by Jean Oram
Logan had known Ginger would head for the hills once she saw the real him. And how amateur was he to have let her walk in on him while he’d been recording documents for headquarters? It wasn't much, what he’d found. But compiled with everything else, it was enough to start closing in. And now, for the rest of the day, he’d have to keep an eye on her to ensure she didn’t spill any beans or send suspicion his way.
But on a personal level, he knew he’d already lost her.
He was an idiot. He was smarter than to actually believe she’d truly fallen for a version of himself that was sustainable. And yet, like a fool, he’d still gone ahead and cared for her. Add in how she’d saved his butt by providing cover in that little office and he’d fallen even harder.
Now she was teetering around the deck with Vito’s wife, Nadia, and Roxie, the wife of Greg, a jewelry designer. Ginger was wearing a bikini top and looked as tasty as the margarita she’d downed. That and vulnerable. Logan really wished she hadn’t had a drink or two.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of Vito’s staff show something to Ted on the sly. A large diamond, Logan would assume, based on the man’s reaction.
Vito and Ted laughed over something and headed down below. Vito nodded to Logan and Greg as he passed, inviting them to join in.
“We all want more profit, right?” Vito said as he herded them all into a private area just below deck. The stateroom was deceptively expansive, even for a yacht, with large, low couches laid out in a circle.
“Sure do,” Ted agreed.
Logan took a seat in his hidden camera’s one blind spot. He’d placed it just above a planter and it took in most of the room, with several microphones picking up sound.
“My dream is to take out those greedy middlemen,” Vito said. “How much do you think they scrape off your profits?” he asked Ted.
The retailer frowned and shook his head. “A lot.”
“It’s an outrage! I own a mine in Africa and we produce some of the most flawless diamonds in the world. Why shouldn’t I earn more on every stone? Why shouldn’t you?” He scooted forward, dumping a small bag of cut gems into a tray on the coffee table in front of him.
Ted gasped, as did Greg, who then leaned back, rubbing a hand uncertainly over his belly.
Logan acted impressed. The mine produced good diamonds, that he knew. But Vito sure as heck didn’t own it.
“Check them out.” Vito passed each man a stone and a jeweler’s eyepiece.
Logan swapped the eyepiece for his own, which had a camera inside. He inspected the stone, finding its origins untraceable. He couldn’t confirm whether this stone was from the restricted shipment he’d been sent to apprehend.
“You cut them yourself?” he asked.
“That’s been a problem for me so far. I’m hoping Greg could take that over.”
Greg shrugged. “I can set them, but I don’t know a lot about cutting them.”
“I know a guy who might be looking for that kind of work,” Logan said casually, pretending to still study the jewel. He could hear Ginger laughing out on the deck and he forced himself not to look out the room’s upper windows that would give him a view of the sunny deck area’s foot traffic.
“Is he reliable?” Vito asked.
Logan understood the code. Would the man rat them out?
“I’d put my life in his hands and not sweat it,” he answered, looking up and passing the diamond back.
Vito watched him for a moment. “I’d like to meet him then. See a sample of his work, too, of course.”
“Of course. When?”
“Tomorrow. I can’t afford to keep sitting on my inventory. I have costs to cover.”
Problem. Logan didn’t know a guy. However, he could probably round up follow agent Zach to play the part. He’d have to come out of cover to contact him, but that wasn’t much of an issue, seeing as he’d soon need to in order to bring in some manpower to set the trap and subsequent arrest, if Vito was as eager to make a move as it seemed.
“I can do tomorrow,” Logan said. He’d figure something out. He wished Ginger could be further out of the picture so he could set things up, though, have her somewhere safe. But he’d make do. He had before and would again.
“You’re a good man, Logan.” Vito poured each man a glass scotch as he walked about the room. “I envision us with our own production line, controlling the product from mine to finger.” He held up his hand, which sported a ring encrusted with diamonds. “Imagine the profits, men.”
Ted was practically drooling on his shoes.
Outside, Ginger laughed again and Logan looked up, unable to resist the pull.
“Does your new wife want more than you can offer?” Vito asked, pausing beside Logan.
“More than you know,” he said with a sigh.
“Then let’s fix that, shall we?”
Logan looked up with a slight smile, wishing it was that easy.
“I’m in. My fiancée wants a huge house with a pool.” Ted was running his fingers through the diamonds on the tray.
“My wife wants more vacations than I can afford,” Greg added.
“That’s women for you,” Vito said with a smooth smile. He had the men eating out of his hand. “I’m not sure if you’re ready for this kind of volume.”
“Whatever you want me to do, count me in.” Ted was perched at the edge of his seat, smiling like he’d won the lottery, completely clueless that he was jumping into something illegal, providing a cover for a ruthless and deadly man.
The room was quiet for a moment.
“What do we need to do to make this mine-to-finger plan a reality?” Logan asked, pointing to the tray of stones. “These are very nice, by the way.”
Despite the way things were progressing, he was still far from busting the man. He needed uncut diamonds so he could prove their dirty origin and put Vito behind bars. Because once a diamond was cut, it was difficult to prove a thing.
“Here’s my proposal. I supply them,” Vito said. “Your guy cuts them.” He pointed to Logan. “Then you set them,” he said to Greg, who nodded. “Then Logan acts as wholesaler and distribution to Ted and another chain.”
“We don’t need a wholesaler,” Ted said. “Sorry, Logan, but I want your portion of the cut.” He laughed like it was a joke, but Logan could tell he was serious.
“We need someone to handle shipping,” Vito said, his expression stern. “We’re talking big time. Lots of cash tied up in each shipment. We can’t let just anyone handle our volume.” He was clearly irritated by Ted, and Logan had a feeling things could get bad. Fast. “More than your five measly stores can sell.”
“I can expand.”
Vito scowled at Ted before turning to Logan. “You have some big stores in need of wares on your wholesale list?”
He nodded. Ted was frowning, and Logan could tell he didn’t quite get it yet. For a math-lete he was focusing on the wrong numbers, and didn’t see that Logan was actually a cleaner, giving the whole thing a more legit feel, since Ted wouldn’t be able to afford or move the number of diamonds Vito planned on sending down the line.
“So it looks like we have our own independent line,” Logan said, raising his glass.
“To breaking free,” Ted said, raising his own for a toast, eyeing Logan.
The men clinked glasses.
“Do you have any uncut diamonds?” Logan asked. “My friend will want to know what he’s dealing with.”
Vito waved to a man, who brought out a bag. Logan looked them over with his camera eyepiece. Unrestricted channels. These weren’t the diamonds Vito needed to move through a new distribution line.
“They’re nice.”
Ted was leaning back against the couch, no doubt trying to figure out how much he might profit from this new deal. Logan hoped he didn’t go out and buy that McMansion with the pool anytime soon, because the money train he was counting on wasn’t going to leave the station—Logan could personally guarantee it.
; “Are there any from different sources he’ll need to cut?” he asked, dumping the diamonds back in their bag.
Another bag was silently brought out, one of Vito’s men subtly moving his sport jacket aside to show Logan his piece.
Message received.
And as Logan suspected, this bag contained samples of the true mother lode. Smuggled blood diamonds. Restricted from trade and worth a ton to Vito because he likely hadn’t ever paid for them. But someone had. With their blood.
This bag was exactly what was needed to put the man behind bars. However, simply being in possession of them wasn’t what Logan was after. He wanted to catch the thug selling them, making a deal. Take down all the men around Vito—Ted included, if need be—and clean up the current source of blood diamonds.
Logan used his eyepiece to take a few shots, then was careful to swap it with Vito’s before handing it back when he was done studying the stones.
“What kind of profits are we talking about?” Ted asked. His cheeks were flushed from the drinks and, undoubtedly, the excitement.
“Count on a million per shipment. Several times a year.”
Greg swore and fumbled his empty scotch glass. Ted let out a whoop.
“Wow.” Logan sat back.
“I told you it’s wise to cut out the middleman.” Vito grinned.
“I’ll say,” Logan muttered. By his calculations Vito must have enough diamonds in his possession to put him away forever. Plus some.
“I want to start moving ASAP because my inventory isn’t making me any money collecting dust.”
Logan nodded. Sounded good to him. As soon as he tried to make a cash-for-diamonds exchange the cuffs could come out, his mission would be complete and he could figure out how to hang on to his wife. The woman who didn’t want anything to do with him at the moment.
“I’ll see if my friend can make it to town tonight,” Logan said.
Vito smiled. “I like you, Logan. You know how to get a job moving.” He turned to Ted, but said to the room at large, “Just don’t ever cross me and we’ll all get along fine.”
It was a warning Ted waved off. “Trust me, I don’t want to share this with anyone else.”
Ted’s greed was going to get him killed, and his flippant disregard would likely send Vito out for some collateral.
Which meant Logan needed to send Ginger home. Immediately. Vito wasn’t above doing whatever was needed to ensure that his partners kept their end of a bargain, and Ted was playing it fast and loose. And he’d been hanging out with Logan, possibly painting him with the same brush just through association.
As they headed up into the bright sunshine, Logan noted that Vito’s guards were now armed. It was subtle but noticeable. They had revealed their cards and were displaying the fact that they were serious about protecting their hand.
To Logan’s right, Nadia and Roxie were laughing with Ginger.
So innocent. So unaware.
Ginger glanced his way and he felt the power of her gaze hit him in the gut. That and the hurt lingering in her eyes. He knew she’d known he was not the man he’d said he was, but she’d expected something better than what she’d found and her look said it all.
She excused herself as Ted tumbled onto the bench beside his fiancée. The man had loose lips and was a danger to himself as well as Nadia. Logan wanted to warn him, but knew all he could do was throw interference if the man started talking, started messing things up.
“I need to use the restroom,” Ginger said, moving past Logan. She stumbled as the boat pitched and Logan caught her, inhaling her scent. Her eyes met his and that something that surged between them was still there, full force, unbroken. Her gaze slowly lowered and she pulled her hand away from his chest, where it had landed when she’d righted herself in his arms.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
She turned her face away.
“Ginger…”
She started walking away, and he felt a burn in his chest as he realized that the only thing he had left was to be the man she hated so he could keep her safe.
Ginger could barely remember her afternoon on the yacht. She had a sunburn and the sweet margaritas had given her a headache. Logan had come back to their shared cottage only to ensure she made it back okay and to try and convince her to leave for home.
The nerve.
Just because he was done with her didn’t mean she had to give up her workshops.
She dropped onto the bed, rolling over when she caught the familiar scent of his aftershave.
It was over.
Her head throbbed, as did her heart.
What had he been doing in that room? She was certain he’d broken in, rifled through the files. The entire day had felt off from start to finish.
He’d lied to her, then shut her out. He wasn’t who she’d thought he was.
Something had gone on down below when all the men had gathered together. Some sort of deal. She shivered, thinking of how Vito’s assistants were actually armed guards.
Her cell phone rang beside her in the darkening room, and she found herself wishing it was Logan even though she’d spent the entire day pushing him away, despite the curious looks from Nadia.
It was her grandmother. Ginger answered the call.
“How is Indigo Bay?" Wanda asked, her voice full of cheer.
Ginger burst into tears.
“What's wrong?” Her grandmother’s voice was loaded with alarm. “Are you all right?”
“I met a man.”
“And?” Wanda knew she was swearing off men.
“He had an accent.”
“Oh, dear.”
“He was wonderful. Special. It felt so real.”
“And?”
She burst into a fresh bout of tears.
“Oh, honey. You’re usually so pragmatic about your breakups.”
“I know.”
“This time was different, wasn’t it?”
Ginger nodded, unable to speak. It had been different. She’d been fooling herself in a lot of ways, but the heartache she felt was more severe than any other she’d experienced, and she’d been with Logan for only a few days.
How was that even possible?
The truth was she’d fallen in love with her husband of convenience, and yet she didn’t even know who he was or if the man she’d fallen for was anything more than an illusion meant to draw her in.
Whatever it was, it wasn’t like anything she’d ever felt with other men. The love that had walloped her was the kind that could decimate a person. The kind that made it impossible to stand on your own two feet and face the world afterward. The kind where nobody else could ever step into her heart again because it was owned by someone else.
And for her, that person was the irreplaceable, mysterious Logan Stone.
That horrible, wonderful man.
And they’d been together only four days.
“What is it you always say?” her grandmother murmured. “Better to know now rather than after you marry him.”
Gingers tears stopped. “I married him,” she said softly.
Her grandmother started laughing.
“It’s not funny.”
“The lengths you’ll go for a discount.” Wanda was referring to her store’s purchase offer. “You know that was all a joke, right, honey? A little nudge?”
“What?”
“I would still give it to you, of course, but it wasn’t meant to…well, cause you to marry a stranger.”
Ginger wanted to hang up, go to sleep and wake up back in her old reality. The one where she didn’t feel brokenhearted or laughed at, and all she had to deal with was an annoyingly persistent lonely feeling.
Someone knocked at her door and, grumbling to herself, Ginger went to peek through the curtains to see who it was, expecting it to be the busybody Lucille again. She’d stopped by earlier to, Ginger felt, sniff out whether an actually honeymoon was going on in the little cottage. She’d managed to shoo the woman away before sh
e accidentally let something slip, and had been avoiding making it look like anyone was in the cottage ever since. Even now she avoided turning on a light, letting the moonlight guide her instead.
As she lifted a corner of the curtain to peek out she saw it wasn’t Lucille. It was one of the creepy security guards from Vito’s yacht. Who took armed guards on a day’s sail? It was after nine and the man had dead-looking eyes. There was no way she was answering the door without Logan being here.
Not that he was ever coming back.
And what had gone on today on the boat? Something was up and she had a feeling Logan wasn’t the only thief on board.
She shivered and continued talking to Wanda, who was trying to coax her into letting go of her pain and anger.
“He lied to me, Grandma,” she said quietly, not wanting the man on the porch to hear that she was indeed inside.
“About what?”
“I don’t know exactly.” Her heart hurt too much for her to think, and the guy at the door was now rattling the knob. He knocked again.
Ginger slipped into the bathroom, where Logan had found the gun—whose was it? Had it actually been his? She shivered, considering her options. The lights were off, doors locked—Logan had reminded her to do that. There was no reason for the man to think she was inside the cottage unless he could hear her chatting through the walls.
She lowered her voice, planning to continue hiding out. She’d probably just forgotten something on the boat today and he was returning it.
“Logan isn’t the man I thought I’d married.”
“It sounds like you’re running scared again.”
“I’m not scared. And there is no ‘again’.”
“You marry a man in a few days, hon, you aren’t going to know a lot about each other. Anyone would find that a bit scary. Does the good outweigh the bad?”
Ginger paused to think about it even though she already knew the answer.
“It doesn’t matter. He’s gone.” He’d got what he’d come for and was done. Had shut her out. Was in the process of leaving her.
Outside, she heard Vito’s man leave, his footfalls on the cottage’s steps heavy.
“Ginger, don’t take this the wrong way,” Wanda said, “but you tend to tell yourself a story.”
