Diamonds Can Be Deadly

Just as quickly, she dismissed the notion that he’d seen inside her head. Greene must have received a report of her confrontation with TJ, perhaps viewed a security tape of the two of them going head to head. He would have heard her anger, fed off her hurt.

It was all done with smoke and mirrors.

“I appreciate the offer, Mr. Greene,” she said with a cool smile, slipping her hands free of his, “but this is a business trip. I doubt I’ll have time for you to draw anything out.”

“Then we’ll have to make time. And please, call me Bartholomew.”

With scrupulous courtesy he waved her to a round table inlaid with multicolored woods. “I’ve ordered tea. Or would you prefer fresh-squeezed papaya juice?”

“Tea would be fine.”

It was green, of course, a fragrant blend served in delicate Chinese cups. Jordan sipped hers appreciatively while Bartholomew’s financial adviser opened a manila folder and slid out the proposal she’d FedEx’ed after several long sessions with her designers.

“Bartholomew and I have studied your proposal, Ms. Colby. Or may we dispense with formalities and call you Jordan?”

“Please do.”

Duncan Myers flipped through the pages of the proposal. “It’s very intriguing.”

No kidding! To get her foot in the door, Jordan had cut her costs to the bone and maximized the potential profit for the institute.

“You’ve got built-in outlets at the various Tranquility Institutes around the world,” she said, gesturing toward the world map. “You also have an established mail-order business for your herbal products and healing stones. That eliminates most of the distribution costs.”

Reaching into her briefcase, she produced the sketches she and her team of designers had worked up. They featured a variety of sunglasses, reading glasses and frames for prescription lenses, all with her signature butterfly done in emeralds. Many of the frames sported additional emeralds in the side stems.

With OMEGA’s extensive resources to assist her, Jordan had collected a wealth of information on the supposed healing properties of emeralds. According to ancient lore, the stone was a blood detoxifier and antipoison. More current literature insisted it promoted love, romance, joy, clear vision, faith and serenity. It was also supposed to lift depression; cure insomnia; cleanse the heart, lymph nodes, blood and pancreas; restore sugar balance; ease labor and delivery; and assist in healing eyesight and speech impediments. Just your average, all-around miracle rock.

Jordan’s crash course had also included detailed briefings on chakras, or the centers of energy located along the midline of the body. There were seven, running from the crown of the head to the pelvis. Various stones, she’d learned, impacted the chakras differently. Playing to that theme, she began her pitch.

“As you’re aware, the emerald primarily strengthens the heart chakra. However, the stone is reputed to have positive properties for—”

“Reputed?” Greene interrupted, one brow lifting. “Don’t you believe these healing stones generate their own unique force fields?”

“Well…”

She hesitated, reluctant to come out with a flat lie. Greene would see right through it.

“All crystals and gemstones emit vibrations at different frequencies,” he said, filling the small silence. “That’s why we have quartz watches.”

“True.”

“If a stone chip can power a watch, surely it’s not that big a leap to believe it can transfer its energy in other ways. Ways that help heal.”

“I know many people believe in the healing power of stones,” Jordan said, choosing her words carefully. “I don’t question the sincerity of that belief.”

Bartholomew steepled his fingers under his chin and accepted her tap dance with a smile. “Perhaps we’ll make a disciple out of you while you’re here.”

He could try. Jordan attempted to keep an open mind regarding others’ beliefs. But she figured the world wouldn’t need doctors if colored stones could cure every ill and restore balance to the human body.

“As you can see,” she continued, fanning the sketches across the table, “I’ve designed some glasses with emeralds on the right stem, some on the left.”

According to her research, the left side of the body was the feminine or receptive side. Wearing a gemstone on the left drew in its energies. Wearing it on the right, or masculine side, sent the energy out to others.

“I’ve designed these stems to be detachable. The wearer could interchange them according to his or her needs that day.”

“That’s very clever,” Bartholomew said with warm approval. “You might not be a believer, but you’ve obviously done your homework.”

“Yes, I have. I also read that most men carry their stones in their pocket.”

Greene patted his pendant. “I wear mine here, right over my heart.”

Jordan suspected most men weren’t secure enough in their beliefs—or their masculinity—to display their emeralds so openly.

“Since female clothing has fewer pockets,” she continued, “women must either wear their stones as jewelry or tuck them inside their bras. Jeweled glasses would eliminate that necessity, which will make a great marketing pitch. As an added benefit, both men and women could slide the glasses up on their foreheads to get the stones closer to their head chakra.”

She tipped hers up to demonstrate before drawing out an accessories page.

“Or they could dangle the glasses from one of these specially crafted chains.”

Greene’s face lit up as he eyed the gold links studded with tiny emeralds. “I like these.”

She’d figured he would. Anything to bilk his customers of a few more bucks.

“I’ve researched your client base. While they tend toward the high end of the income scale, I think we should offer a wide range of prices for each line. The cost, of course, will depend on the weight, cut and clarity of the embedded stones.”

Duncan Myers spoke up at that point. Sitting back in his chair, he palmed a hand over his shining bald crown.

“We can help there. Since we sell so many emeralds at our tranquility centers, I’ve negotiated special rates with our suppliers.”

It was the perfect opening. Jordan let a note of excitement creep into her voice. “You have an in with the Colombians?”

“We do business with them, yes. And with several dealers in Russia and South Africa.”

“The Colombian stones are the purest,” Bartholomew put in, “although I admit I’m partial to the veining in the Zambian stones.”

Yeah, Jordan thought, she’d just bet he was. Like in the Star of the East. Extracting a spreadsheet from her briefcase, she slid it across the conference table.

“I prepared detailed cost estimates and suggested retail prices for the designs you see here, but they’re based on the current market price per carat. If you work me a deal with your suppliers, we can adjust the bottom line.”

“You’ll also need to take into consideration the fact that you’re trading on Bartholomew’s name and reputation,” Myers commented.

“Of course. But I assure you, I’ve squeezed my profit margin as tight as I can.”

The financial adviser made a tsk-tsking noise. “There’s always room for negotiation. Let me crunch the numbers and we’ll talk again.”

Clearly uninterested in the nitty-gritty business detail, Bartholomew shoved back his chair. “In the meantime you can relax and enjoy some of the activities here at the institute. And I’d very much like you to attend one of our group sessions.”

The tone was mild, but Jordan got the message. If she wanted to convince the guru of green to buy into her proposal for a line of pricey, emerald-studded glasses, she’d better play his game. Shrugging, she made a show of giving in.

“Why not?”

“Splendid!”

“I believe I saw a group session on the schedule for tomorrow morning. I’ll join that—if you don’t think I’ll upset the dynamics of the group.”

“Not at all,” Greene assured her, beaming. “Our guests come and go all the time. One of my main goals is to help them maintain inner serenity despite the constant changes taking place around them.”

Jordan gave a noncommittal nod, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized joining one of Greene’s group gropes worked to her advantage. It provided an excuse to hang around the institute for a few more days and observe the natives in their natural setting. She might even be able to work in a session or two at the spa. A seaweed wrap or mud bath sounded pretty good after her bumpy flight.

“You’ll join us for dinner, I hope.” Greene issued the invitation with one of his disarming smiles. “Seven o’clock, in the Jade Buddha Restaurant? That will give me the opportunity to introduce you to some of our other guests.”

“I’ll see you then.”

Despite its appellation, the Jade Buddha was more of a dining hall for the rich and famous than a restaurant. Everyone arrived at pretty much the same time and the menu posted in elegant script at each table offered only two choices—fish and vegetarian.

The fat, happy Buddha who gave the place its name sat cross-legged on a stone pedestal, surrounded by pools filled with floating lotus blossoms and magnificent koi. Guests mingled poolside while waiters served fruit-juice cocktails and passed trays of appetizers.

Greene escorted Jordan through the crowd, making introductions as they went. She shook hands with an aging movie star whose face showed the ravages of his years of substance abuse, a short, squat computer mogul and a frizzy-haired widow in a thousand-dollar St. John lounge suit paired with high-top black sneakers.

Several of the guests recognized Jordan from her modeling days. Some, like the anxious-looking mother accompanied by her ten-year-old son, were too wrapped up in their own problems to evince any interest in the newcomer’s background.

“Davy’s asthmatic,” the thin, nervous Patricia Helms explained, her glance darting constantly to the boy. “The attacks have gotten so bad lately and the doctors can’t seem to help. Dr. Greene is our last hope.”

Jordan kept her opinion on that to herself and made mental notes on everyone she met. She’d have Claire run the names through OMEGA’s computers. She couldn’t quite envision any of these people as willing accomplices in Greene’s illegal activities, but he had to get the massive amounts he was suspected of laundering off the island and into various bank accounts somehow. He could well be using his guests as unsuspecting mules.

Signaling to a passing waiter, Greene claimed two cocktails decorated with orchids and fat chunks of pineapple. He handed one to Jordan and lifted the other in salute. After the receptionist’s warning about the institute’s nonalcohol policy, she was prepared for the straight shot of guava juice. She wasn’t prepared, though, when her host’s attention zinged to the door behind her.

“Ah, good. Here’s our Director of Security.”

Glancing over her shoulder, she watched TJ’s all-too-familiar figure stroll into the restaurant. The overhead spots highlighted the sun streaks in his brown hair and cast the strong planes of his face into sharp relief.

Greene’s voice floated above the buzz of cocktail-hour conversation. “TJ! Come and meet our newest guest.”

Jordan stiffened, wondering if Bartholomew was toying with her. Had he watched a tape of her earlier confrontation with TJ? Or somehow learned about their brief affair? If so, no hint of it showed in his eager, open expression.

TJ, on the other hand, looked anything but serene as he cut through the crowd. Without the mirrored sunglasses to shield his gray eyes, they seemed to slice right into Jordan.

“Ms. Colby and I have already met,” he informed his employer. “Here, and in New York.”

“That’s right, you’re both from the Big Apple!”

He said it as if living in a city with a population of more than eight million automatically qualified everyone as friends and neighbors.

“Why don’t you join us. You two can catch up on old times.”

TJ’s glance slid to Jordan. A mocking glint flickered in those granite eyes, but his reply was preempted by the appearance of a woman who’d garnered her own share of sensational publicity.

Blond, much divorced and immensely wealthy, Felicity Dennison Albright Waller-Winston hooked her arm through TJ’s. The fist-size emerald pinned to her left shoulder pressed into his bicep as she cuddled against him.

“Yes, sweetiekins,” she purred, “do join us. We missed you at lunch.”

“Sorry, I can’t.” With a polite smile, TJ disengaged. “I just came by to remind Bartholomew we’re taking perimeter security down to install the new Y-beam system.”

Jordan had to give Scott reluctant marks for staying on top of his profession. The Y-beam was the hottest new infrared sensor. The military had released it for commercial application only a few months ago. Mackenzie had briefed all the OMEGA operatives on the technology. She’d also assured them the new zip-up thermal suits she’d developed would shield them from Y-beams. It was looking as if Jordan would get a chance to test one out.

“How long will the system be down?” Bartholomew wanted to know.

“Less than an hour. I’ve got the new sensors in place and ready to activate.”

With a nod for Jordan and a smile for the blonde, TJ eased his way through the milling guests. Felicity Waller-Winston swiped her tongue over heavily glossed lips and followed his progress across the room.

“That man comes darned close to making me forget I’ve sworn off the male of the species for the rest of my life.”

So much for that right side/left side business, Jordan thought wryly. The divorcée might have her emerald pinned to her feminine, receptive side, but she was sending out decidedly assertive signals. So assertive their host questioned her about them.

“Are you troubled, Felicity?”

“No, Doc. Just horny.”

Apparently that was a common condition for the woman, as her therapist didn’t appear particularly surprised by the announcement.

“You’re making great progress. It’s necessary for you to recognize and acknowledge your feelings.”

“Oh, I recognize them, all right. It’s what I do about them that gets me into so much trouble.”

“Why don’t you try an extra half hour of meditation tonight,” Greene suggested. “We’ll explore your feelings in more depth during the group session tomorrow.”

Jordan almost choked on her guava juice. Oh, great! That’s all she needed. An hour listening to another female explore her carnal feelings for Thomas Jackson Scott.

She soon discovered the much-divorced Waller-Winston wasn’t the only woman at the institute with an interest in Scott. Nudging Jordan in the ribs, the blonde directed her attention to the slender Eurasian who stopped TJ at the door.

“That’s the spa director. Liana Wu. The bitch.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, look at her. She’s got that tiny, porcelain-doll thing going. I refuse to stand anywhere close to the woman. She makes me look like a knob-kneed giraffe.”

If Felicity towered over the spa director, Jordan would dwarf her. The possibility didn’t particularly concern her. She’d long ago learned to use her five-nine height to her advantage.

“Rumor is,” Felicity confided, “Liana baby is hot for our boy TJ.”

No surprise there, Jordan thought in disgust. Scott had snagged her interest at their first meeting. Angry all over again at herself for falling for the crooked cop, she turned away.

Dinner was a long, lingering affair. Afterward, Jordan walked back to her bungalow through a scented night, stopping at a scenic overlook to prop her elbows on the trunk of a palm that curved at waist level.

The surveillance cameras she knew were scattered throughout the grounds would capture the image of a mainlander lost to the majesty of the surf foaming white against black cliffs. The ocean’s roar would serve as a natural sound buffer for her report to OMEGA. Folding her arms, Jordan toyed absently with her earring. One flick activated the transmitter.

“This is Diamond.”

Claire came on within a few seconds. “Cyrene here. I read you, Diamond.”

Lightning chimed in as well. “I’m here, too.”

The fact that her boss was still at the control center despite the late hour D.C. time didn’t surprise Jordan. Not with the kind of political pressure OMEGA was facing on this mission. She gave him the names of the guests she’d met at dinner and a rundown of her earlier encounter with Greene and his financial adviser.

“They’re interested. Definitely interested. Myers volunteered to get me in good with his pals in Colombia. He’s going to help me work a deal on an emerald supply.”

“Nice of him.”

“Isn’t it? I suspect he’ll pocket a fat broker’s fee.”

“Or skim more off the top of Greene’s business deals with the Colombians.”

“Speaking of skimming,” she said, scowling at the pinpricks of iridescent green glittering in the dark depths of the sea, “did Cyrene tell you TJ Scott was waiting for me when I arrived?”

“She did.”

Lightning didn’t ask the question, but Jordan answered it anyway.

“Scott still claims he was set up.”

“You were there. What do you think?”

What she thought about Thomas Jackson Scott would blister the airwaves. Reining in her anger, Jordan answered as coolly as she could.

“I’m keeping him in my sights.”

Five thousand miles away, Lightning shared a quick look with Cyrene. Any target Diamond got in her crosshairs was a walking corpse.

“I’m going to do some night work a little later,” she told them. “Pay another visit to Greene’s office. Among other things, I want to see what kind of information he gathered on Scott before hiring him.”

“Keep us posted,” Lightning instructed. “And be careful.”

“Will do.”

Cyrene cut the transmission and added a note in her electronic log, while Nick digested Diamond’s report. He trusted both her skills and her instincts or he wouldn’t have sent her in. As far as he knew, those instincts had failed her only once. Thoughtfully, he met Claire’s glance.

“Pull up everything you can on TJ Scott. I want the names of the officers who busted him. The pimps and dealers he put the squeeze on. The judge who threw out his case. The address of his favorite pizza joint. Where he buys his underwear. Everything.”

Chapter 4

The black thermal suit fit Jordan like a second skin. As thin and supple as Saran, its inner lining was coated with a high-tech polymer that made the body-hugging jumpsuit easy to slither into.

The lining trapped and contained body heat, thus reducing the wearer’s thermal signature and making him or her virtually undetectable by infrared scanners. That was great on missions to Alaska or Antarctica. Not so great in steamy Hawaii. Still, Jordan figured swimming around in her own sweat was a small price to pay for virtual invisibility.

Twisting her hair into a loose knot on top of her head, she dragged up the black hood and worked it around her earrings. The embedded transmitter was so sensitive she could send and receive right through the polymer coating.

Hood in place, she rolled down the attached face mask. The mouth and eye slits were covered with a breathable version of the same heat-containing shield. With every inch of her body encased in skintight black, she felt like a night version of Spider-Man.

She flicked off the bathroom lights and watched herself disappear. The wide mirror above the sink didn’t pick up so much as a shadow when she moved. With the CD player/electronic sweep in hand, she let herself out a side window. She left it open behind her. She’d reenter her bungalow the same way to avoid triggering the iris-recognition system and advertising her late-night expedition.

Velvet darkness surrounded her, ripe with the scent of tropical vegetation and the salty tang of the sea. Avoiding the crushed-lava pathways, Jordan glided across the lush lawns like a silent shadow. The sniffer allowed her to pick her way through the elaborate security grid. The thermal suit deflected TJ’s new Y-beams. Or so she hoped!

She reached the business center a few moments later. From her earlier visit, Jordan knew the location of the intrusion-detection devices at the windows. She zapped one with the sniffer, jimmied the lock, got the window up and was through it in thirty seconds flat. Another zap reset the electronic watchdog. The interruption would appear as a temporary blip on a monitor, if it appeared at all.

All too aware of the cameras mounted at regular intervals, Jordan kept to the shadows as she worked her way to the conference room where she’d met with Greene and Myers. The moonlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling glass window illuminated the map depicting Greene’s far-flung empire. The emerald marking the headquarters here in Hawaii gleamed like a giant eye, following her stealthy progress across the conference room and into the private offices beyond.

Two hours later, Jordan reentered her bungalow through the open window. She’d accessed the computer in Greene’s office, rummaged through the files in Myers’s sleek little laptop and poked into every corner of the headquarters.

To her intense disappointment, she’d uncovered nothing. Nada. Zilch-ola. No evidence of offshore bank accounts. No link to the Colombians except through legitimate purchase orders for emeralds. No hidden treasure room containing the Star of the East. She had, however, sweated off at least five pounds.

Dragging up the thermal suit’s face mask, Jordan stopped only long enough to type a code into her laptop and verify no one had entered the bungalow in her absence before making straight for the bathroom. Every pore in her body screamed with relief when she peeled off the jumpsuit and kicked free of the clinging fabric.

In her eagerness to shed the artificial skin, Jordan put a little too much oomph into the kick. Her sweat-slick foot slipped on the tiles and went out from under her. She flung out a hand to break her fall, felt it crunch against the marble counter and landed with a thud that sucked the air from her lungs.

“Dammit!”

She flexed her hand a few times. It didn’t feel as though she’d broken any bones, but she’d sport one heck of a bruise in the morning. Rolling to her feet, she stripped off her sweat-drenched panties and bra and wadded them up with the thermal suit for rinsing out later. Her next priority was a long, hot shower.

Turning the crisscrossing shower jets to full blast, she stepped inside and let the water fog up the glass blocks until a gruff shout shattered her bliss.

“Jordan!”

Cursing, she cut the jets and whipped around. Over the stair-stepping glass blocks, she got a good visual of the male who strode through the door. She swore again, yanked one of the resort’s ultraplush towels from the rack, wrapped it sarong style and rounded the glass block wall.

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