Page 43 of Devil's Riches

10

Alexis

Nateand I exited the bunker and stood outside while we came up with a plan to lure Annalise to this part of the estate without her getting suspicious. She wouldn’t be able to run from us—it was two against one—but if she even got a whiff of what we knew before we had her trapped and restrained, she might text or call others from the Golden Circle to come and help her.

After we had a simple yet solid plan mapped out, Nate went back to the mansion to greet Annalise. I stayed behind and covered the bunker hatch with leaves and sticks so that it wouldn’t be obvious that we’d discovered it. Then I lingered in the woods for around ten minutes.

When I was sure enough time had passed, I ran all the way back to the mansion and went through a side door into the kitchen, where Nate was meant to have taken his mother.

“Nate, I need your help with some—” I cut myself off midsentence and feigned surprise as I caught sight of Annalise sipping a coffee at the marble counter. “Oh! Hi, Annalise! I didn’t know you were back already.”

She swept over to me in a cloud of perfume and hugged me. “Hi, darling. How are you?”

“I’m fine. How was China?”

“It was great. I’ll have to show you some photos later.” She stepped back and looked me up and down. “Are you all right? You look very flushed.”

I smiled. She’d just given me the perfect segue material. “I’m fine. I was just out for a walk on the estate. I actually came back to see if Nate would help me catch a dog.”

Annalise lifted a perfectly-plucked brow. “A dog?”

“Yes. I saw it while I was walking near the woods, and I tried to catch it, but it kept getting away. It’s a little dog. A terrier, maybe. It has a collar, so it must be someone’s pet.”

“The poor thing must be lost,” she said with a frown. “I wonder how it got onto the property.”

I shrugged. “It could’ve slipped through a fence somewhere,” I said. “Anyway, I was going to ask Nate to come and help me catch it so we can try to get it home.”

Nate let out a snort. “It’s just a dog. Who cares?”

Annalise fixed him with a horrified stare. “Nate! How could you say that? You know I love dogs!”

“I know. I’m just saying, it’ll be fine. It can find its own way home.”

“I’m not sure about that,” I said, eyes widening with faux concern. “It seemed scared, and it’s cold outside. I’d rather get it home as soon as possible.”

Nate shrugged and pulled out his phone. “Sorry, but you’re on your own. I have a game to watch. Starts in five minutes.”

“Nate!” Annalise glared at him again. “Why are you being so rude to your girlfriend? She needs your help.”

He glanced up at her. “If you care about a stray dog so much, why don’t you go and help her catch it?”

She bristled. “I will,” she said tersely, eyes flashing with annoyance. “Come on, Alexis.”

She marched toward the side door, and I followed her. I glanced over my shoulder a few seconds later to see Nate giving me a thumbs up.

As we headed across the massive lawn outside, Annalise took a deep breath and tilted her face up to the sky.

“God, I’ve missed this fresh air,” she said with a serene smile. She glanced over at me. “Next time you go for a walk, you should take me with you. I can show you some of the secret spots on the estate.”

Oh, I bet you can,I thought, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes. “That’d be nice. What sort of secret spots are there?”

“There’s a beautiful hidden garden with a pond on the northern side. Have you found that yet?”

“No, I’ve been sticking to this side of the property,” I replied. “I really like the woods. They’re nice and peaceful.”

“You said that’s where you spotted the dog, right?”

“Yes, he ran in there when I tried to catch him. I think I remember the spot, so hopefully he’s still hanging around there.”

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