Sebastian bit his tongue hard enough to draw blood but stood staring in defiant silence at the woman in front of him.
“Did you hear me?”
“He heard you Mrs. Blakeman,” Jake piped up again drawing the woman’s attention
“Good. Then you will see that is done?”
“Yes.”
She turned and strutted out of the office.
“Seb--” Jake started
“Look Jake, I know I’ve screwed up and gotten emotionally involved with the --”
“Seb, shut up and listen to me,” Jake said as the other gathered around.
“What?” Sebastian looked back and forth between the others.
“The woman is pure trouble, Sebastian,” Paul started.
“What do you mean?”
“Stan got back to me when you were out on your date with Daria, he couldn’t give me anything specific but he did tell me that the best thing for our merry little band was to steer clear of this woman and anything that she has any involvement in.”
“So what does that mean?” Sebastian’s blood pounded in his ears.
“It means that we are pulling out. We are not going to be finishing this job.”
“Wait you just told her--”
“I know what I told her. It was only so I could buy you some time. When she realizes that we are not going to be doing what she wants she is going to go after Daria herself. Of that I have no doubt in my mind. You have to warn her.”
Sebastian said nothing, but pulled his car keys out of his pocket and ran out the door.
He needed to get to Daria before Bonnie Blakeman did.
Sebastian pulled up in front of Daria’s house, praying he wasn’t too late. Not seeing Bonnie’s car in the driveway he figured he still had time.
He ran up the steps and pound on the front door.
Daria came to the door.
“Peter what is it?” She asked her eyes full of confusion.
“I need to talk to you about something.”
“It couldn’t wait until the morning?” she yawned.
“No, it can’t.”
“Well come on in then” She held open the door.
“No Daria, I need you to come with me. We need to talk about this somewhere else.” He reached for her hand and pulled her out the door.
“Peter what is going on?” She tried to resist but he pulled her towards the car.
“Peter you’re scaring me!”
“You have to trust me, Daria.”
She looked at him, said nothing more but got into the car.
As Sebastian was pulling off the highway, he noticed a black sedan that seemed to be right behind him, mimicking his every turn. The driver of the car stayed back only enough to not draw attention to him. However, Sebastian had been followed before and knew the signs.
“Where are we going?” Daria’s voice was breathless and sounding scared. “I thought you said you had something you needed to talk to me about.”
“I do, but for the moment I need you to trust me.” He hated that he was doing this to her but he also knew that there wasn’t any other option for him at this moment.
“You keep saying that but I don’t understand why.”
He turned sharply onto a side street from the main road. Driving slowly down the street as if looking for a house, he looked back into his rearview mirror. He drove slowly for a few minutes and no car turned onto the street with him. He was just about to go onto another street and make his way back to the main road when he saw the black car go through the intersection ahead of him. The windows of the car were tinted and he could see the outline of the person behind the wheel, but it was too dark to see if it was a man or a woman driving.
But he had a really good idea of who it was.
“Who is that Peter?” Daria’s questions were making it hard to focus, hard to concentrate.
Sebastian sat at the intersection for a moment longer and then hit the gas. He shot through the intersection, trying to get right behind the car. He had to know who the hell it was. He had an idea - Bonnie Blakman was the only one who made sense - but he had to know for sure. He needed to know what he and Daria were up against.
All the other times he had been followed he hadn’t cared who it was behind the wheel of the car or at least who had hired the person. This time it was different. He had to protect the woman sitting beside him if it was the last thing he did.
He knew he was going to have to find a place for them to lay low for awhile.- one where he would be able to sit and have a long conversation with Daria and explain everything. First he had to figure out what he was going to do about this crazy mother.
At the next intersection he turned right, the same direction the other car had gone; he was lucky that this residential neighborhood had parallel streets. He started to pick up speed, trying to get behind of the other car. The next chance he had to turn down an intersecting street he took it, and without slowing down shot back around and turned sharply onto the street. The black car was gone. There was no sign of it ahead of him. He kept his foot on the gas; aware that he was going too fast for the neighborhood he was in, praying that there were no children out at this time of night.
He glanced in his rearview mirror again. The black car was not behind him. He was running out of road as he raced to the end of the street where it turned off onto another street to avoid the highway. There was still no sign of the black car anywhere.
He made his way back to the main road; keeping a watchful eye on the rearview mirror should the black car try to sneak up on him again. He did not take the shortest route out of the city but slowly made his way there, taking back roads and side streets.
He could feel his follower's presence behind him but could not pick him out in the light, evening traffic. He was about to turn onto the main street out of Lake City when he caught a flash of black a few cars back.
There you are. I thought I could smell you, Sebastian thought to himself.
He picked up speed as he raced out of the city. The black car was right behind him and gaining speed.
“Peter, please. I know you are asking me to trust you but I don’t understand what you are doing.”
“Daria, you are in danger.” As Peter spoke the words her heart sank.
There had always been something in the back of her mind that didn’t seem right and now it was staring her right in the face.
“Who are you?” She whispered her heart hammering in her chest.
“I will explain everything Daria, I promise. And I promise you that I am not the one who is a danger to you. I gave you my word that I would do nothing to hurt you but with that also came a promise to always be there to protect you as well.”
“Protect me from who Peter?”
“I can’t tell you that either. At least not right now, but you have to trust me. Please I am begging you.”
“Did my father send you? Does this have something to do with him? Is someone trying to hurt him by coming after me?” She could hear the panic rising in her voice and hated herself for being so weak.
She wanted to be anywhere but there.
“I will explain. I promise, I will tell--”
Just then the car was jolted from behind. She screamed.
“Peter! Someone just hit us!” She looked back as Peter stepped on the gas and the car lurched forward faster.
A dark car followed them close. It was the same car Peter had been after just a few moments before.
Peter switched lanes to get around a tractor-trailer. She didn’t dare look at the speedometer. She really didn’t want to know how fast they were going.
“Who is that in the car behind us Peter?”
“In all honesty I don’t know, but I have a good guess.”
The car behind them sped up again.
“Hurry Peter! They are gaining on us!”
“Goddammit.” He gritted his teeth and switched lanes again.
The car stayed with them, almost as if the
other driver could read their minds and anticipate their next move.
Daria’s breath caught in her throat as the headlights of the other car disappeared and the car once again slammed into the back of Peter’s car.
She screamed. “Peter!”
Their car fishtailed a moment but Peter managed to keep it going in an almost straight line.
“Daria, take my phone. Dial the first number in speed dial. Put it on speaker.”
“O-okay” She fumbled with his phone and did as he asked.
The phone rang and was picked up on the first ring.
“DOT Recovery,” a woman’s voice came through the speaker.
“Gracie, it’s Peter. I need you to get a message to Jake. Tell him that I’m in trouble. I’ve got a tail and I don’t think Ill be able to lose it. Tell him to use the phone’s GPS to find us.”
“You have Daria with you?” The disembodied voice spoke again.
“Yes.”
“Alright Peter. Help is on the way.”
The line went dead.
“Who the hell was that and who the hell are you?”
“I am a friend. That’s all you need to know.”
The car was hit from behind a third time and this time the car spun around and out of control.
Daria screamed and reached for anything she could grab a hold of as they spun off the highway and into the ditch, coming to stop in a field on the other side. The black car came to a stop on the shoulder a few meters down.
It slowly started backing up and then it pulled off the shoulder, slowly negotiating the ditch, and driving onto the edge of the field, its engine revved.
“Peter! They are coming at us again.”
Peter worked frantically to get their seat belts undone but they were both jammed after they had been thrown around.
“Working on it sweetheart,” he grunted.
The car started towards them gaining speed as it closed the gap.
“They are going to ram us!”
The black car hit Peter’s car right behind the driver’s side door throwing them sideways.
Daria’s mind went numb as she scrambled to try and free herself from the car. Looking out the window, in the light of the headlights she realized the field dropped off sharply. There was only a small fence between them and the drop.
“Peter---” She patted his shoulder.
“I am trying!” Peters voice was frantic. There was blood dripping from a cut above his eye.
“There is a cliff Peter. They are pushing us off the cliff.”
Peter looked off over her shoulder his eyes widening for a split second before that look of determination set in again.
The black car backed up again and Daria felt herself bracing for another hit. Instead of ramming them again the other driver turned off their car and sat there.
“What are they doing?”
“I don’t know Daria, but I’ve almost got you free.” She hadn’t realized that he had somehow found a knife in the car and was cutting them both free.
A mere minute later and they were both free. They sat there for a moment. With the other car’s headlights still on they could not make out what the driver was doing but Daria was not prepared to sit around and wait to find out.
Peter’s door was jammed shut so they both climbed out Daria’s side. Still the other driver did nothing. Peter took her by the hand. Even though she had no idea what was going on the very act of him holding her hand made her feel safe if only for that split second.
It wasn’t until they had rounded the nose of Peter’s car that the other driver opened their door and a woman stepped out.
Chapter 10
The woman approached but in the glaring light of the haze of smoke in the headlights she could only make out the other woman’s silhouette.
“Who are you?” Daria screamed.
“Why don’t you ask the man standing beside you,“ the woman’s voice came through
the smoke.
She looked at Peter and then back to the woman.
“Well?” the woman stepped closer. “Are you going to tell her, Sebastian or am I? Hurry up boy and make up your mind. I don’t have all night. I have things to do.”
“What is she talking about Peter? And who is Sebastian?” She could feel the panic rising up in her throat.
Peter said nothing.
“Well since you don’t seem to want to tell her then I will. Daria, darling, I am your mother.” The woman stepped into the light and Daria could see the woman’s face.
She was smiling at them.
“That’s impossible! My mother died when I was just a baby!” Daria’s head spun.
What on earth was this woman talking about? She had to have her confused with someone else. The other woman just laughed.
“Look! I don’t know who you are but you cant be my mother. My mother died after she was attacked by a mugger.”
“No child. I was not attacked. I am very much alive.”
Daria searched the other woman’s features in the dim light, straining to see any sort of resemblance. Anything she could pull from memory. There were traces of familiarity but nothing definitive she could pin down.
“If you are my mother, where have you been my entire life?” A spark of anger ignited deep within her. Why was she trying to hurt her now?
“I was not allowed to be in your life. Your father would not allow me to see you.”
“That is bullshit! My father loved my mother! When she died his heart broke! He never married another woman, never even went on a date! So you can’t sit there and pretend to be my mother and not know how much he loved her!” The fire in her voice only seemed to amuse the woman further.
“Oh my child. You don’t know how untrue that is.”
“Well I suppose you are here to enlighten me?” Daria crossed her arms as she spoke.
“I should really. It is pathetic how you behave like you know everything and really I am about to crush that little fantasy world you have grown up in. I find no pleasure in it really, but it wasn’t my fault.”
Daria glared at the woman. Who did she think she was?
“Your father was a good man, but his way of showing affection was not as it should have been. He bought things for people instead of spending time with them.”
Daria thought back to her childhood, her father had done a lot of that when she was smaller. She could remember him being gone for months at a time on business and then returning with an armload or two of trinkets and toys for her from wherever in the world he had been.
“I can see that hasn’t changed much since I have been gone.”
“That doesn’t mean anything to me. My father is a businessman and he had to travel a lot. That doesn’t mean he didn’t know how to love.”
“Ah but I want you to tell me how many times you can remember him giving you a hug. Or reading you a bedtime story?”
Daria thought about it. She was right. Her father had not been overly affectionate to her as a child. She had simply assumed that he was busy with his businesses and didn’t have the time for her.
“Daria, do you remember a necklace? Black diamond in the center?”
Daria knew the necklace she was talking about. It had been in the family for generations. Was that what this was all about? She looked at Peter who was watching the other woman intently but saying nothing.
“I can tell from the look on your face you do. It is mine. And I would like to have it back.”
“That necklace is not yours! It stays in the family, passed on from woman to woman. It belongs to me.” The confusion fading, regardless of who this woman was or claimed she was, she was not getting the necklace.
“See that is the problem my dear Sebastian here was supposed to fix for me.” The woman gestured over at Peter who glared back but said nothing.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“Well let me tell you. Your loving boyfriend here and his friends were sent by me to retrieve that p
retty little bauble.”
Diamonds (Den of Thieves Book 1) Page 10