Chapter Eighteen

Billie heard Olivia shriek, and on the monitor, she watched as Olivia ducked down behind her still-opened car door. Unfortunately, the woman didn't get down nearly far enough since her head was visible through the window.

Ari had a clean shot if he wanted to take it.

And with the rage tightening every muscle in his face, he certainly seemed on the verge of pulling the trigger.

Cursing, Billie drew her gun. Presley did the same, and with both of them moving, he made it to the door a step ahead of her. Angel was right behind them with his own weapon drawn and ready.

"This could be a setup," Angel grumbled. "Olivia could be trying to lure you out so that Ari can shoot you."

That had already occurred to Billie. And Presley had apparently already gone there as well because he opened the door only a fraction. Since Billie wouldn't be able to personally see either Olivia or Ari from where she was standing, she continued to watch the monitor.

So did Joe and Victoria. They'd stood, their attention pinned to what was playing out in Presley's driveway.

"No," Victoria blurted, and she turned as if to run outside, but Joe slipped his arm around her to stop her.

"I can't let him hurt Olivia," Victoria insisted.

"It might not be Olivia he wants to hurt," Presley said from over his shoulder. "You could be the target."

With her eyes wide now, Victoria stopped struggling, and a hoarse sob clawed its way past her throat. "Stop him, Presley. Don't let him kill her."

Billie knew Presley would do everything to stop that from happening, but they weren't even sure what they were dealing with here.

"Put away your gun, Ari," Presley ordered. "Olivia, get down on the ground."

Neither obeyed.

Ari spared Presley an annoyed glance, but he kept his Glock aimed at Olivia—who stayed put. "She stole the diamonds," he snarled. "She probably has them on her right now."

Olivia frantically shook her head. "I didn't take them. I swear, I didn't."

"You did," he spat out. "I saw you on the security cam. You went into the vault and took them."

More of that frantic headshaking, and Olivia shot a pleading look at Presley. "Please help me. I did go into the vault because I got a text from an unknown number saying the diamonds weren't there. I wanted to check for myself, and they were missing."

Billie had no idea if the woman was telling the truth about the text or the diamonds, but one thing was obvious. Olivia was terrified. That was a reasonable response since the person she believed was her brother seemed more than ready to kill her.

"I can show you the text," Olivia added, fishing through her pocket to come up with a phone that she then waved in the air.

"Down on the ground now, Olivia," Presley insisted.

And this time the woman listened. Sort of. Olivia didn't actually drop to her belly, but she did scramble toward the front of her car, ducking down behind the hood.

"The diamonds were there yesterday," Ari went on, his voice increasing in both volume and rage. "And only two people went in the vault after I verified they were there. My father and Olivia. Since Dad wouldn't do this, that leaves my dear, sweet sister ."

That last part was definitely not a term of endearment. His voice dripped with venom.

"I didn't take them!" Olivia shouted, and she made another of those shrieking sobs. She was crying now. Or else pretending to anyway. "I think Victoria did it. She must have altered the security feed or something."

Victoria made a slight gasp. "I didn't," she muttered. "I have no reason to steal those diamonds."

Billie didn't say it out loud, but the woman did have a possible motive. If Victoria blamed Ari and Jesep for her kidnapping, she might have wanted to get back at them like this. Still, Billie couldn't see that happening. If Victoria truly wanted revenge, there were likely easier ways to do it.

"Give me the diamonds now," Ari yelled, and he moved away from his car, making a beeline toward his sister.

"Ari, stand down," Presley snarled.

The man didn't listen. He just kept storming toward Olivia.

Presley muttered some profanity under his breath, stepped out onto the porch and fired a warning shot. Not at Ari but over the man's head.

That got a reaction all right from both Olivia and Ari. Olivia started screaming at the top of her lungs. Ari made a garbled sound of surprise, and his attention flew toward Presley. He moved to shift his gun, to take aim at Presley.

Billie groaned and stepped out onto the porch with Presley. So did Angel. And they all pointed their guns at Ari.

"The next time I fire, it won't be a warning shot," Presley snapped.

Ari stood there, glaring at them. But what he didn't do was turn his Glock toward them. "Just give me the diamonds, and I'll leave my idiot sister for you. Oh, right. She's your idiot sister. My sympathies. My advice? Save yourself some future misery and put a bullet in her brain. In her bitch mother's brain, too."

"Ari," Victoria murmured, causing Presley, Angel, and Billie to all curse again.

That's because the woman was now in the doorway behind them. Even Joe wasn't able to hold her back this time.

"What?" Ari said, his voice taunting now. "You didn't realize just how much I fucking hated you. Well, you sure as hell know now."

Victoria groaned, and her breath began to come out in short bursts. "Did you have me kidnapped?"

Ari looked her straight in the eyes and smiled. The sick SOB actually smiled. "I'm not going to confess to something like that." His expression went back to a glare though, when he glanced in Olivia's direction. "Now, tell your bastard love brat to give me the diamonds, and you'll never have to see or hear from me again."

"I don't have the diamonds," Olivia sobbed out.

"Neither do I," Victoria insisted. "But I'll give you the money, the value of the diamonds. Just leave, and I'll transfer the six million to your account."

A burst of air left his mouth. A laugh but not from humor. "Money won't fix this, Mommy Dearest . Those diamonds can't be replaced. Without them, Wessington Diamonds goes under. No one will trust us again. We'll be ruined, and I'll lose my legacy. Olivia knows that, too, and it's why she took them."

"I don't want the family business ruined," Olivia insisted. "I don't want you ruined." She made another of those loud sobs. "I just want you to believe me. I didn't take the diamonds."

That clearly wasn't diffusing any of Ari's rage, and he seemed to be on the verge of shooting. If he did that, Presley would have to kill him. While that wouldn't be a huge loss as far as Billie was concerned, she didn't want Presley to have to add that to his list of nightmares.

"I have the diamonds," Joe called out. "Put down your gun, and I'll give them to you."

Billie wasn't sure whose profanity was the loudest, but she thought Presley won that particular prize. Joe stepped out onto the porch with them, and he held up the small bag that he must have snatched up from the coffee table. The bag with the fake stones.

Well, maybe they were fake.

At this point, Billie didn't know what the heck was going on.

"You took them?" Ari asked. What he didn't do was ask who Joe was. Was that because he already knew? Or had he known that Joe was one of the owners of the real stones?

"I found them," Joe said, and the man just wasn't a very good liar.

Ari's sneer conveyed he felt the same way. "Enough of this bullshit," he snapped. "I get the real diamonds now, or someone dies."

The last words had barely left his mouth when Billie heard the sound of a car. A rapidly approaching one, and from inside the house, she heard the now familiar sounds of the security system alerting them.

Ari turned in the direction of the vehicle, and he did something that surprised Billie. He lowered his gun.

"That's Jesep's car," Victoria let them know when the black Jaguar came into view.

Presley cursed and glanced back at Victoria. "Will it do any good for me to ask you to go back inside?"

She shook her head. "I'm not going to let you face him alone."

Spoken like a true mother, but Billie knew that Presley wouldn't appreciate the gesture. Nope. He would want her out of the line of fire, maybe literally. But both Joe and she stayed put.

Jesep parked about ten yards behind Ari's Porche, and the man took his time getting out. When he finally did, Jesep stayed right by his vehicle, glancing around as if trying to figure out what was happening.

"Ari thinks I stole the diamonds," Olivia said on a wail, and she bolted out from her car toward Jesep.

It took her a couple of seconds to reach Jesep, and she threw herself into his arms. However, he didn't exactly return the embrace. He kept his attention on Ari.

"You believe Olivia took them?" Jesep asked his son.

"Yes," Ari confirmed without hesitation. Then, he tipped his head toward Joe. "But this clown says he has them."

Jesep looked at Joe then. And also at Victoria. Jesep didn't have to convey his disgust at seeing them side by side because that particular emotion was all over his face.

"That clown is your father," Jesep said, glancing at Olivia.

Olivia was already shaking her head when she turned in Joe's direction. "No," she insisted.

"Yes," Jesep verified. He took her by the shoulders and had her face him. "Did you steal the diamonds?"

"No," Olivia repeated, still volleying uncertain glances at Joe and Victoria.

Jesep seemed to study the woman a moment as if trying to figure out if she was lying before he finally nodded. "All right. Get in your car and go home. I'll deal with this when we're all back at the estate."

Ari huffed. "You're just going to let her leave?"

Jesep gave his son a look that could have frozen the hottest level of hell. "Yes, and you'll leave, too. Now ," he tacked onto that, and there was no mistaking that it was an order.

Ari gave another of those huffs, but he eventually started walking toward his Porche. Jesep went in the direction of his vehicle, too. Olivia stood there for a couple of moments, watching them walk away before she finally started to move toward her Mercedes. However, she didn't make it to her car.

Because the blast tore through the air.