Stolen Love (Beauty in the Stolen 3)

He shifts to the edge of his seat. “What do you want in return?”

“Cas walks free. No arrest. No record.”

“That’s a tall order, Hart. She faked her own death, stole diamonds worth millions, and was involved in the murder of a cop.”

“First of all, she didn’t pull the trigger. Secondly, stealing the diamonds was my idea. I carry full responsibility for that. You and I both know the only reason she’s here is because I dragged her into this mess. I kidnapped her, not once but three times. Four if you count this time. She’s been innocent from the start. Wolfe shot the bank manager to blackmail Cas with arresting her as an accomplice to murder. He used the murder to get a higher priority on my case. Cas ran because you didn’t give her a choice. She got shot because I was stupid enough not to see it coming. She let me and the world believe she was dead because being alive was too dangerous. She discovered the evidence that incriminates Wolfe by chance. She used it to blackmail him when he came after us. That’s why Wolfe came alone. He was hoping to prevent us from talking for good. We were a risk he couldn’t take.” I give him a moment to absorb the facts. “She never deserved any of this. Let her go and I’ll give you what you really want—me.”

Drumming his fingers on the desk, he considers my offer for all of two seconds. “I want my name kept out of Detective Wolfe’s conduct where Ms. Joubert is concerned.”

“I can live with that.” I won’t forgive him for his part in threatening Cas, but I need him to guarantee her freedom. I need him to pull it off.

“You have yourself a deal.” He narrows his eyes. “But if you fuck with me…”

“I’ve never broken my word. I’m not going to start now.”

He nods. “In that case, we have a long night ahead.”

“I want her released now.”

He picks up his phone. “I’ll get someone on it.”

“No,” I say.

Hackman frowns.

“I want you to oversee it.” My words hold an unspoken threat. “I’m keeping you personally responsible.”

“Fine.” Pressing his palms on the desk, he pushes to his feet. “I’ll take care of it.”

“I have your word?”

“You have it.”

“Before we start,” I say, “I want a shower and a meal, and I want all the photos you took of Cas and me in the pool, every single electronic and hard copy that exists.”

“The photos aren’t a problem. Wolfe didn’t want them to leak at SIU as long as he could use Cas to get to you. He left them in my possession. The shower will be more problematic. The only way you’re having one is under lock and key. We’ll have to take you to a maximum security correctional facility. The closest one is Pretoria.”

I nod my agreement.

Hackman walks to the door and knocks. He gives me a last look before leaving, shutting the door on my freedom forever.

Chapter 16

Cas

Not long after interrogating me, Detective Hackman returns with my backpack. He doesn’t take a seat like earlier. He drops my bag at the corner of the desk and stands there with his arms crossed.

“I’ll give you one last opportunity to answer,” he says. “Where are the diamonds?”

“They were in my backpack,” I say for the tenth time, pointing at the bag by his feet. “You confiscated it. You should’ve found them.”

Impatience sets over his features. “Like I’ve already told you, they’re not in your bag.”

“It doesn’t make sense. I put them in there. I’m certain.”

“Maybe you left them in the cabin?”

“No.” I put emphasis on the denial. “I took them when we left.”

“Then where are they?” he asks with a scowl.

I frown. “Maybe they dropped out when I climbed into the tree. They could’ve fallen out while we were running. Come to think of it, Ian carried me for a while. The bag was turned upside-down. At some stage, it fell off my shoulder.”

“Where was this?”

“Next to a big Acacia tree on the riverbank, not far from the waterfall.”

Keeping his gaze fixed on me, he takes his phone from his pocket and dials a number. He keeps on studying me as he waits for the call to connect.

When the person picks up on the other end of the line, he says, “Comb the path running along the river. Best keep the resort closed until further notice. We don’t want any hikers trampling the path until we’ve turned over every rock and pebble.” After listening to a reply, he continues. “Mr. Visser may certainly not search the area for his stones. Get him the hell out of there—it’s a murder scene, for God’s sake—and check in the grass underneath the trees.”

He hangs up and puts the phone away. “You’ll have to undergo a body search. A female detective will accompany you.”