Chapter 95

Howard didn't say much. He slid the locked case deeper under the seat and left it there. He had no intention of giving Alyssa the tanzanite. That was why he'd bought the pigeon blood ruby pendant. If he handed her the pendant, a simple excuse would be enough to keep the tanzanite. But Howard couldn't understand why he felt the need to make an excuse. He had never been a man who explained himself. … Across town, Megan stepped off the helicopter and into the Maybach waiting to take her back to the hospital. The ride was smooth. She tucked herself into the corner of the back seat. "How do you feel? Everything's okay?" Jimmy asked, worry written all over him. Megan gave a small nod of her head to say she was fine and turned to the window. The charity auction had wrung her out. The mental strain pressed harder than the weakness in her body. It was already late. A strong wind lifted cottonwood fluff off the road, spinning it into tight little vortices that climbed the air like ghost