“It’s probably just an arch,” Nick guessed. “They had to work in the confines of their task, which was to make it look like a clover. Instead of a straight line, though, they chose to curve it to make it an arch. What numbers did we end up with?”
JD handed him the napkin. He had drawn the star, with circles representing each gem. He’d shaded in the pieces that were red or green, and copied the writing on the diamonds.
They weren’t numbers after al , but more symbols.
“You’re sure this is right?” Nick asked.
JD nodded, looking a little perturbed that Nick would question his memory.
“Seriously, you’re giving me a bitchface for doubting the memory of someone who can’t remember his own name?”
JD tried to maintain his frown, but he finally snorted and gave Nick a sheepish smile. “It’s correct. I promise.”
“This isn’t a pigpen cipher,” Nick said. “There aren’t enough letters.”
“How many are represented?” Julian asked.
“Just eight. You have the four symbols in the cross that are represented by the emeralds, then he has four more here within the diamonds.”
“So eight symbols. With no point of reference as to what they mean,” Kelly concluded. “Great.”
Nick was still shaking his head, examining the napkin. He was at a complete loss. “I . . . I don’t know what to do with this.
I don’t know where we go from here with this.”
“Hold on,” Julian said with a wave of his hand. “You’re not giving up, are you? This is information the others don’t have, information they won’t get unless they intend to go to the bloody mob for it. Not many people have the stones to do what you just did. We’re finally a step ahead. And we have him now; they don’t.”
JD was nodding his head with Julian’s words. “I don’t remember any of the important things, but I sure as hell remember this stuff,” JD told them. “We can do this. We can get there ahead of them.”
Nick narrowed his eyes and cocked his head at JD. “You’re very eager to get to this treasure.”
JD sighed heavily. “You still suspect me? My motives? That’s fine, Detective, because I do too. I don’t remember why I was there with people who would rob and kill. I don’t know why I hid those things from the people I was supposed to be working with. Maybe I was a hostage like his boyfriend.
Maybe I was there of my own free will and I decided to cheat them out of something I found. I don’t know. But you know what, Nick, I know there’s at least one person out there who does know the answers to those questions. And that person is looking for this same treasure. That’s who I want to find, that’s why I’m eager. If you want to arrest me and put me in a cell, you go ahead and do it, but one thing I know for damn sure is that I’m your best shot at this, and no matter what my motivation was for being there, I’m here right now for the three of you. Because you’re the only people in the world I know well enough to care about right now.”
Nick and the others stared at him, stunned by his outburst.
It was the first hint of real heat Nick had seen from him.
JD stood and straightened his suit, closing his eyes. “Am I under arrest, or can I go to the room and get some sleep now?”
Nick was torn between respecting the man for standing up to him and being upset with himself for not hiding his suspicions better. He nodded, and JD turned away without another word.
Julian tossed back what was left of his drink and stood.
“I’ll try to calm him. Keep an eye on him. Good night,” he added with a nod to them both.
Nick sat forward and held his head in his hands, groaning softly. Kelly’s fingers were tentative on his back, at first. Then he placed his palm on Nick’s spine and left it there.
“Your instincts are telling you to trust him. He’ll be here in the morning.”
“Only people he knows well enough to care about. Jesus Christ, just stab me in the heart already.”
Kel y chuckled. “He sounded a little like you there. All self-righteous logic and sass. Let’s go to bed, huh?”
Nick looked back at him, and Kelly gave him an exaggerated leer.
“You know what, f**k it,” Nick growled. He held up his hand for the waitress, ordering another round of drinks.
“What are you doing? I thought we were going to bed.”
“No, we’re not. I’m having drinks with my boyfriend at one of my favorite places in the city.” Nick sat back and slipped his hand over Kelly’s thigh again. He squeezed and pulled Kelly closer, sliding him on the leather love seat.
Kelly laughed and ran his teeth across his lower lip. “Does that make this a date?”
“It’d be our first real one if it is.”
“First date includes stolen treasure and the mob. How romantic. And fitting.” Kelly leaned closer, smirking. He kissed Nick before Nick could come up with any clever responses. Kelly’s hand found its way into the pocket of Nick’s tailored suit pants.
“Don’t,” Nick warned. He knew he’d jump on the chance to vent his frustration, and he didn’t want to be banned from this bar for indecency.
Kelly grinned against the kiss. “Why, Detective? You don’t mind making me come all over my sweatpants in the car.”
“You didn’t pay a thousand dol ars for your sweatpants,” Nick gritted out as Kelly’s fingers brushed against his thigh.
“I could hire a high-class hooker cheaper than I could replace this suit.”
“Are you offering to pay me?” Kelly asked, eyes sparkling.
Nick growled in the back of his throat and fished Kelly’s hand out of his pocket. “No, but I will f**k you into oblivion as soon as we get to the room.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, just keep your hands out of my pants.”
Kelly laughed. The sound was like a balm on Nick’s fraying nerves. He squeezed Kelly’s thigh tighter, keeping his fingers between Kelly’s knees as they drank and talked for the next hour. Nick would have given anything to have left as soon as Kelly’s lips had touched his, to take him upstairs and just take him as many times as they could handle.
But they were here for a reason. He had to be seen tonight.
“How do you earn a favor from the mob?” Kelly asked after his seventh or eighth drink.
Nick almost spit his alcohol all over the table. He had to struggle to swallow, and he set his drink down before he could spill it. He leaned closer to Kelly, his voice full of gravel. “You keep your f**king mouth shut in public, that’s how.”