Diamonds Can Be Deadly by Merline Lovelace Read Free Book Online

capture the image of a mainlander lost to the majesty of the surf foaming white against black cliffs. The ocean’s roar would serve as a natural sound buffer for her report to OMEGA. Folding her arms, Jordan toyed absently with her earring. One flick activated the transmitter.
    â€œThis is Diamond.”
    Claire came on within a few seconds. “Cyrene here. I read you, Diamond.”
    Lightning chimed in as well. “I’m here, too.”
    The fact that her boss was still at the control center despite the late hour D.C. time didn’t surprise Jordan. Not with the kind of political pressure OMEGA was facing on this mission. She gave him the names of the guests she’d met at dinner and a rundown of her earlier encounter with Greene and his financial adviser.
    â€œThey’re interested. Definitely interested. Myers volunteered to get me in good with his pals in Colombia. He’s going to help me work a deal on an emerald supply.”
    â€œNice of him.”
    â€œIsn’t it? I suspect he’ll pocket a fat broker’s fee.”
    â€œOr skim more off the top of Greene’s business deals with the Colombians.”
    â€œSpeaking of skimming,” she said, scowling at the pinpricks of iridescent green glittering in the dark depths of the sea, “did Cyrene tell you TJ Scott was waiting for me when I arrived?”
    â€œShe did.”
    Lightning didn’t ask the question, but Jordan answered it anyway.
    â€œScott still claims he was set up.”
    â€œYou were there. What do you think?”
    What she thought about Thomas Jackson Scott would blister the airwaves. Reining in her anger, Jordan answered as coolly as she could.
    â€œI’m keeping him in my sights.”
    Five thousand miles away, Lightning shared a quick look with Cyrene. Any target Diamond got in her crosshairs was a walking corpse.
    â€œI’m going to do some night work a little later,” she told them. “Pay another visit to Greene’s office. Among other things, I want to see what kind of information he gathered on Scott before hiring him.”
    â€œKeep us posted,” Lightning instructed. “And be careful.”
    â€œWill do.”
    Cyrene cut the transmission and added a note in her electronic log, while Nick digested Diamond’s report. He trusted both her skills and her instincts or he wouldn’t have sent her in. As far as he knew, those instincts had failed her only once. Thoughtfully, he met Claire’s glance.
    â€œPull up everything you can on TJ Scott. I want the names of the officers who busted him. The pimps and dealers he put the squeeze on. The judge who threw out his case. The address of his favorite pizza joint. Where he buys his underwear. Everything. ”

CHAPTER 4
    T he black thermal suit fit Jordan like a second skin. As thin and supple as Saran, its inner lining was coated with a high-tech polymer that made the body-hugging jumpsuit easy to slither into.
    The lining trapped and contained body heat, thus reducing the wearer’s thermal signature and making him or her virtually undetectable by infrared scanners. That was great on missions to Alaska or Antarctica. Not so great in steamy Hawaii. Still, Jordan figured swimming around in her own sweat was a small price to pay for virtual invisibility.
    Twisting her hair into a loose knot on top of her head, she dragged up the black hood and worked itaround her earrings. The embedded transmitter was so sensitive she could send and receive right through the polymer coating.
    Hood in place, she rolled down the attached face mask. The mouth and eye slits were covered with a breathable version of the same heat-containing shield. With every inch of her body encased in skintight black, she felt like a night version of Spider-Man.
    She flicked off the bathroom lights and watched herself disappear. The wide mirror above the sink didn’t pick up so much as a shadow when she moved. With the CD