Diamonds are Forever: A Diamond Magnate Novel (Diamonds are Forever Trilogy Book 3)

by Charmaine Pauls

  My hands shake more as the realization settles. That box could be my ticket to freedom. I could use it to blackmail Maxime into letting me go.

  Maxime studies me with a cold gaze, his clever eyes telling me he understands my reasoning.

  “I was going to sell them back to him, but they belong to you.” The man holds the box out to me. “Take it.”

  “Why?” I ask.

  “I’ve done some things…” He shoves the box at me. “Just take it.”

  I stare at the box. I could take it to destroy Maxime and save myself, but a war between Damian and Maxime could go either way. Maxime could still hurt the people Damian loves. It’s not a risk I’m willing to take. Those letters aren’t safe in anyone else’s hands. I have to get them back and destroy them. Damian must never see them.

  I reach out.

  “Don’t take them, Zoe,” Maxime says in an even voice.

  I lift my gaze to my husband. Is he kidding?

  “He’s afraid you’ll use them against him,” the man says. “You can take your letters and walk out of that door right now.”

  Maxime doesn’t reply. He only stares at me with that stoic face that demands blind obedience. I’m standing at the edge of a cliff, and he’s telling me to look down. He’s telling me to trust him to bid on me, that a million euros won’t be too much. Can I give him my trust? Logic tells me no, but my heart says something different. Once again, I’m at the precipice of a test, and I don’t want to fail.

  I retract my hand.

  The man purses his lips. “I didn’t take you for stupid.” He offers the box to Maxime. “Have it your way. Twenty grand. That’s my last offer.”

  Maxime leaves the glass on the desk. “We’re done here.”

  The man snarls, shaking the box in Maxime’s direction. “Take the fucking box.”

  “You know where the door is,” Maxime says.

  With a curse, he dumps the box on the bed and charges for the door. Caught off-guard, I step aside as he storms past me and slams the door.

  I move to the bed. “What’s wrong with—”

  “Don’t touch it.”

  I stop in my tracks. Sweat breaks out over my body. “Poison?”

  Maxime rounds the bed. “Explosives.”

  “Oh, my God. Are you sure?”

  “No, but there’s one way to find out.”

  When he picks up the box, I utter a shriek. “Maxime, no!”

  He walks to the open window, peers down, and throws out the box.

  A loud explosion shatters the silence.

  I run to the window. Bits of paper drift in a billow of dust in the air. There’s a big hole in the lawn next to the pool. Through the dusty cloud, it looks like a sepia picture of paper snowflakes. People storm out onto the terrace. A hotel staff member shouts loud instructions for everyone to stay back.

  I grip the windowsill. “If I’d opened the box—”

  He rests his hand next to mine, our pinkies overlapping. “I wouldn’t have let you.”

  I’m shaking with cold, even though it’s warm. “That man. What about that man?”

  He cups my cheek and kisses me. “They’ll lock down the hotel. We have to go.”

  “Maxime,” I cry out when he lets me go to grab his bag from a chair.

  Picking mine up from the floor, he opens the door and peers around the frame. “Come. Quickly.”

  I rush out ahead of him. Instead of going toward the elevator, he ushers me to the fire escape. We run down the two flights of stairs and exit into the parking lot. He unlocks his car and dumps our bags in the trunk while I fit my safety belt, and then he tears out of the parking space.

  My heart sinks when we approach the boom. It’s down. Maxime has a shady history. He’s only cleaned up his act recently. The police are always looking for a reason to arrest him, especially now that he’s no longer under the mafia’s protection. If they get their hands on him, they’ll use any means necessary, including torture, to make him give up information about his criminal family.

  When the guard manning the pay booth recognizes Maxime, he salutes and lifts the boom. I sag in my seat, my body running hot and cold with shock and relief. We pull into the traffic, smoothly slipping into the flow.

  “Your car,” I say. “They have cameras in the parking garage.”

  “I know the hotel owner.” His brow is furrowed in concentration as he focuses on the road. “He’ll erase the tapes.”

  The traffic is heavy. I don’t speak again until we’re on a quieter road. “What happened back there?”

  He glances at me. “The day Izabella came to my office she tipped me off about Leclerc. He was blackmailing Alexis.”

  “With what?”

  His jaw bunches. “It was Alexis who started the fire.”

  I gape at him. “You mean…?”

  “Yes.” He takes a sharp turn, making my body press against the door.

  “Maxime.”

  “I only found out this morning.”

  “Is that what he was doing in your hotel room?”

  “I threatened him so he’d give me the evidence. I guess he thought he’d rather blow me up.”

  I still can’t believe it. “How did you know?”

  “I didn’t. It was a guess. I know how these people operate. I know how they think.”

  “He would’ve let me open the box.”

  “Revenge for how I punished him.”

  I grip the door handle when he takes another turn. “What did you do to him?”

  He clenches the wheel. “Doesn’t matter.”

  The buildings change to more modern ones. “What now?”

  “I’m going to deal with them.”

  My stomach tightens. “Maxime.”

  “I can’t let this go, Zoe.”

  “The police—”

  He takes the exit onto the highway. “You know I can’t go to the police.” He glances at me again. “Are you all right?”

  I shake my head.

  He cups my hand. “You shouldn’t have been there.”

  “I should’ve told you I was coming.”

  “No.” Smiling, he puts my hand on his thigh to change gears. “I appreciate the gesture. Just don’t surprise me again. I’m not good with those.”

  The hard muscles of his thigh bunch under my palm when he steps on the clutch. “What if he comes after you?”

  “That’s why I have to go after him first.”

  A sickening thought hits me. “You weren’t going to let him leave your room alive, were you?” I remove my hand from his leg. “Is that why he came armed with that box? He knew he needed some kind of weapon? If I hadn’t been there—”

  “You think too much.”

  I’m not going to get anything out of him. Why do I even try? I look at the fields on the side of the road. “Where are we going?”

  “Home.” When I say nothing, he continues, “I’ll make up for Paris.”

  “I don’t care about Paris.” I care about our safety and our lives.

  “What happened this morning isn’t going to happen again.”

  “Please.” I close my eyes and lay back my head. “Don’t make promises.”

  “Leclerc caught me off guard. I didn’t think he had it in him.”

  “You don’t have to make excuses. You saved my life.”

  “Because you obeyed me.” The pause that follows is strained. “Zoe, if you ever put yourself in danger again, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

  I open my eyes. “I couldn’t know.” My voice is harsh. “Finding two killers in the weekend getaway room your husband organized isn’t exactly the norm.”

  His eyes tighten in the corners. “I would’ve kept him far away from you if you were coming with me.”

  “I know.”

  “Say it.”

  From the corner of my eye, I see him tensing. “Say what?”

  “You don’t want to be married to a man like me.”

  “Who does?” I ask under my breath.r />
  “Leclerc was a loose end. That life is over.”

  I study his profile. “What about that loose end? Are you going to just let it dangle?”

  He purses his lips.

  In other words, he’s going to kill another man. “What about your brother?” I know the answer, but I want him to say it. I need the confirmation.

  Still, he says nothing.

  Right. Two murders.

  “I’m not letting you go, Zoe.”

  Crossing my arms, I lean closer to the door. “Did I ask you to?”

  “I know you. I know what you’re thinking.” His nostrils flare. “It’s not happening, so you can put it out of your pretty little head.”

  I turn sideways to face him. “Do you even feel guilty?”

  “For taking care of the people who tried to burn me alive?” He utters a laugh. “No, I don’t.”

  I study him in silence. He’s dangerous, this husband of mine. He left that life behind for me, to be able to marry me, but it’ll always be in his blood. He’ll never hesitate to use violence to keep us safe and take lives to protect me. I wasn’t a big enough fool to believe that part of his life was behind us. I knew what he was dragging me into when he brought me back from Johannesburg. I didn’t want a life like this. He never gave me a choice.

  Whatever the case, this is who he is. Under the fashionable clothes and the smooth businessman will always lurk a mafia boss. He’s not going to change. I’m stuck with him in this marriage. I know I can live with him. I’ve done it before. I’m doing it now. It’s not that I can’t accept who he is. It’s that I can’t deal with never being loved. I long for it with all my soul. I want to know what it feels like. I know the bitter side of love. I know how it hurts when it’s one-sided. I want to know what it’s like to be on the receiving end. I want the hurt to end, and the only way to stop making it hurt is to stop wanting what I can’t have.

  We drive for hours. In Clermont-Ferrand, he pulls up at a hotel. It’s the big, commercial kind close to the highway that caters for travelers.

  “I can’t drive anymore,” he says, hunching over the wheel.

  My chest tightens with compassion. I almost reach out to rub his shoulder, but harden my heart. “We could’ve stayed in Paris.”

  “After what happened? Not a chance. I want you safe, not in the middle of fucking danger.”

  “Will Leclerc tell Alexis what you know?”

  “He’s blackmailing Alexis. If my brother knows I know, Leclerc has nothing to blackmail him with. Leclerc also knows he’ll be a dead man walking if Alexis finds out I know. The only thing preventing Alexis from killing Leclerc is the evidence that will be made public if anything happens to Leclerc.” He rubs his neck. “So, no, he won’t tell Alexis.”

  “What’s your plan?”

  He opens the door. “Let me worry about that.” Coming around, he gets mine. “Let’s get a room.”

  We book in and take the elevator to the fifth floor. The room is tiny, barely a shoebox with a bed and shower, but it’s clean. I sit down on the bed, staring at the wall while Maxime peels out of his clothes. I sacrificed a whole day of work and closed the boutique for this. I should’ve known better. It was the last time I made a bad decision. It’ll never happen again.

  “What are you thinking?” he asks.

  I look at him. He’s naked. His body is hard and brutal, just like his mind. “Nothing.”

  “Don’t give me that,” he says through thin lips. “I want to know.”

  I lean back on my arms. “Why?”

  He walks over. Nudging my knees apart with his body, he steps between them. “I could’ve lost you.”

  “Whose fault is that?”

  “Mine.” His face contorts. “I carry all the blame.”

  “You do.”

  With his hands on my knees, he spreads my legs wider. “Don’t keep from me. Not now.”

  My thoughts are not his for the taking. My heart either, not any longer. “It’s all right here.” I lift my dress to expose my underwear. My pose is slutty. “Take it.”

  A muscle ticks under his eye. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Isn’t this what you want?” I support my weight on my elbows. “You can go down on me first. It makes me last longer when I come around your cock.”

  He clenches his hands at his sides. “This isn’t you, Zoe.”

  “You think you know me?” I laugh. “I think you’re wrong.”

  Kneeling between my legs, he grabs my hips and yanks me to the edge of the bed. I pull on the thong, but I’m not strong enough to rip it like him.

  “Tear it off,” I say.

  He holds my eyes as he grips the elastic. It gives with a snap at the twist of his wrist. Threading my fingers through his hair, I guide his lips to the center of my legs. The kiss he plants reverently on my clit isn’t what I want.

  “Eat me out like you mean it,” I say.

  He drags a tongue over my folds before plunging inside.

  I lock my ankles around his neck. “Stop playing. Do it.”

  He does. He nips, sucks, and licks until my toes curl. He does every dirty thing I tell him to do while I lean back and watch. My orgasm comes quickly. I don’t savor it. I let it crash through my body and wreck me, devouring it much like downing instead of sipping a good glass of wine.

  When I’m done, I put my palm on his forehead and push him away. “I’m done. I don’t feel like sex any longer. You can go shower now.”

  The growl that escapes his chest should frighten me. “You used me? That’s how you want to play it?”

  I sit up. “It’s good to be useful. You’ll get over it.”

  Before I can blink, he grabs me around the waist and flips me around. “Is this what you want?” he asks, throwing my skirt over my hips to expose my naked ass. “Do you want me to fuck you like an animal?”

  I look at him from over my shoulder. “I’m sated, but thanks for the offer. Do you need a hand job?”

  He digs his fingers into my globes, spreading me open. “Why are you doing this?”

  Because it’s sex, nothing more. From now on, I’m not mixing it up with emotions. Emotions cloud everything. “Fuck me if you need to get off, but get a move on. I’m hungry, and I need a shower.”

  Bracing myself, I wait. I don’t mind coming again, but I’d rather just have lunch and a nap.

  He lets me go with a little shove, making me fall flat on my stomach. “Not like this.”

  I scoot off the bed. “Suit yourself.”

  He watches me with narrowed eyes as I make my way to the bathroom. I expect him to come after me, but when I step out fifteen minutes later, showered and my hair washed, he’s dressed.

  I grab my handbag. “I’m going to see what they have for lunch in the dining room. I’m starving.”

  He doesn’t say a word, but he follows me downstairs, presumably to make sure I stay safe.

  “Aren’t you going to eat?” I ask when I return to our table with a loaded tray.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  I shrug. Biting into an apple, I say with a full mouth, “Your loss.”

  Chapter 36

  Maxime

  I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed and my hair damp from my shower. It’s early. Zoe is still asleep. I’m careful not to wake her, although I should probably go and get her some coffee to wake her up. We’ll have to hit the road soon if we’re to make it back before the weekend traffic.

  Resting my head in my hands, I drag my fingers through my hair. A weight bears down on me. Everything feels heavy—the atmosphere, my thoughts, and our future. At first, I was angry about yesterday, but now it’s just part of the heaviness that won’t let me breathe. Zoe isn’t my little flower any longer. She’s grown into a prickly plant with sharp thorns. Not that I blame her. I brought this on her and myself. It’s a survival mechanism, just like Delphine has said.

  I still want Zoe. I’ll always want her, no matter how she changes. I’ll even let her
use me like yesterday if it means I get to keep her. I can give her pleasure, and it can be enough. I can live with it, but that pull in my heart when I look at her won’t let up. I suppose it’s the closest thing to empathy. Regret. She was perfect when I found her, a beautiful wildflower, and I don’t want her to wilt in my vase. That’s what happens to cut flowers. Eventually, they die. Worse, I’m worried—terrified—she’ll grow into something so poisonous she’ll turn into someone like me. I’m a bad man. A psychopath. What did I expect? That I could make her happy? Could stealing her have gone any other way?

  I chuckle to myself. This is the moment I atone for my sins. I’ve never paid. It had to catch up with me at some stage. I feel a driving need to hurt myself, but physical pain isn’t going to do it this time. I don’t need the ache in my body to remind me to have compassion. It’s there, all by itself. Maybe it’s not full-blown compassion, but it’s something. I don’t know if it’s guilt, or regret, or a mixture of both, but it’s a godawful feeling. Thank fuck I never felt those before. How do people live with them?

  My phone vibrates on the nightstand. I check the caller ID. It’s Jerome. I’m expecting news about Leclerc. I don’t know what the hotel owner told the police about the parcel bomb, and I don’t care. What I do know is Alexis’s men will be on Leclerc’s tail after that stunt. A man doesn’t throw bombs around Paris. It’s only a matter of time before they catch up with him. I already have the evidence Leclerc gave me of my brother starting that fire, so I don’t give a damn if he finds Leclerc before I do.

  I go into the hallway and close the door behind me before answering. “What?”

  “Max.” Jerome’s voice is shaking. “I think you better sit down.”

  I walk to the window at the far end and peer down at the highway. “What happened?”