Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
“‘Ten percent off your next order at Marco’s Pizzeria,’” Amelia read, voice flat. Hoots rose up from the audience all around, Fred’s booming laugh grating on her nerves. There was fine print too: “‘Order value must be over $200.’”
Laughter around them redoubled. Amelia glared at Leo, who cringed. “Sorry,” he said. “There’s one dud prize per retreat. They’re handed out randomly. It gets talked about every year.”
“Lucky losers!” Ari cackled and slapped Leo on the back. “Sounds like we’re having a pizza party tonight.”
“Make sure to get a vegetarian one for me!” Vanessa called out, leaning on her boyfriend’s arm, a mocking smile on her lips.
“All right, people,” Fred called out, “Get your orders in to St. James. We’ll have to warn Marco’s early so they have time to prepare.”
“Wait,” Amelia called, “not only do we not get a free trip to Europe, but we actually have to use our prize to feed you all?”
“It’s tradition,” Robert said with a wink, and he immediately moved up to the top spot on Amelia’s suspect list. He was way too gleeful right now to be a good person.
“This is just great,” Amelia grumbled, rereading the luxurious paper in her hands in case the letters had magically rearranged themselves (they hadn’t).
Leo’s arm curled around her shoulder, and he tugged her close. “You did a good job, though. I’m proud of you.”
“Don’t even,” Amelia said, but her lips curled. “I’m so mad right now.”
“No, you aren’t.” His lips brushed her temple. “If you were mad, you’d get that cute little wrinkle between your eyebrows.” He laughed. “There it is.”
“You’re the worst.”
His smile was devastating. She’d never been a good liar.
Lunch was served on the lawn, a long buffet of delicious food. Teams congratulated Amelia and Leo on their win, and Amelia got the sense that the dud prize was actually coveted among the group. She got more slaps on the back and vigorous handshakes than any of the other winners, and Trudy actually seemed a little jealous.
Given the choice, Amelia would still take Vienna, though.
Leo went around taking orders from everyone so he could call the pizza place. When he leaned over to write them down on the back of the envelope that had held their prize, he stuck out his tongue ever so slightly on the left side. It was cute.
“I know you were following me,” Vanessa said quietly.
It took all of Amelia’s self-control not to jump. She sipped the water bottle she’d nabbed from the drinks table and popped a brow at the other woman. “Excuse me?”
“Earlier. I know you and Leo followed me to that room.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“My father is a gambling addict,” Vanessa blurted. For a brief moment, her gaze was raw. Then she straightened her spine and sneered at Amelia. “There. Happy? He just had a bad relapse, and he needs money. It’s been…a tough year.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry.”
“Spare me.” Vanessa flicked a piece of lint off her shoulder. “I don’t need your pity. I’ve been dealing with this for years, and it’s no different from any other time. I wouldn’t send him a dime, except he’s my father and he’d be on the street otherwise. All right?”
“You sound like a good daughter.”
Vanessa snorted, beautiful lips curled into a snarl. “And I don’t need you spreading my business to everyone in the company, so keep it to yourselves and stop following me around, yeah?”
Amelia nodded, chastened. “Of course. I’m sorry.”
This was Amelia’s chance to ask about Ari. She could find out what they were talking about the day of the scavenger hunt, what she meant by not getting involved with him.
Vanessa held Amelia’s gaze. She was fearsome, beautiful, and extremely scary. Words stuck in Amelia’s throat.
The other woman pursed her lips. “And tell your fiancé not to forget my vegetarian pizza.”
As she walked away, Leo approached. “What was that about?”
“I don’t think Vanessa took the ring,” Amelia answered quietly.
“No?”
“Her father has a problem with gambling,” she told him, “but it didn’t sound like he’d had a big loss or anything. Sounded like an ongoing thing. Not a good enough motive.”
“You still like Ari for it?” Leo asked. They were a little ways apart from everyone, and it gave them the chance to look at all the guests and staff. Nadia even made an appearance, heading for Fred’s side on the other side of the gathering. She still looked sad, but she was putting on a brave face. Her cast hadn’t changed color since the first day of the retreat, and she cradled her dog in her good arm.
“I don’t know. The list is weird. Why would previous clients of Goodhew want to buy a ring? It makes no sense.”
“Let’s call one of them and find out.”
Amelia’s gaze widened. “What?”
“Tonight. After dinner. We’ll call one of the names on the list.”
“No,” Amelia said, then poked Leo in the chest. “ You will call one of them. I’ll listen and deny any involvement when you get caught.”
Leo grinned. “Fine.” He presented her with the list of requests for tonight’s pizza party. “You can make this call instead.”
Nothing of note happened for the rest of the afternoon. The hours between lunch and dinner were free of team-building games, but a large group went for a walk around the estate together, and another group lounged by the pool. It was still a bit nippy to be lying outside in a bathing suit, so Leo tugged on Amelia’s hand and went wandering in the house. They crossed Cora, George, and Gregory, who’d evidently had the same idea and were enjoying the ornate interior of the mansion. Based on George’s recommendations, Leo and Amelia found a gorgeous library full of old books. It filled the entire round turret Leo had spotted when they first drove up to the house, bookshelves built into the curving walls, chairs clustered around the center. There were a few display cases holding antique-looking vases, glittering bits and bobs, and various curiosities that were no doubt priceless.
They lost themselves there for a couple of hours.
Leo stole glances at Amelia whenever she wasn’t looking. She read with full focus, like the rest of the world disappeared as soon as she opened a tome. He imagined that’s what she looked like when she sat down to work on a data analysis problem. It was hot.
Then again, he thought everything about her was hot. The more time he spent with her, the more attractive he found her. That had never happened to him before, and it threw him. There was no denying it: Leo had it bad.
Maybe it was a passing crush. Maybe as soon as they were out of here and back in the real world, his fondness for her would fade. It wasn’t really love. After all, he didn’t know what love was. This was just a strange reaction to a strange situation.
That evening, the pizza party was a huge hit. Amelia even seemed to enjoy herself, spending most of the time sitting next to Cora, their heads bent close together as they talked.
“Smart woman you’ve got there,” Fred said, nudging his shoulder to Leo’s.
He was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the lies he’d had to tell this week. He respected his boss, and he loved his job. He hated that he’d dug this hole for himself. His response, at least, was true: “She’s pretty incredible.”
Fred studied him for a beat. “I’m glad to have you here this week, St. James. Your management of the Montague vow renewal was excellent. You stayed cool even when the clients were difficult, and you made sure you delivered on the brief. I want you to know you deserve to be here with all the rest of the team. The work you’ve been putting in the past twelve to eighteen months hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
Throat tight, Leo dipped his chin. That was high praise from Fred. The big man had a gregarious personality, but it was rare that he was so generous with his compliments.
“This job means a lot to me,” Leo told him. Another truth. “People don’t always take me seriously, but I feel like I’ve finally found something I’m good at. I appreciate you trusting me with larger events this year.”
Fred’s gaze was solemn. He let out a short sigh and opened his mouth to speak, but Percival, wearing his tails and tie, as always, materialized at Fred’s elbow. “Sir,” the butler said quietly. “A word.”
“Excuse me.” Fred followed his butler a few steps away, but not far enough that Leo couldn’t hear what they said.
“Some items seem to be missing,” the butler said. “We’ve done a search of the house, and three of the rare coins in the library collection have been removed. The lock on the glass cabinet was broken.”
Leo’s heart thundered.
“Grandmama’s cake topper and tiara?” Fred hissed.
“Still secure, but it looks like the lock on their display case was tampered with. With your approval, I’d like to move them to a more secure location.”
“Do it.” Fred’s voice was a low rumble that promised death. “Who’s been in the library? I want a list of names. Check the cameras.”
Uh-oh . That was not good.
Leo willed himself not to glance at the two men and instead smiled as Trudy touched her glass to his. As she greeted him, the rest of Fred and Percival’s conversation was drowned out. “You’re a lucky man, Leo,” she said, fondness in her gaze when she glanced at Amelia.
“I am,” Leo agreed.
“Did you know, Robert and I were beginning to believe your fiancée didn’t exist at all.” She laughed, shaking her head. “He had this whole theory about never having met her, and her silly stage name that sounded like something a toddler would come up with when they were trying to lie.” She batted at his arm, shaking her head fondly. “Hilarious.”
Leo’s smile was tight. “Yeah. Ha…ha. Hilarious. Kind of like the rumor that Robert was in the Mob.”
Trudy’s expression froze for the slightest moment. Then she chuckled a bit woodenly and shook her head. “Where do people come up with this stuff? Excuse me.” Just like that, she walked away, leaving Leo slightly shocked.
… Was Rob a former made man?
By the time Amelia joined him and they made their way to their room, Leo’s head was spinning. He kept expecting Fred to corner him and accuse him of stealing the rare coins from the library, but his boss had merely stayed in the room and watched his employees with a line between his brows.
“Did you make any discoveries?” Amelia said when they’d locked the door to their suite.
Leo filled her in on the coins and on Trudy’s reaction, to Amelia’s utter amazement. He watched her face change from interest to shock to concern, landing on delight tinged with worry.
“Does Fred think we took the coins?”
“I don’t know.”
Amelia gnawed her bottom lip. “Someone’s stealing from him.”
“All this time, I half-thought Nadia had just lost her ring,” Leo admitted. “And I figured Ari was lying about the watch, and he was really looking for the list we took.”
“Me too.”
“But with the coins gone, I think there is actually a thief among us.”
“I didn’t even notice the coins,” Amelia said, frowning.
“You were too engrossed in your book.” Leo had loved watching her read. He’d spent way too long staring at her as she gasped and giggled and lost herself in the story she’d picked up. “The coins were next to the door, on the far side of the writing desk next to the window.”
“What do we do?” Amelia tucked her legs up and wrapped her arms around her shins, resting her chin on her knee. “It was kind of fun snooping around before, but…”
“Now it feels serious?”
She nodded.
Leo stretched out on the armchair he’d chosen, threading his fingers together behind his head. He glanced at the couch cushion beside Amelia and set his lips in a grim line. “Let’s call those numbers and find out what Ari’s hiding.”