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Ari let out a shaky breath and pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. She wasalonein this. She had no plan. No options.

Best-case scenario, she’d be slapped with some petty theft charge and her name splashed across every shitty gossip site for a week.

Worst case, prison. Because it was her word against Paris’s, a natural-born liar who would do everything she could to make this bad for Ari.

Nancy had been right. This had been aterribleidea. And now it was over. Not just this plan, but them. Not that there had been athemto begin with.

She let out a bitter laugh and dropped onto a dusty chaise, staring up at the ceiling. She shouldn’t have kissed her. She’d known it was a risk. But she’d thought that it was worth it, for where it might lead.

But Nancy had looked at her like she was a mistake.

Ari wasn’t sure how much more of that she could take. Not only did she not get the necklace, but it was broken. Everything was broken.

Forty-Five

Nancy lingered at the open gates of the grand estate, looking up the drive to the entrance of the manor. The same security team that had dragged Ari off stood firm by the door, their expressions unreadable behind their earpieces and stiff postures.

Nancy exhaled, rubbing a hand over her jaw. She had no plan. But Ari never had a plan, and she was… well, locked up, actually.

But Nancy didn’t care. She was going in. She was getting Ari out. Whatever had happened between them, whatever it meant or didn’t mean, Nancy just couldn’t help it. She cared about that woman. Idiotically so, it would seem.

The main doors were a no-go. But big estates meant service entrances, hidden staff corridors, and ways in and out that weren’t meant for guests.

She crept through the gates and walked around the perimeter, keeping her pace casual, scanning for an opportunity. A catering truck was parked near a back entrance, staff in crisp white shirts moving in and out. That could work.

Nancy straightened her posture and strode toward the catering entrance as if she had every right to be there. Confidence was half the battle.

She slipped through the doorway, stepping aside quickly to avoid bumping into a frazzled server. The hallway smelled of roasted meat, the clatter of dishes echoing from the kitchen justbeyond. No one paid her any attention—good. She kept moving, weaving past busy staff, her eyes sweeping the layout.

A set of double doors led out into the main reception hall. That was no good. She needed to stay out of sight long enough to figure out how to get to Ari. To find her at all. But as she edged forward, a voice behind her cut through the noise.

‘Hey! You’re not supposed to be back here.’

Nancy turned, heart kicking up a notch, and found herself staring at a sharp-eyed woman in a catering uniform, arms crossed.

Damn. Time to improvise.

‘Finally! Do you know how long I’ve been trying to find someone who knows what they’re doing?’ She shook her head as if the entire operation had been a disaster up to this moment. ‘They sent me to check on the seafood trays, and I’ve been running in circles because no one has a bloody clue. Tell me you at least know where the extra oysters are.’

The woman blinked, thrown off balance. ‘The oysters? Wait, aren’t you a guest?’

‘I’m the area manager. I like to keep an eye on my staff in a plain clothes capacity. Right! The oysters! The bride is having a fit because they’re not out yet. Do you want to be the one to explain that to her?’ Nancy leaned in slightly, lowering her voice as if they were in on the same frustrating secret. ‘Because I’d rather avoid that nightmare.’

The woman hesitated, then jerked a thumb toward the kitchen. ‘They should be in cold storage.’

‘Brilliant. I’ll check there.’ Nancy pivoted and strode off before she could be questioned further.

In the kitchen, she found another door that led to what looked like a service corridor. Nancy was pretty sure it would take her almost anywhere in the house.

Forty-Six

Ari was still mulling her mistakes on the chaise, eyes squeezed shut.Idiot.

The door opened with a quiet click. She didn’t look up. She knew it was no one she wanted to see.

Then a voice cut through the silence. ‘Ari.’

She exhaled slowly, dragging her gaze up.