Page 74 of Veiled

Aiden and Greg are surrounded by a group of men when I step outside, but Aiden still spots me immediately and excuses himself. “Thank you, Sweetheart,” he says as he takes the beers from my hand and leans down to give me a soft kiss.

“Time to go to work,” I whisper against his lips. “She’s distracted for the next few minutes.”

He kisses me again, this time a little longer than a peck, “Be careful.”

“Now, where’s the fun in that?” I say with a wink, before turning to walk back into the house.

I can hear Tara talking with the drunk woman through the door and find my way to her.

“Hey, sorry, do you happen to have another restroom I can use?”

“Yeah, you can use mine. Go back toward the front door, and then it’s the door on the far right.”

I give her my thanks, then find my way into her bedroom, locking the door behind me.

The room is gorgeous, with the same wall of windows overlooking the ocean as our rental has. Everything is clean, like not even a speck of dust on any of the surfaces, and there are intricate framed photos of Greg and Tara spread all around the room.

I know I only have a few minutes to look before Tara will question what’s taking me so long, so I don’t hesitate to start searching. Careful not to move anything out of place, I feel around the dresser drawers, closets, and look under the bed. I look through the nightstands and bathroom drawers, but there isn’t a hard drive to be found. The only things I find of interest are two guns—one in Greg’s nightstand, and the other on a shelf under his folded pants in the closet—both of which were obviously obtained illegally since only military and law enforcement are authorized to own them.

I dump part of my drink down the sink as I pretend to wash my hands, before walking back out into the party.

Tara is just walking into the packed living room when I enter from the other side. As I start to move in her direction, I listen to the pieces of conversation I can hear around me. It’s all your standard small-town gossip—who is speculated to be having affairs, what some woman named Jeanney wore to the last social event, and which families are new to town. I am listening to three women gush about how good-looking Greg is when I spot two familiar faces standing near the far wall. Bianca and her partner are here, but since they aren’t interacting with anyone, I have no way of guessing what their mission is. I catch Bianca’s eye for a split second, and she gives me the briefest of nods before her partner nudges her and narrows her eyes in a silent scolding. Even the slightest indication that we know each other could blow both of our covers.

I continue the rest of the way to Tara without stopping.

“There you are! Sorry about that. That girl never knows when to quit, but her husband graduated with Greg, so they are always invited to events. Let’s get you a refill, and I’ll give you the grand tour.”

Tara moves with grace, pointing out various features of the house with pride. She leads me upstairs to a wide, airy hallway lined with art.

“Greg had this piece commissioned for me for our first Anniversary,” she says, pointing to a large abstract painting framed in gold. It’s all sweeping lines of crimson and creams, the kind of art that’s meant to look effortless but screams expensive. “He said it reminded him of me—chaotic but beautiful.”

She laughs lightly, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. I force a polite smile, tilting my head as if admiring the piece. “It’s lovely,” I say. “Bold. Brave.” Tara beams, taking the subtle compliment, before giving me the rest of the tour.

“No home office?” I ask in a tone I hope comes across as casually curious. “I love that! Aiden is always bringing his work home with him.”

“Oh, no. Greg refuses to bring it home. Everything important stays at his office in the city.” Tara’s eyes dart around, like she’s worried someone might be listening. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s very dedicated to his work, but he says it’s a way to keep things separate, you know? Focus on home life when he’s home.”

“Maybe we should have him share that tip with Aiden, too,” I joke, trying to ease her discomfort.

Now we know the ‘secured location’ we need to get into before tomorrow afternoon.

Aiden finds me in the living room a little while later, wrapping his big arms around me from behind and kissing my neck. Goosebumps race down my spine, and there is no doubt in my mind that Aiden noticed.

“Still so sensitive, Mrs. Carter.”

As my body melts into him, I can’t keep my eyes off Tara and the way she flinches when Greg moves too fast in her direction. The signs are all there, and I can’t help but wonder where Scion found our mock targets.

Turning in Aiden’s arms, I stand on my toes to whisper in his ear. “There’s something off about Greg. Please be careful.”

He pulls back, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Are you ok? Did something happen?”

“Everything’s fine, just don’t want anything to happen to my husband,” I say, needing to keep character but hoping he takes my warning seriously.

For the next few hours, Aiden and I make small talk with all of the Rowes’ neighbors and friends; sometimes together, sometimes on opposite sides of the house. Despite my suspicion that the drive is in the city, we each find time to search the rest of the rooms, to be on the safe side.

When someone suggests a toast in the late afternoon, I make my way out back to find Aiden. Standing with Greg, cigar in hand, he’s listening to a tall, beautiful, Viking-like man with long blonde hair recall a funny story from a vacation he and his wife took over the summer.

As soon as Aiden sees me, he extends his free arm for me to come lean against him.