Page 58 of Cruel Betrayal

“Owen?” Axel laughs. “Owen Harris?”

“The one and only.”

“Come on, boss. How could that be possible?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe he overheard something while he was cleaning. He blends into the background so easily. Maybe someone slipped up.”

That’s enough.

Slowly, I back up. The longer I stay, the more likely it is that I’ll get caught. I want to continue listening to their conversation, but it’s not worth the risk. So I leave quietly, getting onto the main path in the garden that leads to the sidewalk.

Once I’m in my car, I can’t stop myself—I laugh. We’ve spent so much time and effort working to get close to Ludo. Knowing that he’s not even willing to entertain suspicion of us is the most satisfied I’ve felt in a long, long time.

As I turn on the engine and pull out of my parking spot, my shoulders feel lighter than they have in months. Everything is finally working out—like there reallyisa light at the end of the tunnel.

Not only that, but Ludo won’t know what hit him until it’s too late. We’ll get our revenge, Sammy will get her justice, and we’ll be able to move on with our lives.

Just a couple more weeks,I tell myself as I pull onto the interstate.Just a couple more weeks, and then we can finally be happy.

Chapter twelve

Rhett

Therearealotof things I appreciate about Finn. The man has never been late a day in his life, he’s not one to pry into personal matters without an invitation, and he’s always there when we need him. Not to mention, he has a wide skill set and access to a large number of resources that are incredibly useful.

But today, all those things pale in comparison to his dedication to making sure Wren is as ready as possible for the wedding. When it comes to protecting the people we love, Finn knows no limits. He may not know Wren well yet, but he understands that she’s part of our family. His loyalty to us extends to her.

“It’s fairly simple to use,” Finn explains as he holds the safe cracking device up for Wren to see. Then he fits it over the dial on the safe I bought so she could practice. “It goes on like this. The only logical way to place it, really, so it should be easy to remember. It has magnets on it to latch it to the safe. You don’t have to hold it the entire time, and it’ll turn on its own once you get it going.”

“Got it.” Wren takes the device when Finn hands it to her and places it over the dial the way he did. “Seems fairly simple.”

He shows her how to turn it on before pulling her back a step or two. “You’ll want to be sure not to bump the safe while you’re using it. It works by detecting the click of each pin coming into place, so any large vibrations could throw it off.”

“No large vibrations.” Wren frowns. “What about the music from the reception? Will that be a problem?”

Turning to the coffee table, Finn scans the blueprints of Ludo’s mansion. He points to the ballroom on the first floor. “This is where everyone will be?”

“Yes.” Wren spins the blueprint of the second floor around so Finn can look at it properly. “And this is where Ludo’s billiard room is.”

Finn narrows his eyes as he does some mental calculations. He runs a hand through his dark hair, and I’m worried it’s going to be a problem, but then he says, “Considering the distance between them, you should be fine. Just don’t jump around while you’re waiting for it.”

Wren laughs. “I don’t think jumping around would’ve even crossed my mind, but good to know.”

The cracker takes a couple minutes, and then we hear a loudclick.Finn gestures to it, and Wren takes the device off before opening the safe.

“Perfect,” Finn says. “From here, what happens?”

“I take the hard drive and the cracker and put them both in Aubrey’s makeup bag, close the safe, put the painting back in place, and get the hell out of there.”

Elliot has been standing silently by the fireplace, but now he cuts in. “Aubrey said that the painting seemed to be on hinges. My guess is there are magnets installed in the wall and on the back of the painting. That way, the unattached side doesn’t swing out from the wall randomly and reveal the safe. So expect some resistance when you’re pulling it back.”

“Got it.”

Finn closes and locks the safe. “Again. You’re practicing until you can do this with your eyes closed. Odds are, you’re not gonna have great lighting.”

Before Wren gets back to work, she moves to where I’m sitting in an armchair and kisses me. “Still not afraid of you,” she whispers so only I hear.

It’s the third time she’s told me that since she watched me kill Austin. Her reassurance is sweet, and while I believe her, I’m worried I made a bad call by letting her come with me—not that she gave me much of a choice.

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