Page 58 of Faking Ever After

It tookthat entire day and part of the next to come up with solutions. Richie, ever an indulgent sort, had used my software to encrypt the data on the drive. It was a sturdy security measure. Most would never get past it. I trusted that the feds might, so long as they were using my technology.

And while it wasn’t easy—the software took me through hoops and loops until I heard myself mutter, “Why did I have to be so good?”—the bolts finally moved. The documents were sorted neatly in Richie’s obsessive manner. There were copies of datasets categorized based on all kinds of variables like he wanted to make it easy for anyone to see his criminal doings.

“But it doesn’t scream ‘Come get me, I’m so clever,’” I told Finn, who was still naked and sweaty in his bed, glistening in the late afternoon’s sunlight. “It’s proof of his cockiness.”

“Nobody’s untouchable,” Finn said.

Late that night, I left Finn in Hermes’ Hearth to rejoin my family. Emily had put up all the balloons she had helped Dimitrios pick out and the house looked more like there was to be a wedding there tomorrow.

Richie was engaged in a motivated discussion about the stock market’s bleak future with my father, who couldn’t care lessabout the stock market. “I was a happy poor man,” Father said. “And if I am happier today, it’s only because of my family.” His hand found Mom’s on the table.

“We are all different,” Richie said in what was almost a sly dismissal of my father’s sentiment.

I couldn’t avoid noticing it anymore.

“Troubles in the love nest, Percy?” Richie asked before everyone as I stepped out onto the terrace.

“Nothing to worry about,” I said with unintended coolness.Have you fallen so low in your greed that you would steal from the poor?My stomach turned at the thought of it. He was the luckiest, most privileged man I had ever met. He had a duty to be aware of that.

“You’ve been gone all day and night,” Richie said in an off-hand manner as if it were all the same to him.

“Richie, darling,” Mother said. “I highly doubt they were fighting all this time.”

My cheeks flushed at my mother’s pointed glance and a happy smile. “Quite right,” I murmured. “As I said, it’s nothing to worry about.”

“And where is our young Casanova?” Richie asked nonchalantly, his mouth stretching into a broad smile. “Must be a helluva place if it beats the house.”

You’d love to know, wouldn’t you?I thought.

“The question is, should we pack a slice of cake, or will Muffinn join us?” Mom pitched in.

“He’ll join us,” I said softly, fingering Finn’s USB drive in my pocket.

Mother and Father were pleased to hear it and Richie kept his cool exterior as if he couldn’t care less either way. Even so, he drummed the table restlessly as he turned his gaze to the distant horizon.

As the day sped by, I was stretched thin across the town and the house. I moved back and forth, keeping myself, Finn, and Kim busy all while holding our breaths. It was the longest day of my life and it had only barely begun by the time I returned to the house for the party with Finn’s hand in mine.

“Are you sure it’s not weird?” Finn asked.

I laughed softly like I had the first two times he’d asked. “With my mother and father, nothing is weird, Finn.”

“What about Richard?” Finn whispered as we entered the house.

“Don’t worry about Richie,” I said, tightening my hand around his.

If he was worried, he didn’t show it. Thrusting his chin up, he was the perfect image of defiance and pride and I loved that look on him.

“Just stay with me and enjoy the show,” I whispered into his ear, making him squirm just a bit under the warmth of my breath, and it lit my heart on fire.

We walked over to the sitting room, where quite a few people had already gathered. Out on the sundeck, plenty more were standing in small groups and large. The decorations were all white and blue, so it felt like walking through a Greek flag. I made a mental note to tease Emily mercilessly about it. The scents of savory food mixed with the scents of honey and fruit, and Dimitrios moved through the house in a dignified hurry, supplying everyone with enough wine to overlook any other mistakes that might occur during the afternoon party.

Distant cousins, old neighbors, and friends of friends flocked to the house this afternoon, making it easy for Finn and me to be lost in the crowd for a while longer. I couldn’t see Richie anywhere in the crowd, but I noticed my parents moving smoothly from one group to the next, greeting people and chatting along.

“Why aren’t they coming?” Finn asked worriedly.

I turned to him and put my hands on his face. Looking into his chocolate eyes, I smiled. “Relax, Muffinn,” I said, my heart warming swiftly. “They’ll be here.”

He nodded, his eyes glimmering. “It’s just that…” He hesitated, his voice wavering. “I’ve been heading down this path for so long. I’m antsy.”

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