I didn’t give a shit what anybody else thought, all I cared about was getting to Tanya’s as fast as possible. At that point I had a solitary mission in life, making sure Tanya survived. That’s also when I decided if Destiny hurt Tanya, I was going to kill her.
The house was shrouded in darkness. The gate was half open, just like I’d left it when I hurried off after Dom’s call. The door was closed, but unlocked. I should have remembered that I had not closed it when I left. I should have looked around before entering the house. I should have taken all the precautions I’d been taught to take. But by the time I got to the house, all I could think about was getting inside, finding some aspirin, and waiting for Destiny’s call.
Tanya was the first thing I saw when I flipped on the lights. She was tied to one of the kitchen chairs, which had been moved into the center of the living room. The second thing I saw was Destiny. She wore a pair of tight shorts and an Alvin’s t-shirt that was two sizes too small for her. She was also holding a gun in her lap. It was cocked, and pointed at Tanya.
“Where are my diamonds, Wes?” She was grinning, but it was a crazy grin. When I looked into her eyes I realized that she’d been pushed over the edge. No matter what I told her she wasn’t going to let either Tanya or me live.
“I hid them,” I said. I scanned the room looking for a weapon. Things did not look promising.
“The ones you took from me?”
I nodded.
She fumbled for something next to where she was sitting, and held up the vase from Tanya’s room. “And what about the ones I hid in here? I hope for both your sakes you have all my pretties. You’re more resourceful than I gave you credit for, Wes. I can be resourceful too. I want all twenty-five of my diamonds. If you don’t give them to me, I’m gonna shoot Tanya, then I’m gonna shoot you. One bullet for every diamond that you don’t return. Who do you think is more resourceful, Darling?”
“Why are you doing this, Gail?” Tanya asked. “I watched you kill someone today. Before that, I never could have believed you were capable of doing such a thing. You should leave before the police find you.”
“Shut the hell up, bitch.” Destiny drew back and flung the vase at Tanya. Tanya pulled back her head and the vase flew past her face and slammed into the wall across the room. “I’m not going anywhere without my diamonds.”
I could see the fear in Tanya’s eyes. Unfortunately, Destiny’s actions over the last twenty-four hours warranted that fear. Destiny was turning her anger and fear toward Tanya. I needed to shift her attention to me. “The only way you’re going to find the diamonds is with my help,” I said. “And that’s not going to happen if you don’t stop threatening Tanya.”
“How do I know you didn’t turn the diamonds over to the cops?”
I reached toward my pocket, and Destiny steadied the pistol on me. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
I held my hand up. “I’ve got one of the diamonds in my pocket. I kept it on me so I could prove to you I still have them.”
It was clear she didn’t trust me. She stood and placed the muzzle of the pistol against Tanya’s head. “Let me see it,” she said. “And don’t do anything stupid.”
I reached into my pocket and drew out the stone. I opened my hand and let it roll around in my palm. It sparkled as the light reflected in it and for a moment we were all mesmerized.
“All right,” she said. “That’s a start-it will buy you maybe two minutes of Tanya’s life. Now, get down on your knees and shuffle over to the coffee table. Place the diamond on the table, and move back away from us. Do it slowly, and don’t make any funny moves. If you so much as breathe hard I swear I’ll kill her.”
I believed her. I did exactly what she asked. She stood and watched until I moved back from the chair, and then she reached over to pick up the diamond. She took her eyes off me and lowered the gun for a second. I braced myself to jump her, but she must have read my mind. She snatched up the diamond and pointed the gun back at Tanya before I could react.
She held the diamond up to the light, studied it for a moment, and tucked it into the pocket of her shorts before stepping back behind the chair. Once again she pressed the gun hard against the back of Tanya’s head.
“I’m going to count to three,” she said. “And then I’m going to kill Tanya unless you tell me where the rest of the diamonds are.”
“You’ll kill us both if I tell you,” I said.
“I don’t want you dead,” she said. “I just want my diamonds.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Maybe you’ll believe this.” She gave Tanya’s head a rap with the gun barrel and said, “One.”
The fear was still evident in Tanya’s eyes, and there was insanity in Destiny’s. “All right,” I said. “I’ll take you to them.”
“That’s better.” She reached out and stroked Tanya’s hair. “I didn’t want to kill you hon, but Wes was being an asshole. You realize it would have been his fault if I had to hurt you?”
“But why are you doing this?” Tanya asked.
“Because I’m tired of being poor.” Destiny shifter the gun in my direction. “You wouldn’t know what it’s like. You’re daddy had money and he always took care of you.”
“We got by,” Tanya said. “There was never a lot of extra money. Since my dad died there’s not a week that goes by where I don’t struggle to meet the bills.”
“Oh you poor baby.” Destiny looked around the room and laughed. “You can sell this house and the bar and you’ll never have to work another day in your life. This is my only chance.”
“And what about the man you shot tonight?” Tanya asked.
“Talk to me about it after you’ve spent years dancing in front of assholes just like him, or Wes here.” Destiny pointed the gun at me. Her grip was steady, her eyes hard. “Last chance, where are they?”
“I’ll take you to them,” I said.
She laughed and shook her head. “Like that’s going to happen. I wasn’t kidding about killing Tanya. But first I’m going to cause her a lot of pain if you don’t tell me where they are.”
I couldn’t very well tell her the truth. If I did she’d be back inside within minutes. When she found out half of them were missing, she was going to be mad as hell. Since I wasn’t too keen on dying, I decided to buy some time. With any luck I could lead her someplace out of the way, and disarm her.
“I buried them under the gumbo-limbo tree next to Alvin's,” I said.
“What are you, nuts? You expect me to believe you’d bury them where anyone could come along and find them.” She shifted back and forth on her feet. “Last chance, Wes. Give me the real location or Tanya’s dead.”
“I’m telling the truth. No one’s going to find them there. I buried them about eighteen inches out from the trunk between the tree and the bar window.” I was on a roll, making it up while I went along. “They’re maybe a foot beneath the surface. I’ll take you to them.”
“Damn it.” She stomped her right foot and I could feel the rage emanating from her. I knew she wanted to kill me right then and there.
“If I’m lying,” I said, “You can kill me.” I needed to get her away from Tanya. I was counting on the fact that she would want to have the diamonds in her hands before she blew me away.
“You must take me for a fool,” she said. “You’re not going anywhere. If the diamonds aren’t where you say they are, I’ll be back. I’m going to make you watch me kill Tanya before I kill you. Now turn around.”
I started to stand and she said, “Uh Uh. Stay on your knees and swivel around.”
I hesitated until Destiny swung the gun in Tanya’s direction, then I nodded and shuffled around until I was facing the door. I knew what was coming and I tensed my shoulders, but you can’t prepare yourself for a smack on the head. She brought the barrel down hard over my right ear, and everything went dark.