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Jordan could only gape at what looked like a Hollywood creation of paradise.
    â€œThis cottage has the best view of Ma’aona,” Danny commented as he deposited her briefcase on the sitting-room desk.
    â€œMa’aona?”
    He directed her attention to a needle-sharp peak spearing high above the others.
    â€œIt’s a holy mountain, sacred to ancient Hawaiians. They threw people who broke tapu —the old laws—from the top of Ma’aona onto the rocks below.”
    Tough bunch, the ancient Hawaiians.
    â€œThe burial site at the base of the mountain is off limits,” Danny advised, “but you can drive up to the state park near the peak.”
    Jordan didn’t figure she’d have much time for visiting ancient archeological sites. With another glance at the jagged peak, she dug her wallet out of her shoulder bag.
    Her driver refused the bill with a merry smile. “There’s no tipping anywhere on the grounds of the institute. It’s our pleasure to serve you. I hope you find peace and tranquility during your stay.”
    Jordan hoped she found the 900-carat Star of the East and sufficient evidence of money laundering to hang Bartholomew Greene out to dry. Thepossibility she might hang his director of security alongside him was an added bonus.
    A glance at her watch showed she had an hour yet before her meeting with the guru of green. Plenty of time to conduct an electronic sweep, advise headquarters she was in place and scrub away the effects of her long flight.
    Plugging in the earpiece of Mackenzie’s high-tech sniffer, she hummed along with Travis while she ambled through the luxurious cottage. The sweep didn’t detect any devices inside the bungalow, only standard motion sensors at the windows and a security camera tucked up under the eaves of the lanai. At least Greene allowed his guests privacy inside their quarters, Jordan thought as she fought the urge to flip the bird in the direction of the camera lens.
    No point in alerting TJ to the fact that she’d detected his silent sentinel. She knew where it was and could disable it when necessary. Leaning her elbows on the railing, she gazed in seeming absorption at the sea for a few moments before going into the bathroom.
    It was every bit as sumptuous as the rest of the bungalow. The counters were marble, the Jacuzzi tub was big enough to sleep four, and the open, glass-block shower was fitted with cross jets that promised a decadent water massage.
    Although she hadn’t found any interior bugs, training and experience had Jordan turning the tapsof the Jacuzzi to full blast. With the gushing water to muffle the sound of her voice, she thumbed the transmitter in her earring. The signal bounced off a secure satellite straight into OMEGA’s control center.
    Claire responded within seconds, her voice soft and musical but clear enough to carry over the gurgling water.
    â€œCyrene here. Go ahead, Diamond.”
    â€œJust wanted to let you know I’m in place.”
    â€œRoger that. We saw there was some weather off the coast of California. How was your flight?”
    â€œLong. Bumpy. Tiring.”
    â€œWhat’s your status vis-à-vis the target?”
    â€œWe’re still on for our first face-to-face at four o’clock local.” Jordan hesitated for a moment. “I’ve made contact with Scott.”
    â€œAnything to report?”
    â€œNo.”
    She saw no need to advise Clair that the handsome bastard could still put a hitch in her step. After confirming the time frame for her next transmission, she dumped a generous helping of the resort’s frangipani bath salts into the tub, stripped off and indulged in a long hot soak.
    Refreshed and revived, she pulled on ecru lace briefs and a matching half-cup bra. Strappy sandals, linen slacks and a short-sleeved silk jacket in an eye-popping red gave her just the right mix of casual and professional.
    Once dressed, she peeled the