Diamond Legacy. Monica McCabe

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СКАЧАТЬ then yanked a bandana from his pocket, grabbed the firearm, and unloaded ammo in a few efficient moves. He had it all wrapped up nice and neat as airport security rushed onto the scene.

      “All yours, gentlemen,” the cop said as he handed a guard the disabled weapon.

      Miranda couldn’t stop staring. It wasn’t polite, she knew, but looking away wasn’t an option. He brushed off his hands in satisfaction and turned to face her. There was blood on his cheek and a long scratch on his arm, but he smiled, calm as you please.

      “Nice piece of work, lady,” he said to her. “What’s in the bag? Lead?”

      She registered a slight British accent. And he had the most incredible tawny-colored eyes she’d ever seen. They were warm, earthy, and ablaze with curiosity. The man could have walked from the pages of any outdoor enthusiast catalogue, complete with athletic build, five o’clock shadow, and tousled sandy hair. In short, exactly the type she’d sworn off months ago.

      She wanted to run the other way. Instead she lifted Jason’s bag. “Nikon camera, when you want to capture the moment.”

      His laugh brushed her senses like mellowed whiskey. It was disorienting, delicious, and she stared like an adolescent girl with her first crush. What was the matter with her?

      “A woman of action.” Something in his eyes sparkled. “I like that.”

      Images of champagne, fiery tango music, and mind-melting kisses popped into her head. So exhilarating that it set off every alarm bell she possessed. “Stow the flattery,” she said, trying to kick up her defenses. “I reacted because the bad guy wasn’t playing fair.”

      Masculine interest flared in the quirk of his brow, and her stomach did a warning somersault. He was pure trouble, wrapped in rugged good looks, broad shoulders, and—

      “Playing fair an important concern of yours?”

      She yanked herself back on track. “Shouldn’t it be for everyone? Especially a cop?”

      A strange expression shadowed the warmth of his gaze. “Sometimes life isn’t fair. And I’m not a cop.”

      Her gaze shot to the handcuffed guy lying on the floor. “But—”

      “Jesus, Miranda!” Jason swore as he raced over, his expression a mix of anger and horror. “Are you all right?” He grabbed her hand and gently pried his camera bag out of her death grip.

      “I’m absolutely fine.”

      “The guy had a gun, Miranda. A gun! What in Sam Hill were you thinking?”

      She blinked in surprise at his outburst and glanced back to the mystery man. His heated interest had faded into cool professionalism, and she was heartily glad. The overwhelming disappointment she chose to ignore.

      “It was only a little gun.” She braced her hands on her hips. “And he never saw me coming.”

      Jason shook his head. “Man, I’ve held my breath this entire trip, fighting a doomed feeling that somethin’s gonna blow this too-good-to-be-true assignment. We’re finally here and what do I see? You, attacking a crazy gunman with my eight-hundred-dollar camera! What kind of insane risk was that to take?”

      “For me?” She grinned. “Or for the camera?”

      He shot her a narrow-eyed glare.

      “Look, I’m fine. Your camera’s fine.” She flicked her head toward Mr. I’m-Not-A-Cop. “And so is he, thanks to all the equipment you cram in that case.”

      “He, who?”

      She turned, only to discover they were alone. Mystery man now stood talking to a couple of uniformed police near the door.

      She pointed. “Him.”

      Jason threw a careless glance in the general direction of the doorway. “Whoever he is, I’m sure he’s properly grateful, and I’m incredibly impressed with your bravery. But pleeease, save the heroics ’til the end of the trip. We haven’t seen the first thing yet. Agreed?”

      Miranda barely heard him. Her gaze locked onto the lion-eyed temptation by the door. She pictured him against a backdrop of wilderness. Belonging, challenging, mastering the elements. Her captivated stare caught his attention for he looked straight at her, and the smile he sent her way tripped her heartbeat.

      “Miranda!” Jason shouted.

      “All right!” she snapped, then instantly regretted it. None of this was Jason’s fault. His enthusiasm for this trip rivaled hers. “I promise to restrain myself until the bitter end. Satisfied?”

      “I don’t believe you.”

      She scowled at him.

      “Don’t go getting all fussy. Wait here. I’m going back for our bags.” He took two steps and turned around. “Stay out of trouble.”

      “No problem.”

      With a dubious glance, Jason headed for baggage claim again, taking his prize camera bag with him. Yet the second he turned away, her eyes shot straight for the door.

      The lion was gone.

      Chapter 4

      Sitting on the outskirts of town and adjoining the Gaborone Game Reserve, Katanga rose like an oasis in an endless expanse of brown. A three-story, gray stucco and stone castle, it jutted from austere surroundings like a fortress amidst a canopy of green. Imposing English turrets and battlements stood sentinel, guarding her domain with gothic irony. The eye-catching grandeur was unexpected in the African desert, a contradiction that stood severely out of place yet somehow belonged.

      Matt smiled to himself as he drove onto the grounds early Tuesday morning, day one of his new job. From the look of things, this promised to be the Tiffany’s of undercover jobs. He usually worked baser digs where he was lucky to have a private tree to piss behind. Katanga would be a welcome change of pace.

      He pulled slowly through the parking lot, absorbing every detail of one seriously spread-out compound. Their website claimed thirty-two hectares of land. Beyond the main castle, there were two elephant-sized stables, a warehouse, several smaller outbuildings, and their most recent addition, an oasis pool under a massive glass-domed roof.

      Finding diamonds in a haystack this big may prove a challenge. He definitely had his work cut out for him.

      He parked as far back as possible and used the long walk to the front to scope out his latest employer. Unlike castles of yore, Katanga had no protective moat. But it did have enough landscaping to hide an army. They also sported pivoting floodlights, visible security cameras, and miles of fence to mark its boundaries. The place was built for show and clearly spelled big money, not the sort of place to run conflict diamonds. Too bad all signs pointed toward corruption. If his sources proved true, then he and his new employer were going to have issues.

      He rounded the castle’s front, passed a towering flagpole flying Botswana’s light blue flag, and navigated a gratuitous drawbridge to massive oak and iron doors.

      The minute he crossed the threshold any СКАЧАТЬ