Blood Diamonds Tallinn Chapter 9

Diamonds in the Dark

Margus’s voice came through the phone again, calm but edged with steel. “Don’t hurt the girl,” he said. “Let her go. That was the deal.”

The abductor laughed, low and bitter. “The deal changed,” he snapped. “I want the rest of the diamonds. Or a huge amount of money. You think I tracked her through the woods, held her for hours, for nothing?”

Emma lay tied to the chair, her cheek pressed against the cold concrete floor where she’d fallen when he hit her. Her wrists burned from the ropes, her legs numb. But her ears were sharp, every word slicing through the haze of pain.

She listened, heart pounding. The abductor paced, phone pressed to his ear. “You know where I am,” he said. “You know who I am. You used to trust me. We worked together, remember? Security agency. You called me to track the girl. I found her. I did my job. But now I’m not letting her go for free.”

Emma’s mind reeled. Worked with Margus? The name clicked into place—Margus, the man her father had come to Tallinn to meet. The man who’d been on the phone with this monster while she lay bleeding in the dark.

The abductor had been good at his job—too good. A tracer, Margus had called him once, years ago. He’d found Emma in the woods, dragged her to this abandoned concrete room on the edge of Kopli, hidden from the city’s glow. But greed had eaten him alive. The diamonds, the money, the power—it had all twisted his loyalty into something ugly.

Now the police had traced his location. They’d surrounded the building, radios crackling, boots crunching on gravel outside. Alex sat in a police van, watching the monitors, his face pale but steady. Margus stood beside him, phone in hand, negotiating.

“Let her go,” Margus repeated, his voice firm. “You know the police are outside. You know they’ll shoot you if you don’t. You don’t want to die for diamonds.”

The abductor’s laugh was harsh. “I don’t care,” he said. “If I’m going down, she’s going down with me.”

Emma’s stomach twisted. He’s going to kill me. The thought slammed into her, cold and final. The negotiation had failed. The abductor was ready to fight back, to take her with him.

She strained against the ropes, her fingers numb but determined. The chair creaked, the wood splintering under her weight. She twisted, her leg slipping free from the rope. Adrenaline surged through her veins, pain forgotten. She kicked out hard, her foot connecting with the abductor’s chest.

He stumbled, the gun slipping from his hand. It clattered to the floor, sliding toward the broken window. He lunged for it, but Emma kicked again, her boot connecting with his jaw. He fell backward, his head cracking against the shattered glass.

The sniper’s shot rang out, clean and precise. The abductor’s head exploded, blood and bone spraying across the wall. Emma flinched, her eyes wide, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

The door burst open, police flooding in. Alex rushed to her, his eyes filled with tears. He hugged her, his arms tight around her. “You’re okay,” he whispered. “You’re okay.”

Emma’s voice trembled. “Miko?” she asked. “Is he safe?”

Alex stayed silent, his jaw tightening. Margus stepped forward, his expression unreadable. “Miko is safe,” he said. “He’s with the police. He’s alive.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed. “Was that necessary?” he asked, his voice low. “Killing him?”

Margus met his gaze, unflinching. “Yes,” he said. “Without hesitation.”

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A few days later

Emma sat in the hospital, bandages on her cheek, her hand in Alex’s. The room was quiet except for the faint hum of machines and the distant murmur of nurses in the corridor. Sunlight slanted through the window, catching dust motes in the air. Margus stood by the window, his phone buzzing with updates. He didn’t answer it, just let it vibrate in his pocket.

“You’re going home,” he said, turning to face her. His voice was calm, almost gentle. “The diamonds are gone. No more bloodshed.”

Emma’s chest tightened. She looked down at her bandaged cheek, at the IV in her arm, at the faint bruises on her wrists. “Gone?” she asked, her voice hoarse. “Where?”

Margus’s gaze softened. “They’re where they belong,” he said. “With the people they were meant to protect. No more greed, no more violence. Just peace.”

Alex squeezed her hand, his grip firm but gentle. “You’re safe,” he said. “That’s all that matters.”

Emma nodded, tears welling in her eyes. She thought of Liina, of Karl, of Joonas, of the abductor’s lifeless body on the floor. She thought of the diamonds, of the blood, of the fear. It all felt like a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from.

Margus stepped closer, his phone buzzing again. He ignored it. “You’re going home,”

Emma nodded, tears spilling over. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for saving me.”

Margus looked at Alex. Alex reached into his jacket, pulled out a cheque, and held it out. The amount was written clearly: one hundred thousand dollars.

Margus glanced at it, then at Alex, and shook his head with a faint smile. “It’s free service for a friend,” he said quietly. “Keep it.”

He didn’t wait for an answer. Turning, he walked away down the hospital corridor, his footsteps soft against the linoleum, the door swinging shut behind him.

Emma’s mind drifted back to her stepmother and the uncertain future, and she started sobbing.

Alex held her hand tightly and quietly placed the cheque Margus had refused into her palm.

“I’ll always be with you,” Alex said gently. “Don’t worry. Just focus on your studies, on your life.”

Emma clutched the paper, tears streaming down her face, feeling the weight of everything that had happened and the fragile hope of what lay ahead.

She leaned into Alex.

END