The adrenaline of the interview was fading

curb, waiting for his Ub

ut already?" he as

. The swelling had gotten worse in the heat. The platinu

opped to her ha

you're still wearing the ring. Three million dollars on your fing

ing. It wasn't a safet

tuck,"

ked. "You just can't le

There was a hardware s

me," sh

disaster he could report to Keyon, foll

e, the smell of sawdust

ss?" the clerk aske

" Elodie said. "The b

d-her new one, from the Sw

ir of orange bolt cutters. They

outside. She stoo

is pathetic, Elodie. You'

She knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted to h

ter around the platinum band. The met

ezed the

dense. Her arms shook. Sw

flawless diamond, Elodie. Don't l

She put her entire body

AC

s sharp, lik

leased. The diamond fell onto th

her finger. There was a deep indentatio

ed. "You... you a

alves of the ring. The diamond was still

len, toward the pa

lowed, still filming. "Keyon w

op, the broker loo

d. And look at this... the cut is compromised. I can't giv

h?" Elod

thousan

illion. Fifty thousand was

e said withou

doorway. "That's a three million dollar

Elodie said to the broker. "

. She walked out, stuffed the money into h

said keep