I told myself I was being careful.
I told myself this was smart.
The truth was, I was running on something sharper than logic. A combination of anger and instinct that made my skin buzz. I had seen this version of him before. The genial charm and the strategic warmth. The way he slid into spaces that weren’t meant for him and made people believe he belonged there.
Not again.
He veered away from the ballroom toward a narrower corridor that led deeper into the lodge. The lighting changed immediately, softer and dimmer, the music fading into a distant hum. Staff moved through here more frequently, carrying trays, speaking quietly into headsets, focused on tasks rather than guests.
I hesitated.
This was where it crossed from observation into something riskier. I knew that. I also knew that if I turned back now, I would spend the rest of the evening wondering what he had done while I stood politely under chandeliers pretending nothing was wrong.
I could tell Carly, but I didn’t know if she would believe me. I could tell Ephram, but if he interrupted Gavin, then while we would be preventing a crime, we wouldn’t catch him in the act if he intended to rob the Hale Gala just like he had robbed us at our Christmas dance.
Gavin stopped near a side table, speaking briefly with a server. I slowed, pretending to adjust my shoe, watching his hands. He gestured casually, then continued on, slipping through a door markedprivatewithout so much as a glance over his shoulder.
My heart began to pound.
I waited a moment, then another, counting breaths. When I reached the door, it was already swinging shut. I caught it just before it latched and stepped through, my pulse loud in my ears.
The hallway beyond was quiet, carpeted thickly enough that my steps made almost no sound. The air smelled faintly of cleaning solution and pine. Doors lined the walls, some labeled for storage, others unmarked. This was not a place meant for guests to linger.
I stayed close to the wall, moving slowly, peering ahead.
Gavin was halfway down the hall, his back to me now, shoulders relaxed. He paused again, checking his phone, then slipped into another doorway. I reached it moments later, pressing myself to the side as I listened.
Muted voices. One of them was his.
I leaned closer, straining to hear anything useful, my earlier confidence dissolving into raw nerves. I had no plan beyond not letting him disappear. I had no idea what I was going to do and no backup.
This was foolish.
And yet, I couldn’t stop.
I backed away just as footsteps sounded from the opposite direction. I turned instinctively, heart jumping into my throat, and ducked into an alcove meant for cleaning supplies. A cart stood abandoned there, bottles lined up neatly, mop propped against the wall.
I waited, barely breathing.
Two staff members passed, deep in conversation about timing and when to serve the next round of appetizers. Their voices faded. I exhaled slowly, the tension in my shoulders screaming in protest.
This was getting out of hand.
I stepped back into the hallway, intending to retreat, when Gavin emerged from the doorway ahead of me. He looked up, his gaze snapping to mine instantly.
For half a second, neither of us moved.
Then he smiled like a wolf eyeing a rabbit.
“Well,” he said softly, as if we had stumbled into each other by accident. “This is unexpected.”
My pulse roared. “I could say the same.”
His eyes flicked briefly past me, down the hall, then back again. “Are you lost?”
“No,” I said, too quickly. “Are you?”
He chuckled under his breath. “Always suspicious.”
