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IT HAS BEEN A QUIET day so far. Our teams have been roaming the convention center and observing the spectators, but no one has had any issues. Everyone has been respectful of the ‘Do Not Touch’ signs placed everywhere. In my opinion, the organizers put too many up, but I’m just the help.
When we got here this morning, the guy in charge, Pierre, met us at the door and told us under no circumstances can anything happen today, but especially to the Kennedy Blue Diamond. Until this morning, I had never even heard of the Kennedy Blue Diamond, but I know way too much about it now. It’s a beautiful blue color, worth way too much money, and it’s a big rock. As a last-minute plug for the exhibit and to bring in more spectators, the owners have loaned the Kennedy Blue Diamond to the organizers for display.
Pierre looked frazzled this morning, like a nervous chihuahua in a tuxedo, until we promised to have our best guys standing by that particular display. He looked a bit relieved, but still nervous.
Gabriel, Matt, Erick, and I have been patrolling the entire convention center while A-1 Security has been in the security room watching the security camera feeds. I’m making my final loop before my break for lunch, when I run into Erick and Matt standing at the entrance to the main exhibit hall. They look like they’re in a heated debate over something.
“Hey. What’s up?” I ask under my breath. I don’t want to be heard by the spectators.
Matt shakes his head, but Erick speaks up. “This is bullshit.”
“What’s bullshit?”
I watch him scan the crowd and then look back at me. “We shouldn’t be doing the patrolling. This is probie work. A-1 fucked up and had to bring us in, but somehow we’re the ones doing most of the work. It’s bullshit. We should’ve had this job from the beginning.”
“Agreed, but what’s done is done. Besides, I’d rather be wandering around than sitting in a security room all day.” I tell him as I pull my buzzing cell phone out of my pocket.
“Erick, sometimes we have to do the shitty work to get the good work. It’s all part of the business. The organizers know they shouldn’t have tried to save money on security and we’ll probably get this contract going forward. You seem way too worked up over this. Let it go, man.” Matt tells him as Gabriel walks up to us.
“Why are we congregating in the hallway? Is everything okay?” Gabriel asks.
My phone buzzes again, and I swipe it to see the text message.
Olivia: Hey. It’s me, Mallory.
Me: Is everything okay?
“Dude. Why is my wife texting you?” Gabriel asks over my shoulder.
“It’s not her. It’s Mallory using her phone.”
“Is everything okay?” Matt asks with a worried look on his face.
“I don’t know. It shows she’s still typing.” I keep watching those stupid little blinking dots.
Olivia: Everything is fine. We’re having a good time hanging out at the house.
Me: Okay, then what’s up?
Those damn blinking dots.
Olivia: I’m falling in love with you, too.
“What’s going on, Owen.” Gabriel asks, but I barely hear him.
I had no idea how much I wanted to her to tell me those words until now. I want to hear them; not read them.
I hit the icon to call her and look up at my brothers and Erick. “Everything’s fine.”
“Hello?” Mallory answers.
“I want to hear you say it.”
“Well then, I guess you’ll need to come home, won’t you?” She answers back. I can hear the kids in the background splashing in the pool.
“Trust me. I don’t want to be anywhere else.” I hesitate a second. “Did you mean what you wrote?”
“Come on, Loverboy. We’ve got work to do.” Matt teases me.
I hold up a finger, telling him to wait a minute. “Did you mean it, Mallory?”
“I did.”
“Are you sure? You’re not telling because you think I want to hear it? Because there’s zero rush. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”
“Owen, I’m falling in love with you. I don’t know when it happened or how it happened so fast, but what I’m feeling for you is strong and deep. It’s got to be love.”
“I love you, too, Mallory.” I hear her inhale sharply.
Suddenly, there’s a gigantic crash just inside the doors of the main exhibition room that is housing the Kennedy Blue Diamond, along with a few screams. I drop my phone in my pocket as I grab my sidearm and get up against the entrance doors.
In my earpiece, I hear Gabriel. “Sierra Team. Sit rep, now!”
I peek around the door and find a mess of champagne glasses broken on the floor of the room and cheap champagne spilled everywhere. There is an older couple and a waiter, all three on the ground and bleeding, but from where I don’t know. People are scattering around, trying to avoid the glass and champagne.
“All secured. The waiter and an older couple crashed into each other. A bit of a mess, but all is secure.” I hear the leader of the Sierra Team respond to Gabriel in my earpiece.
I re-holster my weapon and enter the room to assist. “Security Room. Please send the medics into the main exhibition room. We have a few people hurt.” I talk into my mic that is on the collar of my shirt.
“Understood. Medics en route.” They respond.
As both Gabriel and I assist the elderly couple in some chairs and make sure their wounds aren’t life threatening, I watch the cleaning crew swoop in and clean up the glass and spilt champagne in a matter of minutes.
The medics come in and all three people refuse medical care, and just like that, the show is back on as if nothing happened.
Gabriel looks at me with a goofy grin. “So, you’re in love?”
“What are you talking about?” I didn’t think he heard me talking to Mallory on the phone.
Gabriel hands me my phone. I thought I put it in my pocket, but I must have missed my pocket during the commotion and dropped the phone. “I will say, it looks weird that my wife’s phone is telling you she loves you. Gotta admit, I don’t like that. Get your girl her own phone.”
I take the phone, close the texting app, and put it in my pocket. This time, I make sure it’s in there. “Agreed.”
“Zulu! Zulu! Zulu!” We both hear Matt’s voice in our earpiece and start heading towards the area that Matt is in charge of, which is in the exhibit hall next to the main room. I look over at the security team assigned to the Kennedy Diamond and they give me a head nod, telling us to go; that they’ve got this room covered. I don’t know what’s going on, but Matt is calling the distress signal. It makes both Gabriel and I move fast.
We both enter the exhibit hall and Matt has is gun drawn on the spectators in the room, lining them up against the far wall. Everyone has their hands up.
“What’s going on?” Gabriel demands upon entering the room.
Matt looks over at the display case that used to house all the emeralds. “I just found this case empty.”
Gabriel and I both look at the case and see that the glass cases are intact, but there are no shiny rocks to be found.
Fuck.
~~~
It has been a long ass day with no results.
After we shut down the entire show, every person, from the spectators to the caterers and even the janitorial staff, were questioned and searched. We found not one emerald. According to Pierre, our tuxedo wearing chihuahua, the missing emeralds are worth about five million dollars.
Matt went to the security room to watch the security tapes, but somehow, A-1 didn’t realize that they lost the feed that covered that section of the exhibit. We have nothing to go on.
Once the West Palm Beach Police Department arrived on scene, they dismissed us from the job, along with A-1 Security, and told that we need to make sure we are available for questions in the coming days. Of course, A-1 Security tried to blame us for not watching the crowd and the stones, but had nothing to say about them losing the camera feed. To say Gabriel is pissed is an understatement.
Right now, Gabriel, Matt, Erick and I are all on our way back to our houses so that we can shower, change, and eat. Erick’s just along for the ride. Then, we’re heading back to the office to debrief with the teams and see if we can figure out how someone got past our security measures. Even though we’ve been fired, it’s a matter of ethics and pride now.
Erick and I enter my quiet house. Through the living room and out to the back sliding glass doors, I see the kids in the pool and women on the patio watching them. The sight of my girl laughing at something Piper says takes my breath away. Her red hair is blowing in the breeze, her sunglasses are shielding her blue eyes, and she has on the most ridiculous floppy hat on her head. She’s beautiful and all mine. I’m a lucky bastard.
“Who’s that?” Erick interrupts my thoughts.
“Come. I’ll introduce you.” I open the slider. “Hello, ladies.”
“Oh, hey. You’re home early. Everything okay?” Olivia asks while looking at her watch.
“There was an issue at the job. Everyone’s okay. No ones hurt, but we are just passing by for a shower and a change of clothes. Then we’re heading back to the office for a few hours.”
“What happened?” Piper asks.
“Someone stole some stones, and they fired us. West Palm Beach police are on it, but we want to regroup with the teams to find out what happened while everything is still fresh in everyone’s memory.
“Food would be good, too.” Erick pleads.
“I’ll make you some sandwiches.” Mallory stands up and goes to walk past me. As she does, she draws her hand across my abdomen. “You go shower.”
I snag her hand to pull her back to me. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She leans up and kisses me.
“I want to introduce you to Erick. Erick, this is Mallory. Mallory, meet Erick. He’s one of our Team Leaders.”
She turns away from me and towards Erick. “Nice to meet you, Erick.”
“Ma’am.” He nods his head towards her and then looks at me. “Got a spare room I can borrow?”
“Yeah. Up the stairs to the left. Help yourself.”
“Thanks.” I watch him go back into the house.
“Let’s go kids. Time to go home.” Olivia announces as she’s picking up toys and floats.
“You don’t have to leave. I’m only in and out.” I tell them, but they wave me off.
“Our men are probably hungry, too. And if you’re in and out, then so are they.” Piper turns to make sure they have everything. “Say bye to Uncle Owen and Miss Mallory.”
“Bye Uncle Owen and Miss Mallory.” I hear in unison.
“Bye guys.”
Mallory and I watch as they leave, and suddenly it’s very quiet in my backyard. “Where’s Bella?”
“She’s pooped from playing in the pool, with the kids, and chasing Brownie and Bloo. I think I last saw her on her dog bed in the living room.”
I pull Mallory to me and realize she’s wearing a bathing suit under her large t-shirt. “Let me see you.” I try to pull up the shirt, but she’s batting my hands away.
“No. Go shower, and your friend is upstairs. Now, go.” She shoos me away.
“First, tell me again.”
Her hands are still as she looks up into my eyes and smiles. “I love you, Owen Hughes.” Hearing those words as I watch them come out of her mouth gives me a warmth I’ve never felt before.
“I love you, too, Mallory Gordon.” I lean down and kiss her soft pink lips.
She pulls back from me. “Go.” Her arm is pointed straight out and towards the house. “Shower, then food.”
“But what if I don’t want a shower, then food? What if I just want you?”
“That’s sweet. But, go. Go get this taken care of so you can be back here for the meeting with Patrick tonight.”
I almost forgot. “Has Rick Newberry called?” I follow her into the kitchen.
“Yes. He’s coming over later this afternoon to question me about Patrick. He called about an hour ago.” She pulls out the makings for roast beef sandwiches.
“I’ll call Gabriel and tell him I can’t go.” I grab my cell phone from my pocket.
“You’ll do no such thing.” She takes my phone and places it on the counter. “I’m a big girl. I can answer questions about him if it leads to his arrest. I’m fine. I promise. You need to go take care of this rock thing so that you can come back here tonight. Okay?”
I pull her into my arms as I lean against the counter. “I don’t like that you’ll need to bring all that stuff back up again and I won’t be here for you.”
She nods against my chest. “I know, but it has to be done. I’ll be fine, and if I need you, I’ll call you.”
I pull her head off my chest and look into her blue eyes. “You are so much more than anything he’s ever told you. I love you, and you mean the world to me. If you need me, I’ll be here in a heartbeat. Got it?”
“Got it.” She kisses me and then pushes off of me. “Now, go.”
This time, I head to my bedroom. The sooner I get to the office, the sooner I’ll be back home with Mallory.