Page 32 of Gold Mine (The Diamond Trilogy 2)
“What a dilemma.” The lieutenant colonel looks so pleased with himself. “The infamous Liam North with his impenetrable sense of honor. You can help the woman leave or you can do what your brother would want.”
“This is what my brother would want,” Liam says, his voice grim. “If she’s leaving, she’s leaving with me. You won’t lay a finger on her.”
Gratitude and guilt war in my chest. I don’t want to cause a rift between the brothers, especially now that I understand how precarious their relationship is.
“I’ll show you out,” Liam says.
The lieutenant colonel nods and stands stiffly. Only as he walks to the door do I notice the slight limp. I wonder if he got the wound in combat. He’s far too snake-like for me to feel sorry for him, though. He wields his control over Elijah like a weapon.
“One more thing,” he says, pausing to look at me. “If Elijah does come find you again, however unlikely, our deal is off, Ms. Frank. You may think I’m cruel, but I understand him better than you ever will. He needs the work I’m offering. You would only strangle the life out of him.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Holly
A vine curls up the front porch of the small and stately house, leaves bright green against white paint, the occasional pop of pink. A butterfly dances from flower to flower, brilliant in the sunshine. The house is the setting of every happy memory in my life. Not the times we were traveling. Only here did I ever feel completely safe.
The SUV rolls to a stop on the gravel path. Before we’re even completely still, the door flies open. My mother has beautiful blonde hair. She’s the very image of my sister, London, who’s sitting beside me. Mom pulls at the driver’s side door, but it’s locked, nothing happens. I’m already pushing out of the backseat, stumbling out of the high step.
My mother grabs me in a bone-crushing hug. “Holly,” she says over and over again. “Holly. Holly. Oh my God, Holly. London.” I’m released so she can grasp my sister the same way.
The next few hours are a blur of tears and homecoming.
Walking inside feels like stepping into my childhood.
The fridge has none of our childhood artwork or travel photos. Instead there’s only a single postcard taped to the stainless steel front. I know without examining closely which one it will be. The one I picked up at a busy tourist stand in Paris and slipped in the mail. We’re safe. We love you. That’s all it said. It was all I could risk telling them at the time.
Despite her shock, or maybe because of it, she insists that Liam North and the other men in our security entourage come inside. She produces a large bowl of chicken salad with grapes and walnuts, focaccia bread, and sliced watermelon.
My father arrives a few minutes later from the automotive store where he’d been. My sister and I are both collected in a hug that smells like rubber and oil.
“Where the hell have you been?” he asks, his voice hoarse with emotion.
I press my face to his barrel chest. “It’s a long story, Daddy.”
“I’ve got all year. Did you get into some trouble? Why didn’t you call me?”
“I couldn’t.”
His expression hardens. “I knew it. Someone hurt you. Did someone touch you? I’m going to kill them. I’m going to call the cops. Hell, I can’t even decide which one. Who hurt you, sweetheart?”
Hearing him use the word sweetheart, the same endearment Elijah uses, makes my cheeks heat. “Don’t call the cops. It’s complicated.”
Complicated doesn’t begin to describe the experience of the past year. For example, there may or may not be a warrant out for my arrest in multiple countries. The lieutenant colonel promised it would go away, but exactly how long would that take?
Daddy’s expression darkens. “Whatever you two got mixed up in, we can fix it.”
I glance at London, who’s being hugged by our mother. And probably grilled, the same way I’m being grilled by my dad. London was always the spitting image of our mother. Whereas I take after my dad more, sturdy and strong. We’re earthenware while they’re teacups.
“I don’t know how to tell you,” I admit in a whisper.
Liam North appears at my side. He nods to my father with that military precision he has. “I’d be happy to fill you in, sir, if you’d like.”
“Yes.” Daddy pulls me into a tight hug. “You’re not going to disappear when I turn around, are you, pumpkin? I was worried about you.”
“I’ll be here,” I promise, hot tears welling in my eyes.
He steps outside with Liam North, and London follows them outside. I can still hear the rumbles from inside the kitchen as the other men finish eating.
That leaves my mother and me alone in the living room.
