by Annie Seaton
‘I’m going to say this once more and that’s it.’ Dru stared at him and her words were slow and clear. ‘I have no idea what you are talking about. I know nothing about any diamonds. I’m only here to see my friends get married.’
‘Do you want me to go through the evidence? There’s enough to have you arrested.’
Dru laughed. ‘Call the police. I’d love that. It’s one way I can get out of this horrendous situation.’ She pointed to his phone. ‘Go on, call them.’ As much as she appeared confident, Dru was terrified he would call the police; although ending up in jail in Dubai might be marginally better than being kidnapped by Zayed.
Connor’s smile was cruel. The bastard was enjoying this. ‘Why did you leave your job in Dubai and take an almost fifty percent salary cut to go to Matsu?’
How did he know so much about her?
‘Because of Zayed. I tried to tell him that I was in Dubai to work, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.’
‘An answer to what?’ Connor’s eyes were fixed on her, and Dru raised a shaking hand to her face.
‘To moving into the apartment he set up.’
‘You’ve lost me. Why wouldn’t you want to move into a luxury apartment? Why did you quit your job?’
Dru took a deep breath. ‘Because I was here to work, not have a relationship with a controlling man—a married man. And I didn’t quit. He terminated my contract. He told me I was the perfect addition to his collection. The apartment was where he kept his collections.’
‘What collections?’
She focused on her breathing and waited until she could speak without fear making her voice tremble. ‘He loves beautiful things. Art, jewellery . . . and he decided he wanted me.’ Dru closed her eyes and dropped her head. ‘God knows why.’
The first time Zayed had told her she was beautiful, she’d laughed at his words and it had taken a moment before she’d realised he was offended. She’d soon learned that Zayed didn’t like anyone disagreeing with him.
Connor frowned. ‘That sounds very far-fetched.’
Dru opened her eyes and stared at him. ‘That’s the way it was. I wasn’t willing to be the trophy mistress of a married man.’
Connor’s eyebrows rose. ‘So you left your job to get away from your overzealous boyfriend, and moved to the Kimberley?’
‘I refused to do what he wanted so I no longer had a job.’ The silk of her pantsuit slipped against the leather as she shifted in the chair. Dru put her hands on the armrests and pulled herself up straight. Her throat was tight from holding back the emotion and fear that was surging through her. She tried to swallow it down but it didn’t move.
‘And a few days later almost a million dollars appears in your bank account, and then disappears again very quickly.’ His grin was sardonic.
‘That’s correct.’ She raised a shaking hand to her face and wiped away the first tear that slid down her cheek. ‘Hang on. How do you know what’s in my bank account?’
‘Oh, Dru, you’d be surprised what I know about you. Have you still got the diamonds with you?’ His voice hardened. ‘Or have you doublecrossed Al Tayer? Did you get a better offer? Is that why he was so aggressive towards you? I couldn’t hear what he was saying but it was obvious that you were in trouble here.’
Connor was crazy. What the hell was he playing at?
‘What he was saying to me?’ This time her voice shook. ‘He was going to take me to the apartment, and this time God knows what he would have done if I’d refused. No one disobeys Zayed Al Tayer. What he wants, he gets.’
‘And he wants more diamonds.’
‘No. Listen to me. Please, Connor. Listen to what I’m saying. I’m telling the truth. As hard as it might be to believe, he wants me. And I rejected him. I don’t know who told him I was here.’ Dru gave into the tears that were aching behind her eyes and in her throat. She folded forward as shuddering sobs racked her body.
Finally the storm of weeping eased and she sat up and stared at him, her voice calm. ‘He was my boss but he’s a monster. He hurt me. One time he locked me in his car until I almost passed out. He told me what to wear, he manipulated me until I found myself doing things, going places, I didn’t want to. When he forced the issue, I stood up for myself and he took my job away from me. I am telling you the truth. You have to believe me. I have never been so frightened in my life.’
Her arms were tingling and even though she was sitting down, she could feel her knees trembling. She put her feet firmly on the floor and folded her arms, rocking back and forwards on the chair.
Tears threatened again and Dru let them fall. ‘I don’t know why you took me away from him, but if Zayed had got me off that terrace, I was in big trouble.’ The tears were hot on her cold cheeks and she scrubbed angrily at them. She couldn’t abide weakness; it had been years since anyone had seen her cry.
Connor shook his head. ‘So tell me where the money came from if you weren’t stealing diamonds.’
All of a sudden she began to make sense of his words. She sniffed and swallowed as she forced herself to calm down. ‘You really don’t have anything to do with Zayed?’
‘No.’
‘Really?’
‘I give you my word.’
‘You’re investigating a diamond theft from Matsu?’ She spoke slowly.
‘Clever lady.’
‘Oh, thank God.’ Dru pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes. He had nothing to do with Zayed. Hysterical laughter threatened; she had a chance of getting away, but Connor thought she was a diamond thief!
She struggled to speak, searching for the words to convince him. ‘You’re wondering about the money in my account?’
‘That’s correct.’ His face was closed as he stared at her over the rim of his coffee cup.
‘I can prove to you I’m not stealing or selling any diamonds. I have a letter which explains that payment in my apartment in Darwin. In fact if I can access my Gmail, I can show you an electronic copy now.’
Connor’s forehead wrinkled in a frown. ‘Okay.’ He held out his phone.
‘No, no. I’ll use mine.’ Dru reached for her bag and pulled it out. She groaned as she saw all the texts from Megan; she needed to call her soon. Her hands shook as she accessed her email and scrolled back a few months.
‘My contract with the engineering firm over here was for five years,’ she muttered as she flicked through page after page of emails. Having something to focus on grounded her, but her hands and legs were still trembling. ‘I was here two years. Ah, got it.’ She opened the email and held the phone up triumphantly. ‘Not that I’m happy about sharing my financial affairs with you, but as you already know about them I don’t suppose it really matters, does it?’
Connor reached out and took the phone from her. Dru watched him as he read the payment notification. No expression crossed his face, not so much as the flicker of an eyelid.
He handed the phone back to her, his face closed.
‘Under the terms of my contract, if I left early and it was a mutual decision, I was entitled to the salary for the remaining term of my contract. Almost three years.’ She flopped back in the chair as exhaustion started to creep into her body. ‘So when my position was terminated by the company owner himself—Zayed Al Tayer—I was paid out. Eight hundred thousand dirham converts to just under three hundred thousand Australian dollars per year. I bought a unit in Darwin almost immediately. That’s where the money went. The money I was owed was mine, fair and square, and not from any diamond thieving.’ Her speech was rushed, she knew she was babbling but she was desperate for Connor to believe her. She could see the lines deepen on his forehead; he was listening to her.
She shook her head slowly from side to side. ‘You think anyone would be crazy enough to try to take diamonds off site from Matsu? You thought I was crazy enough to?’
‘Somebody is.’
‘Well, that somebody is not me.’ She folded her arms to try and stop them shaking. ‘You’ve added up t
he evidence incorrectly and picked the wrong person, Connor. If there have been diamonds stolen I can assure you it’s not me.’
‘I’ll make a couple of calls and double check what you’ve said.’ His voice was low and determined; almost as though he didn’t want to believe what she was saying was true.
Dru rolled her eyes. ‘You think I have a fake email on my phone just in case the mighty Mr Connor Kirk questioned me about the contents of my bank account? Give me a break.’ The immediate threat seemed to be over, and the anger building in her was welcome. Cathartic, refreshing, and replenishing her energy. She rose from her chair and moved across to stand in front of him. ‘Who the heck are you? Who can you call and check things like that? From Dubai in the middle of the night?’
His expression remained unreadable.
‘You know what? I don’t really care what you can do or who you are.’ She poked her finger into his chest as she leaned over him. She felt a combination of huge relief at Connor rescuing her and anger that she was so vulnerable.
‘Give me five minutes. Wait here.’ He stepped away from her hand and ignored her words.
‘You think I’m going to go back out there?’
‘Sit down and finish your coffee.’
Dru remained standing while he pulled his phone from his pocket and moved across to the entry foyer to the suite. He turned his back to her. The conversation was long and she could only hear the occasional word. Eventually he turned and ran his hand through his hair before he slipped the phone into his shirt pocket.
‘So?’ Dru’s voice was steady as she looked across at him.
He ran a hand over his face, seemingly in frustration. ‘It appears you are most probably telling the truth.’
Chapter 28
Connor listened as Dru talked to him all night. The small things that Al Tayer had done; things that she had given no thought to at the time but in hindsight formed a picture of an emotional bully. Disgust filled him, as well as self-recrimination that he had added to her distress.
‘He’s a very rich man.’ Connor recalled what he’d read when he’d been looking up Al Tayer. ‘He owns quite a few companies in the Emirates.’
‘Yeah. And there I was thinking he was just another international engineer when I first met him at the welcome do.’
‘He was educated in England,’ Connor commented.
‘Yes, he always dressed as a Westerner, and I always assumed he was British. His accent was very plummy. Not that it matters, I suppose. I made a poor judgement of character, irrespective of his nationality.’ She dropped her chin and he had to lean across to hear her soft words. ‘I’ve never been good with people . . . or in social situations. Anywhere really. He introduced me to this whole new world. My confidence grew the more time I spent with him and he sucked me right in. But Zayed . . . well, he’s used to getting what he wants. I knew he was determined but I never realised the lengths he would go to.’
She lifted her head and looked back at Connor. ‘I can remember staring at him in a restaurant one night. I was shocked by the way he spoke to the waitress and I just had to say what I thought. He reached for my hand and held it so tightly my skin was bruised the next morning. But then I’d get to thinking that he couldn’t possibly have done it deliberately. He always had an answer for everything. As much as he is a bully, he is very charismatic. Sometimes he would look at me, his eyes probing into mine, and I felt as though I could stay his friend forever. And Connor, I want you to believe me. I never slept with him.’
Connor nodded at that point; it seemed important to her that he believed her.
‘He was only a friend to me—and my employer. He was a generous employer and I had such freedom to implement my ideas. I loved working in the Ain.’
‘What happened?’
‘It built up so gradually, I didn’t notice what he was doing. I was so bloody gullible; nothing in my life had prepared me for a person like him. He manipulated me, and towards the end he controlled me. He told me that if I complained to anyone he would make sure that my friend Sam didn’t have a job anymore.’
‘Sam?’
‘I worked with Sam on the Ain. That’s how I met Megan. It was their wedding that I came over here for.’ Dru covered her face with her hands and her words were muffled. ‘He was even jealous of me being friends with Megan. How could I have ever been so stupid as to come back?’
Twice she broke down again and Connor made her more coffee. The second time, she sat there with tears rolling down her face and Connor couldn’t help himself. She looked like a frightened child. He put the coffee cups down on the table. ‘Move over.’
Dru was sitting on the double sofa and he sat beside her and held out his arms. With a choking sob, she leaned against his chest and he held her, stroking her hair as she soaked his shirt with tears.
‘I have a confession to make. I was the one who told Zayed you were here in Dubai. I was trying to get a reaction out of him—I thought you were bringing more diamonds to him—but I was wrong. I underestimated him. I didn’t know what he was like.’
She didn’t lift her head but his confession resulted in a fresh storm of tears. Once she’d calmed, Dru drifted off into a light doze and Connor held her as she slept. He gave more thought to what she’d said about Al Tayer. Listening to her account of his extreme behaviour and emotional harassment, he decided it was too risky to try to take her out through Dubai International Airport. He’d already put her in danger by telling the bastard she was in Dubai. The brash confidence that she’d always displayed had disappeared.
Dru stirred in his arms and woke after half an hour. She looked up at him and her cheeks flushed. Connor let her pull away and she stood and took the pins out of her hair. It framed her face in a wild tangle of blonde locks.
‘They were hurting,’ she said quietly.
‘I’ve been thinking,’ he said. ‘Maybe you should fly home from Abu Dhabi instead of Dubai. It’ll be safer.’
‘How will I get there? I’m terrified of stepping outside this hotel.’
‘I’ll take you.’
‘Really? So you do really believe me now?’
Connor regarded her silently. He’d seen Dru’s email for himself, and he’d listened to what she had told him. Yes, he believed she was telling the truth. If she was lying, she was in the wrong profession. The fear she’d displayed was an Oscar-worthy performance.
‘I do. And I’ll help you get a flight home.’
Dru reached out and grabbed his hand. ‘Thank you.’ Her voice was intense. ‘Oh, God. Thank you.’
Her eyes welled with tears again and guilt flooded through Connor for the way he had misjudged her.
‘You have your return flight today with Emirates.’
She shook her head slowly and stared at him. ‘Do you know every last detail about me?’
‘Only what I need to. Leave it with me. I’ll make a couple of calls and cancel your booking.’
He rang Greg again, wondering how he’d got it so wrong. Everything he’d focused his investigation on was incorrect. He was on a bloody wild goose chase over here, and the identity of the diamond thief was still a mystery.
‘Sorry, Kirkie. We should have gone deeper.’ Greg’s voice boomed over the line. ‘Can I do anything else for you before you come back?’
‘Probably. But I’ll get back to you. I’ve got a bit of a situation here at the moment.’
‘When are you going on to Antwerp? I’ve got some more information there for you. It’s still not quite what you were looking for. But it’s a bit of a lead.’
‘I need more of that. I’m going there tomorrow.’ Connor couldn’t believe that he had been so wrong. ‘Keep digging. I’ll call you later.’ He disconnected and called the airline before he turned back to Dru. ‘Let’s go straight away.’
‘Suits me.’ She shrugged. ‘Before we go, I need to call Megan and tell her I’m all right and going home. She’s frantic. I’ve ruined her wedding.’ She pushed herself up from the s
ofa and crossed to the window, then slid open the heavy drapes. A sheer silver curtain hung over the window and a soft light filtered into the room. ‘The sun’s not up yet. Maybe it’s too early to call. I’ll text her.’
Connor crossed the room and stood beside her.
Dru’s arms were folded across her stomach and her shoulders were hunched over. ‘It’s an ugly dawn, isn’t it,’ she said.
He looked to the east. A heavy pall of sand-laden smog hung in the morning light. Between the hotel and the Persian Gulf, a row of cranes lined the shore. As they watched, the sun cleared the horizon in a ball of red-orange flame, giving the smog an eerie amber glow.
Connor put his hands on the low windowsill. ‘Not the prettiest view I’ve seen.’
‘It’s very quiet down there now. Maybe it’s a good time to leave.’
‘Give me your key and I’ll go to your room and get your stuff.’
Dru shook her head. ‘No! I know Zayed. He’ll be watching it. He’s probably paid off the desk clerk. It’s not safe.’ Her eyes widened. ‘If he knows your name, he’ll know where you are too. He’ll be waiting for you too. Watching this room. And me.’
‘Are you sure?’ Connor was willing to risk confronting Al Tayer. In fact, it would be a pleasure to come face to face with that arrogant sleaze again after what Dru had said about him.
‘Yes, I know him. Don’t go to my room, please.’ She gestured to her handbag. ‘Passport, phone, money, credit cards. Deep down, I guess I always knew I’d made a mistake coming back. That’s why I carried them with me. After I get home, I’ll ask Megan to come and collect my stuff. Although it’s only a few clothes and bathroom stuff.’ She waved her hand. ‘I won’t even worry about them.’
‘Okay, then give me your room key and I’ll leave it in the room with mine.’ He narrowed his gaze and looked at her. ‘You’ll need some new clothes.’
She looked down at her wedding outfit and grimaced. ‘You’re right. I can’t fly in this.’