When I came into his vision, he finally shifted his eyes to look at me. The stare lasted for only one second, but it was enough to show his approval. It was practically a glance, but the intensity was so focused it was like a laser from a sniper’s rifle.
I took the seat beside him. “Do boats drive in the dark?”
His eyes were on the horizon again. “No.”
“Then how are they going to get here?”
He didn’t need to answer because the hum of the rotors became audible. A dark spot appeared on the horizon then drew closer, the silhouette of a chopper more apparent.
“Where’s he going to land?”
Cauldron ignored the chopper and looked straight ahead.
The wind picked up, blowing my hair all over the place and scattering everything on the table. The staff immediately ran forward to gather everything that toppled over onto the deck. Slowly, the black chopper lowered until it landed on the top level of the yacht.
Never seen that before.
The engine was killed, and the rotor blades finally stopped. All the chaos died away. The staff corrected everything and then assisted the visitors to the yacht.
Cauldron opened the decanter and poured himself a glass of scotch.
I’d never met anyone who drank like him. He tolerated a potent amount of alcohol without becoming intoxicated. Or he was always drunk, and I just couldn’t tell.
He took a drink before he got to his feet.
I did the same.
A heavyset man in a pinstriped suit walked across the deck, swinging his arms unnecessarily, lacking the tight posture that Cauldron exuded. A bushy moustache hid most of his upper lip from view, and he had a fat neck that glistened with a hint of sweat. He came around the seating area and approached Cauldron with his hand extended. “Cauldron Beaufort, we finally meet.”
Cauldron shook his hand wordlessly.
His accent wasn’t French. It was Afrikaans, which explained why the chopper came from the south. Must have come from a yacht that was parked somewhere off the northern coast of Africa.
The man glanced at me next, looking at everything except the diamonds I showcased. His dark eyes were innately creepy, telling me he was a real monster, not the kind I once assumed Cauldron to be.
We all took a seat.
The man lit up a cigar first and then poured himself a glass of booze. He took a puff then a drink. “These are them?” He took a deep puff then let the smoke explode in a cloud before it was carried on the wind.
“Yes.” Cauldron grabbed his glass and took a drink.
I wasn’t a fan of hard liquor, so I just sat there.
The man looked at me again. Not the diamonds. Me.
No pleasantries were exchanged. No small talk. Criminals got straight down to business because there was no such thing as ass-kissing in their world. Networking wasn’t a social transaction, but a financial one.
The man continued to smoke.
Cauldron didn’t light up. Wasn’t sure if it was because of me or not.
The man hadn’t taken his eyes off me. Not once. Kept drilling into me like I wasn’t wearing that black dress. “I’ll give them a go.”
What did that mean?
“I don’t loan my diamonds,” Cauldron said quietly.
“I wasn’t asking you to.” He gave a gesture with his hand. “Take off the dress.”
Both of my eyebrows jumped up my face. “Excuse me?”
“I want to see how they look on bare skin.” A grotesque smile moved across his face. “Want to see how they dance in the light when I’m fucking you.”
What?!
He got to his feet and extended his hand. “Come on, baby.”
“Baby? How about I shove this diamond up your ass, fucker?”
He wasn’t the least bit intimidated, judging by the way he laughed uproariously. “You like them feisty, huh? Got some ropes for me to borrow?”
Ropes? What a worthless piece of shit.
He moved forward and reached for my wrist.
Cauldron got to his feet. “She’s not part of the deal, Hector.”
Damn right, I’m not.
“If she’s wearing the diamonds, she is.” His eyes lingered on one of the slits in my dress, seeing the bare skin.
I unclasped the necklace and set it on the table then did the same to the earrings. “There.” I sat back down and crossed my legs, feeling violated even though he hadn’t touched me.
Cauldron remained standing. “Let’s talk numbers.”
“Numbers?” Hector finally stopped gawking at me and looked at Cauldron. “You shouldn’t negotiate with a man who’s hungry. Only when he has a full belly. And right now, my belly is empty.” He looked back at me again.
“Doesn’t look empty to me,” I spat.
Finally, his smile dropped.
“This has been a misunderstanding.” Cauldron remained calm the entire time, not the least bit ruffled by this man’s disgusting behavior. “Camille’s only purpose in this conversation is to showcase the diamonds.”
“Misunderstanding?” He looked at Cauldron again. “You’ve let me use one of your girls before.”