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…. and I just about shit myself.
“COLE!”
A cascade of gorgeous green gemstones drizzled out into my hands, gleaming brilliantly even in the obstructed moonlight. They were rough but beautiful. Totally gemmy and translucent.
And there had to bedozensof them.
“What in the world—”
“They’re Colombian emeralds,” Cole said matter-of-factly. “Triple-A quality. Raw and uncut, from the highest-rated mine in the country.”
I rolled them gently in my hands, being very careful not to separate my palms. All of the gems were a deep, breathtaking green. I began to understand.
“These belonged to Ferrera,” I murmured.
“Yes.”
“And you… stole them?”
“They were tucked away in his inner sanctum,” Cole explained. “I found them spilling from the broken drawer of a marble desk, one that had been shattered by grenades. This is after the shit hit the fan, of course. During the chaos of the firefight, I scooped them up.”
I studied him carefully. “Do the others know?”
He paused, then shook his head.
“Why not?”
“You sure you want to hear the truth?”
This time I nodded.
“Because if these people manage to capture one of us, things will goreallybad for them. And the less that person knows, the better.”
I swallowed hard. All of a sudden I wasn’t so cold anymore.
“You’re talking about torture, right?”
“Yes.”
I rolled the emeralds around some more, trying not to get hypnotized. They were just so damned beautiful.
“Butyouwould know,” I said softly. “If… if you were captured, I mean.”
“Of course.”
“So you’re risking yourself.”
The bearded giant threw a shrug of his massive shoulders. “I’ve been risking myself all my life,” he answered simply.
Cole was still shirtless against the forest background. He stood bathed in the scattered starlight, his hair blowing softly against his face. In that moment, he looked like some ancient god.
“Most warlords keep cash at hand,” he went on. “The successful ones keep tremendous amounts of it. The problem is, that much cash gets tempting. A little too tempting.”
“So Ferrera kept emeralds instead,” I reasoned.
“Yes. Easier to watch. Easier to keep track of.” He nodded toward my cupped hands. “Ferrera had cash too, but not even a fraction of what those are worth.”
All of a sudden I felt very self-conscious. I wanted the emeralds back in their pouch.
