Page 65 of The Twilight Theft

“If you go anywhere near Jayce again”—he grabbed my hand, a dangerous glint in his eye—“I’ll spill every bit of dirty laundry I can find on you.”

“Oh, Drew.” She chuckled, a throaty sound that was sexier than anything I could pull off, and swatted his chest. “You and I both know we belong together.”

“How many times have I told you to go find someone else?”

“Good luck with whatever job you’re on.” She winked at me and left, finding another couple to speak with on the other side of the room.

Drew didn’t take his eyes off her.

“We don’t need secret communication right now.” I yanked my hand out of his and reached for the server sweeping past us.

But Drew caught my hand before it landed on the food. He pivoted, so we weren’t both facing Blondie anymore and he was partially obscuring her. “She’s a lying, manipulative narcissist.”

“There’s a lot of people like that around here.” I tried to pull away from him, but he didn’t let go.

“Too many.” He lifted my hand, turned it palm up, and pressed his lips to it.

A wave of heat shot through my treacherous body.

“Don’t let her think she got to you, or she’ll come back for round two.”

Scarlett said over my earpiece, “He’s right.”

When I started with Reynolds, it had taken a month before I could sort out voices over our open comms. Every team member’s ongoing discussions, picking up voices from their surroundings, and trying to make out what someone was saying to me in person. After the first year, I’d gotten to a point where all the extra chatter faded to the background and my brain zeroed in whenever someone was talking directly to me. Scarlett could have said that to Malcolm, Brie, or someone else around her—but I knew it was for me.

“I need you to smile.” Drew looped his other arm around me, not letting go of my hand. “And tell me what she said.”

There was no smiling. This was why I stayed in the shadows. I wasn’t cut out for all the lies and pretending. “She’s determined to find out who you’re working for tonight. She doesn’t think you’re a guest.”

From his expression, all soft lines and concern, I might’ve thought he was happy to be with me. But the grumble deep in his throat revealed the truth. Vanessa was right. This was just a job and I had to remember Drew hopped beds the same way I hopped between pastries.

“I need a snack.”

“Vanessa won’t get in the way, but she’ll keep an eye on us.” Drew’s thumb stroked against the small of my back, like he’d been doing with my hand earlier. He was convincing at this game. “Have you noticed anyone or anything suspicious yet?”

Just you.I tilted my head so he’d lean in and I could whisper. “There’s a man in a—surprise—black tuxedo who was paying more attention to the mirror than seemed necessary.”

“That’s not our target.”

“The guilty party won’t be obvious until they attempt to take the chip. And even then, maybe they manage to stay inconspicuous.” How much time had I spent pretending to admire the bird to cover my interest in the scarab? “If they want to make a statement, they’ll at least wait for—”

Around us, heads turned. A lot of them. I took a half-step back and Drew released me, likely seeing the same thing happen.

Drew finished my thought. “They’ll wait forthemto arrive?”

“Heads up, everyone,” I said. “The Tremaines are here.”

Chapter 26

Drew

FuckingVanessa.

Jayce had been plenty comfortable taking my hand earlier, but there was no masking the tension in her muscles. Vanessa had said something other than asking about a job. I’d given Jayce the opportunity to tell me, but the woman with no filter suddenly wasn’t talking.

Of all the moments for Gideon and Liana to arrive, this had to be the worst.

I touched the tiny button on my earpiece. “They’re here. You see them?”

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