I grasped her arms, bringing her into a hug as tremors ran through her. “It seems we have a lot to talk about. Frankie and I are here to help. Remy and Mrs. Miller are hunting down Greyson right now. We’ll get this figured out,” I said reassuringly, even though the words felt like scratchy wool. Letting her go, I said, “We’ll let you get dressed. Come upstairs when you’re done. We’ll tell you everything we know.”
Mya gave a small nod. She was still pale, but her eyes weren’t hollow any longer.
“Can I borrow your phone to call Remy?” I asked.
“I’m not allowed to use the phone. It could be tracked. My phone has been shut off for days. It’s driving me mad.”
“Why would someone track your phone?”
She shrugged. “Before David left to find Ian, he told me that if something happened he’d send me an emergency message. I had to swear on his life that I’d follow the instructions to the letter. When I received the emergency code, I went to the safe and opened the letter like he told me to. It gave me instructions to come here. I stay down here where no one can see the lights from the road. And I only go upstairs when its daytime and the curtains are closed. Included in the letter was a bundle of cash so I wouldn’t use my credit cards in case they’re tracked too.”
“Have you noticed if anyone’s been spying on the place?”
“A few cars have pulled alongside the road to look at the house. Then they drive off. At first I was nervous, but I think this house is so amazing people have to pull over to look or they might get into an accident.”
I nodded. “I can’t say I blame them. I gawked too.”
“Your mouth was hanging open so wide, I thought you had a hinge loose,” Frankie said.
I shuffled him out. “Let’s go make breakfast, and then we’ll start looking for the necklace. But I will need to call Remy,” I said to Mya. “Perhaps just turn on your phone to get the number. I’ll use Frankie’s phone to call.”
I closed the door to give Mya privacy and scooted Frankie upstairs. “You start breakfast; I’m going to find dry clothes.”
“What about me? I need a shower.”
“Make breakfast, and then you can soak in the giant tub in the master bedroom.”
“Does it have jets?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said, heading to the stairs.
“How big?”
“Big enough to swim in,” I said over my shoulder.
I heard a distinct sigh as I ran up the rest of the stairs to the bedroom. Ian must have a few clothes here, I thought as I rummaged through the closet. There wasn’t much to choose from. I gathered a T-shirt and a pair of shorts that hung more like capris. I knew Ian was tall, I just thought I was a little bit taller too. Finding a belt in the sparse closet, I fastened it around my waist to keep the shorts from falling. I skipped showering. After I spent the day searching for the necklace, I had a feeling I might need that shower more later.
I raced downstairs and relieved Frankie of breakfast duty so he could freshen up. He was in the process of making omelets. Attempting would be a more appropriate word. After he left for the master bedroom, I scrambled the omelet and washed fruit.
I heard Mya’s dainty footsteps padding to the kitchen.
“I’m almost done. Why don’t you have a seat,” I said, motioning to the breakfast bar.
“I’m not hungry,” she said, hopping onto the stool. “Tell me about David.”
“You eat while I tell you what I know.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Just eat. I’ll tell you everything.”
“You’re just like David, you know that?”
“Conscious of the benefits of a good breakfast?” I said, even though I rarely ate breakfast.
“No. Pushy,” she muttered.
“Who do you think I learned it from?”
I slid a coffee mug to her, along with a plate of eggs and a bunch of grapes. “Eat up. We have to search this entire house for the necklace. We’re running out of time.”
Her eyes widened. “How much time do we have left?”
“Take a bite.”
She glared at me. Well, Mya’s glare was more of a pout with heavy eyelids. It was hardly something to be afraid of and quite easy to return until she finally took a bite.
“We have less than twenty-four hours,” I said.
She gulped and squeaked at the same time, producing a sputtering of eggs. “Where’s David?”
I glanced at her plate. She grudgingly took the cue to take another bite. I hate stepping into an authority-figure role with a grown woman, but she needed to be at her best and not faint from lack of nutrition.
“I’m not sure where David is. I assume Africa. Both Ian and David are being held hostage until a ransom is paid. We either find the necklace they’re demanding or come up with fifteen million dollars. The necklace has to be here.”
“That’s so much money! Poor David and Ian.” She bit her quivering lip. “How do you know the necklace is here?”
“The postcards Ian sent led me here. He must have known something like this would happen. He’s lucky I kept them. I’m surprised David knew to send you here.”
Mya shivered. “When David left, I had a feeling he wasn’t telling me everything. Normally when he leaves, he goes through the emergency procedures. This time there was a drill too. I should have known something was going to happen.”
I watched as she fought back tears. It was time to start searching for the necklace and forget about the what ifs.
“Why don’t we pick a room and start searching?” I suggested.
She nodded. “I haven’t touched anything except the kitchen and the little bedroom downstairs. At first I didn’t think anyone lived here. David must have found this place when he was searching for Ian.”
“Nothing surprises me when it comes to David,” I said, walking to the living room. “If I wanted to hide a necklace, where would I put it?”
“A hidden safe,” Mya suggested. “That’s where David keeps his stuff.”
“I haven’t come across a safe yet, hidden or otherwise. We might as well check here first,” I said. “This living room is large, but it doesn’t have too many areas to hide a safe or necklace.” I glanced at the furniture. “I’d hate to start ripping into furniture. Let’s leave that as a last resort. Check behind and under everything.”
Mya started at one end while I rummaged through the other side. By the time Frankie found us, we had searched two rooms and were heading upstairs.
“You were right about the bathtub. I stretched out and still had a foot of space. What are you two doing?”
“Looking for the necklace,” Mya stated.
The more we searched, the more her brows knitted together. How she could survive a marriage with David, I’d never know. She was holding it together . . . but for how long?
“We haven’t run across anything remotely suspicious,” I told Frankie. “Can I borrow your phone?”
“I’ll help,” he offered, passing me the phone. “I just checked all the spots in the master bathroom. I can cover the bedroom too.” He turned to retrace his steps.
“Make sure to be as thorough as possible,” I called.
“Please,” he shot back. “If I’m anything, it’s a thorough snooper. If there’s a necklace here, I’ll sniff it out.”
“Mya, you’ll need to turn on your phone for Remy’s number.”
Her face fell. “David made me promise on his life to follow the emergency rules.”
“And now his life is in danger. I think there is an emergency clause that you’re allowed to break this one rule. We’ll turn it on for a moment and shut it off immediately. The only people who can help us now are Remy and Mrs. Miller.”
Mya hesitantly handed her phone over. “How did Mrs. Miller find out? Is she okay?”
“She seems fine. I think she’s hiding how frightened she is. I don’t blame her.”
“Me neither.”
“She hired a dete
ctive to find her boys. The detective came up dry. That’s when she received the ransom call. Why don’t you start on the spare room? I’ll call Remy.”
Mya slipped into the room opposite the master bedroom. I quickly turned on Mya’s phone and scrolled through her contacts for Remy’s number. As soon as I had it dialed into Frankie’s phone, I turned off Mya’s phone.
The call went to voicemail. I wasn’t surprised considering I made the call from a phone number he didn’t know. I left a brief message saying we found Ian’s house and Mya. I also mentioned that if he didn’t call back, I’d bother him quite obnoxiously every day at work for the rest of his career. He called back within seconds.
“Where are you?” he barked.
“Stop yelling. We’re at Ian’s house in Laguna Beach.”
“Is Mya okay?”
“Other than the fact that her husband is being held for ransom, yeah, she’s fine. David sent her the emergency signal. She’s been hiding at Ian’s ever since.”
“Give me the address. We’re coming now.”
After I relayed the address with the gate code, I asked, “Did you find Greyson?”
“No. We’ve been chasing his tail the entire time. I think Fiona has been keeping him on the move so we don’t catch up with him.”
“He was at the hotel last night.”
“What hotel?”
“The one Frankie and I are staying at. I think it’s called Tranquil Waves Resort and Spa. We were drinking cocktails when Greyson walked by.”
“Were you able to talk to him?” he asked.
“No. Frankie and I tried to follow him but our taxi driver didn’t make it out of the parking lot in time. It worked out for the best. The driver was able to figure out Ian’s gate code for us.”
“You had Greyson in your reach and you didn’t grab him?” Remy barked.
“Our taxi didn’t stand a chance of catching him.” There was no way I was going to mention that I had been too drunk to realize it had been the real-life Greyson and not just his floating head.
“Did you find the necklace?” he asked, thankfully changing the subject.
“Not yet. But it has to be here. Have you heard anything about David or Ian?”
“We received a call at the twenty-four-hour mark. They aren’t giving us a break.”
“I didn’t think they would.”
“We’re in the car and heading your way. I’ll drop off Mrs. Miller to help you search. Then I’m going to your hotel to find Greyson.”
“Why my hotel?”
“That’s the hotel he just built. It’s the grand opening. I’ve tried reaching him there several times. This time, I’m waiting at the door until he shows.”
“I’m staying in Greyson’s hotel?” My stomach dropped.
“Focus, Jet,” he scolded. “I’ll be there soon.”
* * *
We greeted Mrs. Miller at the front door. She studied her surroundings as she made her way in, keeping her eyes everywhere but on me.
“Is this really Ian’s house?” she asked.
Mya nodded with a sob. Mrs. Miller’s eyes softened as she looked at Mya with motherly kindness.
She wrapped her arm around the smaller woman and said, “We’ve been through this before, and we survived. Last time, David disappeared without a trace. This time, well, we have a ransom. Not much better, but it’s something.”
I had to hand it to Mrs. Miller, she was a strong woman.
“I never thought of it that way,” Mya said, looking thoughtful. “But we’ve been over nearly every inch of this house. I’m afraid we won’t find the necklace.”
“It’s here,” I said, glancing around the spacious house. “It’s definitely here.”
“What makes you so certain?” Mrs. Miller asked as her gaze raked over my frumpy attire.
I didn’t offer an explanation for my outfit. Instead, I said, “We were led here. Ian sent us here for a reason.”
“Maybe he just wanted you to find his home,” Mrs. Miller said. “You are his wife.”
That short statement had some bite to it.
“I might currently be his wife. Still debatable. However, if he wanted me to find his house without the promise of an insanely expensive necklace, I would hope he’d make it easier. The necklace is here. We’re wasting time.”
Mrs. Miller had a look in her eye. It wasn’t that she was glaring at me, but there was a look . . . like she was ready to chop off my head and stew me for dinner. I chalked it up to the strain of her sons being held hostage, a brand new daughter-in-law she didn’t approve of, in a house she was never told about. I guess if I was in her shoes, I’d want to chop someone’s head off too. I just wish it wasn’t mine.
Remy cleared his throat. “I’m going to take a quick look around and then head to the hotel. If I have to set the damn hotel on fire to roust him, I will.”
“Mrs. Miller,” Frankie chimed in, “I know we have a lot of ground to cover today, but let me just say, your offspring are off the charts.”
Her cold gray eyes targeted him. “And you are?”
“Frankie Garza. I know your sons through Nadia.”
He should have left me out of it because her eyes turned arctic.
“Frankie,” I interrupted, “why don’t we go to the study and search? I’m sure Mya and Mrs. Miller need a moment.” I snatched his arm and tugged him toward the study.
“I don’t know if I want to go to the study,” he said as I shuffled him through the house. “That African mask scared me to death.”
“I’ll protect you,” I muttered. “We should’ve started our search there. I don’t know what I was thinking. The only room with personal items is the study. The necklace has to be there.”
“That makes sense. It could be hidden in the African pottery,” he said, maneuvering from my grasp and reaching the study before me.
I scanned the study. There were knickknacks from all over the world. Everything from Asia to South America and beyond was here in one form of bauble or another. While he traveled extensively, this room showcased predominately African souvenirs.
While Frankie picked up items and searched them, I wandered over to the desk. Maybe there was a checkbook with fifteen million dollars in it. With the first drawer I opened, I stopped. There, laying on top, was our wedding picture and souvenir wedding certificate.
“He came here after Vegas,” I whispered the thought. “Why did he come here before going to Africa?”
“What are you mumbling over there?” Frankie asked, staring at an object with fascination.
“Ian came here before he flew to Africa,” I said.
“So?”
“I’m not sure, but I think it’s significant.”
Frankie crossed the room and glanced down at the picture I was holding. “Oh. My. God! We look hideous! Especially you. Look at those red rings around your eyes. Oh, and my tights were all bunched up. How embarrassing!” He gasped, ripping the photo out of my hand and sliding it into his pocket. “No one should witness so much ugliness in one photo.” He shuddered. “What’s in that box?”
I reached for the small red box that was sitting on the marriage certificate.
“Open it,” he urged.
I carefully flipped open the cover.
“Oh! Diamonds!” Frankie gushed. “Look at the size of that thing! What do you think . . . four carats? Five carats?”
It was a beautiful teardrop diamond necklace with an intricately designed silver chain of petals linking together. The matching earrings had smaller teardrop diamonds.
“Do you think this is the necklace?” I asked.
Frankie took the box and studied the necklace. “It’s an expensive necklace but not worth nearly that much. I’d say the set is worth ten thousand.”
“Ten thousand? I wonder what his fascination is with diamonds,” I said.
“Read the card,” Frankie said.
I reached into the drawer and pulled out a card. I turned it over to see if t
here was a name.
There was.
Mine.
Chapter 21
“Nadia, these diamonds are for you!” Frankie exclaimed when he read my name on the card. “Can I try them on? Just to make sure they’re not too heavy. I wouldn’t want you to strain your neck or stretch out your earlobes. Nothing worse than saggy earlobes.” His voice trailed as he absconded with the diamonds to find a mirror.
I held the card, twiddling it in my fingers until I couldn’t stand it any longer . . . all of sixty seconds. Slipping the card from the open envelope, I read Ian’s flowing script.
Dear Nadia,
This set is to replace the plastic ring. Please forgive me. I’ll never forget your eyes that morning when I called you my sweet wife. They were as wide and as horrified as a kid who walked in on their parents naked in bed. You will make a very sweet wife someday, but we both know it’s not to me. In the future, I’ll try to remember not to take what doesn’t belong to me, but it’s very difficult to remember when such a temptation belongs to my brother. Tell Greyson . . .
I flipped the card over. There was nothing else written. Tell Greyson what?
I sat back and reread the words. Please forgive me.
I already did, I thought with a smile.
Why did he marry me? If it was to upset Greyson, mission accomplished.
Shaking off several nagging thoughts, I rummaged through the desk drawers. Nothing noteworthy except some old travel documents.
Where would he hide the necklace?
I knew it was here. Somewhere.
My eyes darted around the room for anything that could hide a necklace.
“Nadia?” Mya asked from the doorway.
“Hey,” I greeted as she stepped forward.
“I stumbled across this room a day or two ago. It must be the only room Ian uses.”
“I think so too. I also think the necklace is in this room. It has to be.”
“It’s too bad Grace and Remy can’t get in touch with Greyson,” Mya said.
“Is that Mrs. Miller’s first name?”
Mya nodded. “She’s furious with Greyson.”
Cashing Out Page 17