Page 80 of Nothing Breaks Like A Heart

Someone else cried out in alarm. A glass shattered. I put my hand out, and it landed on Ethan's solid chest.

He put his hand over mine, steadied me, then said, "I need to find out what's going on. Stay here. Don't go anywhere else, Lauren."

Before I could promise I wouldn't move, he was gone.

ChapterTwenty

I felt someone bump into me in the dark. They didn't say a word—not a sorry, not an excuse me—and then they were gone. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see people on the patio pulling out their phones, tiny constellations of light appearing in the dark. The gentle hum of the air conditioning died, leaving behind a weighted silence broken only by nervous laughter and whispered conversations. I reached for my own phone, but before I could activate the flashlight, emergency generators kicked in, casting the great room in a dim glow.

Then Victor appeared in the center of the room. "We've had a minor electrical problem, nothing to worry about," he said, scanning the crowd with sharp eyes. "I'd appreciate it if you would all stay where you are. I don't want anyone to get hurt while we're getting the electricity back on. It should just be a moment."

After his reassuring announcement, Victor crossed the room to speak to David Grimes. They huddled together, speaking in low voices, before heading toward the stairs.

My nerves tightened. Did this sudden blackout have something to do with Victor's private collection in the upstairs gallery? Was the darkness a cover for a robbery?

I wondered again where Andrew was. I wanted to know that he was in this room, that he wasn't upstairs, that he wasn't the thief Ethan thought he was. But I couldn't see him anywhere, and I felt more uneasy with each passing moment.

No one else seemed as tense as I was. But I had a bad feeling in my gut, and I couldn't seem to shake it, so I did what I'd told myself I wouldn't do—I drank my champagne, hoping the bubbles would ease my stress. Unfortunately, the sparkling liquid made my stomach churn even more.

While the other guests carried on with their practiced party smiles, I noticed security personnel moving with military precision down the hallway and up the stairs. Their hands hovered near concealed weapons, and their expressions carried none of Victor's artificial calm.

"Where's Andrew?" Paula's voice at my elbow made me jump. I hadn't seen her come in from the patio.

"I'm not sure." I hated how my voice wavered. Clearing my throat, I added, "He was with Bennett earlier."

Paula's lips thinned into a harsh line. She turned and cut through the crowd toward the stairs, but one of the security guards intercepted her. Their conversation was brief and one-sided—Paula's face darkened with each word until she spun away, radiating fury.

As I turned my attention back to the living room, Andrew emerged from the shadows, and when our gazes met, he gave me a casual nod and threaded his way through the crowd toward me.

"Where were you?" I asked, the question coming out sharper than I'd intended.

"In the restroom. I got lost in the dark. Any idea what's going on?"

"Victor said something about an electrical glitch that should be fixed shortly." As if on cue, the lights came back on.

"Perfect timing," Andrew said with a smile.

"What do you think that was all about?"

"Who knows? Maybe a power surge?" He adjusted his tie. "I could use another drink and some food. I'm starving."

He wasn't acting like a man who had anything to hide. He wasn't trying to leave or avoid anyone. But I still had the feeling the blackout and his disappearance were tied together.

"I see apps being served on the patio," he added. "Let's go see what food we can snag before dinner starts."

I followed him outside, watching as he grabbed a crab puff from a server.

"Want one?" he asked.

"I'll wait for dinner. What did you and Bennett talk about?"

"The work project."

"Anything new?"

"Not really. He wants to do the deal on his own, but I told him it has to be the Carrington Group or nothing. He didn't like it, but he understood. I'll sit down with him and Victor on Thursday, after we get through the grand opening."

His words reminded me of my recent conversation with Ethan. How much had Andrew gained through my Carrington connections? Looking back at our early days together, I searched for signs I might have missed. We'd been going out for weeks before we'd talked about the marketing campaign. Before that, I'd been a mid-level employee working for a large corporation. I'd had no contact with Victor, Paula, or Bennett.Had Andrew been conning me from the beginning? Or had our love affair been genuine at first, and it was only later when he saw opportunities that his ambition had taken over? That he'd pushed ahead on marriage because he saw where I could take him?

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