Needless to say, I’d just taken a cold shower this morning to try to keep him off my mind. I wanted him, and if this weren’t a job, I might indulge. It had been too long since I’d had spine-tingling sex, and for various reasons, it seemed like Ryan could give it to me. My last boyfriend and I broke up a year ago. It was after Lily’s funeral and he took a job at a tech firm in Silicon Valley, rather than stay in the city and code for a startup in the Big Apple.
The fact that it had felt natural, rather than like a great loss, had made it sink in that Tyler and I hadn’t ever really been a good match. He had been the safe choice. It was the kind that I had made for so long. Do the right thing. Go to school. Be brilliant. Take a job being brilliant. And then I didn’t. My mother would come to me in my dreams and ask if my life was making a difference. It wasn’t. I decided to give back to the community, to be a teacher, and be brilliant at it. Only that wasn’t what people like Tyler and the Old Onyx did. Old Onyx and Tyler took jobs that shone a light on their brilliance. Tyler went to work for a Silicon Valley firm. And Old Onyx would’ve joined him. Could have worked at half a dozen firms that needed geological engineers, or found a geo lab that needed workers. The field was obscure, but the pay was good.
Old Onyx would have been surrounded by other brilliant people. And she probably would have had ten times as much saved, enough that she wouldn’t be doing this stupid job for Pauly. Or Tyler, who’s family had decent money, would have given her a loan and she’d not be doing this stupid job for Pauly. But that was just it. I wasn’t Old Onyx. Old Onyx felt like a completely separate person from me. And as ridiculous as this job was, I didn’t regret leaving Old Onyx behind, for the New Onyx. The one that taught kids who society had discarded. And even though this wasn’t even remotely practical, I was glad to be helping Lynx, and Ryan, which felt, by extension, like helping Lily.
There was a knock on the door to the bedroom. It had to be Ryan. He’d been cool to me this morning, keeping his distance. I didn’t blame him. I was even glad for it. The more distant he was, the easier it was for me to push away my growing desire for him.
“I was going to order lunch and bring it back,” he said to me, poking his head in.
I peeked at the clock. It was 11:30. Our tour started at two and was supposed to last two hours. “Sounds good to me,” I said.
“OK,” he said, his voice still cool, despite his kind offer. “You have a preference?”
I shrugged. I wouldn’t eat much before a job, so I didn’t care. “Whatever you bring back is fine.”
He nodded, and left. I looked over the floor plan of the diamond factory. Then I checked the large purse I’d brought with me. I wouldn’t take it with me to the factory. I had small clutch I was bringing, and it would have nothing but a few rupees and my ID. I was pretty sure the tour literature said not to bring large bags, and that they might request a look in your bag before leaving. However, it seemed unlikely they’d do it. This wasn’t the standard tour. It was for important potential buyers, millionaires and billionaires and they wouldn’t want to offend. Pauly said we were booked with only two other couples. However, I didn’t want to stand out, so smaller was better. I’d strap my lock-picking kit to my thigh. The box that held it was only about three inches wide, less than an inch deep and six inches long. Also, I’d tape the electronic key card I’d need to it.
I felt a little rush of excitement. It had been a long time since I’d done something like this. It would be good. It would work. I’d gone over the plan in my head a hundred times. I knew exactly what I was doing. I was good at what I did. It would work.
I heard rustling at the door and put the floor plan away. I walked out of the bedroom to find the food had been delivered. Several tiffins, small metal containers, of food had arrived with a hotel staff woman. She was dressed in a sari and she carried them over to the table and set them there for us. She smiled expectantly and Ryan tipped her, before she turned and left.
“Smells divine,” I said, as I sat down and began removing lids. Chana masala, bangain bharta, aloo gobi, and fresh naan bread. I looked for another dish. Perhaps a goat stew or kabobs, but there wasn’t one. “Going vegetarian today?”
“When in Rome...”
I chuckled. “Well, good for you, for trying new things.”
He smiled and we sat together and ate. We didn’t talk much. I wasn’t that hungry, but made an effort to eat at least a few bites and pushed the food around on my plate, so it looked like I was having more than I did. I didn’t want him to feel like he’d made the lunch effort and I didn’t appreciate it. Ryan, on the other hand, seemed to be starving. He piled food onto his plate and devoured it.
When we finished, I replaced the tiffin lids and brushed my hands on a napkin. “You ready?” I asked him.
His face looked pale. “Not entirely.”
I put a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll be fine,” I told him. “I’m counting on you, and I know you can do it.”
His face colored slightly, but he didn’t look more confident.
WE ARRIVED AT THE FACTORY about ten minutes before our tour was scheduled to start. The building was in a denser, factory area of town, further from our hotel. We’d taken a taxi over and gotten out just a moment ago. I’d worn a long dark, flowing skirt, something that looked slightly more American, but could fit in in India, paired with a white sleeveless shirt. My hair was bone straight, as I’d spent a couple of hours pressing it this morning. I’d worn only a pair of onyx earrings, a gift from my father when I was little. I was hoping they’d bring me luck today. I wondered now if I should have brought a small charm of Ganesha. I could use a god who removed obstacles on my side today.
We went inside and were greeted by a pretty Indian woman with long black hair, wearing a purple and gold dress suit called a salawar kameez. It was a very long straight type of dress that went just beneath her knees, with a matching pair of purple pants underneath. She wore gold dangly earrings with diamonds dripping from the tips, and a thin layer of red lipstick. The room was bland, all beige with a reception desk in the rear that was empty.
“Welcome,” she said, her voice pleasant, with only a slight accent. There was a black leather-bound book in her hand. “Are you here for the tour?”
Ryan nodded. “Yes, Ryan Harper, for two.”
She looked into the book, smiled, and said, “Right this way.” She bade us to follow her and walked past the reception desk, to a door on the back wall. There was a buzz and you could hear an electronic latch releasing. She grabbed the door handle, pulled it open and held it for us to enter. We stepped into another room, about the same size as the first one, but the walls in here were painted a rich red, and in the center, was a table filled with fruits and pastries, a pot of tea, and a carafe of wine and glasses. Along the walls were decorative chairs with soft cushions. Seated in one chair was another foreign man. He was white, with a ruddy complexion, a large nose and silver hair, dressed in khakis and a polo shirt. Seated next to him was a younger woman, also white, with flaming red hair, dressed in fitted slacks and a green blouse.
The man smiled at us cheerfully, while the woman said nothing, taking a keen interest in her fingernails. The man stood, and said “Hullo,” with a British accent. “I’m Lawrence, and this is my wife, Tiffany.” He headed toward Ryan extending a hand.
Ryan took it and spoke cheerfully. “Ryan,” he said, then pointed to me. “This is my girlfriend Onyx.”
Lawrence turned to me and said, “You excited about the tour?”
I smiled demurely and said, “I think it should be interesting. Diamonds are lovely.”
Lawrence nodded. “That they are, my love.” He chuckled, as if reveling in some unspoken joke. The missus, Tiffany, still hadn’t moved. She seemed even more involved in her nails than she’d been earlier.
A door I hadn’t noticed on the opposite side of the room, swung open and in walked a man in a dark blue sherwani with gold trim. He nodded to each of us and then introduced himsel
f. “Hello, my name is Devansh. I’ll be your tour guide today.”
We nodded to him.
“First off, our tour lasts roughly two hours, and then there’s about a half an hour at the end if you have questions. This is the platinum tour for our most valued guests. In it you’ll see the diamonds as they come in, still in rough form. This will be from behind glass, as there can be a fair amount of dust in that room, and we don’t want to obstruct your breathing with diamond dust.”
Devansh chuckled and made it sound so helpful, but it was a load of crock. They’d only encounter diamond dust on the cutting floor. But, clearly, they were concerned about things disappearing from the rough room, so you watched it from behind glass.
“Before our diamonds are cut, we use computer modeling to figure out the best angles and shape to cut the diamonds in. After we see how the rough diamonds look—and don’t worry, I’ve got one that I’ll pass around for each of you to hold—we’ll watch the modeling, and then to what you came to see. The actual diamond cutting. This is done by laser, and it’s done expertly. Surat is the diamond-cutting capital of the world. Ninety percent of the world’s diamonds are cut here. What cutting does is to bring out the best of that rough diamond, and make it shine.”
“After we spend time watching the cutters on the floor, we have a special treat. We take you to a single cutting room, where you can watch one of our best craftsmen begin to shape a diamond. This can be an exceedingly long process, usually taking hours. This is why we have so many cutters here: 45. After the diamonds are cut, they’re taken to our polishing center, and then prepared for shipping overseas or sales here.”
He looked around the room at us, smiled. “We had a last-minute cancellation, so it’s just the four of you on the tour today. This means you’re in luck, getting an even smaller, more personalized tour. At the end of it, you’ll be able to select a lovely diamond for yourselves. A two-carat is included with the tour, and you’re welcome to purchase additional diamonds at a significant discount.”
I smiled, and stroked Ryan’s arm, figuring I’d give the hint that I was angling for a bigger diamond. Devansh seemed to take notice of this, his eyes lingering on me an extra moment. I glanced over at Tiffany, who was silent and looked bored.
“Then, we’ll get started,” Devansh said, then paused. “Unless you’d like additional refreshments.”
Ryan shook his head, as did I. Old Lawrence smiled and grabbed a gulab jamon, a golf-ball sized mass made of flour and milk solids and soaked in syrup. “I’ll have one more of these sweet balls,” he said. Then he laughed. “Oh my. That did not quite sound right, did it?”
Ryan chuckled, too, and Devansh told them both the proper name of the dish. Lawrence ate a couple more and then said he was ready. We followed Devansh down some corridors and to a small elevator up to the top level. Just as planned, as we listened dutifully to the tour for about 10 minutes, and then I feigned swooning. Devansh looked terrified for a moment, like he didn’t know what to do, and like clockwork, Chandran appeared with a note in hand.
Then he looked at me, with perfectly feigned surprise. “Do you need help, Miss?”
“I’m feeling a little faint and woozy,” I said, leaning hard against Ryan.
“We should go home,” Ryan said. “You’re sick.”
I shook my head and said, “No, sweetheart. You wanted to get something nice for your mother, right? Let me just go back to the lobby and sit down.”
“I don’t want to leave you on one of those chairs. You need to lie down,” Ryan said, his voice laced with concern.
“There’s a sofa in Mr. Ahmet’s office,” Chandran suggested. “I could take her to rest in there.”
Devansh blanched at the suggestion, clearly not wanting to put me in that office. It was against protocol. “I’m not sure...” he started.
That’s when Ryan jumped in and helped make up his mind. “It’s fine,” he said. “We’ll just leave. I’m not going to go on this tour if she can’t make it. We’ll just go home. You can refund us for the tour, right?”
“No,” Devansh said. They were already down one couple on this couples’ tour. He didn’t want to lose another, clearly. “There’s no need to leave. You should try to both see the tour. Chandran will take her to a sofa. She’ll be very comfortable, and may feel well enough to join you later.”
I was leaning on Ryan, my eyes closed.
“I don’t know,” Ryan said. “Sweetheart, what do you think?”
I lifted my head slightly, and said, “Let me lie down. I bet this will pass in half an hour or so, and then I can see at least part of the tour.”
Ryan nodded. “Alright then, let’s take her to lie down.”
Devansh nodded to Chandran. “It’s a restricted area, so Chandran can take her.”
“Of course,” Chandran said.
I righted myself slightly and looked over to Chandran. Ryan had an armed wrapped around me for support and led me over to him.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright,” he asked me, genuine concern in his voice, and it felt as if he was genuinely asking me the question. As if he wanted to know if I could do this.”
I smiled at him, and said, “Just let me rest. I think if I lie down for a bit I can continue.”
Chandran reached out a hand and I took it, then rested a hand on his shoulder for support. I could feel the eyes of the other people in the room on me. I leaned a little on Chandran, who helped me down the hallway, around a corner, and through a door to an office. Inside was a sofa. I sat on it and Chandran said loudly, “I’ll come back to check on you in thirty minutes.”
Half an hour. That would be enough time. I nodded and watched him leave the room. The second the door was closed, I set the timer on my watch for twenty-six minutes. I hoisted my skirts and unstrapped the lock picking kit from my thigh. From it, I pulled two latex gloves and went over to the door on behind the desk in the room. It led to the back part of the facility. I turned the handle. It was locked, so no lucky break there. I squatted down and looked in the lock. Almost identical to the lock I’d gotten at the hardware store. I pulled my tools from the lock-picking kit and went to work. I had it open in 10 seconds.
I opened and closed the door quietly, finding myself inside a tiny back corridor. I walked a few dozen paces, and found a second door. It had an electronic card reader access. I opened my lock picking kit and pulled out the security card Chandran had left me earlier. I swiped it against a flat electronic plate and heard the whir of the door as the lock disengaged. I opened it, to find a small room, about 10 feet by 10 feet with rough diamonds. Ahmet was the jeweler. He’d segregated the diamonds into piles already. This was better than I’d hoped. All I had to do now was find rough diamonds of the equivalent of $10 million for Pauly. He needed a variety of stones, large and small. The key thing was the dollar value.
I started in on the piles, pulling my loupe from my skirt pocket and working diligently. The piles, while not labeled were pretty obvious as to which ones the factory’s buyers thought were worth something. I started there, and easily pulled out half the amount. Then, I went to the lesser pile, not wanting to pull too much from the better stone pile. That took longer, and I was able to find the rest of what I needed, plus I took a few extra.
The timer on my watch beeped. I had to get back. I pulled the diamonds into a satchel and tied it, along with my lock picking kit, back to my thigh. I hurried back the way I came, leaving my gloves on.
I hoped Ryan was affable and friendly, or that if he wasn’t, that his nerves appeared to be about the girlfriend who was ill.
I hated being dependent on other people. I hated having to rely on them, because it meant they could let you down. But, this stupid heist involved me relying on so many people. People I didn’t know that well. Chandran would be coming back to check on me, and maybe even his boss would be with him.
I was back to the office now, and I opened the door slightly, and slipped off the gloves I’d been wearing, shoving
them in my pocket of my skirt to dispose of after I left the facility. Once I got through to the other side, I bumped the door shut with my bottom and breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, the main door to the room opened and a man I’d never seen before opened the door and stepped in. His eyes flared at me, and he barked, “What are you doing?”
I stuffed down the urge to panic, and instead, placed my hand on my stomach and said. “I think I’m going to vomit. I was hoping this led to a private bathroom”
The man’s face tempered and he shook his head. “No,” he said, and I saw him look at me with more sympathy. “The bathroom is this way.”
He turned and I immediately followed him. As we got in the hallway, I saw Chandran standing there, worry on his face. It was fine, so long as his boss didn’t get antsy and go check the diamonds. Not a cursory inspection to see if anything looked disturbed, but a real, go-through-the-room inspection and look at each diamond.
I went into the restroom, splashed some water on her face and came back out, saying I thought I’d feel better if I got to rest a tad more. Mr. Ahmet and Chandran took me back to his office for a few more minutes. When Ahmet got called away, I handed Chandran the pouch.
“We good?” I asked.
He nodded. “Perfect.”
Chapter 17 – Diamond Mountain High
We were on a complete high. The entire thing had been a success. The handoff to Chandran had gone perfectly, and now we were back at the hotel. I felt like I was on top of the world. Literally, like I could fly. Like I could do anything.
“You were brilliant,” Ryan said, pulling me close to him.
I smiled as I leaned into him, giving him a brief hug. His arms felt perfect around me for that moment, and then I stepped back. “You were great,” I told him, meaning it. “You kept it together and really helped pull this off. It was genius to buy me that diamond.” Though I knew Pauly would be a little pissed. But 30k extra wasn’t here or there. He’d get more for it if he sold it back in the states. It would be easy enough to move legitimately through the club, or he could use it to pay his business associates. People who did shady work were willing to get paid in diamonds. The black market moved a lot of them.
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