“Because it’s the truth. I went to Lanighan’s house earlier this evening, looking for Mulvaney. Everything on this job has gone wrong, so I protected the diamond the best I knew how, which was fulfilling my end of the bargain in the hopes Lanighan would do the same. I put the Koh-i-Noor in the lining of his bag. He has no idea it’s there. I knew you were on my back, too. It was the only way I could think to keep the stone safe until the delivery.”
Her hand went down her shirt, and she withdrew a blue velvet bag. “It’s a good thing you’re a gentleman, Drummond. A more thorough search would have turned this up.” She dumped the stone into his hand. “They’re amazingly well done, for fakes. Peter Grisley should be proud of his work.”
Nicholas ran his fingers along the stone. “Good job stealing the replicas.”
She smiled. “I really only needed one, but I thought, who knows? The second one might come in handy. And it did, in Geneva.”
She took the stone back from him, replaced it in the bag, and thought, Thank goodness they aren’t experts and don’t have a diamond tester. They’ll never know they just handled the real Koh-i-Noor.
She said, “I do have one question.”
“Yes?”
“What are you planning to do with the other two parts of the diamond?”
Nicholas said, “I assume there will be a number of people higher up the food chain who will make that decision. We can’t worry about it.”
“Should something happen to me, Nicholas, you must destroy them, along with Lanighan. He’s the last in his line. It will stop with him.”
They began to walk to the fence.
Nicholas said, “One last thing. If the prophecy is true, the stones can’t merge without a woman’s blood. He’s going to try and kill you, Kitsune, to make it happen.”
Kitsune was quiet for a moment. “Let him try.”
96
Gagny Neuf-trois, Paris
Lanighan’s warehouse
Saturday, midnight
Saleem Lanighan paced the second-floor office, full of anticipation and excitement for what was to come. She should be here soon. Fifteen more minutes, and he would unite the stones and be cured of the leukemia. Cured of every illness forever.
He was nervous, too, since he had no idea what to expect. His life’s work, the work of every male in his family for generations, was culminating right now. Since no one had gone before, he was breaking new ground.
But he knew exactly what he’d do tomorrow.
Healed, he would set out to find the perfect woman to sire his child.
One of his guards came to his side. “Sir. She’s here.”
Mulvaney turned from the window. “She’s walking up to the gate. She’s carrying a small backpack.”
“Good. Have the men bring her in.”
Lanighan realized his hands were shaking and he wanted a drink, several. Would it hurt—uniting the three stones? Would the cancer be killed immediately? A flash of his grandfather’s face, pink and smooth, unlined as he held the stone, came to him, and he decided no, it wouldn’t hurt. It would be wonderful.
Mulvaney said, “Steady, man. Steady.”
Lanighan opened eyes he didn’t realize were closed and smiled. “I am ready.” He turned to the guard. “Bring her to me.”
He looked to Mulvaney. “Are you going to let her think she’s rescuing you?”
Mulvaney said, “Of course. And then I’m going to give you her blood to do your magic.”
“And then you’ll kill her?”
“Once we have the blood, we won’t need her anymore.”
The door opened, and the guard brought Kitsune in. She looked scared. Good, Lanighan thought. She should be scared.
The guard said, “She was carrying these.”
He laid out a semiautomatic pistol, two knives, and two tear-gas canisters.
When Lanighan was sure the guard was out of earshot, he rounded on Kitsune.
“Where is the Koh-i-Noor?”
“Where is Mulvaney?”
“Don’t you want your money first?”
“I want to see Mulvaney.”
Mulvaney stepped from behind the door, and Kitsune’s face went blank with shock.
“Your loyalty becomes you, my dear.”
She looked from him to Lanighan, swallowed, and said, “William? I don’t understand. What is this? I believed you were his prisoner.”
He picked up her knives. “Oh, no. Come here to me, little fox.”