Chapter 13 - Retrieving the Heirloom
My eyes drifted from Julian’s pathetic, soaking form to the woman standing behind him. Chloe. She was shivering, hugging her arms, but my eyes locked onto the deep green sparkle resting against her collarbone.
"Vance," I said softly, pointing a perfectly manicured finger. "The pendant."
Vance walked toward Chloe. She stepped back, eyes wide with terror. "No! He gave this to me! It's mine!"
"That emerald belonged to my grandmother," I said, my voice dropping to a lethal whisper. "You are going to take it off right now, or Vance is going to take it off for you."
Chloe looked at Julian for help, but Julian was staring at the ground, too broken to defend her. Trembling, Chloe reached behind her neck, unclasped the vintage emerald pendant, and dropped it into Vance’s massive, waiting palm.
May you like
Vance walked back to the car and handed it to me. The cool metal settled into my hand, exactly where it belonged.
"One more thing," I added, looking at Chloe’s shoulders. "The coat. It was tailored for me in Milan. Take it off."
