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Charisse harrumphed. “You would have known that if you’d come by more often.”
I laughed. “I know, I’m sorry. I just… I didn’t want to risk being followed. I’ve been a crap friend.”
“No, you haven’t. You’ve been dealing with some stuff. I get that.” Charisse shooed me toward the sofa and then came back with two cans of cold soda. “Besides, you’re here now, even if I don’t agree with the reason why.”
I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. “Does that mean you got it?”
“Hell yeah, I got it. I told you I had a hookup. My brother is friends with the guy who coded this one. It’ll work on any digital safe. You just have to give it enough time to do the job.”
That was the trick, wasn’t it? Finding enough time without interruption to let the safe decoder work. Rafe left me in the apartment alone now, but it was never more than a few hours. What if that wasn’t enough time? With the kind of encryption he had on that safe, it could take longer.
“I’ll find a way,” I muttered. “This is the only option I really have.”
“Or you could stop this whole thing and get out before that dude finds out what you’re up to.” Charisse ignored the withering glance I gave her. “I’m serious. You’ve been lucky so far that nothing has gone wrong. Please, think this through before you get in too deep.”
I didn’t say anything. What could I say? No matter how I phrased things, there was no way to explain to my friend that I was already in too deep and there was no going back now. I needed to know the truth. Understanding the events of the worst day of my life was the only way I’d ever have any kind of closure. The confusing feelings I had for Rafe wouldn’t go away until I could answer the questions I had.
“Oh shit. It’s already too late, isn’t it?” Charisse shook her head and set her soda can down on the coffee table. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I have no idea,” I whispered.
Charisse sighed. “I knew this was a bad idea.”
We sat in silence for a while. Finally I leaned over and rested my head on Charisse’s shoulder. I closed my eyes, letting myself process for the first time what would happen once I was confronted with the evidence of what Rafe had done. It was one thing to suspect that Rafe had killed my father so he could steal the Jewel of the Sea, but another to see the evidence in front of my face.
What then?
“You certainly know how to keep things interesting, don’t you?” Charisse finally chuckled.
“That’s me. Never boring.” My voice sounded as despondent as I felt.
Charisse pulled back, forcing me to sit up straight. “Tell me the truth. You have it bad for this guy, don’t you?”
With it stated so plainly, I couldn’t do anything but nod helplessly.
“And once you have the diamond back? Or at least find out who he sold it to?”
I shivered. “I don’t know, Char. These past few weeks with him have been intense. Nothing is what I thought it would be, least of all him. It’s surreal.”
Charisse grabbed my hands. “It’s not surreal. Unfortunately, this whole situation is very, very real. And he will really kill you if he finds out that you’ve been plotting against him this whole time. You’re sleeping with him now. It’s just terrifying to think of all the ways he can hurt you. I’m worried.”
I fought the urge to pull away. My friend was just looking out for me and trying to be the voice of reason in an unreasonable situation. But that didn’t make what she was saying any easier to hear.
“I know. Believe me. This is real to me. My body wants him, I don’t deny that, but my brain knows the deal. The only important thing is getting revenge for my father and recovering my mother’s legacy. I haven’t lost sight of that.”
A loud sigh told me that my friend wasn’t completely convinced, but one of the valuable things about being friends with someone for so long was knowing they’d be there for you anyway.
“Okay. You know I’m here for you if you ever need to talk.” Charisse patted my hand. “Wait here while I get your stuff.”
I watched as she left the room. I looked around curiously. The furniture was sturdy, and everything was in a shade of beige. Despite that, Charisse had decorated with pops of color here and there that kept things cheerful. You could see my friend’s personality all over the room from the daisies in a vase in the center of the table to the piles of books on every surface mixed in with her kids’ toys. Eclectic but fun.
Would I ever have that? The opportunity to put my stamp somewhere and carve out a space that was purely my own? I’d spent so much time pursuing justice that now I wasn’t sure what I’d do if I got it. Who was I if I wasn’t avenging my father?
It had been a long time since I’d thought about that.
“Okay, here it is. Use with caution.” Charisse appeared at the end of the couch, holding a small box with a digital face, and the black bag I had left in my long-term hotel room weeks ago. “I hope I got the right bag.”
I held the bag in my lap and unzipped it. It contained my laptop, a charger, money, and my real identification. “This is exactly what I needed. Thank you for getting this for me. I didn’t want to take a chance in case Rafe has been watching me.”
