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Place looked like it had once been home to a campground, perhaps. Jace’s imagination flicked to the oldFriday the 13thmovie.
Kara shivered as they made it to level ground. “This place is spooky. Like Camp Crystal Lake fromFriday the 13th.”
He blinked. Oh, it wasn’t the first time they held the same thought, but it had been a long time since they were in sync. Jace grinned.
“Sure is. And I’m Jason.”
At his suggestive wink, a shaky laugh ripped from her throat. “Just tell your mother to stay away from me.”
His grin slipped.My mother is busy enough staying away from me. Prolly for the best.
They stepped over trash scattered on the ground. Dead leaves crunched beneath Jace’s shoes as he advanced to the front door. Motioning for Kara to hang back, he withdrew his gun and then opened the door.
It creaked on rusty hinges, sounding like a cliché from a horror movie. The cabin was one room, with a fireplace cluttered with ashes, moldy furniture and a table beneath a broken window. Looked like vagrants had called it home for a while. He went to the fireplace and combed through the ashes.
A blue velvet bag peeked through the grayness. Jace lifted it and opened the bag. Whistled.
Gleaming diamonds nestled inside the velvet. Clutching it in his left hand, still gripping his gun in his right, he ran outside.
Kara stared at the bag as he handed it to her. She started to pull out the necklace. He stayed her hand.
“Wait. Anyone might be spying on us.”
They trekked back to the car and drove away. Only when they were on a main road did Kara pull out the necklace. Diamonds glittered in the sunlight as she held it up.
“It’s the Vandermeer necklace. Not a replica.”
“How can you tell?”
“I’m not a trained gemologist, but I’ve learned a few things along the way. With diamonds you look for cut, clarity and color and carat, what’s referred to as the four C’s. I look for clarity—the fewer imperfections, the greater the clarity grade. But with this necklace, there was a small imperfection...not in the diamonds themselves, but the clasp.”
Kara pointed out the lobster-claw clasp. “It’s crooked. I meant to get it fixed. Besides, Dylan wouldn’t have had time to replicate the necklace. Or the resources.”
“Unless he worked with a third party.”
The necklace dropped into her lap. “Jace, he’s not like that. He’s a scared kid. Stop acting like he’s a suspect.”
“Which he is.”
“And so were you. Or is your real mission to find and arrest my cousin instead of that criminal gang?”
With considerable effort, he curbed his temper. “Your cousin is in extreme danger. If Lance and his gang find him before we do, or the police do, Dylan is a dead man. He’s the only one, that we know of, who can identify Marcus, the real power behind the Devil’s Patrol.”
He hated scaring her like this, but Kara needed to know the threat Dylan faced. She ducked her head, staring at the velvet bag. “I’m sorry, Jace. I didn’t mean to snap. I’m worried about him. And I trust you’ll cut him a fair deal when he’s found. Promise me.”
At least she’d cut him that break. He gestured to the necklace. “I promise I will do what I can. What about that bling?”
“Bling?” She laughed and consulted her phone. “I wouldn’t call six figures in diamondsbling, Jace. I need to store this in a safe place. A bank deposit box... There’s a branch of my bank in Atlanta.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” He drew in a breath. “That necklace is evidence.”
“Evidence! It’s mine and Dylan returned it to me... What, are you going to hand it over to that murdering biker who wants the property he stole back...? Wait...”
Jace waited. Yeah, he knew she’d make the connection sooner or later. Surprising it took this long because Kara was sharp. Worry about Dylan had consumed her.
“Evidence,” she repeated slowly, tucking the necklace back into the dusty velvet bag. “Cop talk. I forgot. How absurd of me.”
Tucking the bag into her jeans pocket, she shook her head.
