Panic coursed through my veins as I stared at the screen. I was terrified Nathan would see it.
‘Is it from Alfie?’ Nathan asked, trying to look over my shoulder.
‘Yes.’ I hoped he wouldn’t notice the anxious tone in my voice. Tensing my jaw, I turned off the phone and tossed it back onto the table.
‘What did he say?’
‘He wants to see me.’
‘Why?’ Nathan looked me in the eye.
I could feel my pulse quicken. ‘He didn’t say.’ I threw back the covers and got out of bed, hoping that I’d delivered the lie convincingly enough so that Nathan wouldn’t suspect anything.
‘Do you want me to come with you?’ Nathan got up and dragged his fingers through his hair.
‘No, why don’t you go and order our breakfast? I won’t be long.’
*
Alfie threw open the door and pulled me into his arms, before burying his face in my hair. ‘What took you so long?’ he asked before kissing the side of my neck. ‘Thanks for coming.’
‘You say that like I had a choice in the matter. What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ I pushed him away.
Alfie looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face. ‘What’s wrong with you?’
‘In future, don’t send texts like that to my phone. Nathan could have seen it.’ Inwardly I was seething.
‘Do I look like I give a shit if Nathan finds out?’ Alfie shouted, stepping closer to me. His voice was full of anger.
‘Well, I do and next time you’ve got something to say to me, don’t bother getting in my face.’ I stared into Alfie’s blue eyes.
Alfie took a step back from me. ‘You didn’t seem very worried about Nathan last night when you were writhing naked in my bed.’
Alfie’s words sucked the air out of the room.
‘Last night was a one-off. It was a mistake.’ I forced myself to stay calm, but I was riled up by his comment and the smug look on his face.
Alfie smirked. ‘You sound quite convincing. But I know you’ll change your mind.’
Alfie was very sure of himself, which probably explained why I’d felt inexplicably drawn to him. His confidence was attractive, and he was a good-looking man, so you couldn’t help but notice him the minute he entered the room. But I meant what I said. I was never going to sleep with him again. What I’d done was wrong. ‘I was drunk and angry. I shouldn’t have slept with you to get back at Nathan.’
‘So you used me. Thanks for clearing that up.’
‘I’m sorry.’
Alfie closed the gap between us. ‘Your concern is very touching. I have to say you’re a class act, Gemma.’
‘Thanks for the compliment.’ I couldn’t stop the sarcasm from seeping into my tone. ‘I have to go. Nathan’s waiting.’
‘Nathan’s no threat to me. He’s a piece of shit. You’re not going anywhere.’ Alfie pushed past me and blocked the door. ‘I thought you were going to wrap those long legs around me again, not dump me.’
What I wouldn’t give to turn back the clock. ‘You need to forget that anything happened between us.’ I struggled to keep my words steady.
‘I can’t do that. I love you, Gemma. Isn’t it obvious?’ Alfie threw his arms tightly around me and gave me a lingering hug.
I honestly had no idea he felt like that. In my mind, we’d just shared a drunken one-night stand. As Alfie’s words penetrated my brain, I tried to make sense of them. But I couldn’t think straight. What the hell had I done? I could feel panic rising within me, and I had to summon every bit of strength I had to be able to reply calmly.
I wriggled out of his embrace and looked him in the eye. ‘I’m sorry, Alfie, but I love my husband.’ I hoped I didn’t sound as flustered as I felt.
Alfie’s eyes bored into mine as he registered what I’d just said. Then he leant forward and whispered in my ear. ‘But I wonder if he’d still love you if he knew what I did to you last night. You enjoyed every minute of it, so don’t pretend you didn’t.’
I fixed my eyes dead ahead and tried to swallow the huge lump that had suddenly appeared in my throat. Even though I wasn’t looking at him, I knew Alfie was watching me. I could feel his blue eyes scanning every inch of my body. Eventually, Alfie stepped away from the door.
‘I think we both know you will end up in my bed again. It’s only a matter of time.’
‘Don’t bet on it. I can assure you I won’t make the same mistake twice.’ I pasted on a fake smile.
‘We’ll see.’ Alfie winked.
Alfie delivered his reply in such a confident manner it immediately got my back up. But I needed to put an end to this conversation, and I didn’t want him to know he’d bothered me. So I shrugged off his comment, stepped past him and walked along the corridor. As I made my way to the restaurant, his words began to get under my skin.
59
Alfie
It was funny how things turned out, wasn’t it? If Gemma had shown any interest in me in the beginning, who knows what would have happened. I might not have pursued her at all. It was much more exciting to go after a woman who wasn’t interested in you and turn that around. Nobody wanted an easy lay, did they? But I could hardly accuse Gemma of that.
When I’d got the long-awaited nod last night, and Gemma ended up in my bed, I thought all my Christmases had come at once. All the hard work had finally paid off. I’d been trying to woo her for months now and genuinely thought she’d fallen for me. How could I have read the situation so wrong? I was usually a good judge of character. Gemma obviously wasn’t. Otherwise, she’d have seen through Nathan years ago. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand how a loser like Nathan held on to a woman like Gemma. He was punching way above his weight.
Nathan stumbled from one disaster to another while Gemma followed in his wake, picking up the pieces. He didn’t appreciate her and took her for granted. I would have loved the opportunity to show her what life would be like with me. I would treat her like royalty, which is nothing less than she deserved. I’d give her the world if she’d let me.
Surely the quickest way to corrode a relationship was to neglect your partner, but Nathan did that to Gemma on a daily basis, and she was still prepared to stay with him. I couldn’t get my head around that. The phrase happy wife, happy life was lost on their marriage. They should have been equally invested in their relationship. Neither of them should have been more important than the other. Nathan seemed to have lost sight of that. He never took her feelings into consideration when he made decisions without consulting her, and yet Gemma showed him unwavering loyalty.
I wasn’t going to walk away from her that easily. After what happened last night, I knew she had feelings for me no matter how much she tried to deny it. She might not want to act on them at the moment because of Nathan. But it was only a matter of time until she questioned their future again. Nathan needed to sort himself out if he wanted to hold on to his wife.
I could respect Gemma’s wishes and forget anything had happened between us, but I wasn’t going to do that. Nothing worth having comes easy. If I persevered, I was sure in time I could win her over. I just needed to make her realise she would be better off cutting Nathan adrift. Every king needed a queen, and if I was able to convince Gemma to leave Nathan, I would never let her go. She had my heart for as long as she wanted it.
60
Gemma
‘You were a long time,’ Nathan said when I sat down at the table.
Before I had a chance to answer him, my phone buzzed in my hand as a text came through from Alfie.
You’re going shopping this afternoon.
There was no way I was going to agree to that, so I sent my reply.
No, I’m not.
Would you like to reconsider?
No.
Then I’ll have to tell Nathan about last night.
I knew Alfie would carry out his threat if I didn’t do what he wanted. He might as well be holding a gun to my head.
Are
you trying to blackmail me?
Meet me in the lobby in an hour.
‘What’s the matter, Gemma?’ Nathan asked, reaching over the table to touch my hand.
I stopped staring at the phone and looked up at him. ‘Alfie wants me to go shopping.’
‘That’s ridiculous. I hope you told him you wouldn’t. The police are onto you,’ Nathan said, studying my face for a reaction.
I let out a long breath. ‘I know that, but you know what Alfie’s like. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.’
‘We’ll see about that,’ Nathan said, pushing his chair back from the table and standing up.
‘Wait,’ I said, louder than I’d intended. ‘I’ve already told him I’ll do it.’ Getting to my feet, I went to stand next to my husband.
Pulling my hair back over my shoulder, Nathan whispered into my ear. ‘It’s too dangerous, Gemma. I can’t let you go through with this.’
‘I’m going to wear a disguise.’
Nathan shook his head.
‘We don’t have a choice. I’m sure I don’t need to remind you that we’re up to our necks in debt. We’re not in a position to refuse.’
I felt a pang of guilt as Nathan broke eye contact with me. I couldn’t tell him the real reason I had to go through with it.
*
Alfie was waiting for me in the lobby, and as I approached him, I could feel him undressing me with his eyes. I suddenly wished I’d worn something else. When I stopped next to him, I began self-consciously pulling down the hem of the black and white patterned dress.
‘You look nice. That dress was a good choice – it really hugs your curves.’ Alfie nodded his approval.
I smoothed down the clingy fabric and felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise. It seemed to take forever to walk the short distance to the jewellery store. On reflection, a wiggle dress probably wasn’t the smartest thing for me to wear. It hindered the movement of my legs, and I would be in trouble if I needed to make a quick getaway. Stopping close to Bulgari, Alfie pointed out the entrance.
Making my way inside the shop, I quickly located the item Alfie was after. The overzealous assistant with the hairiest knuckles I’d ever seen couldn’t do enough to accommodate me.
‘I hope you don’t mind me asking, but do I know you from somewhere?’ He grinned.
‘No,’ I replied. The assistant’s question sent my heart rate soaring.
‘It’s just you look very familiar. Perhaps I’ve seen you in a movie.’
‘I’m not an actress.’ I laughed, flashing the assistant my best smile as my pulse pounded wildly under my skin. But that wasn’t strictly true. At this moment, I was playing the part of a wealthy socialite, wasn’t I?
‘I understand. I hope my behaviour hasn’t caused you any embarrassment. Please be assured, you can rely on my discretion.’ The assistant touched the side of his nose with a forefinger.
That was almost enough to make me lose the plot. If it hadn’t been for Alfie’s threat, I would have abandoned the shopping trip immediately. But instead, I had to continue to play the part until I had the twenty-five-carat diamond ring Alfie wanted in my possession.
*
I got into the Mercedes and shut the door behind me. ‘I’m not doing that again, it’s too dangerous.’ I sat down next to Alfie and glared at him.
‘Let me see the ring.’
Nathan sat behind Tommy with his arms folded across his chest, looking out of the tinted glass. He didn’t even glance in my direction. I’d just risked everything to carry out another job. It was his fault I was an international jewel thief, and the fact that he didn’t have the decency to acknowledge me made me see red. I was about to have words with him, but before I could, Alfie interrupted.
‘This little beauty is worth one and a half million euros.’ Alfie held the yellow diamond in his hand and inspected it from every angle.
‘Let me guess, Terry will give us ten per cent of that,’ I said with a bitter edge to my words.
‘That’s still a lot of money.’ Alfie turned in his seat and patted my thigh.
I pushed his hand away and looked him straight in the eye. What the hell was he playing at? Nathan was sitting on the other side of him. He had overstepped the mark. Alfie smiled and studied my expression. I felt the colour rush to my cheeks, so I turned away to break eye contact from his intense blue stare.
‘The assistant recognised me from somewhere, but luckily he couldn’t put his finger on where he’d seen me before.’
Alfie’s face broke into a grin. ‘He probably thought you were a celebrity because he’d never expect you to be a thief.’
I shot Alfie a look. ‘The man in the jeweller’s was convinced he knew me. What if he puts two and two together?’
‘Listen, Gemma, you’ve got nothing to worry about. In the last couple of days, your face has appeared on every TV channel, and he still couldn’t place you.’
‘Is that meant to reassure me?’ I tried not to let my voice quaver when I replied.
‘Of course it is. Even though your picture has been circulated by the police, you still managed to walk right out the door of a high-profile jeweller’s with another ring today.’ Alfie threw his head back and laughed.
‘I’m glad you find it funny.’ I clenched my teeth together to try and suppress the anger that was building inside me.
‘It’s more than funny, it’s hilarious, Gemma. So much for the industry being on high alert.’
Even though Alfie had tried to convince me that I was still under the radar, I felt the police were getting closer to catching me. I could sense it. I glanced across at Nathan, but he was still staring out the window as the conversation carried on around him. I turned my head so I could look at Alfie. He was leaning back on the leather seat, smiling broadly, looking like a man without a care in the world. If only the same could be said about me. I was finding this line of work so stressful, it was becoming detrimental to my health.
61
Gemma
It had just started snowing in Milan when Tommy drove the car onto the motorway and headed north, away from the city. Staring into the distance, I sat in silence. My head was spinning. It was only a matter of time before the police caught me. Knowing I was on the verge of going to jail over something I’d been forced into doing was difficult for me to accept.
‘For the rest of the journey, we’re going to be travelling along narrow mountain roads. I’ll need to put snow chains on the tyres,’ Tommy said, looking over his shoulder at Alfie as soon as we left the motorway.
Tommy got out of the car. While he fitted the chains, nobody said a word. The only sound in the car was the engine idling. We were soon back on the road, and to try and take my mind off things, I looked at the spectacular mountain scenery of the Aosta Valley as it whipped past the window. Breathtaking views of the unspoilt landscape and snow-laden trees were around every corner.
We stopped for lunch at the Alpine resort of Courmayeur, at the foot of Mont Blanc. I was glad to be out of the car. Despite the cold and the fact that I wasn’t dressed appropriately for the December weather, it was a pleasure to walk around the snow-covered cobbled streets of the old town.
‘What’s up?’ Alfie said. ‘You haven’t said a word since we left Milan.’ A muscle twitched in his jaw as he studied my reaction.
‘I’m absolutely freezing. I need to go and put something warmer on.’ I lowered my chin and wrapped my arms around myself to try and prevent my body heat from escaping.
*
Alfie had ordered stone-baked pizzas while I’d been changing into jeans, a jumper and a down-filled coat.
When I put my hand on the back of the chair, Nathan turned to face me and was about to say the seat was taken when he realised it was me. Managing a half-smile, I sat down at the table with the others and took a sip of red wine. I suppose it was reassuring to know that even my husband did a double-take when he saw me.
‘What do you think of Courmayeur?’ Alfie asked as we made ou
r way back to the car.
‘It’s beautiful. Are we going to drive over the Alps?’ I asked. Travelling across an unspoilt winter landscape like that is something I’ve always wanted to do. If I was going to be spending the foreseeable future locked behind bars, there was no better time to start crossing things off my bucket list.
‘I’m afraid not,’ Alfie replied.
I shouldn’t have been surprised really. That’s the story of my life at the moment: one disappointment after another.
As we approached the mouth of the tunnel in northwest Italy, the dramatic snow-covered peak of Mont Blanc looked spectacular set against a backdrop of clear blue sky. But when Tommy began driving through the mountain, we lost the incredible scenery. For thirty-five tedious minutes, the only view we had was one of fire extinguishers and emergency telephones. The journey couldn’t end soon enough for my liking. It felt like we’d been stuck inside for hours.
‘Have you ever been skiing, Gemma?’ Alfie asked, turning to face me as we emerged in sun-washed Chamonix.
‘No, the idea’s never appealed to me.’ I put my hand up to shield myself from a burst of late afternoon sunshine that suddenly hit me in the eye.
‘I bet you’d enjoy the après-ski though.’ Alfie winked, then flashed me a bright smile. ‘Tommy, see if they’ve got any vacancies, will you?’ Alfie leant forward in his seat and pointed towards the Hotel Mont Blanc in the centre of the town.
*
A tense atmosphere spread between us as Nathan stood in front of the full-length window of our junior suite that overlooked the pool and Mont Blanc. As he stared at the snow-covered mountains, I wondered if he could sense that I didn’t want to be alone with him. Turning to face me, he silently studied me, then took a step towards me.
‘You’re angry with me, aren’t you?’ Nathan paused for a moment before reaching for my hand.
Immediately, a lump built up in my throat, and I found myself fighting the urge to burst into tears. My mouth clamped shut. There was no tactful way to answer that question. I couldn’t tell him how I felt without us ending up in a fight. I remained tight-lipped for an uncomfortable amount of time. He knew me well enough to know I was giving him the silent treatment. But as frustration built up inside me, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. ‘I’m wanted by the police. How do you think I feel?’
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