Under ordinary circumstances, Claire would have screamed and danced around in a circle. She was rich—really rich. Something she’d never been before. For some reason, this amazing news didn’t make her feel like dancing. All she could think was that it was one more step toward leaving New York City behind. Her gaze moved to the closed doors across the lobby. She’d be leaving Will behind, too. “Thanks. You’ve been amazing.”
Heather picked up on the first ring, as had been her habit lately. Nothing like potential gossip.
“I’m stuck here late. Let’s go to dinner when I’m free,” Claire said. “We’re gonna celebrate.”
Heather’s voice was so loud and shrill she had to hold the phone away from her ear. “Oh, my God! You got laid.”
If only. Claire stood and looked out the window at the gridlocked traffic in the street below. “No. The money has been transferred and is available now. You know what that means.”
“Woo! It means you’re rich! Text when you’re done,” Heather said. “Be ready to dish on your date with your hunky man.”
He wasn’t her hunky man. Sadly, he never would be.
…
Will stared at the bank of monitors that fed from security cameras placed strategically throughout the office. He had muted the audio on all but the one in the main lobby. Every now and then, Claire drifted through a screen and a cold, sad wave of regret washed through him.
He watched her talk to an elderly man inspecting a topaz necklace in one of the auction lots. In her trim suit, she looked professional and businesslike, but every bit a woman, and he knew exactly what that woman looked like under that suit. Even knowing he’d lost her, his body reacted. If only he could go back and do things differently.
Polly Guidry and her new man arrived. She’d been a client since Will was a boy, and he’d recognize her anywhere. Her complicated and remarkably large hairstyle was…unforgettable. On the top right monitor, Will watched Chance go into action. He strode over to Claire and spoke with her a moment, then he led her toward Polly.
This was it. Will turned up the volume on the monitor where Polly was visible. Unfortunately, Claire was facing away and the room had a ton of background noise, so he couldn’t hear them talking. It appeared from the visual that casual, introductory pleasantries occurred and then Claire wandered off to meet up with one of her coworkers. Polly continued gabbing with her cronies as if nothing had happened. Chance looked up at the camera and shrugged. Will sat back in his chair satisfied. The girl he’d come to know just didn’t fit the profile, and he’d known that all along.
The door opened with a click behind him. Chance entered wearing a grin. “Case closed. I called Michael and he’s satisfied ruling her out.”
“There was never a case. I told you she didn’t do it.”
“You sure did.” He closed the door. “And now you have to discover who’s really doing it. But that’s not the biggest problem right now,” Chance continued, studying the monitors. The prospective buyers were arriving and filling up the seats. Will scanned the two screens that covered the lobby but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
“There,” Chance said, pointing at the screen on the bottom left that focused on the elevators.
Holy fuck. Will’s stomach dropped to his feet. Beth was there, working the room. He hadn’t seen her since before his last deployment and had hoped never to cross her path again. He lowered himself back down into the chair, unable to pull his eyes away from the woman he hadn’t seen in years. The one who’d rendered him little more than a shell almost a year ago.
“Wonder what she’s doing here?” Will said, more to himself than his brother. “It’s by invitation only.”
“Her mom is friends with Polly. And just so you know, she was asking for you. I told you she broke up with her boyfriend and was sniffing around again.” Chance pulled a rolling chair over from the desk in the corner and sat beside his brother at the bank of security monitors. “Grilling every person wearing an Anderson badge. If I were you, I’d stay in here. She’s on the hunt. You’re prime prey.”
Prey. Will shook his head and watched Beth pretend to be interested in something a middle-aged man was saying while her eyes scanned the room like the predator Chance had described.
The auctioneer stepped up onto the raised platform and slid behind the lectern. By security standards, everything was running like clockwork. By emotional stability standards, everything was completely fucked up. Beth popped up on another screen as she wended her way around the outside of the room, chatting up every AA employee. And then his heart completely stopped as she approached Claire. Seeing the two of them together made him scoot to the edge of his seat.
“Holy shit,” Chance said. “Claire’s going to throw down. Look at her body language.”
Sure enough, tiny Claire was squaring off with Beth, if not consciously, then instinctually. She stood straighter as they spoke and clutched the sides of her skirt in fists. Then she pointed to her left. The two women moved from one screen to the next, as Beth followed Claire into a small conference room between the elevators and Claire’s office. This room was fully visible on the screen.