Amy Atwell - Lying Eyes

“I’m sure we can work something out,” Cosmo said. “I think I still have something Donovan wants.”

Turner gripped Iris’s upper arm and yanked her to her feet. “I’m betting on that.” He locked his hand around her throat like a manacle, the pressure enough to make her gasp for breath. In case that didn’t frighten her enough, he brought the gun up to her temple. “Where are the real stones, Cosmo? Tell me, or I’ll kill her right here, right now.”

Her father watched her face carefully. He looked so calm, as if he’d faced death a thousand times. “Don’t do anything rash. I gave the stones to Iris, so if you kill her, we may never find them.”

Turner’s grip eased slightly. His face came into view, his dark eyes glittering like a cobra. “Where are they?”

She summoned up all her bravado. “What, like you’re going to spare us if I tell you?”

That grip tightened again, and Iris feared her eyes might bug out of her head. “I can make your death painless and quick, or I can drag it out for hours. Do you really want me to slice your father up so you can watch him slowly bleed to death?”

Bile rose in her throat, but his grip was too tight to allow anything to pass. She clawed at his hand until he eased off enough for her to draw a shallow breath. “They’re on Edgar’s collar,” she managed to croak.

Cosmo hopped up from his seat. “Iris! How did you-?”

She’d surprised him, or maybe he hadn’t wanted her to tell, but it was too late for that. At least Turner’s grip had slackened. “I found where you stashed the alexandrite in my gem drawer with the simulated corundum. I thought I’d be clever and put the stones on Edgar’s collar for safekeeping. I mean, who would think to look there?”

“Who indeed?” If anything, this information made her father more nervous. Beads of perspiration dotted his forehead, and he stroked his goatee. Clearly, he didn’t want Tatiana’s synthetic alexandrite going to Donovan.

“Is she telling the truth, old man?”

“Well, yes, if she says so.” Cosmo swiped his brow. “I haven’t seen the real gems in days.” He threw her a look.

Iris had no idea what that look meant.

Turner didn’t trust it. “No guarantees, huh? Not that I expected any from you.”

Cosmo gathered Edgar into his arms. “Tell you what, Turner, let her go. Take me and the rabbit.”

“No. I’ll tell you what, Fortune. I’ll take you, your daughter and that collar. We’ll test those stones, and if they’re the genuine article, then we’re all squared away.”

“You’ll let her go?” Cosmo asked, clearly suspicious.

“No, but I’ll let your other two daughters go.”

Iris stiffened. Twisting to see his face, she came nose to nose again with that gun barrel.

“My other two daughters?” Cosmo’s voice had grown weak.

This only strengthened her resolve. “You bastard, if you hurt them-”

Turner tugged her close, the chill of the metal gun pressed against the pulse in her throat. “Relax, princess. Jock and Pebbles have them safe and sound. Do everything we say, and they won’t need to die.”

Grimly, she nodded.

He turned to her father. “Now, bring the rabbit. Let’s go.” Turner’s voice reverberated in her ear as he continued to hold her close. “And don’t try anything funny.”

“Me?” Cosmo blinked innocently. Too innocently. She knew that look.

Adrenaline rushed as she considered he might have a plan. He’d escaped Mickey and those two thugs more than once.

Turner marched them through her building’s lobby. Hidden beneath her blouse, his gun pressed against the small of her back. It was laughably easy for him to abduct them. Iris thought about putting up a struggle, but Turner’s granite expression didn’t encourage her to think she would survive the attempt. Cosmo followed with Edgar, subdued by her danger.

A black town car awaited them at the end of the driveway. “Get in,” Turner ordered.

Iris ducked her head and found Robert Donovan sitting inside. He slid over to make room for her and her father. With a last look around for any miraculous rescue, she climbed in. Behind her, Turner stowed his gun in his waistband and grabbed Cosmo’s arm.

Leaning into the car, Turner said to his boss, “The jewels are on the rabbit’s collar.”

Donovan looked sideways at Iris. “Clever.”

Outside there was a flurry of activity. Cosmo stuffed Edgar into Turner’s arms. Caught by surprise, the hit man juggled the rabbit while Edgar kicked and pawed at him. Meanwhile, Cosmo took off back up the sidewalk.

“Cosmo, come back here!” Turner yelled.

“Gotta run!” Cosmo’s reply floated back to her.

Edgar managed to squirm loose from his captor and slipped to the ground. Turner reached for his gun, his eyes trained on where Cosmo had disappeared around the corner of the building. Iris lunged toward him, but Donovan’s hand snaked out to grab her arm.

“No, you fool!” he ordered Turner. “Get that rabbit. We can’t let those gems get away.”

Turner dropped to the ground to search under the car. Terror clogged Iris’s throat as she waited for the single gunshot that would signal the end of Edgar’s life.

“Come on, Edgar,” she whispered, praying for the rabbit’s escape.

As if she’d called him, Edgar suddenly appeared near Turner’s feet. In three jumps, he hopped across the man’s back and into the town car to land on her lap. She clutched him tightly, tears stinging her eyes.

Turner rose up on his hands and knees, his angry gaze boring into her as he rubbed grit from his chin with the back of his hand.

Donovan chuckled. “A well-trained rabbit, though he’s only prolonged the inevitable.” He turned to watch Turner stand and wipe off his clothes. “Find Cosmo and take care of him. And be sure Kincaid’s out of the picture.”

“What about the woman?”

“I’ll hold on to her until you get back.”

Turner’s glittering eyes made her an unwanted promise to see her later. He turned to Donovan. “I’ll look in on Jock and Pebbles, too.”

“Good idea.”

Turner closed the door and strode off in Cosmo’s wake.

As the town car pulled away, Iris twisted to stare out the back window, saying a final farewell to her father. She was grateful she’d been given that last conversation with him, a chance to understand him a bit better. He said he’d always be there for her when she needed him, but she prayed he would stay far away this time. Cory and Allie needed his help now.

She pulled Edgar close, foolishly feeling sorry the poor rabbit had gotten caught up in this whole mess. She never doubted her own death. Once Donovan discovered these gems were merely synthetic copies of the historic alexandrite they sought, she’d be nothing but a very big liability.

Marko and Viktor sat in companionable silence at the suite’s dining table enjoying coffee and pastries. Marko strained an ear for his aunt. She should be awake by midmorning.

Viktor sensed his unrest and followed the tilt of his head. “Sergei surrendered to pressure. He’s giving her a backrub.”

Enlightened, Marko returned to his coffee. “What would you like to do today?”

His brother shrugged.

Sadly, Marko had to agree. For all the-as the Americans said-hype, he’d found Las Vegas to be nothing more than any other large city with lots of business conducted, lots of tourists visiting, and lots of traffic. Granted, there were fine restaurants and unparalleled entertainers all on this Strip.

Still, it all left him a little flat. Somehow, he’d expected more. “Perhaps we should all see a show tonight.”

Viktor raised beleaguered eyes, as if the thought of finding a show their aunt and they could equally enjoy was too difficult a task to undertake.