Pocketful of Diamonds Read online

  Gerard eyed Ian. “It will draw unwanted attention.”

  “Or wanted.”

  Gerard shook his head. “You’re kicking up a sandstorm.”

  “This storm I’ll be prepared for.”

  Gerard scrubbed his hand over his face. “I’ll come with you.”

  “No. I want to do this alone. I have no desire for everyone to know, just one particular person.”

  “And you can guarantee that? Can you guarantee we won’t have agents or rebels busting down our doors?”

  “I know who can help me.”

  “Jasper,” Gerard muttered. “Unfortunately, we all know him. He comes around every few months, sniffing for information he can sell. You can’t trust him to tell only one source. His only allegiance is to money.”

  “I can bribe him with enough to keep him quiet.”

  “Listen to yourself, Ian. We just got the village back to rights . . . sort of. Are you willing to risk it for a woman?”

  “She needs to see the destruction she caused. She needs to pay the price for her actions.”

  Gerard shook his head. “No, she’s infected you. For six months you chased after her, and for what? Give her up! For God’s sake, give up your obsession with this woman.”

  Ian sat down. Was that what he was? Obsessed? Maybe he was, but he couldn’t rid her from his thoughts or dreams. She was always there. He was afraid that she would remain with him forever if he couldn’t finally shake her. If he could see her one more time, perhaps he’d finally get over whatever hold she had on him. He saw her for what she was, a thief. So, why couldn’t that be enough?

  “You’re right,” Ian finally said. “I won’t seek her out. I won’t jeopardize the mine or the village.”

  Gerard dropped the cloth bag into the safe and locked it. “If we pull out the haul I think we will, you’ll have to do more than keep your mouth shut.”

  Ian studied Gerard. “That much?”

  Gerard nodded. “If I’m right, we’ll need armed men.”

  “That will cause more attention.”

  “We might not have a choice.”

  Ian leaned back, suddenly uncomfortable. “How much?”

  “Billions.”

  “Are you certain?”

  Gerard nodded.

  “Who else knows?”

  “Just you, me, and Foday.”

  “Then let’s keep it that way.” Ian stood and led the way out the door, heading to the mine. “If it’s true, we’re better off leaving it untouched. Look at what happened after word got out that we had millions.”

  “If it was known that we had billions, it would lead to all-out war.”

  “And we’d be at the center. It’s not worth it. No diamond is worth the bloodshed it would cause.”

  Ian had no doubt Gerard knew exactly how much was under the mud. It put them in a precarious position. First he had been afraid that his mine had run dry and he couldn’t help the villagers. Now he was afraid he would bring them more trouble. Ian had to see exactly what they were dealing with and decide what to do. No matter what the decision, he didn’t want Gwen within a hundred miles of Njamba.

  “Could you call on your family to help?” Gerard said.

  Ian laughed. “You mean my brother who was already held for ransom because of me? Not likely. I’m sure David said the words, ‘I will never step foot into Sierra Leone again.’”

  Gerard shrugged. “It was just a thought. I know you said he was Army.”

  “David’s wife is pregnant, and he refuses to leave her side. Or promised. I’m not really sure.”

  At the edge of the mine, he kicked off his boots and stepped into the tan mud. He sunk ankle deep. Each area was a little different. Sometimes he could walk across without sinking, and sometimes he sank to his knees. A river, the same color as the mud, ran next to the mine, depositing or stealing diamonds as it wound its way through the land.

  “Over here.” Gerard strode to a far corner.

  Ian maneuvered over to where he knew the firm ground would hold him and then walked the rest of the way to where Gerard stood.

  “Just reach in. You’ll feel them immediately.”

  Ian knelt down and pushed his hand into the soft earth. Dear God, Gerard was right. There had to be hundreds just where his hand was inserted. Ian pulled one single stone out and inspected it. He pocketed it and stood. “This area is off limits to the workers. I don’t want any of them to know.”

  “You don’t trust them?”

  “It’s not that,” Ian said. “I don’t want to put them at risk. We’ll keep the stones buried for now. As long as no one knows they are there, no one will come for them. We can pull a few out now and again for quick sale.”

  Gerard frowned.

  Ian wiped his hands off on his shorts. “What are you thinking?”

  “You’re trying to keep this a secret.” Gerard scratched his jaw. “And I understand. But Sierra Leone doesn’t keep secrets well. We’ll be found out eventually, and then it’ll be too late. They’ll take everything.”

  “What do you suggest?”

  “We mine for it all at once and get it out of here as soon as possible.”

  Ian looked at the brightening sky for a moment. “The workers will be here soon. Let’s think about this today and come up with a plan tonight.”

  Gerard nodded. “I’ll keep them out of this area for now. Will you stay and help, or do you have other work to do?”

  “I’ll stay for the morning. But this afternoon I want to see if I can move those diamonds you put in the safe.”

  Gerard smiled. “Great.”

  Ian frowned. “Why are you suddenly happy?”

  “No reason.” Gerard headed over to the river. “Come, I want to show you something.”

  “What?”

  “Just follow me.”

  Ian slowly followed Gerard over to the river. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Gerard, but there were times when trusting Gerard was a bad idea. And as soon as Ian stepped near the edge of the river, he realized this was one of those times.

  Gerard’s shrilled whistle blasted through the air, calling his army. A dozen village children raced through the grass fields and down to the river where they pushed Ian into the muddy water.

  As Ian sputtered to the surface, all he could see were smiling faces and all he could hear was children laughing . . . and one annoying deep chuckle that spurred the kids to belly-clutching laughter.

  Ian knew his part well, and he played it with gusto. He jumped out of the river as any mud monster would do, dripping wet and roaring, and chased the children until each one of them had been tossed into the river, except for the youngest, of course. For little Kata, who had just turned two, he doused her up to her knees until she squealed.

  The clanking of a pot caught the attention of the hungry kids, and they raced off for breakfast, with Gerard in the lead. Since Ian still had Kata in his arms, he tromped out of the water and started toward the village. Her chubby hands fisted into his overgrown hair.

  “Are you trying to tell me I need a haircut?” he asked. “If Gerard doesn’t have to, I don’t see why I have to.”

  Kata giggled and pulled on his hair.

  “You make a pretty good argument.” He tickled her.

  She laughed and then pointed to the river. “Harry.”

  He looked over to find Harry waddling after them.

  “He must be hungry too,” Ian said. Normally, he frowned upon feeding wild animals. But Harry, along with Manni, had been adopted into the village. They were now residents. “Come along, Harry. I’m sure Jala has a salad for you.”

  When Harry grinned, Kata clapped her hands.

  As he headed to breakfast with Kata still in his arms and Harry trailing after, Ian vowed to do whatever it took to keep the village safe. If that meant hiring an army, he would do so.

  * * *

  Three days later, Gwen zipped the suitcase closed and sat on the hotel bed, gathering strength while she waited
for a taxi. She stared at her phone, which displayed the newest text and an accompanying photo.

  The message was a single GPS coordinate, one that she knew well. But she didn’t need it. The picture was enough. She enlarged it, focusing on the dark-haired man wearing a cowboy hat. He was kneeling on the ground, his hands caked with dirt.

  She knew what it meant and she knew what she had to do, but just the pixelated image of him caught her by her throat.

  Why? Why did she have to go back? It was almost too cruel.

  It’d have to be a quick job, and she’d have to stay invisible. If she was caught, Ian wouldn’t be kind. She had tested his limits and pushed him too far. But it wasn’t her decision; she’d lost that right years ago.

  With a deep, steadying breath, Gwen stood and made her way to the door, knowing she was walking into a hornet’s nest of her own making.

  Chapter 4

  Ian couldn’t shake the feeling that there was someone watching him. But no matter how many times he scanned the green canopy and terrain, there was no one to be seen. That didn’t mean there wasn’t someone out there. Hiding places were abundant in these remote areas. The hills were masked by trees and dense foliage.

  A rustling sound drew near. Ian turned to find the source, but there was nothing. He should have brought the gun, but he had just gone to the cabin for a change of clothes. He didn’t expect to be gone long nor wander far from camp.

  Please don’t be a snake, he silently repeated like a mantra.

  The rustling grew louder.

  Ian was about to make a mad dash to escape whatever lurked in the wild when Manni jumped from a tree and onto his shoulder.

  Ian cursed and held his chest. After taking a breath to regain his faculties, he scolded, “You scared me half to death.” Manni didn’t seem to care and chattered at him, most likely begging for food. “Well, you’re not getting treats now.”

  Why was he talking to the monkey? It’s not like they understood one another.

  Manni decided Ian’s shoulder wasn’t a good vantage point, so he climbed on Ian’s head, tilting his hat to one side and settled in as if he was king. Ian blew out a puff of air. Where in the hell was Gerard? Couldn’t he keep an eye on the little ape?

  He shouldn’t blame the monkey for his frayed nerves. It had been a week since the discovery, and he’d agreed with Gerard. The mine had to be protected. He would not draw out Gwen. In fact, Gerard and Ian wouldn’t mine the spot at all. For now, they would pretend like they’d never found it. He’d already put in requests to see if he could claim the land at the river bend just for show. If others saw him trying to acquire land, they would think his was stripped. The fact that they hadn’t sold any diamonds recently helped the mirage.

  “I knew there was a purpose for that ridiculously large hat.”

  Ian turned to find Gerard. “It’s not ridiculously large. It’s standard size.”

  “And perfect for a monkey.”

  “Can you do something with him?”

  Gerard shrugged. “I’ll play a game of dominos with him later. Right now, we need to talk.”

  “Dominos?”

  “He’s actually very good. I bet he’d beat you in a game.”

  There was a challenge there, but Ian squelched it. Being the younger sibling to two older brothers, who seemed to be great at everything, made him a bit trigger happy when it came to taking on challenges or bets. Both were successful in their lives, happy and content. It made him realize how unsatisfied he was. Sure, he liked what he did. He loved the village. But just like within Sierra Leone, there was unrest that stirred inside of him; he couldn’t quite put a finger on why. He chalked it up to chasing Gwen all over the world only to come up short. He just needed a few more days to get back into the routine of mining and let his cares drift away.

  He had been happy when he’d first sifted through the muddy banks of the Njabo river. He had found a reason to stay somewhere instead of wandering aimlessly around the globe.

  It hadn’t been aimless at first. Each destination had a purpose. To see the great pyramids of Egypt. To raft down the River Kwai. To scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef. Those were reasons to keep moving. But with each item checked off his list, there were fewer reasons to keep moving and more reasons to question his existence.

  Sierra Leone had been an answer. If he did nothing more with his life, at least he could say he helped the people of Njamba. And being in his early thirties, he still had plenty of time to continue the work.

  “I’ll take a rain check on the dominos.” Ian took Manni from his hat and plopped him on Gerard’s shoulder. “You said you wanted to talk. What about?”

  “Jasper is in the village asking questions. Foday has been keeping him off the mine, but he knows something. His questions are too pointed for him to have guessed.”

  Ian tried to keep calm, but fear won over. If Jasper had even the smallest inkling, then so did the government, so did the rebels, and so did Gwen. He didn’t know which of the three he feared the most.

  “We have to keep him quiet,” Ian said. “Where is he?”

  “Foday has him at the canteen for now.”

  “This could ruin us. We have to get him out of here.”

  “He’ll come back. You know how he operates.”

  Gerard was right. Even if they shook off Jasper today, he’d come back with more questions later.

  “Let’s see what he knows.” Ian turned to head home. “Let me change and I’ll meet you at the bar.”

  “Be quick about it. Not only can he spot a fake diamond at a hundred yards, he’s a human lie detector.”

  “Then talk about the weather.” Ian hurried off.

  It wasn’t a good idea to leave Jasper in the village, bar or no. But if Ian showed up in his current mud-soaked attire, Jasper would know immediately that Ian was up to something. While it wasn’t uncommon for Ian to help in the mine—nearly a daily occurrence, actually—it’d be uncommon for him to go anywhere but home covered in mud. If he showed up at the bar looking like he did, then Jasper would leap to conclusions that were ultimately true.

  Since none of the huts had running water, he grabbed a bucket and dunked it into the rain barrel. After filling the bucket, he carried it to the back of the hut where he’d built a makeshift shower. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but the water was always warm from the year-round heat and humidity. The rainwater felt like a treat after a long day.

  Before the last raid, Ian had searched for someone knowledgeable in groundwater and well design. Most of the rural areas relied on surface water. It wasn’t safe nor clean. He’d have to resume his research soon.

  But that was a problem for another day.

  Ian dumped the water into the tank above the showerhead. Ducking behind the curtain hung around the contraption, he stripped down and tossed his soaked clothes into the metal tub on the other side for washing. He reached up and turned the nozzle to release a slow but steady stream of water.

  He had learned to shower quickly. It was a must with only a gallon of water to work with. In the beginning, there were plenty of times when he had to retrieve more water from the rain barrel so he could rinse out his hair. That came to an abrupt stop when he happened upon Jala one day. He was buck naked, dripping with water and soap. She stopped, looked at him oddly, and then went into the hut to make breakfast. It was not an experience he wanted to repeat.

  As the last droplet of water fell, he reached for the towel hanging on a nearby twig. He shook it out, making sure there weren’t any stowaways. With the towel wrapped around his waist, he left the shower. Just as he was about to open the cabin door, he felt a presence. At first he thought it was Manni, but he was sure the monkey had left with Gerard.

  Someone was definitely watching him. But who?

  * * *

  “Ian!” Gerard called over the voices of the Happy Hippo canteen.

  The bar still hadn’t been fully reconstructed from the rebel attack, not that it was much to begin wit
h. The concrete floors were still dirty, the high ceiling was still rusted metal, and the furniture was still wooden benches held together by rusted screws. The only real damage had been done to the brick walls. They now had gaping holes, which patrons could use as doors. Truly, the building should be rebuilt for safety, but it was low on Ian’s project list.

  And the dilapidated building didn’t stop the locals from congregating to speak their minds about the future, the past, and especially about politics. He figured they would still come even if the canteen had been reduced to rubble.

  As Ian crossed over to Gerard, he noticed Jasper sitting at the bar near Foday. The dark man with a brightly splashed shirt nursed a glass of poyo while studying everyone. He spoke quietly to Foday, who looked uncomfortable with the exchange.

  “Foday has kept him occupied,” Gerard said. “But not for long. He’s just waiting for us to slip up. This type of information would be worth millions to him. He’s not going to go away easily.”

  “He never does.”

  Saba, Foday’s lovely daughter, set a beer in front of Gerard. Ian had seen her with her hair in beautiful thick braids many times, but this time she wore a red hair cloth that matched her dress. It brought out her unique eyes. While many of the Mende people had dark, soulful eyes, hers were the color of lions. It was hard to look away when her gaze was pointed.

  “Thank you,” Gerard said, picking up the bottle.

  Saba slightly bowed her head and turned to leave.

  “Are you working here, Saba?” Ian asked. Normally she helped at the diamond mine, but he hadn’t seen her on the field this past week.

  She glanced at Gerard before answering. “I am.” The early-twenty-something woman pressed her lips together. “Did Gerard not tell you?”

  “No,” Ian said. “When did you start?”

  “Two weeks ago.”

  Two weeks? Since he’d only returned a week ago, he would have missed her leaving. Why hadn’t Gerard told him?

  “Were you unhappy?” he asked, concerned. Ian knew the working conditions were tough, but he made sure that they were paid accordingly. Breaks were mandatory and meals were provided. He’d hate to think that one of Jala’s family members was unhappy.