Page 26 of Puck and Prejudice

“No one is going to poison us,” I say.

“I wouldn’t be so sure, Darcy,” Wickham butts in, not hiding the malice in his tone.

I ignore him. He only said that to antagonize me. Sure, sometimes overzealous fans do things to annoy us, like the one time someone set off the fire alarm at the hotel during the time of our nap. But this is a high-scale restaurant, and I doubt the owner wants to face a lawsuit.

My phone vibrates in my pocket. I fish it out to check the message… and still. It’s the PI I hired to investigate Jane’s family. This is the first time I’ve heard from him since I hired him. His message asks me to call him whenever I can.

Hell. He knows I’m on the road with the team. If he wants to talk to me, it must mean he found something I should know ASAP. I get up from the table and head out of the restaurant to call him. The street isn’t busy at this hour, and I don’t want anyone on the team to eavesdrop on this conversation.

The PI, Larry, answers on the first ring. “Hello, Jackson. Didn’t expect you to call me right away.”

“I have the time. Tell me. What did you find?”

“You were right to be concerned about Jane Bennet’s family. They’re utterly broke and about to lose their ranch. Her father made some very poor choices. Blew the money he made as a professional polo player in bad investments. He trains a few horses for old clients, but that doesn’t bring him much.”

Fuck. I wish I’d been wrong.

“How deep in the hole is he?”

“A couple million.”

“Are you serious?” I blurt out.

“Like a heart attack. But there’s more.”

I rub my face and start to pace. “Go on.”

“Chad’s fiancée isn’t as sweet and innocent as she seems to be.”

My stomach churns. If Jane is a fake, it will devastate Chad. I hate that for him, but at the same time, it’s best if he knows before he marries her.

“What did she do?”

“It turns out flamenco isn’t the only type of dancing she specializes in.”

I freeze. “Please don’t say Jane’s an exotic dancer.”

“She doesn’t work the pole anymore, but she used to.”

I feel sick, and the woman is nothing to me. Poor Chad. I doubt she told him about her colorful past. “Do you have proof?”

“Sure do. I can have a report ready for you in a couple days.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re not going to tell Chad now, are you?”

“Of course not. We’re in the middle of the finals, and I can’t stress him with that news. I’ll wait until it’s over.”

“Good call. I’m sorry I don’t have better news.”

“Yeah, me too.”

I end the call, and when I turn around, I think I spot Wickham going back inside. For fuck’s sake. I was too engrossed in the conversation with Larry to notice if someone was nearby listening. I should have been more careful. If he heard anything, he’d better keep his mouth shut.

But I can’t leave things well enough alone when it comes to the snake, so I head back inside and look for him. He’s making his way back to the table. I quicken my step and catch up with him before he can sit down.

I grab his arm to stop him. “Wickham, a word.”

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