I don’t move. I hear the car entering the warehouse, but I don’t take my eyes off of Oscar even to look at Claire.
He snags Claire’s arm with a force that makes me grind my jaw. He shoves her down onto her knees next to him.
“Be good, and maybe I’ll keep you as a plaything. Mr. Lorentz, so lovely to see you.” Oscar stands up, glaring at me—I assume to follow his lead.
I stand, hoping against hope that this isn’t who I think it is. The moment I glace back, my mind short-circuits.
Ryan Lorentz. Owner of the world’s largest search engine and God knows what else. The man is the third richest man on the planet.
And he’s dealing with OscarfuckingCano.
This blows our case into the stratosphere. It seems it’s much bigger than we ever anticipated.
“You managed to get it?” Lorentz asks as he shakes Oscar’s hand like they’re old college buddies.
“Of course. I can get my hands on anything; you know that. Sit. Would you like something to drink?”
“Sparkling water if you have it.” Ryan sits in the chair Claire was forced to vacate. “What a lovely new pet.” He glances down at her.
“Ah, yes. Still needs breaking in, if you know what I mean.” Oscar snaps, and Nico comes out of nowhere with two glasses and a bottle of sparkling water. Like a fucking waiter, he pours, smirks at me, and then he’s gone.
Great. Nico was in on it the whole time. Maybe he isn’t such an idiot after all.
My eyes meet Claire’s. Tears trail down her cheeks, and fear shines so clear in her eyes. As much as I want to be mad at her for lying, I can’t. I understand her more than ever, and I silently make a promise to get her out of here.
I’m sorry, she mouths to me, but I shake my head without drawing attention to myself. This is not the time, and I hope to God we get the time to air everything out.
Oscar opens the jewelry box to show Lorentz, and that’s when all hell breaks loose.
Chapter 18
Claire
What the fuck is happening?
I don’t know how Cano found out about me, but if what he said about Chris is the truth, then the sky has officially dropped.
The tears keep falling even though I’m desperate to not show any weakness.
WhentheRyan Lorentz got out of the car, I thought I was going to pass out. This is so much bigger than I anticipated.
But I have a secret: a knife, tucked into my shoe. It’s been my mainstay any time I leave my house. Chris—or whatever his name is—doesn’t even know I’ve been carrying it around. With all the information that’s come to light, I haven’t been able to focus long enough to grab it.
That’s about to change, though. With Cano distracted by Lorentz, I can slowly work my way into my shoe.
I’m distracted momentarily by Lorentz opening the box with the huge-ass diamond in it. Then, I quickly pop out the knife and lunge for Cano at the same time the doors surrounding the warehouse burst open.
“Police, hands up!” Yells echo in the empty space.
So much happens in the span of what feels like three seconds. I’m handcuffed and yanked off the floor.
A woman grabs my arms. “Right this way. We’ll get you down to our office and figure out the rest later.”
“Nova!Shit.” I hear Chris curse, but I can’t see him.
I pull against the hold the woman has on me, but she shoves me toward the open door.
That’s when I hear gunshots.
