“Watch the hallway,” he said to Lena. “I’ll look for the jewels.”
"Got it."
Suddenly, working with her felt very natural. Which was odd, kind of.
He pushed those thoughts aside and searched the closet.
The closet held at least a dozen life jackets. Thankfully, most of them were black or pink, a couple were gray, and only one was blue with yellow stripes. He patted the life jacket, assuming he’d feel some kind of lump, something hard through the fabric, to indicate where the jewels were. He felt nothing. He slid his hand around again on the inside. And he did find an unusual slit that had been carefully cut into the inside of the life jacket. He stuck his hand through the opening and felt around. A hollow space had been carved out in the middle of the padding of the life jacket. Ingenious idea and the perfect size to hold the stolen jewels.
But they weren’t there.
He double-checked around the life jacket and even glanced at the floor.
“What’s wrong?” Lena asked.
“They’re not here. It looks like they might have been, though.”
“What?"
"Never mind."
He hung the life jacket back in the closet and shut the door. “Whether they were ever here or not, they’re not here now."
"But . . . Cassidy said she saw—”
“I know. Let’s get back to the party and make an excuse to leave. Make sure Cassidy sees us. She’ll meet us at the car and then you two are getting out of here.”
“What? But what about—"
"You're only here to get Cassidy. We found Cassidy. She said she’d meet us at the car. I’ll call Jason. He can get you to the airport tonight. Let me worry about the jewels. That’s my job.”
Relief tinged with sadness wavered in her soft eyes. “Okay,” she whispered.
They made their way back to the party and shuffled through the crowd. Cassidy approached them with her polished-hostess politeness, in case anyone was listening. “Would you like some champagne?”
“No, actually,” Lena said. “I’m not feeling well. Mr. Stone’s going to take me back to the house.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” said Cassidy, feigning concern.
“It’s okay,” said Lena. “I need to check on Nutmeg anyway. I hope you have a wonderful evening.”
Nash prayed none of the guests noticed the look Lena gave Cassidy. Intense. Pleading. Not subtle.
He whispered in Lena's ear as they stepped from the gangplank onto the pier. “Don’t walk too fast. You’re supposed to be ill.”
“Right,” she said. “To be honest, I don’t feel great. What if Emil catches on? What if—”
“Nope." He placed his hand on the small of her back. "We’re not playing what-if games right now. Just walk slowly to the car. Cassidy will be here in a couple of minutes. She seems smart. She'll figure out a way to slip away from the party.”
When they approached the SUV in a dimly lit corner of the marina's parking lot, Nash felt a fraction of relief. Lena was safe. Cassidy was on her way. No jewels yet, but he could deal with that later, after the cousins boarded their flight to Houston.
He rubbed a nonexistent smudge off the door of the SUV—his signal to Jason and Knox to keep their position in the opposite corner of the dark parking lot. Hopefully, he wouldn't need their assistance tonight.
Lena didn't reach for the door handle. Her focus riveted on Emil's yacht, then drifted. He intended to open thedoor for her, but he found himself watching her instead, the sea breeze catching a few loose strands of hair.
Moonlight caressed the gentle curve of her cheeks and shimmered in her eyes. The sight stole his breath. And his brain cells.Focus, Stone. This operation isn't over.
"Cassidy will be here in a minute," he said, like a totally mission-focused soldier.
