Page 107 of Gathered Sparkle

Annabelle stares at him, then at me, Sylus, and finally, Nicholas, who’s watching the whole interaction from where he’s sitting in the armchair. “Okay, seriously.” Her voice is tinged with disbelief as she looks back at Nova. “Girl, you’re hot as fuck, but they areridiculouslyhandsome. Like, how did you bag all four of them?”

“She didn’t bag us.” Sylus snickers. “We bagged her.”

Koen adds with a smirk, “It was a group effort.”

Nova rolls her eyes, but her lips twitch like she’s fighting back a smile. “Why are you guys all here, anyway?” She looks pointedly at Nicholas, and yes, I’d also love to know why he’shere. I don’t know him, but Koen said Nova has a crush on him, so he has to be somewhat decent. I trust her judgment.

Nicholas leans casually against the back of the armchair, his face neutral with a flicker of humor in his eyes. The fact that he didn’t protest that he wasn’t in her bagyettells me all I need to know. “Same reason you are. Strategy talk.”

Ezra nods, finally speaking, “We’ve got a lot to go over. But first…” His gaze flicks to the pile of takeout containers. “Food. Then we plan.”

Nova’s hand tightens around mine again, and I glance down at her, her expression soft but tired. She looks at me like I’m her anchor, and fuck if I don’t feel the same about her.

We all settle down, the scent of Chinese takeout getting even stronger as the containers are passed around. Nova sits beside me, and her shoulder brushes mine occasionally. Probably not intentionally, but I don’t mind it at all.

This will work out.

The room quiets as we start eating, but it doesn’t last long.

“So,” Koen begins, setting his empty container on the table. “I saw Veronica today.”

All eyes snap to him. My hand stills mid-bite as the words sink in. He pauses for a moment, his gaze flicking to Nicholas before continuing. “She’s… playing nice. But it’s obviously calculated. She’s trying to pull us into this wholewe’re-familyact.”

Nicholas exhales sharply. “It’s not only about being friendly. She plans to lull you into a sense of trust and eventually get you to hand over financial control. And when she has it…”

“She plans to hurt the twins?” Nova speaks up.

Nicholas looks directly at her. “She didn’t say it outright, but yes. That’s her endgame. Build a connection, gain access, and when she’s in complete control…accidents happen.”

“Of course.” Levi huffs out a bitter laugh. “Fucking bitch.” His knuckles are white as they grip the edge of his plate. “If we don’t pull this off, Veronica won’t just get away. She’ll come after all of us. We’re not walking away from this without finishing it.”

Annabelle leans closer to Nova. “So this shit is serious, huh?”

“Pretty much, yes. Still time to pull out.”

Annabelle grins, the spark of mischief in her eyes as she whispers, “Never.”

“Wait until you hear what we need you to do,” I mutter, taking another bite of a dumpling.

“Oh, yeah? Then spill, Blondie.”

“Like I said,” I start, putting down my container. “We want to send a message that appears as though it’s from Veronica to make them attend. For that, we need access to their phones, which means we’re going to find them and act as a wire mob to pull it off.”

Nicholas raises an eyebrow, looking genuinely confused. “What’s a wire mob?”

“The oldest trick there is.” I shrug.

Ezra snorts, leaning forward. “That’s not called a trick. It’s called a felony.”

Levi fusses with Pebble, still perched on his shoulder. “Don’t be dramatic, Ezy.”

“It’s not dramatic.” Ezra crosses his arms. “It’s the law.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Levi waves him off. “Please, Ric, continue. Ignore our resident buzzkill.”

“All right.” Everyone’s eyes settle on me, which makes my skin crawl, but I ignore it, or at least try to. “Here’s how a wire mob works. It’s old-school, but it’s efficient.” I hold up a finger. “First, you’ve gotThe Steer.They scout the mark and figure out what we’re after.” I raise another finger. “Next isThe Stick.Their job is to hold the mark in place. Usually, they ask for directions or start a casual conversation.” I raise a third finger. “ThencomesThe Shade.They block the mark’s eyeline to make the actual steal invisible, creating a cover.”

Nova nods knowingly. “Distraction and misdirection.”

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