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CHAPTEREIGHTEEN

Kate

What I thought wasa brilliant idea thirty minutes ago, now feels like an epic mistake. Auggie keeps my hand in his as the bidding starts. I can’t believe Jared is here. I almost lost my shit. This type of shady stuff is right up his alley. I should have known better. I can’t believe both Anna and I didn’t have a clue that he’d be here. She didn’t have him listed as a previous attendee, but he clearly knows some of the sketchy people in this room.

There are no brochures, no list of items. They simply dive into each. There is also no discussion of how the auction items arrived here. I recognize a few paintings as stolen from various galleries and museums. There’s a mask from a private collection, also probably stolen at some point in time.

I keep my eyes fixed on Jared. He is oblivious to me, thankfully. And we are behind him, so I can only hope that I can leave undetected.

I recognize a few bad boy celebrities, a sheik, and a sketchy oil tycoon, but I either don’t know the others or can’t make them out in the dark room.

The auction continues for about an hour. I don’t see a single crown. I’m losing hope that this escapade was even worth the risk when the auctioneer’s voice draws my attention.

“We have one final last-minute addition this evening. A rare pink diamond. Teardrop cut. Internally flawless. Seven carats. This diamond has a complex history but records date it back to the Crown Jewels of Louis XIII. Bidding will start at two million U.S. dollars”

I look up and then back at Auggie. His jaw clenches. And that’s all it takes for me to know that this is connected to his mother’s crown.

August

I skim my finger over the solitary pink diamond that sits in the center of the tiara. I know the history; my mom has told us the tale over and over. It’s more of a fairy tale now than history. Let’s just say the diamond ended up in the tiara through acts of war and love, so epic, children learn about them in history class even today.

“Auggie, be careful, my love,” my mother says as she fixes her hair in the mirror.

“Why is this your favorite?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.

She stops and smiles warmly at me in the mirror. My mother is so beautiful. She always looks like a princess from a movie.

“Pink’s my favorite color,” she states.

“Mom,” I groan.

She laughs, and it’s like sunshine lighting up the room. “I’m sorry, love. I don’t have time for the story right now.”

I frown. She turns and leans in to kiss my forehead.

I look at the diamond which is magnified in a live feed on a screen. Fuck me! There is zero doubt in my mind that this is from my mother’s tiara. There was a small scratch on the exterior that my mother always claimed was from when it was originally stolen hundreds of years ago. That magnified live feed shows it. The odds of another pink diamond identical to my mother’s is...well, not possible.

I find my hand holding the card that was on my seat going up to bid.

“I have two, do I hear two point five?”

Another card goes up, and another, I keep bidding. I hear Anna in my ear as she gasps, clearly taking in the diamond. She might even say my name, but I’m too focused. Everything else in the room disappears as I keep bidding. I’ve lost track of who else bids. My card keeps going up as the price creeps up.

“I have four point nine, do I have five?”

My card stays up but there’s no movement in the group.

“I have four point nine, going...going…gone. Sold to five-three-nine.”

“Holy shit,” Kate murmurs under her breath.

A woman walks over to me as everyone gets up.

“Follow me, Mister Alexander,” she says.

Mister Alexander. Well, that’s a fucking first. I follow her, pushing Kate in front of me so she is shielded from the others. The woman opens a small door and inside is a table with a computer. Another woman takes my card and punches in some numbers. I remember Anna had already linked me to a Swiss bank account with fifty million dollars in it. I asked no questions about where the fifty million came from because I had a sneaking suspicion that I didn’t want to know.

“We need you to confirm the wire transfer,” the woman at the desk says. I nod and place my thumb on the screen. The money transfers and the woman nods.