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“Sophisticated baked goods.”

Her palm lands squarely on my ass. I freeze. Behind me comes an innocent, “Have fun.”

I seethe playfully, “Domestic menace.”

“Your domestic menace.”

Beautifully true.

Three hours later, I’m behind Hannah’s pastry counter, surrounded by enough packaging samples to make me reconsider capitalism. We’ve finalized the maple-cherry entremet, approved the inserts, and filmed thirty seconds of me pretending I haven’t eaten the same tart six times. By four-thirty, the cameras are packed, and Hannah has flipped the front sign to CLOSING EARLY — PRIVATE EVENT.

I’m carrying two trays toward the kitchen when the bell above the door jingles.

“We’re closing,” Hannah calls.

“I won’t take long.”

The voice stops me. Salt-and-pepper hair. Dark coat. Controlled posture. The man from Saint Violet, the same face I’ve caught across a crowded club and a zoo parking lot. I set the trays down carefully.

Hannah catches the change in me. “You know him?”

“No.” Which is the problem. “I’ll handle this.”

She retreats toward the back while the stranger glances around the empty bakery as if expecting someone. Every muscle in my body locks. I cross the room, veins throbbing beneath my tattoos, and jerk my chin toward the side door. “Outside.”

I push into the narrow courtyard beside the bakery and hold the door until he follows. Late-afternoon traffic murmurs beyond the alley.

“You have sixty seconds to explain why you’ve been stalking my girlfriend.”

He doesn’t flinch. “Did Jubilee come with you today?”

“No.” I glance at my watch. “Fifty-one seconds.”

He reaches slowly inside his coat, and my weight shifts onto the balls of my feet. “Business card.”

I take it.

RICKETTS ADVISORY GROUP

Joshua E. Ricketts – Estate Research & Asset Recovery

Everything below the name disappears. Ricketts. Brown leather cracked along one corner. A drawer that sticks every summer. A little girl smiling from an old photograph. I held that wallet a few weeks ago and put it back without a second thought.

My eyes lift to his. “What did you say your name was?”

“Joshua Ricketts.”

“Why are you looking for Jubilee?”

His breath leaves slowly. “Her father, Jacob, was my brother.”

The whole world goes quiet inside me. “Full name.”

“Jacob Elias Ricketts.”

Ice spreads through my veins. I know that name. I know exactly what kind of man carried it.

Joshua’s gaze sharpens. “You all right?”