Because this bloody purple diamond is coming home with us.
Ryder and Linc manage to work quite a bit of rock away and, eventually, trigger a mini collapse. This time, it’s in our favor. Watching Ryder climb over the rocks and open his arms is the best thing I’ve ever seen. Dropping my hammer and chisel, I rush over and throw myself against him.
For a long moment, we hold tight, our hearts beating steadily, and so very gratefully, against each other. “Thank you,” I whisper.
He pulls back then leans down, capturing my lips in a kiss that conveys so many things: gratefulness, relief, happiness and, dare I say, love.
“Break it up,” Linc orders, but he’s grinning and stops beside us. “Glad you’re okay.” He squeezes my shoulder. His gaze sweeps the cavern then zeroes in on the raw purple diamond I’ve been chiseling away at, and he lets out a low, appreciative whistle. “Damn, that’s a beauty.”
“She sure is,” Ryder agrees, but he’s looking at me.
“Let’s break her out of here.” Linc lifts the jackhammer and starts chiseling through the band of rock and gravel around its edges. As he bores steadily into the rock face, intent on making short work of the retrieval, because I’m sure he wants to get the frack out of here, Ryder finally releases me.
“I don’t suppose you’ll get out of here and let me and Linc finish this?” he asks, already knowing my answer.
“No way, McKay.” I lock eyes with him. “I’m not going anywhere.” There’s so much more meaning in those four words than what’s on the surface, and when he grins back at me, I know he understands what I’m saying.
We move over and watch as Linc loosens the massive, exceptionally rare stone. Once he’s broken away what he can without harming the gem, Ryder and I move in with our chisels for the more delicate work.
“What’re we looking at, Diamond Man?” Linc asks.
“I’d say exactly what the legend said—approximately twenty-five thousand carats, which makesthis the largest diamond ever found. More than eight times bigger than the Cullinan Diamond, which was just over three thousand.”
“Holy shit. That’s the biggest? This blows that away,” Linc states.
“This is a very rare, historic-level find,” Ryder agrees. “Depending on the color, clarity and the size of polished stones it could yield, its worth is in the hundreds of millions. I’d say potentially over one-billion dollars.”
I gasp. I always knew it would be worth a lot, but those numbers are staggering. More than I ever dreamed.
Eventually, we manage to pry the coconut-sized diamond from the surrounding rocks. It must weigh around eleven pounds and, after wrapping it up in cloth, we tuck it in a bag that I sling around my body. Then we exit the cavern and start making our way back through the tunnels and up to the surface. Ryder leads the way, and I hold onto his hand, right behind him as we move through the narrow sections of tunnels. Poor Linc barely fits, and every so often I hear a grumbled curse as he scrapes a broad shoulder.
The moment we’re back up the ladder, everyone rushes over to hug me. After a shocked moment, I realize these people actually care for me. A wave of emotion washes over me and, as though he senses it, Ryder wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into the protective crook of his arm. As he presses a kiss to my temple, I notice the tied-up mercs sitting on the ground.
“Voss sent them,” Addie confirms.
A shiver races down my spine. I have no idea how I’m going to handle the situation with Adam Voss. He clearly believes I crossed him, which I did, and now he’s out for blood.
“Don’t worry,” Addie continues, “The Man said he’d handle it.”
Brighton lets out a little sigh as she bites into a chocolate macaron. “He’sverygood at handling things.”
My brows lift in surprise. “He’ll handle the mercs? Or Voss?”
“Handle everything. But there’s a stipulation,” she adds carefully.
“Oh?” At this point, I’m pretty much willing to agree to anything.
“You’re not allowed to leave Denver and run off to disappear on some deserted island. Instead, you’ll come work for A-Squared.”
My jaw drops. They’re not angry at me for nearly getting them all killed. Frustrated because I brought Voss’s special kind of hell to their doorsteps with my actions. Then elation fills me. It’s that special kind of happiness that comes from knowing you’re part of a group who cares for you. A family who loves you despite your flaws, including a tendency to run and hide. But I’m learning. Learning that it’s okay to be my true self. To be vulnerable. But most importantly, I’m learning to have faith and trust in others.
“Don’t forget to tell her about the fine print,” Ryder adds with a crooked smile.
“Fine print?” I ask, eyes misting up.
“It has something to do with dating this guy,” Addie says, thumbing over her shoulder in Ryder’s direction. “But I’m sure he can go over the specific details with you. You may want to renegotiate some things, though,” she adds teasingly, and everyone laughs.
“No, I don’t think I will. I trust him,” I murmur, turning into my man—my Diamond Man—and kissing him with all the new love flowing through my heart.
