Page 69 of Nothing Breaks Like A Heart

"He also invited us to his villa tomorrow night for a private dinner he's hosting for his friends and associates who are on the island for the grand opening. He said it would be a photo-free event and that he just wanted us to come and meet everyone and have a good time. But only if you're up for it, of course. He said to tell you there was no pressure on you to attend. But he and Paula would love to see us there."

"Another party, huh?"

Andrew shrugged. "Yes, another party."

"It would probably be an excellent opportunity for you to network," I said.

"And you," he returned. "I can't imagine it will hurt your chances of moving ahead in the company. Victor feels like he owes you."

"I don't want him to give me anything I haven't earned."

"I think you've earned a lot more than he's given you," Andrew said pointedly.

"Well, that's true. You're right. We should go to the party."

A smile spread across his face. "I think that's a good decision. I also think that tomorrow will be a better day," he added as he got to his feet.

"It couldn't be worse than today," I said, hoping that was true.

Andrew left ten minutes later, taking his computer with him. After he was gone, I went into the bedroom and checked the pocket of his jacket for the second phone, but it was gone, too.

Frowning, I got into bed and turned on the television, but nothing interested me. I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling, trying to make sense of what I knew.

Andrew was getting close to Victor and to Bennett. That could be helpful to him personally and professionally. Through this whole event and marketing campaign, Andrew had gotten into a high-level circle that might have taken him years to infiltrate otherwise. But that wasn't a crime. I'd put him in a position to make those contacts. I couldn't criticize him for doing that.

But was it just about business contacts? Ethan thought Andrew was a thief, and the fact that he had been studying blueprints for a property that looked a lot like Victor's villa made me nervous. There was plenty of treasure inside Victor's gallery to steal. But there was also a high-level security system designed to protect those treasures, and Ethan was surely doing everything he could to make the system foolproof. Even if Andrew had blueprints for the villa, how could that really help him get inside? And why would he even need blueprints? He'd already been in the gallery. He'd had an opportunity to check out everything in that room, including the security system.

If Andrew was a thief, and he was planning to steal something from Victor, why wouldn't he have done it already? Why wait?

Maybe it was because not all the cases were full…

Was Andrew waiting for something in particular to arrive, something spectacular and legendary like the Heart of Eternity diamond that had been talked about at brunch? But surely anything that special would be impossible to get to, especially when Ethan was so focused on protecting that gallery. If Andrew was a thief, he would know the odds were stacked high against him.

The paintings that had been in Victor's office at the Newport Beach Hotel had been hanging on a wall in a locked room. There hadn't been this level of security at that location, so that had been a much easier theft. Who would attempt to rob Victor now when he'd basically put everything into a secure fortress?

I remembered what Ethan had told me about thieves, about motivations. Some people just wanted to prove they could do it. I hated to say that sounded like Andrew. He'd told me once he liked long odds. He preferred the challenge of doing something no one thought he could do. That's why he was risking so much to build his own business. He didn't want to work for anyone else. He wanted to be his own boss and wield his own power.

Shaking my head, I couldn't believe I was thinking about my husband being a thief. It seemed unbelievable. But then, everything that had happened the last few days seemed unbelievable, too.

My phone buzzed and I saw a text from Ethan, asking how I was doing.

I was touched by his concern. Instead of texting back, I picked up the phone and called him. He answered almost immediately.

"Lauren, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Am I interrupting you?"

"No. I'm just leaving Victor's villa to go back to my room. What's up?"

"I saw what looked like blueprints on Andrew's computer. I thought they might have been of Victor's villa, but I'm not entirely sure. Andrew also told me he has a piece of property in Florida that he wants to buy, and he's talking to Bennett about it being a potential acquisition for Carrington Resorts. They're meeting now for drinks to discuss it. It's possible those blueprints were for another ocean resort, but I thought I should tell you."

"I appreciate that. Andrew won't be able to bypass the security system we've set up, even if he has the blueprints of the villa."

"That's what I don't understand, Ethan. It seems like your security system is foolproof. Wouldn't that stop someone from trying to break in?"

"I hope it does, but it could also be a challenge someone can't resist."

I thought about that, then said something else that was on my mind. "Do you think there's any chance that Victor is…I don't know…playing two sides?"

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