Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
How could she have been so blind? How did she miss it?
Amelia berated herself as she sprinted, arms pumping, lungs wheezing. She knew who’d taken the ring. It had been right in front of her face from the first day they’d arrived on the property. She tore through the hallway where the whole gang had exited, feet pounding on the wide timber floors. Skidding to a halt in the dining room, she swore under her breath.
Empty.
Distant clattering alerted her to pursuers. They probably thought she was guilty and trying to escape, but there was no time to explain. No time at all. She had to go .
At the foyer, Amelia hesitated. Was it worth going upstairs to look for the thief, or would they already be gone?
The sound of many people running down the hallway echoed nearer and nearer. Upstairs or outside? Would a thief rush to get their things, or just bolt? The decision tore at her. A wrong one might get her in big trouble. It could get her shot if one of those detectives was trigger-happy. Chest heaving, Amelia started for the stairs—and changed her mind. She whirled, flying out through the first set of front doors, into the small, tiled foyer.
Through the diamond-paned glass of the front door, she saw Cora hobbling down the steps ahead, the old lady’s big yellow purse banging against her side as she hauled her wheelie suitcase down the steps.
“Stop!” she screamed through the closed door, her breaths coming hard and fast.
The suitcase clattered as Cora dragged it down each step, rocking nearly off its wheels at each impact. It had been a different clatter that had helped Amelia figure out Cora’s guilt. In the chaos of the breakfast room, Amelia had heard a lot of utensils clinking. It hadn’t been until she was outside, watching Ari struggle against the cops, that she realized some of that clinking had come from inside Cora’s purse .
She remembered the way Cora had shaken hands with her: grasping normally, then adding another hand on top. It seemed grandmotherly and warm at the time, but it was also distracting. Would she have been able to slip Nadia’s oversized ring off with a handshake like that? And the day they were in the library, they’d met Cora in the hallway. Gregory had been the one to recommend they check out the beautiful old books, but Cora was there too. Had she been using them as cover to find items she could steal?
Cora had been robbing Fred this entire time.
She shoved open the front door and ran through. “Cora, stop!” Amelia lunged for the older woman, who glanced over her shoulder and dropped the suitcase completely.
And, wow. That old lady could move .
Cora sprinted onto the circular drive and headed for the distant front gates. She made it halfway around the fountain before Amelia caught up. Her fingers wrapped around the strap of Cora’s purse, then slipped.
Cora turned and shoved Amelia with both hands. Amelia went stumbling back with a cry, nearly falling into the fountain. Distantly, she heard the crowd of onlookers arrive at the front door and spill onto the steps.
“You silly little girl,” Cora spat, her face twisted into something horrible. “Look what you’ve done.”
Amelia had spent nearly a decade making herself smaller. She’d had her confidence systematically stripped and destroyed. She’d survived an abusive relationship and come out the other side. She’d built her own business and had the courage to ask for help when she decided she was ready to date again.
She wasn’t going to let some white-haired thief talk down to her. Not Cora. Not anyone . Amelia was done making herself small for other people. She wasn’t a silly little girl. She was the only damn person in this place who’d figured out that Cora had been stealing from right under their noses.
Bunching her muscles, Amelia sprang. Her hands closed around the strap of the purse, and amidst the growing noise caused by their growing audience, Amelia tugged and tugged and suddenly she was in a Tug-o-War with a seventy-five-year-old woman.
A savage screech escaped Amelia’s lips as she put all her angst, all her anger, all her old wounds into the effort. She gave one good, hard yank.
The purse ripped right down the middle seam, sending the contents flying through the air like they’d been fired from a slingshot.
Three forks and three knives and a couple of silver spoons glittered in the air before clattering on the gravel drive. Dull rare coins flipped like some strange game of Heads or Tails. Amelia stumbled back and fell on her butt, but not before she saw a gigantic pink diamond glittering in the sunlight. It twirled through the air in a graceful arc, heading straight for the burbling fountain.
Amelia screamed, pointing. “No!”
If the ring hit the water, it could get sucked into the pump. It could be damaged. It could be lost forever. All this effort, for nothing. She watched the ring fly through the air, spinning, spinning, spinning?—
A large body appeared, sprinting past her. Leo jumped. He flew through the air toward the ring, grasping for it with both hands, trying to reach the jewel—then went tumbling right into the fountain.
Water sloshed over the edge of the fountain, spilling onto the gravel drive. Amelia found herself speckled with the spray, its chill shocking her into silence. The fountain’s pool rocked back and forth, all that water displaced by Leo’s big body splashing and sloshing over the edges.
Then—silence.
The world held its breath. The entire assembled crowd—Amelia, Fred, the cops, the guests, the staff, even Cora—sat silent for a long, long second, staring at the lip of the fountain.
Leo’s hand shot up in the air, brandishing twelve million dollars’ worth of vivid pink diamond between his thumb and forefinger. His upper body followed, face set in grim satisfaction. He met Amelia’s gaze, and pride burned in his eyes. Then he turned to Cora and sneered.
“My watch!” Ari cried, staring at a spot on the gravel. “You stole my watch!”
“Oh, be quiet,” Cora grumbled as one of the detectives lifted her onto her feet. Her jaw was set, but she presented her wrists like she knew the drill. “No one cares about your stupid watch. You’re the one who tried to pull one over on Fred. Ever heard of a non-compete agreement, dumbass?”
“Dumbass? You’re calling me a dumbass?” Ari looked like he wanted to explode, but the cuffs were still firmly manacled around his wrists. Cora soon got the same treatment.
Fred hustled over to Leo and took the ring, inspecting it. He let out a breath, relieved, and moved to help Amelia to her feet. Percival was already there, handing a fluffy white towel to Leo as he climbed out of the fountain. Water dripped from his clothing, his hair, and his skin, but he was smiling. Another staff member gathered the stolen silverware, the watch, and the rare coins.
Amelia was bustled inside. The scrapes on her hands and elbows from her tussle with Cora were tended to, and then the detectives came to interview her. She told them everything she knew and even admitted to going into Ari’s room. They were grim, gruff men, and they were a little scary, but she squared her shoulders and told them everything she could.
She’d been serious before: She was done making herself small. She was done shrinking in the presence of others.
“Your name is Amelia Darcy?” one of them asked, pen poised above his notepad.
She nodded. “Yes.”
“And what do you do for work?”
Well, this was it. She couldn’t lie to the cops, so her and Leo’s house of cards would soon come tumbling down. At least they weren’t going to be accused of stealing millions of dollars—or dozens of clients—from Fred Goodhew. She answered honestly, and a long while later, she was released from the room where they’d interviewed her.
Leo, who had been leaning against the wall, straightened and came for her. “Everything good?”
“I think so.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She gave him a small smile. “Are you?”
“Haven’t you heard? I’m a hero.” He grinned, and Amelia’s heart turned over. He was so handsome when he smiled, and when that smile was pointed directly at her. His hand coasted over her cheek, knuckles brushing her skin. “You’re a lucky woman.”
“Hey! I did all the work. I should be the hero. And you’re the lucky one, mister.”
His grin softened. “Don’t I know it.”
They walked to their room, and Amelia took the opportunity to take a shower and wash the sweat and crud and blood off her body. She stood under the spray and let out a long breath.
It was over. Cora had been discovered, and Ari had been exposed. Leo and Amelia were safe from false accusations. They had one more night of supposed team building, and then this whole debacle would be done.
As Amelia dried herself off and wiped the steam from the mirror, she stared at her reflection and realized she was sad.
Did this mean her relationship with Leo was over too?
Dinner was an interesting affair. The mood was a weird bubble of subdued excitement. Fred and Nadia both made an appearance, with Nadia’s ring firmly on her finger once again. They both made a point to thank Amelia and Leo, which Leo appreciated.
He felt guilty for lying to everyone about having a fiancée, but he was in too deep now. If he came clean when Fred was still angry about Cora and Ari’s betrayals, there was no doubt in Leo’s mind that he’d lose his job. When Vanessa had admitted that Ari approached her about joining his new company, Fred had looked like he wanted to fire her too. She hadn’t come down for dinner.
This job was the one thing he was good at. If Fred fired him, Leo didn’t know what he’d do. Maybe if he just made it through this retreat—just one more night and one morning—he could figure out his next move when things weren’t so volatile.
“Mm,” Amelia moaned, wiggling on her chair as she took a bite of roast chicken. “This is incredible.”
Leo couldn’t help stealing a glance at her. It wasn’t just sweets that put that look of bliss on her face. She dipped another bite of chicken into the jus on her plate and closed her eyes in ecstasy when it touched her tongue. Leo was half-hard just watching her.
“The mashed potatoes are unreal,” George agreed from across the table, reminding Leo that now was definitely not the time to be lusting after his fake fiancée.
A waiter appeared between Leo and Amelia, refilling her wine before moving to Leo’s other side to fill his. As the meal progressed, the tension slowly dissolved and conversation flowed more freely.
It was Amelia who finally broke the silence on this morning’s drama. She turned to Nadia and asked, “How does it feel to have the ring back?”
Nadia let out a small gust of breath and smiled at Amelia. “So, so good. I can’t thank you enough.”
Amelia beamed. “I’m just glad we found it. Leo was the real hero.” She jabbed him in the ribs for emphasis, which made him laugh.
“How did you figure it out?” Nadia asked, even though Amelia had been over the story a million times already.
“I heard the silverware clinking in her bag!” Amelia laughed. “If only I’d realized sooner.”
The conversation grew in excitement, and Amelia beamed at all of Leo’s coworkers. A bit of worry slipped out of him. Maybe everything would work out. After the retreat, they’d go back to regular life and all this madness about thieves and betrayals would be over. He could focus on work—and on Amelia.
Once they were out of here, he’d be honest with her. He’d tell her that he’d fallen head over heels for her, and he couldn’t live without her. He’d get a place in Stirling and use it as his home base. He’d come back here between jobs, and ask Fred to give him Ari’s old territory, which would have him home more often. He could show Amelia how much she meant to him.
“We’re going to celebrate tonight,” Nadia proclaimed. “Right, Fred?”
“Anything you want, baby,” Fred told his fiancée with a soft smile. There were more lines on his face, and the man looked tired. Older, somehow. Like the two betrayals that had been uncovered today added a decade onto his age.
“Oh!” Nadia brightened and looked at Amelia. “We should sing karaoke!”
Amelia’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth.
Leo shifted. “Amelia’s voice needs to, um, rest…before, um, her next tour…”
“Nonsense,” Nadia said. “I’m sure she’s been dying to sing. It must feel like withdrawal to go so many days without practicing!”
“Well, not really. It’s been okay,” Amelia responded weakly.
“We’ll do it in the theater,” Nadia proclaimed. Her left hand was still bandaged, the broken fingers in a thick splint, but her arm seemed to be moving more freely. She stabbed a bit of chicken and chewed before smiling at Amelia and Leo.
“Percival,” Fred said, leaning back in his chair.
“Sir?”
“Prepare the theater. We’ll be singing karaoke after dinner tonight.”
Amelia gave Leo a horrified stare. Then her gaze landed on her wine glass, and she downed it in one swig. She put the glass down, then faced Leo again.
“Uh-oh,” she whispered. “This is not good.”