Page 133 of The Twilight Theft

I scanned the open space again.

And breathed.

Malcolm passed me at a clip, head down, towing his wheeled bag. Strange. He was never far from my sister when we were off the clock.

The click of Scarlett’s stilettos behind me came to an abrupt halt. “I need to talk to you.”

I turned to face her, hooking a thumb over my shoulder. “Trouble in paradise?”

She stepped closer, keeping her voice down. “He’s not happy about Noah.”

“Oh?” I feigned surprise. “Your current live-in boyfriend wasn’t happy you followed along with your formerly dead ex-fiancé’s plan?”

She cocked her eyebrow. The infernal Mum Eyebrow. It meantStop being sarcasticandButt out of my love lifeand maybe a hint ofYes, it was hard on him, but I’m trying to pretend I’m as strong as our mother.

“Oh, fine.” I placed my messenger bag on top of my suitcase. “You needed to talk?”

Rav stopped next to us. “Is everything all right?”

“We’re good. We’ll be right behind you.” Scarlett touched his arm and smiled.

Rav dipped his head in the subtle way he questioned her.

“Really. We’ll be right there,” she said.

He nodded and continued to the plane. He’d been one of her closest friends as a kid and always had a protective streak. Something happened between them before he joined our team. Not romantic—they’d never had that kind of relationship—but something deeply personal they never spoke of that created an unshakable bond. Since my ordeal with Fenix, everything between the two of them became more intense.

Malcolm had told me in confidence it bothered him, but after a few trips out to the pubs that wound up as pseudo-counseling sessions, I’d convinced him there was nothing to worry about. She and Rav could make out as cover on a mission, but after the job was done, they never looked at each other like they wanted more.

Having two men so devoted and protective of my sister made our work easier for me.

Once Rav was climbing the steps to the jet, Scarlett continued. “Noah’s letter said he was behind the tip about the scarab. He expected us to find out it would be at the gala, and that would bring us there. His plan was for us to be part of his deception all along.”

And we fell into that, didn’t we? “He just didn’t expect us to be on someone’s payroll?”

She nodded. “He’s provided the name and location of the man who has the scarab.”

“I thought we got that from Liana’s phone?”

“We got enough off her phone before it was wiped to confirm what Noah said.” Scarlett glanced over my shoulder at the plane.

“Oh, shit, sis.” I rubbed my fingers over the chip again. “You still want to go after it?”

“Itwasstolen from a museum in Cairo. Our team already confirmed that part.”

“So why lend it out for public display?”

“Either they don’t know or they don’t care.” She shrugged. “One of our first steps will be to find out which.”

“You told Noah in Venice that you wouldn’t work for him. And now? Now we’re taking jobs from him?” This conversation was getting worse by the second.

“There’s a reward. And as Mum likes to say”—she gestured at the jet—“the jet doesn’t run on fairy dust. We have enough intel to plan a recovery.”

“No wonder Malcolm’s upset.”

She frowned. A reaction she rarely gave around anyone but her best friends and family. “Malcolm doesn’t know the details.”

“Details? Who gives a shit about the details? You’re hiding letters from your ex-fiancé.”

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