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?I was utterly incensed when Jack casually strolled into Rose’s garage a few hours later.
“Armed guards? Seriously?” I shoved him in the chest. He had a nice chest, so it wasn’t a hardship. “Is that why you bailed at the last minute? You knew they’d come out shooting and you didn’t want to be killed? Did it ever occur to you that was information we needed to know?”
“He’s an insanely rich property and casino guy.” Jack gave a casual shrug, like he hadn’t just sent us to die. “He has a fifteen-thousand-square-foot mansion filled with expensive art and a $25 million necklace sitting in a safe. Did you think he wasn’t going to protect it?”
“We could have been killed.” I moved to shove him again, but he grabbed my hands.
“That’s why Gage was there. He told me he shot their gas tank and disabled their boat. That’s the job he was hired to do.”
“You didn’t tell us we were going into a potentially life-threatening situation. You didn’t warn us.” It was difficult to stay angry and indignant when he was standing so close, I could feel the heat of his body and breathe in the subtle woody fragrance of his woman-wooing cologne.
“And neither did Gage.” I glared at Gage, but he wasn’t looking at me. Chloe had just walked in, and his lips had tipped at the corners in what I suspected was a smile. And why not? She was wearing a yellow sundress with little white flowers, a big floppy hat, and a pair of white kitten heels. If sunshine could have a human form, it would be my girl.
“Gage?” I repeated. “Care to comment?”
“No.”
“Try again.”
He sighed and held up his phone. “I’ve calculated the timetable and routes of the security team. We’ll need to do another recon to cover dusk to dawn.”
“You did that and caught three fish?” I gestured to the cooler by the door.
“I’m good at multitasking.”
“You’re also good at withholding vital information. Things like, ‘Be careful because this guy is so paranoid about security, he’ll shoot down—’？”
I cut myself off when I remembered poor Anil would be going home without his drone. He hadn’t said a word since we’d docked. Not even when we’d finally pulled in the inner tube and Emma had asked Cristian if he’d enjoyed the enema.
“Everyone is safe.” Jack placed my hands on his chest as if the feel of rock-hard muscle under my palms would slow my thundering heart.
“Don’t be condescending.” I ripped my hands away. “Where were you during all this? Oh wait! I remember. You decided not to follow the plan and just waltz up to their house instead.”
“With all due respect,” Jack said. “The plan sucked.”
“You agreed to the plan.”
“When I realized it sucked, I came up with a better plan.”
“Maybe you should have shared that with the class.”
“You would have gotten in the way.” His supercilious tone infuriated me. Adrenaline throbbed through my veins, demanding release. I grabbed the nearest whiteboard pen and threw it across the room.
“Feel better?” Jack asked.
“No.”
“How about we cool off with a snack?” Rose suggested. “Chef Pierre made mousse yesterday for a bedroom game and there’s still a lot left. I wouldn’t mind trying it with a bowl and spoon.”
“That would be a big no for me.” I shuddered and looked around the room. “Anyone else want some sex-game mousse leftovers?”
“Is it chocolate?” Emma asked. “I’ll take it if it’s chocolate.”
Rose went to get the mousse for the only taker in the room. I went to sit with Anil and watch the drone footage he’d saved before Honey went down.
“Apple?” He offered me a piece of fruit from the bag beside him.
“Aren’t you worried you’ll get cyanide poisoning from the seeds? I’ve never known anyone to eat so many apples.”
“I would need to eat anywhere from one hundred and fifty to several thousand crushed seeds to be at risk of cyanide poisoning,” he said. “The average apple contains only about five to eight seeds. So unless I’m eating eighteen apple cores a day and have been meticulously chewing all the seeds, I should be fine. I usually limit myself to six.”
“Have you ever considered other fruits?”
“Why? Apples are the best.” Anil pulled up the video. “We got a good aerial view with shots of the entire property, exits and entrances, guard postings, and perimeter paths. I was just moving in to check out the vans when the . . .” He choked, tears welling in his eyes. “Bees attacked Honey.”
“Because of him.” I pointed to Jack. “It’s his fault. If he hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t have sent Honey down to check him out.”
“To be fair, we needed to get closer to find out what was going on,” Anil offered, guaranteeing himself no gift at Christmas.
“They’re having a wedding at the property,” Jack said. “Their daughter Bella is getting married. The vans were from the catering service, the videographer, and the event company providing the tents. Apparently, Bella just fired her wedding planner, and no one knew what was going on. It was chaos. My favorite thing.”
“Bella Angelini.” Chloe read off her phone. “Her engagement was big society news last year and she’s got lots of wedding stuff on her social. She’s marrying Mario D’Amico in three weeks. Looks like she’s a bit of a bridezilla. Three of her bridesmaids have been replaced and she’s managed to piss off most of the wedding vendors in town.”
“There’s no chance we’ll be able to break in.” Anil picked up his third apple. Or maybe it was his fourth. I wished apples were my go-to food for stress eating, but no. I gravitated to candy and fried food. “It’s a fortress,” he continued. “There are cameras everywhere. The fence is electric, and I saw two dog kennels. The guards are armed and clearly not afraid to shoot.”
“What about the day of the wedding?” I suggested. “Security won’t be as tight. There will be lots of people there: guests, vendors, staff . . .”
“It’s a double-edged sword,” Rose said. She’d returned with a tray of mousse in tiny cups. “More people means more eyes watching what’s going on.”
“We can’t just crash the wedding.” Chloe took two cups of mousse and offered one to me. “Someone would know we didn’t belong.”
I had no self-control when it came to desserts so I took the cup and tried not to think about where it might have been. “What if we got invited?”
“Does anyone know the bride or groom or their families?” Rose surveyed the room. “No one? You’re a disappointing bunch. Back in the day, I knew everyone who was anyone in Chicago.”
“I could find out where her mom hangs out and offer her some life coaching.” Cristian had changed out of his Speedo and into a pair of mustard pants and a skin-tight white shirt. He seemed no worse for wear after his ordeal. “I am your inside man, after all.”