Page 55 of Written with Love

“Well, it’s all over the news about that actress telling the world there’s a missing diamond in this place. All anyone has to do is beat you to the punch.” Palmer sighed. “FYI, my men have a bet going on who will find it.” He shook his head. “Trust me, if they did, you’d be the first to know. Finders are not keepers in this case.”

“Thanks,” Max said absently.

“I guess we need to bump up our security around here,” Aiden said from the doorway. “Show Nick what you found,” he said to Palmer. After the two men disappeared back through the pantry, Aiden jotted down everything that had happened as he and Juliette explained.

Max sat, his head still throbbing despite Dr. Stevens’ earlier assurances that he didn’t have a concussion—just a nasty lump. Juliette hadn’t left his side since she’d found him in the basement, and he was grateful for it. Her presence kept him grounded, even as frustration gnawed at him.

Dr. Stevens packed up his bag and stood, giving Max a pointed look. “Take it easy for the rest of the night. No sudden movements, no heavy lifting. If you feel dizzy or nauseous, get checked out at the hospital.”

Max nodded. “Got it. Thanks, Doc.”

The man gave him a curt nod before heading for the door. Aiden stepped aside to let him pass, then turned back to them. “Alright, let’s go over this again. From the beginning.”

Juliette sat close beside Max, her hand still resting lightly on his arm. “I’d just arrived around three thirty and went looking for Max to help me carry my things in. When I couldn’t find him, I asked around and when one of the workers realized they hadn’t seen him in a while, we started looking. It took almost an hour before I finally found him in the basement, unconscious.” Her voice trembled slightly, and Max hated that this had shaken her so much. “I almost missed him. If I hadn’t seen his shoes sticking out from behind the dresser…”

Aiden nodded, jotting notes. “And you didn’t see or hear anything before you got hit?”

Max exhaled slowly, replaying the moment in his head. “I’d just walked in, was checking out the old furniture and boxes, trying to decide what to move out first, when I heard someone come in behind me. I figured it was one of the workers—then bam, lights out.” He frowned, flexing his fingers. “Whoever it was didn’t take anything. My wallet, phone, everything is still on me.”

Aiden’s jaw tensed. “That’s what’s bothering me. If it was a thief, why not at least take something? And if it was someone trying to find the diamond, as Palmer pointed out…”

Before Max could respond, Palmer returned with Nick. Nick looked grim, holding up a large red pipe wrench in a bag. “This was underneath the old dresser. Hard to tell, but it appears a few boxes were gone through. Max, you’d know better if things were moved around down there.”

“Any idea who this belongs to?” Aiden asked Palmer.

“Sure do, it’s mine. I have my business initials etched in all of my tools so they don’t walk off a job site.” He motioned to the tool. “But any of my workers, or anyone else for that matter, could have picked it up from one of the toolboxes while we weren’t looking.”

“Right.” Aiden nodded.

Max leaned forward, ignoring the way his head protested. “So what’s the next move?”

Aiden tucked the tool into a black bag. “First, let’s make sure we lock everything up tight at night.” He shot Max a pointed look, “And yeah, it might be time to step up security. Palmer knows how to install a pretty nice security system, if it’s within your budget.”

Max sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Already on our list.”

“I’ll start first thing in the morning,” Palmer said.

Juliette squeezed his hand, her expression firm. “We’ll figure this out.”

He met her gaze and found himself believing her. No matter what—or who—was behind this, they weren’t going to let it ruin everything he’d just gained. Her. Here with him.