‘Thanks,’ I replied, doing my best to force the words out of my dry throat as I took the card from him.
‘Let me get that for you, madam,’ the security guard said as he opened the glass door.
Relief flooded my body, and I drew in shallow breaths as I attempted to slow down my racing heart. Walking out into the bright sunshine and freedom, I gripped the handle of the bag so hard my knuckles turned white.
Tommy opened the passenger door as soon as I stepped out of the store. Slumping onto the cream leather seat, I stared straight ahead at the walnut dashboard and realised that my life would never be the same again.
‘I love it when things go according to plan.’ A smug expression spread over Alfie’s face. ‘You don’t look very happy, Gemma.’
‘That’s because I feel like shit.’
I threw Alfie a filthy look before I dropped my head in my hands. As my chest began to tighten, I concentrated on my breathing. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Sitting up straight again, I focused my eyes on Alfie’s.
Alfie laughed. ‘Come on, Gemma, give us a smile.’
Strangely enough, I didn’t think I could manage that. This had been the worst day of my life so far, and I had a fair few to choose from.
‘You should be proud of yourself. What you just did takes a lot of guts, you know?’
‘It was a horrible experience. If you must know, I was terrified.’
‘It didn’t show. You carried yourself like a true professional. Anyone would think you’d done this a hundred times before.’
‘I can assure you I haven’t.’ I didn’t try to hide the angry tone in my voice.
‘Then you’re a natural. You’ve been blessed with good looks and a persuasive tongue. Those qualities are essential for this kind of work.’
My eyebrows shot up to my hairline. How dare Alfie say that? Turning away, I broke eye contact. Right now, the last thing I wanted to do was engage in conversation with him.
‘Don’t get the hump, Gemma.’
I didn’t bother to answer him. My silence said it all. I couldn’t hide the fact that I was seething. I wouldn’t have stolen the ring if I’d had another choice. It struck me how differently we viewed the situation. I felt guilty and full of shame, whereas he was like an excited puppy. As my mind began to wander, I thought about his upbringing and what might have made him turn to a life of crime. But he’d been born into the Watson dynasty, so choosing a different profession was never going to be an option for him.
8
Gemma
My parents taught me the importance of doing the right thing from an early age, even if everyone else wasn’t. Throughout my childhood, they’d drummed into me that honesty was the best policy. With the proverbial message ringing in my ears, I knew they’d be disgusted with me for what I’d just done. But they probably wouldn’t be surprised. Suffice to say, I was the black sheep of the family and had always been a big disappointment to them.
I was only seventeen when I met Nathan on the beach at Southend. My friends and I had travelled there on a day trip from London. We’d hit it off instantly; we’d both had difficult childhoods, but for very different reasons, so we shared common ground. I fell under the spell of his Latin good looks, and he changed my life. We became inseparable. My parents hit the roof when I dropped out of school without completing my A levels and moved in with him.
They accused me of being a difficult teenager. Apparently, I was too young to be in such a serious relationship. My family fiercely objected. They felt I was rushing into things and was doing it to spite them. But I wasn’t trying to hurt them. I was falling in love. It was a powerful thing and something I’d never experienced before. Nathan was like a breath of fresh air. He showed me what love was supposed to feel like. Since I could remember, I’d dreamt of meeting someone who would love me for me.
My parents wouldn’t give Nathan a chance. They thought our relationship was a recipe for disaster, and it would all end in tears. The more they tried to interfere, the further away they pushed me. Nathan and I didn’t feel like we were too young to be in a serious relationship, so I took no notice of them. We were in our own little bubble surrounded by the excitement of our brand-new love. We didn’t need anything or anyone else.
As I contemplated our current situation, it crossed my mind that if I’d taken their advice and married a wealthy businessman like Rebecca, my perfect younger sister, had done I might not be in this position now. I considered the fact that my parents might have been right when they said Nathan was no good for me and we wouldn’t last the test of time. But my stubborn streak wouldn’t let me believe it. In my eyes, feeling loved was far more important than money. I’d rather have Nathan in my life than Rebecca’s shiny new car and four-storey house any day.
Marriage was something that had to be worked at, and sometimes it could be hard. Nathan and I have had our fair share of problems in the past, but we’d always got through them. So I wouldn’t just throw the towel in the minute the going got tough. But right now, we needed to have a serious chat about our future. It was long overdue. The reckless decisions my husband kept making affected both of us, and at the moment, his selfish behaviour was taking its toll on our relationship. Being married to a man with an addiction was draining.
9
Gemma
When we pulled up outside Mamma Donatella’s, Nathan flew out of the restaurant door and stood by the side of the blacked-out Mercedes.
‘Can I go now?’ I asked, giving Alfie a sideways glance.
I faked a polite smile and counted the minutes until I could get out of the car. I could see Nathan pacing backwards and forwards on the pavement out of the corner of my eye and couldn’t wait to be reunited with him.
‘Nathan looks like he’s getting bored waiting for us. Aren’t you going to invite me up? We need to discuss the deal we made.’
Alfie gestured to where my husband was standing, looking troubled, presumably to coax me into giving him the right answer. Not for the first time, I felt pressured into doing something I didn’t want to do. Against my better judgement, I took the coward’s way out and said what he wanted to hear.
‘Would you like to come up for a drink?’
‘I thought you’d never ask.’ Alfie laughed. He leant towards the front seat. ‘Open the door for Mrs Stone, will you?’
Tommy stepped out of the car and released me from the upholstered prison I’d been held captive in. Nathan rushed over, and I tumbled into his strong arms. The feeling of them around me, holding me tight, made me feel safe at last.
‘Gemma’s invited me up for a drink,’ Alfie said.
Nathan’s brown eyes searched mine. He studied me with a questioning gaze, wondering why I would have suggested that.
*
Alfie stretched out on our leather sofa with a tumbler of neat Jack Daniel’s in his hand. Poised and confident, he looked like a celebrity about to answer questions on a chat show. In complete contrast, Nathan and I sat opposite watching him, fidgeting like two naughty school children outside the headmaster’s office.
‘Let’s get down to business, shall we?’ Alfie said after a long, uncomfortable pause.
I stirred in my chair, placed my hands in my lap and took a deep breath, dreading what he was about to say.
‘Show Nathan the ring.’
Taking the five-carat diamond eternity band out of the velvet pouch, I handed it to Nathan, and he held the sparkling ring up to the light.
‘The job wasn’t an easy one, but Gemma did very well. She followed my instructions to the letter.’ Alfie swirled his drink around before twisting the glass in his hands, watching our reaction.
Nathan squeezed my hand and smiled at me. ‘It’s a relief to know our loan is paid off now.’
Alfie laughed. ‘Whatever made you think that?’
With fury bubbling up inside me, I got to my feet. ‘You said if I got the ring, our debt would be clear. I should have known we couldn’t trust you.’ I spat out th
e words before turning my back on him, so I didn’t have to see the smug look on his face.
Nathan had realised I was about to blow my top. He could tell I’d reached my tolerance limit. ‘Calm down, Gemma.’
That was the worst thing he could have said to me. It was like pouring petrol on a fire. ‘Don’t tell me to calm down. It’s your fault we’re in this situation.’
Nathan and I both had a tendency to be fiery, and I lashed out at him in a knee-jerk reaction before remembering we had company. I stole a glance at Alfie out of the corner of my eye. The way he sat grinning, clearly delighted that he’d been able to play Nathan and me off against each other, almost made me lose control, and I was tempted to let him have it. But then I remembered how he felt about people being disrespectful, and I decided maybe this wasn’t the right time. Don’t take the bait. Just ignore him, I told myself, but that was going to be easier said than done.
‘I’m sure you appreciate I’m a very busy man,’ Alfie said.
‘Yes, we know that.’ Nathan stared at me from beneath his long, dark lashes.
Sensing Alfie’s blue eyes watching me, I turned to face him, and although I tried not to, I threw him a dirty look before I could stop myself.
‘Do you remember how long we spent in the car before you went into De Beers?’
‘Yes,’ I replied, glaring at him.
‘It took me ages to convince you to go through with your part of the deal, and time is money, so the debt automatically increased.’
That wasn’t fair. He never told me that would happen if I didn’t go in straight away. I had to hold back angry tears that threatened to spring into my eyes. I was infuriated by the injustice of it all.
‘You should have realised the clock was ticking… tick, tock, tick, tock.’ Alfie laughed again. He was playing games with us.
I crossed my arms and studied Alfie. I wondered how much we still owed him, but before I asked the question, I had a horrible feeling I already knew the answer. Something told me he would never let us pay off this debt. This was turning into a living nightmare, and there was no way out of it.
Alfie finished his drink, then wiped his lips on the back of his hand. He leant back on the sofa and crossed his long legs at the ankles while maintaining eye contact with me. ‘Are you angry with me, Gemma?’ he asked with a smile on his face.
Nathan’s eyes darted towards me and his brows creased together. I’d seen that look before and knew he was silently telling me to keep quiet before I said something we’d both regret. But I couldn’t help myself. I had a tendency to say whatever came into my mind, and didn’t always think before I spoke.
‘Angry isn’t a strong enough word to describe how I’m feeling,’ I said through gritted teeth. I couldn’t hide the look of disgust on my face.
Alfie straightened himself in the chair. ‘For what it’s worth, I really enjoyed working with you.’
What the hell was he talking about? A blind rage swept over me. ‘I wouldn’t go so far as to say that. You sat in the safety of the car while I went into De Beers and stole the ring. I was the one taking all the risk.’ Inside I was seething, so it was impossible for me to hide the acidic tone of my voice.
‘What do you mean you stole the ring?’ Nathan asked.
His question was left unanswered as Alfie fixed me with a death stare. It would appear my outburst had hit a nerve. I wondered how much he was going to take from me before he made me pay for my rudeness.
‘You shouldn’t have said that.’
‘Why not?’ My words came out sharply.
‘Because you’ve offended me.’ Alfie smiled, but the usual twinkle in his blue eyes was missing.
‘What a shame.’
Nathan tilted his head to one side and looked at me with wide eyes. ‘Gemma, shut up before you make things worse.’
Alfie’s lips stretched into a wider smile as he watched me without blinking. ‘The way you speak to me fascinates me, Gemma. Normally, people are too frightened of the consequences to be as disrespectful as you are.’
Nathan shook his head at me, and I felt myself cringe. I’d managed to do it again. Why did I always say the wrong thing? I should have thought about what might happen if Alfie took offence at what I’d said, and suddenly wished I’d been less blunt. But it was too late to take it back.
‘It’s interesting that you think my role was easy,’ Alfie continued. ‘Just because I wasn’t physically in the shop, doesn’t mean I was any less involved.’
Silence hung heavy between us. I stared at Alfie with a look of pure hatred. ‘I’m afraid I don’t agree with you. You were less involved because you didn’t get your hands dirty.’
‘What are you two talking about?’ Nathan asked. As he tried to work out what was going on, his head sprang backwards and forwards between Alfie and me like he was watching the final on Wimbledon Centre Court.
‘When I got the ring for Alfie today, I didn’t pay for it. I switched it for a fake.’
Nathan stood in front of me with his mouth opening and closing like a human goldfish. He obviously wanted to say something, but he was lost for words.
Alfie looked down and swirled the drink in his glass before downing it. ‘Get me another drink, Nathan.’
*
Nathan stood in the doorway, gripping Alfie’s glass of Jack Daniel’s tightly in his hand. A worried look spread across his face as he watched Alfie walk towards me and stand too close for comfort.
Alfie leant forward, and his lips brushed my ear. When his breath hit the bare skin on my neck, it made me shiver. ‘You’re a smart girl, Gemma, and that’s why I want you to join the firm.’
‘Here’s your drink,’ Nathan said.
Alfie pulled away and took the tumbler from Nathan.
‘I know you want Gemma to work for you, but that doesn’t seem fair. It was my debt, so I should be the one to repay it.’ Nathan took hold of my hand and squeezed my fingers.
Alfie’s forehead creased. ‘You’re hardly in a position to name your terms.’
‘I appreciate that, but…’
Alfie cut him off with the palm of his hand. ‘If you want to pay off your debt, Gemma needs to join the team.’
‘Can’t I take her place?’ Nathan asked. The frustration in his voice was obvious.
‘No. You don’t have the right set of skills. The easiest way to put this is, Gemma’s face fits, and yours doesn’t. You get the picture, don’t you?’ Alfie smirked. The look he gave Nathan said a lot more than his words.
A flash of anger spread across my face. Nathan’s borrowing had got us into trouble before, but nothing on this scale. If Alfie hadn’t blackmailed me, I’d never have agreed to go into De Beers. My mind kept replaying the scene over and over. I realised I’d been incredibly lucky to steal from such a big organisation and not get caught. But as far as I was concerned, it was a one-off.
‘I’m sorry, Alfie, but I can’t work for you again. If I’d messed up today, I would have been arrested and sent to prison, wouldn’t I?’ Folding my arms across my chest, I waited for Alfie’s reply.
‘But you didn’t mess up, did you? You kept a cool head, made the swap and walked right out the front door of one of the largest companies in the international diamond trade. That’s pure class, Gemma.’
The debt had spiralled out of control at an alarming rate. How could we ever pay Alfie back when he kept changing the amount we owed? Being given the runaround was getting on my nerves.
Alfie sucked in air through his teeth. ‘Now you two sit tight, and I’ll be in touch when Terry’s valued the ring.’
‘Who’s Terry?’ I asked. My imagination began running riot.
Alfie finished his drink and, without answering my question, walked out of our flat.
10
Nathan
I clasped my fingers behind my head and stared at my wife. ‘When the Mercedes drove away with you inside, I was terrified I’d never see you again.’ Stepping towards her, I wrapped my arms around
her and kissed her soft lips before she rested her face on my chest.
I felt guilty that I’d let her down. I wished I’d never borrowed that money now. I had no idea Alfie was going to make her steal the ring. Knowing that Gemma had become involved in this because of me was difficult to accept. I didn’t know what I would do if anything happened to her. I loved Gemma more than anything. She could have any man she wanted, but she’d chosen me. Knowing that was the best feeling in the world.
Gemma took a step backwards and stared at me with her beautiful green eyes. She had never been good at hiding her feelings. Her emotions were always written all over her face. She broke eye contact when her eyes filled with tears. She tried to blink them away before I noticed.
‘Please don’t cry. I’m sorry I got us into this. I promise I’m going to sort it out.’ I reached forward and touched my wife’s arm.
‘Do you think Alfie will kill us if we can’t pay him back?’ Gemma asked, dabbing her eyes on the back of her hand.
‘No.’ I shook my head to reinforce my words.
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘He won’t get his money back if he does, will he?’ I smiled, hoping to put her mind at rest, but I knew Gemma could see through me.
Gemma and I were playing the waiting game. Only Alfie knew when he’d venture into the sanctity of our home next. The only thing that was certain was that he would visit us again when we least expected it. Having that thought at the back of my mind would keep me awake at night.
*
Alfie rarely ventured out without his heavies. There was always somebody shadowing him, watching his back. But in recent days, his habits had changed. He’d still arrive unannounced, but at a reasonable hour without his minders in tow. Thankfully, so far, all of his visits had been social. We hadn’t discussed business since the day Gemma stole the ring. Instead, we’d make small talk while he sipped Jack Daniel’s on the sofa of our living room. Then after he’d had a couple of drinks, he’d leave.
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