Dezi’s Diamond

by Dale Mayer

  And that was what this time was all about.

  She opened the big briefcase, pulled out all the loose pieces of paper and studied them. Some of these were darn good, but she didn’t remember doing them. She set aside those she wanted to scan, and the ones to be recycled went to the other side. By the time she reached the bottom of the pile, she was happy with the stack of keepers.

  She looked up at Dezi and smiled. His head was bent, a frown on his forehead, his fingers clicking away madly on the keyboard. He had a fierce concentration like she’d never seen before. But, then again, maybe it was what she looked like when she was working too.

  Of course she loved the view. His muscles moved and shifted in the lamplight. She studied him a bit longer, loving the way the muscles rippled on his shoulders. He was still just in his boxers and didn’t seem to care. She didn’t know too many men as comfortable in their skivvies as he was.

  Amazing. He was so relaxed, so in control of who he was that she knew she had things to learn from him on that level too. It was so very admirable, seeing a physical animal like him, particularly when he was unaware, uncaring and unseeing of his own beauty. He just didn’t matter to himself.

  She sighed and returned to her work. After sorting her designs, she stood and walked over to her large scanner, slowly scanning in each, then took the originals to the safe. As she typed in her new security code, she turned to see Dezi studying her. “Problems?”

  “That code is too easy,” he said.

  She frowned at him. “How do you know what I typed in?”

  “I watched you. One, two, three, four, five, six,” he said with a drawl.

  She flushed. “I’m not very good with numbers,” she confessed. “All my security numbers are easy.”

  “Your passwords had better not be that easy.” His gaze was ever watchful. “That’s the most common password.”

  She chuckled. “Okay, so my password is not quite so easy.”

  “Good,” he said. “Let’s open this up and make sure everything is as it should be.”

  She pulled open her vault and stepped inside. Thankfully it looked like nothing had been disturbed. He leaned against the open entrance, his gaze searching the walls, smiling when he saw paperwork. “Designs?”

  She nodded. “My design ideas are one of my biggest assets,” she said, “so I have stacks of those completed, stacks of those in progress, stacks of those that are next to do, and then, of course, I have stacks of the ones to consider doing and just raw ideas.” She laid the newly scanned-in paperwork on a pile.

  “What about the jewels and metals, etc.?” He looked around. “I’m sure you have a lot of raw materials in here.”

  “I have pieces in progress more than anything,” she said. “A lot of the raw jewels are at work. Yes, I do have some here in case I need them.”

  In the walk-in vault, she showed him the different boxes where she kept emeralds, rubies, diamonds and sapphires. It was interesting to see he just looked at the rocks like they were nothing more than granite or quartz. But he was fascinated with the pieces she had in progress. It gave her a warm feeling inside when he caught his breath at a teardrop design she was working on.

  “It’s gonna have a slight silver petticoat-lace filigree piece attached alongside here.” She pointed at the edge of the necklace. “This is a custom piece. They are the bulk of my business. But somebody saw one of my designs, wanted something similar but a little different, so I agreed to do that.”

  “It’s absolutely stunning,” he said in amazement. “I can see why everybody loves your work.”

  Pleased, she replaced the piece, motioned him back out and said, “Everything in here looks to be fine.”

  “Good.” He watched as she locked it and then said, “Now make sure you change that security code.”

  She rolled her eyes at him and said, “I can do that.” She made the change on the keypad, locked it in as the next security code and then turned back to him. “Are you satisfied?”

  Heat flashed between them. Dezi stood, walked toward her, cupped her face and kissed her so very tenderly. “I’m afraid I’ll never be satisfied, never get enough of you. I’ll always want more.”

  Delighted, she melted against him. It wasn’t what she had expected to happen, but she’d take it anytime. He held her close, the two of them rocking back and forth in place. She tilted her head and whispered, “What’s that?”

  He froze, stepped back slightly so he could look at her “What’s what?”

  She listened again and then said, “I think I hear someone.”

  He moved her to the edge of her office, tilted his ear so he could hear. “Are you expecting anyone?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

  He gave her a firm look. “Stay here. I’ll check it out.”

  And she watched him disappear.

  *

  He stepped out into the hallway, slipped down against the wall so he could see the dining room. It appeared to be empty. For the first time, he acknowledged the size of the room. He crept closer toward the kitchen and heard a sound behind him. He whirled and ducked, and the fist meant for his head ran into the wall.

  He reached up with a hard left, clipped the intruder’s black-masked chin hard, and his head snapped back. But he recovered quickly. And suddenly they were in a martial arts duel. Kicks, left punches, cuts, flips, twists. They fought until Dezi pulled out the intruder’s legs from under him.

  Breathing heavily, Dezi landed on top of the intruder’s chest, grabbed his arms and held them over his head. “Who are you?” he roared. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  But the asshat’s face was covered in the full mask. Dezi couldn’t pull it off while he still had the guy in his grip. He needed to knock him out so he could rotate and get his arms out from under him.

  He twisted around, looking for options, when the intruder’s knee hooked up, cracked him in the side of the temple, dislodging him. Suddenly they were reversed. But Dezi didn’t give him a chance to stay there. He managed to get a knee up, lifting him. The guy jumped over his head, somersaulted, sprang to his feet, turned and faced him yet again in a crouching position.

  Dezi glared at him. “What the fuck do you want here?”

  But the guy didn’t say a word.

  That was interesting. It was almost as if his voice would give him away. Dezi studied the masked man’s slight frame but didn’t recognize it. With an arrogant move of his fingers, the intruder motioned for Dezi to get at it, to make a move. He could almost hear the guy thinking. Dezi watched the intruder’s thigh muscles flex, and then the stranger jumped toward Dezi.

  But Dezi twisted and clamped his arm around the intruder’s throat. The guy went down, his head smashing hard on the floor, and this time he lay still. Dezi rolled him over, grabbed his wrists and called out, “Diamond, give me a twist tie, zap strap, something to bind this guy up.”

  She ran toward him, gasping when she saw the intruder on the ground, raced to the kitchen and came back with zap straps. He looked at them and smiled. “I’m surprised you have these.”

  She shrugged. “They were in the toolbox. I do find them handy,” she said with a grin.

  Dezi zapped the guy’s wrists together and, with Di’s help, pulled the guy’s legs straight, put two straps together and tied his ankles together. With that done, heaving still, he rolled the guy over, and pulled off his head mask.

  She gasped. “Oh, my God!”

  “Who is it?” Dezi asked. “I’ve never seen him before.”

  “It’s Sammy’s new boyfriend,” she whispered. She turned his head, facing her. “It’s really Tony. Why would he be here?”

  “The most likely explanation is because Tony got the information from Sammy.”

  She looked up at Dezi. “Sammy’s gonna be devastated.”

  Dezi kept his opinion to himself on that issue. It was all too possible Sammy was involved. In which case, Sammy would be more than devastated when he was found
out.

  “You’re hurt!” She reached up to cover several red welts on his chest.

  He glanced down and shrugged. “They’re nothing. I wasn’t exactly geared up for a fight like that.”

  She smiled, her hand slipping across the red marks, lowering her head to kiss first one and then another.

  He felt his body react. And his boxers were suddenly more than a little tight. He groaned. “Keep that up and you know where you’ll end up?”

  “Exactly where I want to be,” she said. “Wrapped around you.” She chuckled, and then her gaze landed on the man on the floor, and she frowned. “But not while this asshat is here.”

  Dezi picked up the unconscious man and carried him to the kitchen. He sat him on a kitchen chair and, using zap straps again, secured him to the chair. Quickly retrieving his phone from outside, he contacted Vince.

  “What’s up?” Vince said. “I’m not far away. I came early to check out the area.”

  “Perfect as we just had an intruder,” Dezi said. “Appears to be Sammy’s boyfriend.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Both of us are,” he said. “And this asshole can fight. Dressed all in black with a full face mask. But there’s no doubt who he is—or who he is pretending to be. Diamond has met him.”

  “I’m on my way,” Vince said.

  Dezi turned to look at Diamond. “Vince is close and will be here soon.”

  She gave him a crestfallen look.

  He frowned. “What’s the matter?”

  “I was admiring the view,” she said teasingly. “If he’s coming, chances are, you’ll want to get dressed again.”

  He glanced down, realized he was still in his boxers, his very revealing boxers, and groaned. “Yes, I’m getting dressed.” He looked at the guy in front of him and frowned. “Would you mind getting my clothes from the pool area? Even though he’s tied up, I don’t want to leave him.”

  She gave Dezi a bright smile. “If I have to.”

  He rolled his eyes at her, loving the lighthearted teasing. And she disappeared onto the back patio.

  He waited for her to come back. When she didn’t, he bolted for the French doors and looked out. There was no sign of her. He ran around the pathway and the pool area. As he came back to the glass doors he’d exited from, he realized she was gone.

  Someone had taken her.

  Their intruder hadn’t come alone. When he’d had a chance, he’d snatched Diamond and taken off.

  Chapter 8

  Diamond glared at the man currently with her in the back of the van. He had picked her up from her backyard, cut off her air so she couldn’t scream, thrown her over his shoulder and then dumped her inside this vehicle, promptly stuffing something in her mouth and binding her hands behind her.

  She hadn’t listened to Dezi’s warning about securing the back gate to prohibit letting strangers in. But Dezi was right. Just because her house had security didn’t mean she shouldn’t have had more security along the outdoor perimeter. It just never occurred to her that somebody would do this.

  By now she knew Dezi would be all over her disappearance, but it was too late. The van she was in already careened down a street.

  When the vehicle tore around a corner, she rolled around the back of the van with nothing for her to hang on to. Just the two men, the driver and the man who’d kidnapped her, were in the van. But she had no clue who these guys were. The one who had taken her smiled at her, but his gaze was on her breasts. She wasn’t wearing a bra or her slip, so the dress itself was very see-through.

  Fear quaked through her, not knowing what the hell was going on. With something jammed into her mouth, she didn’t think she’d get much chance to ask questions. Then she had to wonder how long these assholes had been on her property. How long had they watched Dezi and her before sending in Tony? Had they seen her and Dezi at their most private moments? She hoped not. Then she realized likely not because making love in the pool made her and Dezi the most vulnerable for this kidnapping event. But they didn’t attack then.

  Suddenly the driver hit the brakes, and she rolled over, hitting the side of the van.

  “Watch the fuck out, will you?” her kidnapper roared at the driver.

  “That vehicle in front of us,” the driver said, “I think it’s one of the guys. He’s got me blocked in now.”

  She grinned. The van was stopped. She wasn’t sure if it was because of Dezi, or maybe Vince, because he was on the way. And then the thought crossed her mind it could be someone else altogether.

  Her kidnapper moved up to the front of the van and slipped into the passenger seat. “Jump a curb or something.”

  “They got retaining walls here next to the sidewalks. See? And cars parked on the street. And a fire hydrant right there. I ain’t got room to jump no curb.”

  She glanced around the back of the van, looked for a weapon, a way to get free. She managed to slip her arms underneath her bum to get them in front of her, while the two idiots in the front seat argued with each other. Her hands were still tied together with some kind of a rag. So her hands weren’t free, but her legs weren’t tied up …

  And neither was the rear van door locked. She scooted to the end, opened the back door and bolted outside to the pavement. She ran to the front of the van as the kidnapper jumped from the passenger seat into the back. Holding up her tied hands, still with the rag in her mouth, she ran as fast as she could toward the vehicle parked crossways in front of the van.

  Her kidnapper followed her, but he was too late. Vince hopped out of the driver’s seat and opened his arms. She flung herself into them, crying and choking. He pulled the rag from her mouth. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded. The van doors slammed behind them, and the driver hit Reverse, white smoke coming from the tires as it raced backward up the street. Then he hit the brakes.

  Vince said, “Get inside, and just stay here.”

  She shot him a look but got in. He got in as well. He drove forward slowly.

  “Why aren’t they moving?”

  “Because Dezi is behind them. And you can bet he’s after any asshole he can get his hands on. He needs to know you’re alive and well. But not too quickly. Because that man is hell on wheels if he thinks someone he cares about could get hurt.”

  She understood what Vince meant. “I don’t want him to kill anyone.”

  Vince nodded. “He’ll only kill those who need it, and only if he can’t find another way.”

  Suddenly both men bolted from the van, one going left, one going right, disappearing into the neighboring houses’ backyards.

  She cried out, “Go, go, go. Go after one of them.”

  They watched Dezi head to the right. Vince ran off to the left. And the vehicles, all three of them, were abandoned, left in the middle of the road.

  She untied her hands with the help of her teeth, slid over to the driver’s side of Vince’s vehicle and locked all the doors. She didn’t know what the hell to do beyond that. She didn’t have her phone, so she couldn’t call for help, but no way would she let that van disappear. Not after this. Locked inside, she waited.

  *

  Dezi dug into the grass with each stride. He’d seen the guy take a right around the back. That was good enough for Dezi. He’d thrown on his jeans, and that was it. He was out here barefoot and didn’t give a damn. No way in hell he would let either of these assholes get away. He wanted at least one of them in his hands so he could choke the life out of him for kidnapping Diamond.

  He’d seen Diamond in Vince’s truck and had caught the blur of Vince bolting in the opposite direction after the other guy. That was great. Dezi could hope she was unhurt, but he wouldn’t get the chance to stop and ask. Not yet.

  He jumped the fence that loomed in front of him with a single leap. He could see the driver vaulting over another fence. Dezi picked up his speed, steeplechased over that one and kept going. This would be an endurance test. He jumped two more fences before he saw the guy turning to
see if Dezi was still behind him. Realizing Dezi was gaining on him, the asshole let out a cry, missed a step and flung face-first into a patio.

  Dezi was on him in an instant. He didn’t give him a chance to flee a second time. He lifted him up and dropped him hard onto the cement. Then he grabbed his wrists together and held then with one hand while he ripped the guy’s T-shirt down his arms and used that to bind his wrists. This guy wasn’t going anywhere.

  Somebody from inside a nearby house appeared and called out, “Hey, what’s going on?”

  “Call the police,” Dezi said. “This guy kidnapped a woman from her backyard.”

  Thankfully the home owner appeared to understand and bolted back inside.

  At that moment the man woke up underneath him and tried to struggle to his feet. Dezi gave him a hard clip across the top of his head, and he went down once more, and this time he stayed down.

  What Dezi really wanted was to get back to Diamond, so he could make sure she was safe. He’d left the first guy tied up in her house, and the best he could hope for was that Vince had picked up the other asshole. But Dezi would have to cart this guy if Dezi wanted to ensure Diamond was okay.

  He ripped off the guy’s tennis shoes and used his shoelaces to tie his ankles together. Then he picked up the unconscious man and threw him over his shoulder.

  The homeowner came back out, crying, “Where are you going with him?”

  Dezi said, “The next block over on this side. When the cops get here, send them over there. The woman who was kidnapped is there, and I have to get back to her to make sure nobody took her again. We’ve got three kidnappers involved.”

  The man stared at him, but Dezi couldn’t waste time. With one asshole over his shoulder, Dezi jogged down the block and turned at the corner. As he got closer, Diamond stepped from Vince’s vehicle and ran toward Dezi. He wrapped an arm around her, holding her close, even as he held the kidnapper over his shoulder.