Chapter 31: Chapter 31

Rising and coming around the desk, Parrish took something from his pocket and went over to open his palm in front of her. Allie gasped as she spied her missing sapphire earring, the one she lost at the Vichy estate during her weekend visit. "I believe this is yours, although I won't go into detail as to how it came in my possession. Let's just say, Mr. Brenner and I found it rather easy to track your movements and deduce your aliases. So, let's dismiss professional ethics for the moment."

Snatching the earring from his hand, Allie quickly slipped it into her coat pocket.

"I am willing to renegotiate," Parrish tempered as he returned to his desk chair, "with different terms and with additional merchandise, of course."