Chapter 2 - All the Doors Locked
The click was soft. That's what made it terrifying.
A man in a gray suit pressed his earpiece. Another moved in front of the terrace doors. Guests looked from one guard to the next, waiting for somebody richer to explain the inconvenience.
"This event has a private security protocol," Conrad announced. "Nobody is in danger."
"Funny thing to say after locking people inside," I replied.
Vanessa got to her feet with help from her maid of honor. One heel had snapped off; she held the broken shoe like a weapon. "Her name is Mara Reyes. She lied to get hired."
"I used my mother's last name on the application," I said. "That's not a crime."
Conrad's smile stayed on. "Miss Reyes, you came into my home under false pretenses. Let's speak somewhere quiet."
"You're welcome to speak right here."
He glanced at the nearest guard, a broad man with a scar crossing his chin. The guard stepped toward me. I put the tray between us.
"Touch me," I said, "and I'll make sure your boss explains it to every camera in this room."
A dozen phones rose. The guards hesitated. Rich people loved a scandal until it threatened their own footage.
Adrian turned to Vanessa. "What papers?"
"She doesn't know what she's talking about."
"Then answer her."
Conrad's voice grew cold. "Adrian, this is a family matter."
"I'm marrying into your family Saturday. Maybe I should know which part."
I almost liked him for that. Almost. Adrian's company had built the software that now handled Sterling Foundation donations. He had spent months defending Vanessa's charity in interviews. He had a stake in the lie whether he knew it or not.
I slipped my hand into my apron. The guard lunged. He grabbed my wrist and twisted it. Pain flashed through my elbow. I drove my heel against his instep and yanked free, but my phone fell out. He snatched it.
"There," Vanessa said, triumphant. "Now delete whatever she's recording."
"It's not recording," I told her. "It's playing."
Across the ballroom, the wall-sized screen behind the engagement portraits flickered. Vanessa's smiling face disappeared. In its place came a scan of a legal document.
At the bottom were three signatures.
May you like
One belonged to Conrad. One belonged to Daniel Reyes.
The third belonged to Vanessa Sterling, who had been only sixteen years old.
