Chapter 17

Gillian

I had dislocated my thumb. It was a trick I had learned after leaving the Navy Seals. It wasn’t really a trick and I did break it while slipping on some ice. It was never quite the same. I didn’t need the key to the handcuffs or to wrestle free from how they were secured to the floor.

I had to act quickly and I knew they were watching. It was a risk I was willing to take. There weren’t enough hours in the day.

I felt the thumb on my left hand dislocate. It was painful, but I remained steadfast without letting the sensation distract me from what I had to do. I slipped out of the cuffs and used a small shaving of metal I carried with me everywhere I went. It was within the fabric of my clothing. Once I had it released, I went about and undid the other pair of cuffs to my right wrist.

I was breathing a sigh of relief. Nobody had come down to catch me in the act of trying to get away. I heard Jackson negotiating with someone. I was hoping the money was keeping him from being able to do two things at the same time.

I used the same piece of metal to unlock the shackles around my ankles. I silently and with bare feet leaped the stairs in two bounding strides. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

My voice made him turn and look at me like I had two heads. He did glance back, but I didn’t see anyone with him.

“I know this wasn’t part of the plan, but it looks like we going to have to work together. Do you want to tell me the reason why you have this insane idea of putting your head in a noose? I wasn’t kidding when I said Grant would have all of his resources looking for me. I’m willing to listen, but don’t treat me like I’m an idiot.” His fingers were inching closer to the gun on the table.

I slapped his hands hard enough to leave the imprint of my fingers. With the other, I absconded with what would level the playing field. I held the gun on Jackson, but he didn’t seem afraid. In fact, I think he was fascinated by how quickly I had turned the tables.

“We made a mistake of not watching you and now we are paying for it. It’s been a long time. We never did stay in touch. I know we said we were going to, but I think we both wanted to forget about everything. I’m sure you are wondering what this is all about. I will give you three guesses and the first two don’t count.” It couldn’t possibly be the one glaring moment when faced with an impossible decision.

“I hope you’re not trying to tell me something I would rather not hear. I have enough problems to deal with than to have to worry about retaliation. I take it this idea of kidnapping me was to mitigate the fallout.” I was better off in Jackson’s hands.

“I don’t like this any more than you do. There is something else you should know, but it’s not my place to tell you. I think it goes without saying I’m not the only one involved in all of this. I have co-conspirators and one that has been living underneath your nose. She’s there to keep an eye on you and to make sure the cartel doesn’t get their hands on you.” The diamonds were supposed to be in exchange for arms, but the plan didn’t go right from the very beginning.

The six of us stumbled into the carnage after we heard multiple guns going off. Most of them were dead and others were in no shape to put up any kind of resistance. Whatever agreement was made had been nullified by somebody taking the first shot. It resulted in a bloodbath with the diamonds being up for grabs. We debated incessantly on what to do and the vote was unanimous. I was the only holdout, but nobody was willing to listen.

“The new maid is Melanie. I would have seen it had I not been preoccupied with other things. It doesn’t look like I’m going to be able to hide from this. It does my heart proud to know that I can count on you when the chips are down.” I still had the gun, but I was never going to fire it in anger.

“I told them they would rue the day, but they wouldn’t hear it. I knew you would see things differently without the restraints. I was overruled. Kidnapping you was a mistake, but we had to act quickly. This way we could keep an eye on you. The cartel was going to use your family. They still might if they get wind this kidnapping was staged.” He was the pointed end of the spear. Somebody else was directing and Melanie was too much of a hothead. She could be counted on to act without thinking first.

They both needed someone that wasn’t going to lose their head in the moment. They needed a puppet master to pull their strings and to give them their marching orders. Jackson and Melanie were weapons of a different color. She was blunt and to the point. Jackson was a man who found his courage with well-placed injections into a vein. We knew he was using, but his deadly efficiency was too hard to ignore.

“The best thing for everybody is to keep up this charade. Melanie is in the enemy camp. We still have the element of surprise on our side. We do need to find out where the cartel is hiding. I have a few people I can reach out to, but you’re going to have to trust me.” I no longer felt like somebody else and the shoes of the military were comfortable.

“I have always trusted you, but I can’t say the same thing for them. There was really only one who wanted to keep you in the dark. He mistakenly thought you were happy and didn’t deserve to be pulled back into this. I’ve always believed we were in this together until the bitter end.” He was staying still and making no untoward movements to make me use extreme force to change his tune.

“You make it sound like somebody I know. It’s not Granger. I do have to wonder why he is absent from this little party of ours. If anybody should be here, it should be him. He was the one who first brought up the idea of taking the diamonds. I find it a little suspicious he’s not here to stand in the spotlight. He’s never been one to stay out of it.” I could see Jackson was fidgeting and he didn’t think I noticed, but I was quite aware of the way that he was looking behind him.

“Nobody has been able to get in touch with Granger.” Jackson looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here with me.

“I don’t see Conner. I suppose there’s a reasonable explanation for him not being called back into service. Let me guess, he declined your offer and decided to fend for himself. It would be just like him to want to go down in a blaze of glory like at the Alamo.” I could see him lavishly spending and putting a bull’s eye on his back.

“We don’t have to worry about Conner. He won’t be bothering anyone.” The tone of his words was laced with melancholy.

I swallowed hard and took a step back with the gun wavering like somebody had just punched me in the kidneys. I wasn’t expecting the news of his untimely demise to affect me in such a way. He was family, but he never was one to admit how we were joined at the hip.

“I guess I don’t have to ask if you’re sure about his… I’m not even sure I can say the word.” Death was so final and there was no coming back when your time expired.

“His body was found and whatever happened was not for the faint of heart. We searched for his share of the diamonds, but they were gone. I don’t think he would have said anything, but where his diamonds are is anybody’s guess.” Conner would have saved them for a rainy day when the three years had elapsed.

“He wouldn’t be too obvious about where he hid them. If he doesn’t want them found then they won’t be. He probably made sure upon news of his death the diamonds would fall into the right hands. There’s no telling who he might trust with this information. I can’t believe you went along with this surveillance. It would’ve been far better to take the fight to them.” Nobody had survived that night, but we knew the cartel would be watching to see if the diamonds resurfaced on the open black market.

“You are speaking to the choir. I agree with you, but I wasn’t the swing vote. It was two against one. We would’ve had a stalemate had you been here to voice your opinion. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around how you could possibly marry into the Hamilton family.” He was smarter than I gave him credit for.

His superpower was how he was able to see things others didn’t know he was able to see. We had counted on him several times to breach the perimeter. He had walked through a hailstorm of bullets without one touching him. It was the damnedest thing I’d ever seen in my life.

“If it’s not Granger and it’s definitely not Conner then who could it be? I can’t see you and Melanie taking the risk of involving a third party. You wouldn’t know his agenda. The possibility of him killing the both you and taking the diamonds would be foremost on your minds.” A shadow followed a revelation of Biblical proportions.

“I guess the cat is out of the bag.” He couldn’t be alive, but the face looking back at me was one I had last seen disappearing under the waves.