Page 213 of Gathered Sparkle

“Three? Great choice! All right, everybody, take three cards from the top of your deck.One, two, three. And put them face down on the bottom of your deck.”

The audience shifts again, laughter and murmurs rippling through them as they follow his instructions.

“Now,” Levi continues, his tone dipping conspiratorially. “Take thenextcard… andnobodylook at it. I mean it. Take that card, and I don’t care where you hide it… your pocket, your bra, your sock, buthide it.”

Nova snickers softly beside me. “This is chaos.”

Levi keeps the energy high. “Don’t look at your neighbor, either. Nobody should see your card. Not even you! Everybody hide it. Keep it hidden. No peeking.” A new wave of chuckles comes from the crowd. “Okay, now that your card is safely hidden… let’s check back with Koen. Maybe he’s done figuring out Ms. Harrington’s confession by now?” Levi’s voice trails off as he gestures toward Koen, and the camera pans to his twin, who is standing in the center of the circle, holding the sealed red envelope from earlier.

I lean against the van, arms crossed, watching as Koen closes his eyes with exaggerated concentration, milking the moment.

Nova nudges me lightly with her shoulder. “I didn’t know he had such a flare for dramatics.”

I grin down at her. “He’s probably stalling so Dove doesn’t get all the attention.”

Nova laughs softly at that.

“Well, it seems this still needs a little more time,” Koen says with a casual shrug, his words drawing a ripple of laughter from the crowd, and even Veronica cracks a smile. Turning to her, he adds smoothly, “How about we move on to the next part while I think some more on this one?”

“Of course,” she replies, her polished smile radiant as the crowd erupts into cheers.

This is what Oscar would’ve wanted—a show so seamless it feels like magic, every detail pulling the crowd further under its spell. But standing here, in the shadows, I know the truth.

It’s not magic. It’s control.

And tonight, that control is ours.

“Ready for our next job?” I ask, turning to Nova.

She grins up at me, her eyes alight with the thrill of what’s to come. “Ready when you are.”

I pull her close, and our lips meet in a deep, lingering kiss that speaks of trust and the unspoken stakes between us. As I let her go, I whisper, “I dare you to be safe.”

“And I dareyounot to get caught.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Sylus

A suddenthudsounds behind me, making the van rock. I jump, my heart lurching in my chest as Alaric’s voice crackles through the earpiece. “We’re off, Sy.”

“Jesus, Ric. Warn a guy.” I glare at the van wall like it personally offended me.

Alaric is off to the Heights, Sparkle to the Plaza. Levi is still talking, so all I have to do right now is keep the drone steady and on him.

“Sorry,” Alaric answers with amusement in his voice.

Jinx meows a sharp protest from the crate beside me, her green eyes narrowing in disapproval. She bats the door of the crate with her paw as if to sayI demand better service than this.

“You scared your damn cat.”

“She’s not a damn cat,” Alaric retorts.

“And she’s my cat, too,” Nova’s voice cuts in.

“Shetoleratesyou,” Alaric corrects dryly.

Jinx hisses, her tail flicking. I raise an eyebrow at the screen in front of me that displays what the drone is seeing. “Well, she’s not tolerating this wholestuffed-in-a-cratething. Tell meagain why the cat couldn’t wait on the private jetwith literally everything else we own?”

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