Diamond Legacy. Monica McCabe

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СКАЧАТЬ he said gruffly. “Call me when you return.”

      The door shut behind him with a soft click and a dizzying wave of competing emotions. Heartbreak battled with the elation of freedom, a rush of adrenaline threatened to overpower guilt, and the effort it took to suppress it all made her knees wobble.

      Boscoe chose that moment to prance over with his tail held high. She scooped him up and gave him a fierce hug, pressing her face into his warm fur. When he squawked in protest, she released him and aimed for a built-in bookcase lining one wall. She stood there, staring at a prized possession on the shelf, an intricately carved wooden giraffe, a gift from her father when he came home from Africa. A trip that nearly killed him.

      He had taken insane risks and had always come out on top. Until Africa. Until the day he’d faced down well-armed poachers and came away with a paralyzing spine injury. Everything had been lost—luggage, med kits, his ability to walk, but he swore the recovery time spent with the Maasai people had been well worth the cost. He claimed an awe-inspiring sense of wonder at a land rich in natural history, and his countless stories gave credence to that fact.

      Miranda ran a finger softly down the graceful neck of the giraffe. Now it was her turn. She closed her eyes as a shiver of anticipation raced across her skin.

      No, that wasn’t right. More like nervous energy, fear of failure, or the fact she stood on the edge of realizing the same dream that nearly cost her father his life.

      She’d no idea, but ready or not, she was headed for Africa.

      Chapter 2

      The bar was more a glorified lean-to, not the worst the town of Kanye offered, but close and obscure enough to suit Matt Bennett’s purpose. Employees here were used to looking the other way. From his table in the back, he could observe every patron, and at this early afternoon hour, he didn’t see many.

      Matt tilted his head back and downed a heavy shot of mampoer, Africa’s fiery version of moonshine. It was the only thing that cut through the kimberlite dust that permeated everything in the region, spewing from godforsaken diamond mines in a cloud of greed. The giant pits left in their wake had slashed open wounds into the land, feeding the insatiable hunger of corporations and governments alike.

      He shoved a now empty shot glass to the center of a rough-hewn table. From beneath the bare lightbulb overhead, tiny prisms of light reflected in the remaining drops of liquor. They looked like diamonds, those glittering chunks of carbon that pumped two and a half billion dollars annually into Botswana alone.

      That kind of wealth corrupted, absolutely.

      “About time you surfaced, Bennett.” Nik Labestu’s deep voice carried an accent of native Setswana. Midnight black skin and eyes that penetrated your soul, Nik was the one man in a sea of high level officials that Matt trusted. He was also his only link with the International Diamond Security, the folks who currently issued his paycheck.

      “Have a seat,” Matt said.

      Nik handed him a bottle of barely cool beer, which Matt accepted gratefully. April was upon them and summer had officially ended, but the heat lived on.

      “How are you, my friend?” Matt asked with a quick twist to pop the top and indulged in a long drink.

      “The drive from Gaborone jarred my teeth.” Nik scraped a chair out across from Matt and sat. “Where have you been? You missed our last rendezvous. I began to worry.”

      With a glance around the near empty bar, Matt leaned forward and rested his drinking arm on the wooden table. “I’m on to something, Nik,” he said quietly. “Something big.”

      “Again? That last time nearly got me killed.”

      Matt snorted and relaxed back in his chair. “That little bullet could hardly be called life threatening. It probably stung no worse than a bee.”

      Nik’s grimace displayed a row of even white teeth, stark against the darkness of his skin. “I should have known better than to expect sympathy from you.”

      “Try living for weeks in vermin-infested holes to flush out the dregs of humanity,” Matt fired back. “Then talk to me about sympathy.”

      “No thanks. That’s your job. You bring them in. I put them away.”

      “This one won’t be that easy.”

      His friend eyed him with interest. “What have you found?”

      Matt took another long pull from his beer. He and Nik were exactly alike, in a totally opposite kind of way. Both had secrets, both wanted to keep them, and both hated the diamond cartel. Nik preferred to stay behind the scenes. Matt dug in the trenches. Between them, trust was complete.

      This time, though, Matt kept the incriminating details to himself. He needed to dig deeper, and the less Nik knew, the better he’d sleep at night.

      “What is the biggest threat Botswana faces?” Matt asked.

      “Diamond theft.”

      “Think bigger.”

      “Civil war in our neighboring nations.”

      “Bull’s eye.” Matt pointed to his friend with the beer bottle. “Diamonds are a warlord’s best friend. He steals them, sells them, and buys weapons.”

      Nik leaned forward, concern etched over his face. “You sign your death warrant going after someone like that.”

      “I’m not that suicidal.”

      “Good to know,” Nik said.

      A face floated across Matt’s memory, distant but clear, and his jaw hardened. Warlord or not, justice would be served. “I believe I can shut down a pipeline,” he said flatly.

      Nik’s expression sharpened as he carefully set his beer on the table. “Are you talking about blocking weapon shipments?”

      “I am.”

      Interest glittered in his dark eyes. “You tread dangerous waters, my friend.”

      Matt gave a cavalier shrug. “I’m used to it.” It was his friend he worried about. He needed Nik’s help, but curiosity got people in trouble. Matt had more than one scar to prove it.

      Shifting in his chair, Nik crossed muscular arms in front of his leather vest. “I’d like to know what pushes you, Matthew Bennett. Why do you risk your life the way you do?”

      Definitely not open for discussion. “Too long a story.”

      Nik stared hard with that penetrating gaze of his, but the familiar intimidation technique wasn’t going to work; Matt knew the man too well. He offered no other information.

      “As you wish.” Nik accepted defeat. “What do you want from IDS?”

      “Access to Katanga Wildlife Center outside Gaborone. Get me clearance. Better yet, make me an employee, a janitor. That way I can move around without drawing attention.”

      Nik’s СКАЧАТЬ