“Maybe.”
“Maybe? What the hell happened next?”
“The Bolshevik Revolution.”
Chapter Seven
He was so fucked.
Mickey opened his eyes to squint at Iris and idly wondered if she had any idea she was torturing him more with that flimsy bathrobe than with her wild stories about Russian czars and revolutionaries. He rubbed his temples some more, wishing he had that bottle of painkillers, but he’d left them in the car.
Focus. This crazy myth sounded exactly like the kind of bullshit story Cosmo would spin, but if there were any truth to it, Mickey needed to know. “Are you saying the Bolsheviks took the necklace?”
She shrugged, then thankfully smoothed out that pucker in her robe that had been granting him teasing glimpses of a rounded white breast. “According to my mom, the necklace could never be found. Alexandra was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. As the revolution gained momentum, it’s said she sent the jewels to ten of her royal relatives throughout Europe. Years later, a small group of Russians started a search to acquire the ten gems and bring them back to their homeland.” She dropped her voice to a stage whisper. “It’s rumored they belong to a powerful family in the Russian mafia.”
Mickey watched her with fascination. She’d become positively vibrant as she spoke about this myth. Clearly, she didn’t want to believe it, yet it was real to her.
“If someone owned all ten stones, with or without the necklace, would they be worth ten million dollars?”
“And then some,” she said with a laugh. “These stones were believed to be flawless examples from the first find of alexandrite. Their link to the Romanovs increases their value. To have all ten as a set, even without the necklace, would be to own history.”
His headache started to recede. At last he was on the right track. “I need those ten stones if I’m going to help Cosmo. Not the real ones, but something close enough to buy us some time. Can you help me?”
Her lips parted in surprise, and hesitation clouded those brandy eyes of hers. After a moment, they became brilliant with determination. “How soon do you need them?”
“Honestly?” He laughed. “Two nights ago.”
“Well-” She put the papers on the table and adjusted her robe as she leaned back. Finally, she met his gaze again with a sheepish grin. “Not that I’d tell this to everyone, but my mother received copies of these gems years ago. I still have them.”
“Where’d she get them?”
“Her aunt sent them to her from Russia as a special gift. Now, they’re not real alexandrites, but they should look really close to these pictures.”
Mickey’s pulse revved. He might survive this assignment after all. “And they’ll change color and everything?”
Iris nodded. “They’re treated with a chemical called vanadium that causes the color to change under different types of light.”
“Will you give them to me? I’d say lend, but if something goes wrong, I might not be able to get them back.”
“What are you going to do with them?”
“I’m going to turn them over to my boss and hope like hell they buy me enough time to find Cosmo and the real gems.” The lie pricked his conscience. He really intended to use the gems to broker an introduction to Turner’s boss and capture them both. But that should still help keep her father alive. He reached for her hand. “There are risks here, Iris. These people are dangerous.”
She squeezed his fingers. “But you think you can save Cosmo?”
“Yeah.”
“Then come by my shop around ten. I’ll have the copies ready.”
Unable to stop himself, he leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “You’re the gem, you know that?”
She rose, flustered by his attention. “It’s what I do.”
Stiffly, he stood. Retrieving the papers, he prepared to leave, but one thing troubled him enough to make him stop. “Iris, there are others who work for my bosses. Someone else might show up and ask for the gems. Don’t trust them.”
She awarded him a gamin smile. “Like I trust you?”
Her bright smile was a sucker punch to his gut. “Don’t even trust me,” he said soberly.
It was nine o’clock when Iris arrived at the Bellagio and let herself into Lying Eyes. She’d called Ginny to give her the morning off, and Iris intended to use the next few hours wisely.
As she did every time she entered, she took a moment to survey her empire. With the lighting dimmed, the showroom was reduced to a minor twinkle instead of the loud sparkle it normally cast. Cubic zirconias masqueraded as the finest diamonds, while chrysoberyls of all colors portrayed rubies, sapphires and emeralds. A number of the lower-valued gems played themselves-topazes, garnets, amethysts and opals.
Alexandrite was so rare she’d never attempted to display the simulated copies she had. It would be too difficult to explain to people about the history and the color-changing magic.
A soft pounding on the store’s glass door shook her from the reverie.
“Iris!” a faint voice called.
She discovered Allie, dressed in black cargo pants and T-shirt, outside. The willowy blonde carried a cardboard box in her arms and a backpack flung over her shoulder.
Swallowing her frustration at this latest interruption, Iris hurried to the door. “What on earth are you doing here?”
Allie ducked her head at Iris’s tone. “I called your apartment, but when you didn’t answer, I got a feeling you’d be here.”
“And what’s Edgar doing here?” Iris made a conscious effort to soften her delivery.
It worked, drawing a slow smile from Allie. “He needs his aunt Iris. I got called into a brush-up rehearsal, and I didn’t want to leave him at my place all alone.”
“He’s a rabbit-”
“But he doesn’t like to be alone. You can understand that, can’t you?”
It wasn’t so much the words, but the way Allie said them that had Iris stepping back to let the blonde and the rabbit enter. Yes, dammit, she understood completely why someone wouldn’t like to be alone. How often had she been alone growing up, with her mother caught up here at the shop and Cosmo gallivanting wherever he pleased?
Allie walked without hesitation to the back room, where she placed the box on the floor. Her sinewy arms hauled the rabbit out and tucked him against her body. The rabbit nuzzled her neck. “He’s really the sweetest thing,” she said with a chuckle.
“Can Sweetie Pie Edgar stay in the box? I don’t want to be picking up any little gifts he chooses to leave.”
“You’ll be fine. He’s litter trained. I’ve got a box and some litter in the backpack.”
“You’re joking, right?” Iris didn’t believe in a litter-trained rabbit.
When Allie didn’t respond, Iris turned to find the blonde in one of those eye-to-eye communions with the rabbit.
A chill stole up Iris’s spine, but she downplayed it. “Now what’s he saying?”
Allie’s eyes never left the rabbit. “I get the sense that no matter what happens, he doesn’t want to be left behind. He needs to look after you.” Even she sounded puzzled.
“Don’t you mean I need to look after him?”
The blonde’s brow furrowed in concentration. “I don’t think so, but then, it’s an inexact science.”
I’ll bet. Iris still had to wonder if all the hocus-pocus with Edgar was some con Cosmo had taught Allie.
Allie considered her before adding softly, “Whatever it is you’re doing, be careful, sis.”
Iris laughed off her uneasiness. “Don’t worry. I’m doing a little work here, then I’m headed home for the rest of the day. I’ll take Edgar with me, but will you come get him before this evening?”
“Sure.” Allie lowered the rabbit to the floor. With a soft groan, she brushed at the white bunny hairs on her black shirt. “I should be done with rehearsal before two.”
“Sounds good.” Iris escorted her to the big glass doors.