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“He’s crazy, but I didn’t think he’d do this.”
“Why might he have taken her?” Gage stood at the end of the bed. “Seems like something someone would do for leverage. Or are they a thing?”
Alex’s nose crinkled for a second. “I know she was gonna break up with me. I mean, I could tell.”
“Because they’re having an affair?” That would change things, if it was true.
“They’d better not be.” Alex’s ire blew out quickly. “But I doubt it.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because he can’t get to me, so he thinks she knows where the diamonds are.”
“The diamonds Aaron and the crew stole from the bank,” Gage said.
“Who?” Alex’s brows rose.
“Aaron Crenshaw.” Gage frowned. “That’s his name.” Alex didn’t know that?
The young man frowned. “We used codes. He’s Berlin. I’m Miami.”
“Rio and Phoenix?” When Alex nodded, Gage asked, “What did you call the guy in the van?”
“London.”
Cute.Gage nearly rolled his eyes. “So where are the diamonds?”
Alex looked away. “I have nothing to stand on if I tell you. My lawyer advised me to speak with her before I commit to anything or give you any new information. And she’s getting a CT scan.”
Which made him not that far from Aaron and his tactics, give or take Clare’s mom and her advice. Alex might never realize it, but he was trading information in the same way Aaron would with Selena’s life. But Alex probably thought he was doing the right thing.
“You’ve gotta give me something.” Gage tried to sound desperate. “Otherwise, he calls to arrange a trade and we have nothing to give. At least get us in the ballpark, so it sounds like it makes sense.”
He could say a lot of things here. Pull on tactics to get Alex to spill. But in his prayer he’d told God that he would trust Him. That he’d let the Lord work this situation out. So he had to see where Alex was at first, and then work from there.
“I hid them,” Alex offered.
“At Vanguard?” No, that didn’t make sense. Just because Aaron had blueprints all over his walls didn’t mean that was the answer. It was no better than the chicken-and-egg debate about which came first.
Alex blinked. “How did you know?”
“I didn’t.” He recalled what Ember had said. “But we think Aaron—Berlin—has something against Vanguard. Do you know anything about that?”
Alex shook his head. Gage wasn’t sure if he believed it, but Alex didn’t have much of a reason to lie about that right now.
“Those diamonds are what stands between Selena’s life and her death. Between us being able to make a deal with Aaron for her safety and him killing her because he doesn’t get what he wants.” Gage studied the young man. “So where are they?”
He would leave right now and go pick them up.
Alex grimaced. “I can’t tell you. But they’re there, which means they’re safe, right? That place is like Fort Knox. Everyone knows that. All those secret codes and Section 6-type floors.”
Gage heard a tiny noise from behind the door.
“Basement, and the sub-basement with the dungeon.”
He didn’t want to argue, but why would Clare need a dungeon? “So you hid it there?”
“I want a written deal and assurances I’ll get no jail time.”
