Heart of the Hunter

by Chance Carter

  “Can I help you, madam?”

  “Yes,” I said, a little uncertain of myself. “I’d like to look at your engagement rings.”

  “Engagement rings?”

  “Yes. You do sell them, don’t you?”

  “Of course,” he said. “It’s just, usually it’s men who come to look at them.”

  “My fiancé sent me to see what I like.”

  “I see,” he said, but I could tell he disapproved slightly of the break from tradition.

  “I mean, unless you have a problem with that,” I added.

  “A problem, madam?”

  “You seem displeased at the prospect of a woman selecting her own engagement ring.”

  The man looked over his shoulder at the manager, an elegant woman with white hair standing behind a case of diamond encrusted tiaras.

  “I’m here to help you in whatever way you wish,” he said.

  “Thank you,” I said, but it was too late. I didn’t want him to show me the rings anymore. I’d already felt self-conscious being there without Rob, forced to pick out my own ring. The last thing I needed was this clerk making me feel bad for it.

  “You know what?” I said, deciding to finally take a stand for myself. I knew it was Rob I should have been standing up to, but I was too weak to stand up to him. Instead, I was going to take it out on this clerk.

  “Yes, madam?”

  “I think I’d prefer to be assisted by the lady,” I said, indicating the manager.

  The clerk hesitated, looked at me, and then went over to the manager and told her I required her assistance.

  The woman was every bit as stiff and formal as the man had been, but she at least understood the delicateness of my situation and treated me with a little more sympathy.

  “May I help you?” she said, approaching from around the counter.

  “Yes, I’d like to be shown your engagement rings.”

  “Of course,” she said, leading me over to a glass counter with a seat in front of it.

  I sat down on the chair and she took her position on the other side of the case.

  “Is the ring for yourself?” she said.

  I nodded.

  “I see, and will your fiancé be arranging for payment or will you be paying yourself?”

  “Do women buy their own engagement rings these days?” I asked.

  The lady’s face betrayed no emotion, no judgement. She said simply, “Our clients find themselves in all sorts of situations. Sometimes the bride-to-be will come in and buy her own ring, just to avoid embarrassment.”

  “You mean the embarrassment of marrying a man who’s not willing to buy her a diamond.”

  The lady nodded.

  “I suppose, sometimes, the men don’t have the money for a ring,” I said.

  “Exactly,” the woman said diplomatically. “They can be very expensive.”

  “Well, I do think my fiancé will be paying for my ring,” I said, although I wasn’t a hundred percent certain of that fact. “He just wants me to choose one I like so he doesn’t waste his money.”

  “Very well,” she said. “And do you have any idea what you’re looking for?”

  “Something classic,” I said. “Traditional. A single diamond.”

  “A solitaire.”

  “Yes.”

  “An excellent choice,” she said. “And I hope you won’t mind me enquiring as to the budget you’re working with.”

  “I’m not sure,” I said. “Can I look without knowing the budget.”

  “Certainly,” she said, “but when it comes to diamond rings, they’re all almost identical apart from the price of the diamond. If you want to spend ten thousand, I’ll show you stones in that price range, if you want to spend less, I can show you smaller stones, if you want to spend significantly more, we have larger diamonds of course.”

  “I see,” I said, my face getting red with embarrassment. “I suppose it really is something that he should be here for, isn’t it?”

  “In my experience,” the lady said, “the process goes smoothest when the person paying for the ring is present, and they know what budget they’re working with.”

  “I see, and what are the cheapest diamond engagement rings you have?” I said, my voice cracking with embarrassment.

  The woman didn’t miss a beat. “For a real diamond, we could probably find something very small for about two thousand dollars. But it would be a very tiny diamond. A symbol.”

  “But the ring is supposed to be a symbol, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  I looked at her. “And what would you consider a more average price range?”

  “Well, our store has a very good reputation,” she said. “Others might be cheaper, but here I would consider ten thousand to be a good budget to get a nice sized stone, good quality, good color.”

  “Ten thousand?”

  “Ten to twenty thousand.”

  “Twenty?”

  She nodded. “They’re not cheap, I know. That’s why usually the man comes in by himself and picks out something he knows he can afford. Sending the woman can be dangerous.”

  “Why’s that?”

  The woman pulled out a drawer and unlocked the glass cover over it. Beneath the glass were a number of velvet-lined compartments, each containing a stunning engagement ring.

  “These rings all range between a hundred and two-hundred thousand dollars,” she said.

  “They’re beautiful,” I said.

  “They’re the finest diamonds you’ll find in the country. They’ve all been individually purchased by our dealer in Amsterdam. They’re world-class.”

  “And women pick out these for themselves?”

  “Yes,” the lady nodded. “But only when they’re here without the man. Men never select these.”

  “Why do they choose them?” I said, eyeing the glittering rocks.

  “My opinion,” the lady said, giving me a serious look, “they want to punish their fiancé for something.”

  “Like what?”

  “There’s really only one thing.”

  “What is it?”

  “Infidelity.”

  “Infidelity?” I said. In my mind I saw Cassie’s name flash across Rob’s phone. Was he cheating on me already? He’d only just proposed. We weren’t even married yet.

  “I see,” I said. I looked carefully at the selection of rings. They were beautiful, but their prices were simply outrageous. No diamond in the world was worth more than the annual salary of the average person. “Which one is most expensive?” I asked.

  The woman picked up a two carat, perfect clarity, white diamond ring. This diamond came from Namibia. It was sold to us at a special auction four years ago in Antwerp. Buyers came from all over the world to bid for it.”

  “How much is it?” I said.

  “Two-ninety-five.”

  “Plus tax?”

  “Well, you’d buy it through our intermediary in the Cayman Islands.”

  I opened my purse and pulled out Rob’s card. “These are my fiancé’s details,” I said. “Can you have someone contact him and tell him I’ve selected this diamond.”

  The woman smiled at me. “You’re looking to send him a message?” she said.

  I nodded. “Yes I am. Do you think he’ll hear it?”

  “Loud and clear,” the lady said, a broad grin stretching across her face.

  Chapter 32

  Grant

  I PULLED AWAY FROM THE spot I’d been parked at all morning. If I stayed there too long, I’d arouse suspicion. I was pretty sure I was ready for my job at the loan shark company. I just had to nail down a few final details about the security schedule. I turned a corner and parked the van at a new spot, then I left the van and went to grab some coffee and something to eat. There was a good coffee place a few blocks away, in a better neighborhood, and I decided to walk.

  It was a beautiful afternoon, and I passed a school teacher taking what looked like an entire kindergarten
class on a field trip to the park. The kids were all holding onto a leash to keep them together. It was nice. They didn’t used to do that with kids when I was little. I stopped to watch them, then proceeded through a fancy shopping district. I stopped dead when I saw a familiar face.

  “Lacey,” I called without even considering what she might be doing there.

  “Grant,” she said, flustered. “What are you doing down here?”

  “Scoping out a job,” I said.

  “Not this jewelry store, I hope.”

  “Why? Do they have something you like?”

  She hesitated before answering, and her cheeks flushed. “What?” I said. “Did I say something wrong?”

  “No, of course not. I was just doing some window shopping.”

  “What for?”

  She looked embarrassed again, as if I was prying into some deeply secretive part of her life. And then the penny dropped. She was looking at engagement rings.

  “A ring!” I said.

  She nodded, shyly.

  “Oh that’s awesome. Did he buy you one here?”

  “Well,” she said, hesitantly, “he didn’t exactly buy it yet.”

  “So he picked out a couple?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He didn’t choose a ring at all, Grant. He told me to go out and pick one I liked.”

  “What?”

  “He wanted to make sure I got something I liked.”

  “Sure, I get that, but isn’t the guy usually supposed to put a ring on your finger when he proposes? I mean, I’m no expert on wedding stuff.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “But he’s supposed to give you a ring, right? I mean, not just send you out shopping for one, but actually pick one out and give it to you.”

  “Usually that’s how it goes.”

  I looked at her and felt bad for being so hard on the guy. She looked like she was about to cry. It wasn’t her fault Rob was such a failure in the romance department.

  “Well, I hope you picked something expensive,” I said.

  She nodded, more enthusiastically than I’d seen her agree with anything I’d said about her wedding in a long time.

  “I did,” she said. “It’s my dream ring, Grant. And it probably cost almost as much as Rob’s apartment.”

  “What? They make rings that cost that much?”

  “They sure do.”

  “I guess you can’t put a price on true love.”

  “You can, actually,” she said. “I just saw it.”

  I laughed. “I guess you did.”

  “I just hope he pays for it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, he’s kind of been a disappointment so far. He didn’t want to come to dinner when I announced the engagement to you guys, he didn’t want to come looking at flowers, he didn’t even want to come look at rings with me.”

  “Well, show me the ring.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure, I’d love to see it.”

  “You don’t like this sort of stuff, Grant.”

  “Lacey, I love it.”

  She looked at me for a second, when I said the word love, and it made my heart pound in my chest. She turned and pushed through the heavy brass doors of the jewelry store. Inside, the place was really beautiful. I noticed four security cameras, a few detectors, probably for motion, possibly for temperature, humidity and other things.

  “Stop it,” Lacey said, scolding me.

  “What?”

  “You’re casing the place out for a job.”

  “No I’m not.”

  “Just stop, okay. Promise me you’ll never do a job here. This is a nice place.”

  I smiled. “All right,” I said, “but promise me you won’t ever pay for your own engagement ring.”

  “He wouldn’t make me do that,” she said, sadly.

  “He won’t if you don’t let him,” I said.

  Lacey went up to a clerk and asked her to show me the ring she’d selected.

  “Is this the lucky guy?” the clerk said, eyeing me up like a piece of meat at the butcher shop.

  “Oh, no, this is Grant. He’s my …”

  I finished her sentence for her. “Brother,” I said.

  Chapter 33

  Grant

  AN HOUR LATER I WAS back in the surveillance van. I watched as two security guards clocked out and left the loan company. I wrote down the time in my notebook. I had everything I needed. All that was left was to actually do the job. I was trying to decide what night would be best to do it, but I kept getting distracted. I couldn’t get Rob Crawford out of my mind. What kind of a guy sent his fiancée out by herself to choose her own engagement ring? It just didn’t sit right. I’d overheard the proposal too. None of it sat right. Something more was going on with Rob, and I needed to find out what it was.

  I knew where Rob’s plastic surgery clinic was and I headed out that way. It was a long drive and I listened to some old classic rock tunes on the way. When I got to the clinic I parked outside the gates and directed my surveillance equipment toward his building. It was no good, the building was built too well. I couldn’t make out anything but the digital clicking of cell phones, computers and the security system.

  I’d have to try at his house. It wouldn’t take too much to find out where he lived. I had his name. I was about to start a search when a sporty Mercedes approached the security gate and drove through. I recognized the car as Rob’s and started tailing him. I was careful to keep a good distance between him and the van, but he was easy to follow. He didn’t know I was there so he wasn’t trying to lose me.

  I followed him all the way back downtown, toward the area I’d been earlier in the day, and I figured he was going to meet up with Lacey. Probably so that she could show him the ring she’d picked out. I let him get some space, figuring I knew where he was going, but as I watched, I saw that he turned left instead of making the right I’d expected.

  When he pulled up outside the loan company, I was really confused. What the hell was he doing there? Had he been following me too?

  He parked and walked across the street, dressed to kill. I hopped into the back of the van and fired up the surveillance equipment. I put on the headphones and started twisting knobs and dials.

  “I just need another five grand to hold me over.”

  It was Rob’s voice. He was trying to borrow money.

  “I’m not giving your broke ass another penny, you piece of shit.”

  That was the loan-clerk’s voice. I knew it well. I’d spent hours listening to it.

  “Come on.”

  “You’re so far into a hole, I just can’t throw any more money at you, Rob.”

  “You know I’m good for it.”

  “Yeah, if I repossess your business or something. You know how many lawyers that would take? I ain’t giving you another penny.”

  “I’ve got a big job running,” Rob said. “This broad, she’s rich as heck, thinks I’m in love with her. I’m going to get serious money out of her.”

  “Sure you are,” the clerk said. “If she’s so rich, why the hell would she want to get hitched to a dirtbag like you?”

  “Hey,” Rob said, getting angry. “Don’t you talk to me like that, you piece of shit. I’m one of the most respected doctors in the city. You’re a dirty loan shark.”

  “All I’m saying is that I ain’t giving you any more money until you clear some of the debt you already have on the book, Rob. You know how it works. If you don’t give ten grand to my guys by the end of the month, they’re going to start roughing you up for it.”

  “Yeah, I know how it works, you piece of shit. You’ve been waiting to get the collectors on me since you met me.”

  “If you don’t pay me back what you owe me, I can’t pay my bills. All I want is you to make your next payment, Rob. Otherwise it’s beyond my control.”

  Rob stormed out and got back into his car. I didn’t bothe
r to follow him any farther. I’d learned enough. He was in debt. He owed money to these loan sharks. They’d hurt him if he didn’t make his payments. And he was playing Lacey to get money out of her.

  I was overcome with anger. My fist came down on the dials of the monitor hard. The headphones rang out in my ear.

  “Fuck,” I said.

  What had Lacey ever done to deserve this?

  She was a good person, kind and loving and honest and trusting. This fucking prick was trying to play her to get at her money. Hell no. Not on my watch. I’d make him pay for ever even thinking he could try to get away with a thing like that. I’d make him think real hard about his choices in life. And what was more, I’d make sure Lacey never heard a word about any of it.

  Rob would have to break off the engagement, that much was certain. But I’d have to make sure Lacey never knew that he’d been trying to rip her off. She didn’t deserve that. She’d been cheated on before. If she found out about this, she’d be devastated. She was the most lovable, beautiful girl in the world, and she kept picking the worst douchebags possible.

  “Fuck,” I said again.

  I’d make that dirtbag pay.

  Chapter 34

  Lacey

  I SAT IN MY CAR for a full minute before turning the ignition. I was in shock.

  Positive. That’s what the doctor said. There was no chance of a mistake. He was one-hundred-percent certain I was pregnant. And it was Grant’s baby. How was I sure? I’ll tell you how. Because no matter what I tried, no matter how I dressed, no matter how much I dolled myself up and tried to make myself beautiful, I still hadn’t managed to get Rob to make love to me. He just straight up didn’t want me.

  I was in big trouble. I was pregnant, and it wasn’t with the man I was engaged to.

  I called Faith. She was the only person I could think of who would understand.

  “Lacey, you sound frantic.”

  “I am,” I said.

  “What is it? What’s happened?”

  “You won’t believe me if I tell you.”

  “Lacey. Tell me already.”

  “Okay,” I said, catching my breath. “But it’s crazy.”

  “Lacey.”

  “Okay, okay.” I spilled the beans. “I’m pregnant, Faith.”