Soft rain droplets settled on her head and her shoulders. The rain that had fallen overnight was a glistening paradise for the birds as they pulled worms out of the soft earth. The air was crisp against her face and soon she felt like she was the only woman alive. She was in a zone where there were no problems. No pressures, and no threats.
She ran on promising herself she would do this more often even if she was followed.
The crooks needed her alive until the job was done, she was sure she was not in physical danger from them at the moment.
She rounded the halfway mark, avoiding the Harlem hills with their steep sudden rises. She didn't need to face them now when her fitness levels were so low.
Chapter Fourteen
Gretel walked the last fifteen minutes to bring her heart rate down. When her apartment building came into view, she noticed the same white SUV that had been parked outside her building before.
Then she saw one of the men get out and walk into the park. Was he just going to one of the park’s public restrooms?
What was he doing?
She followed him, staying back so she could keep herself behind passersby and trees wherever she could. Then she saw him sit down on the seat next to another man. They were talking.
The other man looked familiar.
She had to get a better look. Gretel stopped a woman walking two small dogs in a stroller. “Excuse me, I think I see my ex-boyfriend over there and I want to keep a wide berth. I forgot my phone—could I quickly borrow yours? I just want to zoom in and see if it's him. Would you mind?”
She chuckled. “I know what you mean. I don't mind at all.” She handed her phone over.
“Thanks so much! I'm ever so grateful.” She pressed the camera app and zoomed in.
There was no doubt.
It was Ryan Castle.
She handed the phone back to the woman. “Thanks.”
“Is it him?”
“Sure is.”
The woman giggled. “No worries.” She took her phone and kept walking, leaving Gretel standing there wondering what to do.
Gretel stepped back onto the grass put her back against a tree and found herself sliding to the ground.
What was going on?
Ryan Castle had organized this group of men to get that diamond and he was using her to do it. That meant he was responsible for kidnapping her sister. This was personal. She wanted to take him down. He ruined her life once and now he was trying to destroy it. He clearly thought he was better than her, or as good.
She held her head as thoughts collided with one another.
No, he was just trying to make her the puppet to do his bidding. Now she was glad she told the FBI and she wouldn't rest until she saw Ryan Castle was behind bars. That's where he belonged. He had no morals no scruples. There was once such a thing as honor among thieves, but there was no honor with Ryan.
Ryan Castle was ruthless.
She picked herself up, dusted the dirt from her tights and walked away. When she got to her building, the doorman said hello and gave her a funny look. “I don’t remember you coming out this morning.”
“It was early, before your shift started.”
He smiled and nodded as she hurried past him making her way to the elevator.
The moment she was inside the safety of her apartment she called Jack to tell him who she’d seen. He didn’t answer, so she left a message that she had to see him urgently.
It was seven-thirty when someone knocked on her door. She’d just finished a smoothie she’d made for herself. She placed the glass in the sink and then, still in her running gear, she headed over to see who it was.
In the monitor’s screen, Jack’s handsome face met her eyes.
Somehow she knew it was him before she’d even gotten to the door.
Flinging the door open, she said, “You’ll never guess what I found out.”
He pulled his eyebrows together. “What?”
“Ryan Castle is in it with the men who’ve got Hazel.”
“Your boyfriend?”
“He’s not, and you know that.”
He stepped through the doorway rubbing his chin as though he was in deep thought.
Anger welled up within Gretel. “Can’t you just grab him and beat it out of him?”
“Beat what out of him?”
“He's not my boyfriend. Why must you always say that?” The moment she snapped at him, she regretted it. It was too late to take it back. Jack had done so much for her, more than anyone of late. She answered his last question.
“Beat out of him where Hazel is. He must know. He’s the mastermind of the whole thing. He’s got to be. I could tell by the body language of him and the other man.”
Jack didn’t seem bothered by her sudden outburst. Instead of being upset by her raised voice, he put his hand on her arm. “What happened? Let’s sit down and you can tell me.” Jack walked further into her apartment and guided Gretel to the couch.
She sat down, thankful that one of them was calm and levelheaded. Normally she was, but not when someone was threatening the life of her sister. “I went running today in the park and that SUV was parked outside my apartment building. When I was finished with my run and heading back, I noticed one of the men got out of the vehicle. I followed him from a distance. At first I thought he was heading to use a restroom, but then I saw him sit down on a park bench. Then I saw the man he sat next to was Castle.”
“Are you sure?”
“I'm positive. I wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t one hundred and ten percent positive. And don’t tell me there’s no such thing as over one hundred percent.”
His jaw clenched. “I wasn’t going to.”
She exhaled hastily. “What are you going to do?”
“Give me a moment. It's a lot to take in.” He walked over to the window and looked down at the street below.
“If it's a lot for you to take in, can you imagine how it is for me?”
“The only thing I can see to defuse this situation is that we’ll have to get the auction moved to a different city. The auction house has another branch on the west coast.”
“No, don't do that. That’ll never work. They’ll know it's something to do with me. They’ll just kill Hazel. Anyway, what’ll stop them from making me go to the west coast? I’ve traveled all over the world.”
“We’re working on tracking down those men. We found out that the bullet matched a bullet used by a Colombian man, from a drug cartel.”
Gretel was quiet for a moment. “It doesn’t make sense. Don’t they make millions? Why would they be interested in diamonds?”
“It’s a one of a kind diamond, Gretel. They’re used to taking what they want and not paying for it. Maybe Ryan Castle is part of this cartel too, if you think he’s involved.”
Gretel sighed. “Anything is possible. Ryan's in it with them or organizing them. We both thought Castle was an opportunist.”
“I'm seeing him as something very different.”
She nodded. “I'm seeing him differently too. I already knew he was a ruthless killer when he tried to kill me that time. I didn’t know he had anything to do with drugs.” Their eyes locked. “Do you have any idea where they've got her?”
“We soon will have, next time they call you. We’ll be ready for him. We should be able to pinpoint the call next time. Make sure you ask to speak to Hazel each and every time they call.”
“I will.”
“Good.”
He made a call, walking close to the window and looking out. Then he ended the call and walked back to Gretel. “We’re watching that vehicle parked outside, and the men in it. Let’s go and get you hooked up.”
“To what?”
“Not you, the cell phone they gave you. We’ll need to examine it and put a trace on it. Have they called you more than once?”
“No.”
He looked her up and down. “Are you wearing that today?”
She looked down at her running gear. “N
o. I’ll need to have a quick shower and change. Can you wait?”
“Looks like I’ll have to.”
“I can drive myself in.”
He shook his head. “Not after what happened to you last night and who you saw this morning.”
“I’ll be super quick.”
“You’d better be.”
As she got dressed, she regretting getting the FBI involved. Those men were watching her and they knew she spoke to Jack every day. Kent could’ve done what they were doing with the phone. She hadn’t been thinking straight ever since she and her family had been threatened.
After her shower, she chose a navy blue tunic dress and low heels. It was kind of drab compared to what she usually wore, but today, that’s exactly how she felt—drab. Mindful that Jack was waiting impatiently, she applied the minimum amount of makeup and left off her eyelashes altogether, choosing a lick of mascara instead.
Before she went out to join Jack again, she quickly called Kent and told him what was going on.
Kent replied with a barrage of instructions. “I need to know what they're doing. I'm going to text you a piece of computer code and another text with instructions to memorize where it goes on Jack’s hard drive. Write it down if you have to. From there, I should be able to find out all I need.”
“You want me to put something into his computer, something like spy-ware?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I hope I don’t mess things up.”
“You won’t. It’s too important.”
“It’ll be compromising my position there.”
“Too late for that, isn't it?”
She had to do it if she wanted to see Hazel again. “Thanks, Kent. I didn't expect this to happen. It’s my worst nightmare.”
“I need to know what they're planning. I want Hazel back too. This is the only way I know to help.”
“You’re right and I've got a feeling the agency isn’t going to keep me in the loop. They are too worried I'll go rogue on them.”
“Sending the code now.”
She felt the phone vibrate in her hands. She looked down and opened the text. “I’ll never remember that.”
“Write it down.”
Then another text arrived. “And write that down. You can't risk taking a burner cell phone with you.”
“I know. I wouldn’t even think of it. I'll do it.”
“How much longer, Gretel?” Jack called out.
Gretel ended her call to Kent. “Nearly ready,” she called back. Then she wrote down all the instructions on a small slip of paper and tucked it into her bra.
She hid the phone in her bathroom vanity on the ledge behind the sink. No one would ever find it there, she hoped.
“This better?” she asked Jack when she walked out into the living room.
He looked up from his cell phone. “Much better.” He stood up. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Fifteen
Gretel sat quietly while Jack drove. Now that the FBI was involved and her sister’s life was at stake, everything was different.
Had none of these things taken place, would she have been truly tempted by the purple diamond? For over fifty million dollars, her answer was a definite yes. She was sure she could’ve come up with a good plan. Now that hope would forever be gone. The fact that she and Jack were going to be part of the security team was something that had fallen into her lap, but once again Ryan Castle had ruined things.
How she hated that man for involving Hazel.
Half an hour later, Gretel was ushered into a small room while a man she hadn’t seen before examined the phone given to her by the crooks. He took it apart, hooked it up to his computer, put it back together and gave it to Gretel.
“What do I have to do?” Gretel asked.
“Just keep the phone on. Next time they call, keep them talking for as long as you can.”
“I will.”
Jack said, “Keep the phone with you at all times.” Jack turned to Steve, the man who’d done the work on the phone. “Thanks.” Jack stood and gave Steve a pat on his shoulder, the way men do. Then Jack looked at Gretel, and gave her nod telling her it was time to go.
Gretel rose to her feet. “Thanks, Steve.”
“Not a problem.”
After Gretel put the phone in her Saint Laurent carry-all, she stepped out of the room with Jack and then his cell phone sounded. He answered it abruptly and then ended the call just as quickly.
“They’re ready for us,” he told her.
“Who is?”
“The meeting we’ve been waiting for.”
“Oh, yes. I’m sorry. My brain is scrambled lately.”
“You’ll have to pull yourself together. These men need every confidence in you and in me to agree with my plan.”
Gretel inhaled deeply. “I’ll be fine. Trust me.”
He frowned at her. “Where have I heard that before?”
“You can.”
“Hmm. If you don’t feel confident, Gretel, just fake it.”
She nodded. “I can do that.”
“I thought you had nerves of steel.”
“Hey, I’m human, all right? I have feelings … my sister … remember?”
“Good to know, and it’s your sister we’re all working hard to rescue.”
“Thanks, Jack. I don’t mean to give you a hard time.”
He looked her up and down. “At least you look the part.”
She smiled, taking that as a compliment.
Soon, she and Jack were in a meeting room with a large cherry-toned table taking center stage. She’d never been in this part of the building before.
“Have a seat,” Jack whispered to her.
As soon as she sat down, two men walked in followed by two men that she recognized belonging to the FBI.
The first two men were introduced as being high-level staff of the auction house, Andrew Pettigrew and Sturgess Langford. The third man looked like a heavyweight wrestler. He was Gunther Wall, head of security.
And, he’s as big as a wall, Gretel thought.
After the introductions were over, one of the FBI agents was the first to speak. “We’ve filled Andrew and Sturgess in on what’s happened. They’ve consulted with the owner of the Purple Promise and he’s happy to put a halt to the auction.”
“But,” Gunther said, “The owner informs us he’ll be guided by the FBI, as long as he has a guarantee that his diamond will be safe.”
Gretel knew there were no guarantees in life and no law enforcement agency could make that guarantee.
“What we can guarantee,” Jack said, “is that the Purple Promise won’t be in any more danger now that we know who we’re dealing with. In fact, if the auction goes ahead, there’ll be more security now.”
Gretel sat still and looked down at the shiny table. Did Jack mean he knew the men involved, beyond knowing about Ryan? She looked up to see Sturgess and Andrew staring at each other, each trying to gauge what the other was thinking.
“We’ll talk to him again. He might be happy with that,” Sturgess said. “He did want it sold sooner rather than later, and the buyers have already traveled to New York for the auction.”
“Every effort will be made. The diamond will be safe.”
Jack had said it with so much conviction that even Gretel half believed him. He had to have a plan. What she didn’t like was that the plan involved her. She hated it when she wasn’t in control.
“We’ll keep you informed every step of the way.”
“Just let us know what you need,” Gunther said.
“Thank you. We will.”
Andrew looked over at Gretel and offered half a smile. Sturgess and Gunther had barely made eye contact with her even when they were introduced. She couldn’t blame them, not really. They’d know who she was and what she’d done. Still, if the FBI now accepted her, they could’ve been a little more polite.
When they all left, Gretel and Jack remained seated. Then Jack moved from the end of the t
able to sit next to her.
“What we need is a plan. We need these men to believe you’re actually going to steal this diamond. We’ll give you a fake one to give them and then we’ll—”
“No! Uh-uh.” She shook her head emphatically.
Jack stared at her in disbelief.
“We’re not risking Hazel’s life. As soon as they see that the stone is a fake, they’ll kill her.”
“Ah, but what we’re going to do is have you insist that you give them the diamond when they bring Hazel to you. You’ll have the diamond, and you’ll have the power.”
“No.” She shook her head. “They’ll have the power because even though I’ll have the diamond, they’ve got Hazel. I can’t risk telling them what to do.”
“You’ll have to. You’ll have to bluff them. Don’t be defeated before you even begin.”
She stared at him, a little shocked that his attitude had become so forceful. There was nothing else for it. She’d have to figure out a way to give those crooks the diamond, but to save Hazel’s life for real, would she have to give them the real Purple Promise?
Chapter Sixteen
“Remember that we heard a whisper of something about the Shadow gang some weeks ago?” Jack asked Gretel.
“I was thinking of that this morning just after I woke up.”
Jack continued, “'The Shadows,' someone called them. They steal from people who’ve stolen. Do you think that it’s these people? They aren’t exactly following their usual MO here.”
“I thought these guys were drug dealers?”
“They could have their hands in a few pies. With drugs comes money laundering. It’s unavoidable.”
“Each time my life has gotten out of control, that creep’s been involved.”
Jack raised his eyebrows.
“And, he’s not my boyfriend. Don’t even go there.”
“I wasn’t. It didn’t enter my mind … this time.”
“You’ve got something figured out?” Gretel asked, hoping.
Controlled (Gretel Koch Jewel Thief Book 2) Page 8
