Diamonds (Den of Thieves Book 1) by A.M. Cosgrove

met the witch that was her mother. Better she knew nothing of the woman at all and be allowed to live with the fantasy she had created to make up for never having met her.
    The other man stood there looking uncomfortable with the entire situation. Sebastian didn’t blame him. With a wife like Bonnie there was no wonder he looked miserable.
    "Do you really want to know the truth of the situation? The REAL truth?" She sneered. "Of course you do. I mean I wouldn’t want you going around believing the lies you were told."
    No one said a word.
    "Fine then. I will tell you. It was Petros that had me attacked after I left. You see, he was the one who had given me that necklace. But he was an abusive man. He would fly into drunken rages and beat me. He was a clever man though. He made sure he didn’t leave a mark where anyone could see what a monster he was. I couldn’t wear short sleeves nor skirts. Half the time I was forced to wear turtlenecks to cover up the marks. I have a scar in my scalp because of him." She pointed to the back of her head for emphasis.
    "Alright. Fair enough. There are always two sides to the story and we get that but--" Paul started to try and calm her down but she was in full rage and would not be stopped
    "You didn’t let me finish! The night I left, I feared for my life. I was running thinking he was sending someone after me. And he did! I barely escaped with my life. They left me for dead in the streets." As she finished her story she crossed her arms back across her chest almost as if she was protecting herself from whatever it was the team was going to throw back at her.
    "Was a police report filed?" Jake asked. Jake was an ex member of the LCPD and had been a long time officer of the special victims unit. This would have been something that he would have caught wind of.
    "I don’t know. Some good samaritan was kind enough to drop me off at the nearest hospital. I spent months recuperating from what he had done to me."
    Sebastian examined the woman. Her mannerisms did not scream victim to him at all. She seemed to be far more an aggressor than she was a victim. The term ‘bully’ came to mind. Someone who was used to getting her own way at whatever the cost to anyone else around her.
    "And what about your daughter?" Jake asked making notes as she spoke. "Why didn’t you go after her?"
    "You have met my husband Mr. Griffin. Why do you think I didn’t go after her? I knew right well he would have never let me have her. And besides I knew he adored the ground she walked on and that she would have a better life with him than I could have given her."
 
    "You look like you’ve done alright for yourself," Paul piped up.
 
    "Looks can be deceiving you know," she snapped.
 
    "Alright. So tell me again why you are going after this necklace now." Jake fiddled some more with his notepad.
 
    "I told you. It is rightfully mine and I want it back. I am strong enough to face him now." She straightened up to her full height. Gone was the poor helpless victim act she had been playing a moment before, almost as if some one had flipped a switch ad a completely different person appeared.
 
    "Well like I said earlier we are doing everything we can. You have provided us with some more information so let me look into this a little bit more and I will get back to you with what we find out.
    "You had best better. If I have to come in here and check up on you people again it will not be pretty," She snapped again before turning on her heel once again and storming out the door.
     
    James stood there a moment watching with the rest of them as his wife walked out the door.
     
    "I am very sorry about all of this. If there is anything I can do to help--" James started to apologize before his wife stuck her head back in the door
 
    "James! Lets go!"
 
    "It’s alright Mr. Blakeman. We will let you know if we need anything else," Jake said dismissing the man.
     
    Sebastian watched the man walk out the front