by Amy Atwell
“It’s roughly the size of a large pear.” She held her hand up, her thumb and fingers curved open to form a large open C. “Like this.”
“So, ten million dollars’ worth of diamonds should be much smaller.”
“It’s not that simple.” Iris riffled the pages for another picture. “You could have an uncut diamond that same size that wouldn’t be worth even one million dollars.”
“How’s that?”
“Until a gem is cut, it’s just another rock. Many have imperfections that will prevent them from ever becoming valuable gems. Some can be cut and polished, but if they don’t have exquisite clarity, then they’ll have a lower value. Each finished gem is judged on its carat weight, cut, clarity and color.”
Mickey scrubbed his face with his hands. The headache was definitely returning. “What color? Diamonds are all clear, aren’t they?”
Iris laughed, this time amused by him. He found he liked the idea of making those lips twist into an unplanned smile. “Diamonds can be classified as white, yellow, blue or pink. When you look closely at them, they have fire inside.”
He scanned the open pages as he reviewed what she’d said. Something needed to add up better than all this. “Why would anyone involve Cosmo in stealing diamonds?”
She shrugged. “Are you sure they’re diamonds?”
“They’re the most valuable gems, right?”
As Iris shook her head, her bronze curls cast a riot of fiery light. “Too plentiful, over-mined. The real money is in rare colors of emeralds or sapphires or…” Her voice trailed off and she tapped her lower lip with her index finger.
Now there was a look he liked. Then he noted her furrowed brow. She retrieved the book and flipped some more pages before setting it back down again. “Or, if you’re looking for a reason to tie in Cosmo, there’s always alexandrite.”
“Alexandrite? What’s that?”
She pointed to two pictures showing a green rock and a red rock. “That’s alexandrite. It’s arguably the highest priced gemstone on earth. Well-cut gems of the highest quality could sell for as much as a million dollars per carat.”
Mickey studied the pictures. “It comes in red or green?”
“The stones are red and green. Alexandrite has an interesting property. The stones look green by daylight, but if you put them under incandescent lighting, they turn red. Those pictures are of the same stone.”
“Now there’s a trick I’d like to see.”
“It’s not a trick of the eye. It’s a property inherent to the chemical makeup of the stone.”
“Why haven’t I ever heard of alexandrite before?”
“It’s very rare. The initial find was in the Ural Mountains of Russia in the mid-nineteenth century. A selection of the stones was presented to the Romanov family and named for their son Alexander.”
“Romanov, as in—”
“The Russian czars, until Nicholas II and his family were put to death by the Bolsheviks. Alexandrite, once prized in Russia, went out of fashion.” Iris shrugged. “This wasn’t that big a deal, since after the initial expedition, there was precious little of it ever found. Some alexandrite was mined in Brazil back in the 1980s, but nowhere near the quality of the original Russian stones.”
“So, ten million in alexandrite would be very easy to carry or conceal.”
Iris nodded.
“And Cosmo knew all this history?”
She nodded again. “Because of my mother’s Russian heritage, Czarist alexandrite was a bedtime story for me. Mom told me over and over about how one set of ten jewels were all cut from a single alexandrite stone by one of our ancestors. The jewels were given to Alexander II and placed into a new crown, but the crown was never used. I guess it was a myth.”
“Myth?” Mickey pierced her with his gaze.
“There’s never been any proof the story is true, but Mom always believed in it.”
Mickey downed his drink, conscious that his headache was gone. At last things were beginning to fall into place. Of course, if he hadn’t been so interested in Iris, he might have seen the problem from this angle long before now. The magician hadn’t been some happenchance choice—Cosmo’s bosses had a motive in hiring him to move the gems.
Cosmo knew about alexandrite from his Russian wife; he possibly had connections over there. And Mickey knew the magician had flown back from St. Petersburg three nights before.
Mickey started to rise when he heard a telephone trill. Iris lurched to her feet, reaching up to touch her hair as if to be sure everything was as it should be. She faltered a moment when she realized her pins were gone and her hair down.
“Excuse me,” she said before hurrying toward the kitchen. He waited, and his silence was soon rewarded. “Hi…No, I’m here and everything is fine…What?”
During the lengthy pause, Mickey had to force himself to remain seated.
“I just found out today…Well, shocked, really…Oh, now he didn’t kill anyone—even the police said they didn’t think he was responsible. It’s just that the body was in his car, so naturally they want to question him, only he seems to have disappeared.”
The ragged breath she drew told him in an instant she needed someone on her side. “And there’s something else you should know, something I just learned. Cosmo committed bigamy, and he had two other families…Yes, I have two younger half sisters.”
The tone of defeat in her voice tugged at him. Mickey rose, ill at ease with eavesdropping on even half her conversation with the noble if clueless David. Still, he crept toward the doorway to watch her. Why did she always sound like she was apologizing to the guy?
“No, of course I didn’t know anything about them. I’m still trying to fathom how he kept this secret from all three of us for so many years.”
There was another pause, but he noted that she squared her shoulders.
“It’s awkward for you?” This time, her brittle laugh about shattered Mickey. “You might have given me at least thirty seconds of sympathy before you brought the campaign into it…No, I don’t think we will discuss it over dinner. I don’t think I even want to see you tonight.” With a sigh, her voice eased. “David, it’s been a long day, what with the police, Cosmo’s two other daughters—”
The jewel thief in my living room, Mickey finished the thought for her. He backed away to survey the living room, dotted with the remnants of Iris’s casual striptease, their drinks, the telltale indentations on the sofa where they’d sat, and willfully suppressed the urge to clean things up. It was best for her to continue to think of him as a bad guy.
Best for them both.
She returned, composed and collected. The façade was well constructed, but he wondered how much it cost her. “Are we about done here?”
“Yeah.” He set down his drink. “Is he coming over?”
She eyed him but let the invasiveness of his question slide. “No.”
“Because I could help you pick up, make it look like I was never here.”
Iris wished it were that easy. Sure, she could clear away all physical traces of him, and David would never suspect a hot thief had visited her. It would be much harder to prevent Mickey’s sexy image from haunting these rooms. She should never have allowed him in here.
Wait, she hadn’t let him in. He’d broken in. Hot or no, the guy was still a criminal, and she’d be crazy to trust him.
“That’s not necessary.”
He got the hint. “Thanks for the lesson. I’ll call you as soon as I have some word on Cosmo.”
“Thanks.” She followed him to the door, but paused as he took her hand. The way his charismatic eyes held hers, and those lips—they curved in an invitation. His fingers tightened on her arms, and she knew the momentary triumph of an impending kiss.
An abrupt knock made them both freeze.
Mickey raised his brow at her, and Iris shrugged. Standing on tiptoe, she peered through the peephole. Cosmo’s two other daughters stood in the hall.
Peachy.
She looked sidelong at Mickey. “I don’t suppose you can climb out a window?”
He didn’t answer, merely nudged her aside to look through the peephole himself. “Wow, are those your sisters?”
She pushed him out of the way and opened the door to glare at the women. “What do you want?”
Corazon’s brow immediately furrowed, and her eyes took on an adversarial glint.
But Allie smoothed things over with a smile. “We wanted to talk. Please, Iris.”
“Why don’t you ladies come in,” Mickey said with a sweep of his arm. “I was just leaving.”
“Are you David?” Allie tilted her head to look at him.
“How do you know about David?” Iris asked, feeling that more than her home was being invaded by these two.
Corazon pushed over the threshold waving a handful of paper like a weapon. “First, your engagement is listed on this. Second, we’ve been down at your shop. Once Ginny found out we were your sisters, she told us your whole life story.”
“Oh, jeez.” Iris leaned back against the open door. She’d crafted a sensible adult life with the same skill and artistry she’d use for any new piece of jewelry. How could her hard work come crashing down upon her all in one day?
Allie still stood in the doorway, studying Mickey’s face. “You’re not, are you? David, I mean.”
He held out his hand to her. “Mickey Kincaid. I’m Iris’s cousin.”
“On my mother’s side,” Iris added.
“Well don’t get all snitty about it.” Cory shook hands with Mickey, too. “Cory Fortune and this is Allie. We’re Iris’s half sisters.”
“So I gathered. She’s been telling me about it.”
Cory leaned forward to whisper to him. “Is she always this bitchy?”
Mickey smiled. “She’s had a rough day.”
“Haven’t we all?”
Iris resented the sarcasm. More than that, she resented that the other woman had any right to judge her. Grabbing Mickey’s sleeve, she tugged him into the hall. “Sorry you have to leave, cousin.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow, Rissie. Sooner if I find Uncle Cosmo.” He bent down to kiss her cheek.
Iris didn’t move away fast enough. The roughness of his five o’clock shadow melted as the warmth of his lips on her skin tingled all the way down her body. Everything about this guy was so wrong, what made his kisses feel so right?
His jaw was set in a hard line as he withdrew from her, and she thought she spied a tic in his cheek, as if he were irritated about something. Maybe the interruption by the other women. She was annoyed by it, too.
God, she was in such trouble. She should be thanking these women for saving her from the biggest mistake of her life. Sad to let pheromones or whatever tempt her into doing something stupid, something she’d regret.
Still, there was no denying the regret she experienced as Mickey walked down the hall. He never even looked back, leaving her alone to face Cosmo’s other daughters.
She refused to think of them as sisters.
Chapter Five
When Iris reentered her apartment, she found Cory holding her discarded high heel sling-backs by two fingers. With a quirked brow, the brunette appraised her. “Does David know about Mickey?”
“I told you, Mickey’s my cousin.”
“And I’m the Queen Mother.” Cory scanned the living room. “It looks like your cousin barely got you in the door before you started shedding clothes. Or did that happen after you shared a drink?”
Allie stifled a giggle. “Don’t judge, Cory.” Her reprimand sounded more like a divine pronouncement. She turned glowing tawny eyes on Iris. “Be careful.”
Heat rushed to Iris’s face at this unwarranted advice and, to hide it, she stalked over to the chair where she’d draped her suit jacket. Gathering command of herself, she returned to take her shoes from Cory. “Did you two come here to tag-team me on my personal life? Because it’s none of your damn business.”
The brunette surrendered the heels. “We came here because you didn’t come to your shop. Believe me, I’d much prefer to be having this conversation at some centrally located restaurant.”
“Why should we have any conversation at all? I don’t want to know you.” Iris turned to include the blonde. “Either of you.”
Allie’s smile fell, and Iris experienced a swift slap of regret. Tough. Miss Sunshine there will have to learn the world isn’t all rainbows. Iris made a beeline for the front door. “Now, I’ve had a rather long day, so if you two could le—” A sudden jerk to her arm stopped her. She turned, prepared to do battle with that acidic brunette.
But it was Allie who had her by the arm and towered over her by a good four inches. Iris glanced down at the blonde’s sneakers. Determined to regain the upper hand, she marshaled her features into her most intimidating mask. “I’d let go of me if I were you, or I’ll—”
“You’ll what?” Allie said with a surprisingly harsh laugh. “I’ve got a black belt in Aikido, I run five miles a day, and I’m the UNLV women’s kickboxing champion. Do you really want to take me on, sis?”
“Why don’t we all sit down?” Cory asked with infuriating calm.
Iris shook off Allie’s grip. “Cosmo may have fathered all of us, but that doesn’t make me your sister.” She thought the barb would penetrate like the last one, but the blonde had steeled herself against such verbal mocking.
“Fine.” Allie tossed her head like a wild horse unwilling to be bridled, her eyes still hard and brilliant. “Just sit down and talk to us.”
“Why?” Iris practically growled in her frustration.
“Justin thinks that between the three of us, we might be able to piece together what Daddy was up to, or at least where he’s hiding.”
It took Iris a moment to gather that Justin was Detective Hunter. She looked over at Cory, who’d already taken a seat on the sofa.
Cory lifted her brows in silent agreement that using the cop’s first name was a bad sign. “Detective Hunter may be right.”
“I’m sure of it,” Allie said, sitting beside Cory. “I know about Daddy’s magic act, Cory knows about his gambling habits, and Iris, you know—”
Nothing. Iris sank into a chair, dropping her shoes and jacket to the floor beside her. She was suddenly very unsure of herself and resented the hell out of it. Here were two women who’d grown up with Cosmo’s love. Either of them probably knew him better than she did.
Allie’s nose twitched in thought. “What do you know about him?”
Iris contemplated both their expectant faces and stifled the urge to guzzle the remains of her gin and tonic. “I know he’s a charming liar who can disappear like that.” She snapped her fingers. “He was forever dreaming up crazy schemes that would make our family rich.”
“Only none of them ever succeeded.” Cory nodded. “Yeah, Papa is a dreamer.”
“I love that about him,” Allie said with a smile that softened her features.
“Me, too,” Cory agreed.
Cosmo had certainly snowed both of them. But Iris found she couldn’t voice any dissent for the lump in her throat.
“Did Papa teach you about gems and jewelry?” the brunette asked.
Iris brushed her hair back from her eyes. “No. The jewelry business was my mother’s. She was a true artist.”
Allie scanned the still-open book on the coffee table before looking up. “I take it she’s gone?”
“She died eight years ago in a car accident.”
Allie nodded. “Lying Eyes, that’s a great name for the shop. The jewelry is beautiful.”
Despite herself, Iris felt a wave of pride.
“You’re lucky to have your own business,” Cory added. “What I wouldn’t give to not have to clock in on someone else’s schedule.”
“Where do you work?” Iris asked the question before she remembered that she wasn’t participating in this conversation.
“The Venetian. I’m a dealer there.”
&
nbsp; “Did Cosmo teach you to cheat at cards?” Allie asked.
Cory grinned. “He did. Not that I’d ever do it at work.”
Allie pantomimed dealing. “Yeah, he taught me how to palm cards as soon as I could handle shuffling. He said it was only for the magic act, never for the casinos.”
“I was never any good at it,” Iris admitted. “Eventually he gave up on me.”
“But you’ve got other talents,” Allie said. “Your jewelry designs are amazing.”
Another wave of warmth washed over her. “What do you do? I mean, when you’re not kicking the hell out of someone?”
Allie laughed. “Sorry, I’m normally very nonaggressive. I’m a graduate student in kinesiology at UNLV, but I really hope to become a veterinarian one day. Right now, I’m a stage assistant over at MGM.”
“Cool,” Cory said.
Allie shrugged. “I used to help Daddy, but he told me I needed to move on.”
Another spark of jealousy singed Iris. Cosmo had never tried to include her in his work. Now it was obvious he hadn’t needed to. He’d had other daughters to train. She turned back to business. “So, did Detective Hunter give you any idea of what we should be sharing with each other? I’d rather not be up all night.”
“He wasn’t specific,” Allie said. “But when he suggested it, I thought maybe there were things we’d be willing to tell each other that we’re not ready to share with the police.” Her gaze dropped again to the book on the coffee table.
Iris leaned back into the cushions of her chair. Let the blonde look. Iris wasn’t sharing anything with them until she was ready.
“He’s right,” Cory said. “I think between us we may have the information we need to find Papa. Maybe even help him.”
“And what makes you think that?” Iris said.
She twisted her hands in her lap. “He told me as much when I saw him this afternoon.”
***
Marko Gorseyev adjusted himself in the tight-fitting airport chair. His brother Viktor made a similar rustling next to him. Hell, they were like two matronly hens trying to settle on their nests. Marko doubted Viktor would find the comparison amusing, so he didn’t share it.
