Page 69 of The Twilight Theft

Or did she have a plan?

Was she hiding a bottle of cleaning fluid in that tiny clutch?

I smiled to myself at the memory. Shewasunapologetic, like Craig said. Even when she handed my phone over at their office, she didn’t apologize, just thanked me for saving her the shipping cost.

“Drew!” A man with light brown skin and gray hair blocked my path. A businessman who’d hired Craig—who tasked the job to me—to negotiate a messy divorce and spin it as an amicable separation.

“Vijay!” I shook his hand but didn’t slow down. “Good to see you, but I’m—”

He held fast. “I was just speaking with your lovely girlfriend. She suggested you might be interested in a business proposition.”

A business what? I glanced around, not seeing Vanessa anywhere.

“She said you’re thinking about leaving Craig to go out on your own. I was surprised to hear it, but after the wonderful work you did for me, I wanted to make an offer. I’ll bankroll you, for a percentage.”

What kind of game was Vanessa playing? “I’m not—”

“I won’t tell Craig.” Vijay tapped the side of his nose and pointed at me. “I know a lot of people in a lot of countries who could use your expertise.”

Did he want a crisis manager or a spy?

Voices rose behind me.

A woman. “What are you—”

A man speaking over her. “Get out of—”

I spun from Vijay to see the commotion. Bodies moved toward the sculpture—was the thief already making their play?

Digital Twilight rocked in its place.Oh no!

A squeal, a scream, a shout. “Watch out!”

I lunged forward, as the giant sculpture settled back in place.

Jayce was in the middle of a small crowd. One of the security men gripped her by the upper arms, her shoulders heaving up and down as though she was crying. When her gaze met mine, her eyes flew wide. “Drew!”

The man didn’t release her, and I barged forward. “Let go of her!”

She wrenched herself out of his grip and flung herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Oh my god, Drew!”

I pulled back from her, running a hand over her face and my gaze over her body. Everything seemed to be where it belonged. No cuts, no scratches, no bruises. “What happened?”

“It was the shoes.” She furrowed her brow as deep as it would go and sniffled, looking up at me. “Someone spilled their drink and I slipped on it. I ran into someone who ran into someone else and someone else. One of us ran into the sculpture and almost knocked it over.”

The security guard approached us. “I only wanted to make sure she was okay.”

Jayce wrapped her hand around the one I held her face with. She tapped—very intentionally—twice with her thumb.

“Let’s go to the main restaurant, sweetheart.” I kissed her temple.What are you doing, Drew?“There are some chairs set up and you can sit down for a minute.”

Chapter 27

Jayce

DrewandIleftthe banquet room for the main dining room, nodding casually at Scarlett and Malcolm as they made their way in.

“Are you sure you got the tracker on?” It was the third time he’d asked in less than a minute.

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