country and most people don’t know the language. To make sure this goes off without a hitch, I need someone who can fit in and roll with the punches.”

I shook my head, as his real reason hit me. “You don’t trust the people you’re working with, so you want me to watch them for you. If they happen to double cross you, and therefore me, are you going to hang me out to dry like you did my father?”

His lip gave a bitter twist and he said, “Raj understood the risks and accepted them. I did everything I could to help him.”

I stood up. “I want double,” I said.

He leaned back in his chair and laughed. “You’re Akilah’s daughter,” he said. “Raj was good, but it was your mother who knew how to make a deal.”

I wanted to tell him to take my mother’s name out of his mouth, but that seemed inappropriate for the negotiating table. “I need an answer or I walk.”

“Fine, double,” he said.

I sat back down.

“So, I make sure you’re not double crossed. Fine. And the rest? What else?”

He waved his hand. “It’s very simple,” he said.

My stomach tightened. Very simple didn’t require paying me $300k.

“I just need you to bring them through customs.”

“Without being seen. Without paying the tariffs?”

“That’s where your cut comes from.”

I sighed. It seemed easy enough, but it was risky. I inclined my head toward Ryan. “You said he’s cover?”

“Yep,” Pauly said. “He’s a rich American playboy and you’re his Indian girlfriend. The two of you will be in town sightseeing. If things go south, I don’t think daddy Warbucks is going to let his boy stay detained over there.”

“What about me?” I asked.

Pauly smiled and pointed to Ryan. “He seems to like you well enough. I’m pretty sure Ryan can get daddy to bail you both out.”

I looked at Ryan, who right now seemed like a deer caught in headlights. Counting on him was going to be a huge mistake.