“They must’ve hidden all their valuables down here.”
“Look for the diamond,” I encourage him, setting the necklace back on the shelf. It’s beautiful, but I’m here for one thing. As far as I’m concerned, this can all go on display upstairs for visitors to gawk at or be part of a museum exhibit. Once I have what I want, and we’re far away from here, I’ll tip the castle owners off the literal treasure trove they're sitting on.
We work in silence, opening everything up. I find family heirlooms, important documents, artwork, jewelry and money. It’s an absolute goldmine of goods, worth a fortune, but not what I want.
After searching through one wall of shelves, my frustration builds. “It has to be here,” I grumble, pausing to brush a strand of hair out of my face.
“Delaney.”
I look over to see Ryder holding a velvet drawstring bag. He tilts the bag, dumping its contents into his open palm. My eyes go wide when I see a large diamond, the perfect shade of lavender with pinkish hints sparkling in the beam of my torch.
“Oh, my God,” I whisper, not even attempting to hide the awe in my voice. “You found it.”
He looks up, and instead of giving me a smile like I expect, his eyes narrow and his expression turns dark.
“I’ll take that,” a deep voice says from behind me.
Chapter Ten: Ryder
Fucking Laurent!
The French thief is a rival who always seems to show up at the most inopportune times. He’s sly and untrustworthy. On more than one occasion, he’s also proven to be an ally, which makes him extremely unpredictable. Right now, his eyes are focused on the Phantom Orchid while mine are zeroed in on the gun pointed at us.
“Hand it over,” Laurent orders, his vivid green eyes flashing. “Now.”
“You’re such a pain in my ass, Laurent,” I grumble, slipping the diamond back into the bag and shoving it at him. He grabs the gem, tucking it into the messenger bag slung across his body. I don’t miss the way Delaney tenses, as if she’s preparing to launch an attack. Before she does something incredibly asinine—because she’s one hundredpercent focused on that diamond—I shift my body in front of her. We can get the gem back, but if he shoots her, there’s no guarantee I can get her back.
“Get out of my way, Ryder,” she seethes between gritted teeth. “And you’re not going anywhere, Laurent.”
Laurent chuckles, his dimples popping. “I’m the one holding the gun, Miss Diamond. Or did you miss that?”
He casually waves it back and forth, and now I’m the one who’s rigid. Especially when Delaney steps around me, recklessly putting herself in the line of fire.
“How the hell did you find out about these tunnels?” Her hands clench into fists, and I have the horrible premonition she’s going to do something really fucking stupid.
“A little birdie told me.” His smile fades. “Now back up.”
I step back, pulling Delaney with me. “You’re dry.” It took me a moment to realize that, and it means he snuck in here some other way. Probably good information to have. This guy appears and disappears like a wraith, so I wouldn’t be surprised to find out he fucking teleported. “How did you get in here?”
“Scaled the castle wall,” he reveals, sounding almost gallant. I’m actually a little disappointed to hear that was it. He smirks, most likely misreading my expression, then says, “I’ll leave the dirty moat for you.”
“That diamond is mine,” Delaney states, refusing to back down. Dammit, as much as I love her fire, I’m scared it’s about to get us both burned. Or, in this case, shot.
“That’s where you’re mistaken,mon diamant.” Laurent moves out of the small room, reaches over and turns the stone. My heart sinks as the door begins to creak closed. “Give Addie my regards.”
“No!” Delaney launches herself at him, but the door shuts in her face.
Well, fuck. Could we be in any shittier of a position?
Delaney pounds a fist against the rock door, venting hard as she unleashes a string of expletives that would make even the roughest, toughest military man blush. Meanwhile, I’m still trying to wrap my head around how that sneaky SOB was able to outsmart us. After the incident at the safe house, I knew someone was after us. But I don’t think Laurent had anything to do with that. Tear gas isn’t his style—he’s too slick—so that means we very likely have another enemy looking for us. We need to be damn vigilant.
With a frustrated screech, Delaney spins around. I don’t miss the angry tears in her eyes or the look of defeat on her face.
“It’s not over yet,” I tell her, moving past her and homing in on the door. More specifically, trying to figure out the inner mechanism that makes it work.
“You have an idea?” Hope fills her voice, and I nod, sliding my fingers along the door’s edges. “How can I help?”
“Locks are meant to keep people out of places. Once you’re inside, it’s simply a matter of knowing how the lock works to get back out. There should be a reverse triggermechanism somewhere.” She frowns, watching me closely. “Like a small handle that opens the door.”
