Page 128 of The Ruse

A female news anchor was talking on TV, and the banner across the bottom read, “Breaking News: Vanderbilt heiress who went missing last April was found alive in Alaska.”

What?

My whole body went tingly and weak. “Turn it up,” I said, sitting down on the bed so I could listen properly.

“Our sources say that the FBI were given a tip that led them to the secluded town of Sitka, Alaska to search for a young science teacher named Elijah Hicks. He was one of the heiress’ teachers at the private school she attended in Eden Falls, Connecticut. Our sources claim that he moved to the small fishing town after his hire this past June. His neighbors reported seeing a young woman go in and out of the house with him on occasion.” The news anchor finished, and the screen switched to a reporter doing an interview in a picturesque town.

“They liked to keep to themselves.” A woman who looked to be in her sixties came onto the screen with the title ofneighborunder her name. “Seemed like a cute young couple, though. She was a beautiful girl, and a couple times I thought to myself that she seemed familiar, like she’d been a model in one of my clothing catalogues or something. She looked like she’d be a good clothing model, back before she got pregnant, anyway. The teacher and his wife didn’t get into no trouble, and my granddaughter said he was a real good teacher. But now that I know they weren’t even married—” She shook her head, like that in and of itself was a huge scandal.

She blew out a low whistle. “Well, I’m sure glad I forgot to have my granddaughter take them over some baby clothes when I saw they’d had the baby. To think he’s a pedophile and a kidnapper who could have hurt my sweet Talia. Oh no, sirree. What is this world coming to? Teachers having babies with students?”

The shot changed again to another news reporter standing on a crowded sidewalk in New York. He started talking about how Bailee had been found two days before and was just now returning home with her family after eight months away.

The screen shifted to show video footage of a girl with dark-brown hair and dark sunglasses climbing out of a black sedan with an infant car seat over her arm.

Bailee.

And her baby.

It was so surreal seeing her on TV. She was walking up near what I now recognized as her family’s upper east-side penthouse. Cameras were flashing all around her, with reporters shouting their questions. Two large men who I recognized as her father’s bodyguards flanked her and her baby. In front of her were her parents, with her older sister Alisha bringing up the rear.

The family all kept their heads ducked low as they walked up the path to their house. I searched the screen to see if Professor Hicks was there with them, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Was he in police custody?

Elyse textedme as soon as the news report went to a commercial break.

Elyse:I just saw the news. Did you? Did you see that they found Bailee?

Me:Just saw it. It’s kind of crazy how fast they found her and brought her home.

Elyse:I know. Did you have any idea it was happening? Did her parents say anything to you?

Me:No. I didn’t even know if the journal made it to them.

Elyse:Apparently it did.

Me:Yep.

The conversation dots showed up on the screen, like she was typing another text, so I waited. But then they disappeared after a few minutes went by, so she must have gotten distracted by something.

“Wantus to help you brainstorm any other ways for you to get rid of Nash tonight?” Logan asked as we rode the elevator down to the hotel’s first level.

The ball would be held in the large ballroom on the main level. When the elevator doors opened, I saw that there were already dozens of people milling around in tuxedos and ballgowns.

“I think I’m just going to try my usual lie-low-and-look-hot method and hope it does the trick.” I straightened my bow tie as we stepped out of the elevator. “If she wants to pick me, she’ll do it because she likes me more. Not because I sabotaged Nash to get close to her.”

I was done making an idiot out of myself because of my rivalry with Nash.

“Suit yourself.” Logan shrugged.

We walked into the crowd and zig-zagged our way to the table that would be ours for the night. From what I’d heard, these tables cost close to twenty thousand dollars a piece, so even if I didn’t get to dance with the girl I wanted tonight, I was at least hoping the dinner would be amazing based on that price.

My uncle was already at the table near the stage with Jace and Logan’s girlfriends’ fathers. The moms were apparently putting the finishing touches to their daughters’ hair and makeup and would be down in a moment for Jace and Logan to take backstage and wait for their turn to be presented.

I was just about to take my seat next to my uncle when my attention was drawn to the back of the room. Mack Aarden was walking through the door with his father, and right behind him stood Elyse and Ava with their mom.

At first, I didn’t know which twin was which—we were so far away, and their hair and makeup was done so similarly—but then I saw Elyse bite her lip in the way she did when she was nervous, and I knew it was her.

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