Chapter Forty-Seven

Too damn bad.

The Phantom comes to a stop outside my flat, but I hesitate before getting out. Not because I’m having second thoughts about working for Markus but because I want to make this exit final.

If I give Jaxon no reason to come after me, then he won’t. As it is, I’m still in possession of the key to the music box.

Letting go of the key would mean letting go of Jaxon, for good.

I know what’s in the box. I peeked, of course. So, I know that although the music box itself is worth a fortune, the box is not the real prize. It’s what’s hidden inside the box—the biggest blue diamond I’ve ever seen, mounted in a gold necklace.

Conducting my own unofficial assessment and authentication, I estimated the diamond to be about 21.87 carats, worth a hundred million dollars or more.

After much digging and researching on all the known blue diamonds, I found absolutely no history behind this one. As far as the internet is concerned, it doesn’t exist. Which leads me to believe the diamond necklace was smuggled into this country using the music box.

“Are you getting out?” Alessa prompts when I just sit there.

With a nod, I make my decision. I raise my hands to pop the first three buttons on my blouse. Wiggling two fingers inside my bra, to the makeshift pocket I stitched there the night before, I grasp the hidden necklace and pull it out.

With the chain dangling from my fingers, I face her. “I’ve no doubt he’s searched high and low for this. In case he wants to know why he couldn’t find it, I buried it in Central Park.” I hold out the key for her to take, and she slides it off my fingers. “Tell him never to hide all his secrets in one place.”

Without a thank-you or good-bye, I slam out of the car.