A Game of Deception

Chapter Seven

Hi everyone! Hope you're all doing great and without further ado, let's jump straight into chapter 7! -Arden

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"What is that diamond to you, anyway? Judging by the look of this place, you've got enough money to last you ten lifetimes."

"It's not about the monetary value of the diamond, but about the sentimentality. And letting people know that whoever tries to steal from me will face grave consequences," Asshole replied. I rolled my eyes at the drama queen behavior.

"Why don't you just call the police if you have the proof that he's the one who stole from you?" I asked.

"Would you trust Doug with something truly important to you?" he asked.

"Technically, I put my life in his hands the moment I started doing jobs for him. It doesn't get more personal than that," I replied bitterly.

"And look where it brought you," he replied, matter of fact. "I don't trust them."

"And you trust me?" I raised an eyebrow, on the verge of laughter. Was he really that stupid?

"I trust that you value your life," he replied.

"Oh goody, I was wondering how long it would take you to issue a threat of some sort. So what's the plan? You get me in and I excuse myself to the restroom, try to sneak in and take your precious property?" I asked.

"Something like that. I'll let my chief of security explain the situation and brief you on the details. What we need to discuss is our cover." He motioned for me to sit across from him and I did, listening closely. Observing his features while I was at it, I couldn't help but get distracted by his lips.

"We're going there as a couple. You'll be presented as my fiancé-" he started but I cut him off immediately.

"You're joking, right?" I asked, unamused.

"Darrius has a wife, Eleanor, and I need you to fit in with her friends. Men aren't allowed to bring plus ones unless they are in a serious and committed relationships. She is not only going to be your alibi, but your access to the right wing of the house. That's where the safe is," he explained.

"So essentially, I need to be friendly with the wife, excuse myself to the restroom and find away to get to the safe and return before anyone notices?" I asked.

"A dumbed down version of it, yes. There's a lot more that goes into it. Your timing needs to be perfect. There are many security cameras and my guys will give you only a couple of minutes."

"What do I do with the diamond and the drive after taking them?"

He shrugged. "Keep it on you until I get to you."

"What if I run?" I asked, testing his patience. Meeting my gaze straight on, he leaned forward. There was a sparkle in his eye and a smirk on his face.

"You won't get far," he said. 

I wanted to say something else until I realized that any retort sounded too much like flirting. Shit, he was annoyingly handsome but also too evil for my taste with the whole kidnapping. Men like him only used others for their own gain and had a different woman warming their bed every night. He was too rich to be decent. And I had some standards.

"For this thing to work, how long have we known each other again?" I asked, clearing my throat.

"We've met a year ago, got engaged last month," he replied, not taking any time to think about this. Clearly, he was prepared.

"If Darrius was supposed to be your friend, wouldn't he have known you were dating someone?" I asked.

"I was dating someone," he replied. "Until recently. He never met her."

"Sucks for you, great for your plan though," I replied, not sorry about his breakup. Asshole didn't need my sympathy.

He chuckled. "We met at a corporate event in Las Vegas. I bought you a drink and we hit it off. The rest was history."

"What's her name?" I asked. "The girl whose shoes I'm supposed to fill?"

"That's not important," he brushed me off.

"What did you do to screw it up?" I asked.

He looked at me, turning more serious now. "What makes you think I did something?"

"You kidnapped me, remember? That makes me inclined that she's the good guy in this story."

"You're wrong," he replied. "We're done here. Go to your room. I'll send Max to debrief you about the details."

"Max?"

"My chief of security," he replied, no longer looking at me, but at the document.

"Great," I said, taking the hint that I was dismissed.

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Hope you enjoyed and I can't wait for the next chapter to be written! I am so excited about this story because I'd never write a genre like this normally and I'm pushed into so many directions and out of my comfort zone. I absolutely love it!