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I drop my hand but hold a finger to my lips. Shh.

“Hello, anyone home?” Gio calls.

I inhale one long breath and close my eyes. In my mind, images play out with the corresponding noises. Gio balances between bushes as he leans over the low fence, looking around. He’s close. Too close. Probably twenty feet away.

The blood drains from my face. I try to swallow, but my throat is too tight. I open my eyes and find Amelia’s expression pinched with confusion.

“Hello?” Gio calls again, and I stiffen.

I think of what he sees. The slider doors are open. Ripples move across the pool’s surface. A pop song about revenge plays over the speakers. By all accounts, someone is home.

Amelia’s head tilts as if she’s assessing our predicament, and I recognize the look. We’ve known each other since kindergarten when five-year-old Colin Fender stole her stuffed dragon, and I jumped him. In turn, Amelia jumped us both. Him for being a thief, me for stealing her chance at vengeance. It’ll take two seconds for her to figure things out.

The only thing that rivals our adolescent shenanigans are our adult ones. This scenario fits snugly on my résumé. My job title? The Pandemonium Princess.

Crunching and shifting sound again, but this time the footsteps pad away. Believing the coast is clear, I lift the inner tube and peek out to scan the property boundaries. When I find Gio gone, I release a massive breath.

I’ve been here for less than twenty-four hours, and he’s already snooping around. Though, thankfully, he doesn’t seem to know who stole his house—yet.

I thought this would be the end of it, that I could enjoy things from here out. What will he do when he discovers the truth? Can I go to jail for taking someone’s reservation?

I press my lips into a flat line. Only if he can go to jail for stealing my rental car!

Scowling at being ambushed in my new sanctuary, I flip the inner tube over completely, releasing the smell of hot vinyl. Fresh air fills my lungs. Slowly, I face Amelia with a guilty expression.

She stares me down. “Sophia Marabella Sinclair,” she barks out, but not like an angry parent. No, this is a scolding from a sidekick who’s been left out of the fun. “What did I miss?”

Before I can answer for my sins, someone knocks on the front door. It’s loud and demanding, and I’m pretty sure the large fist pounding is attached to Mr. Beefstick.

“We’ve got to go.” I clutch her hand, and we step out of the pool. Wet footprints trail across the deck behind us.

“Soph, tell meee,” Amelia whines.

Gio knocks again, but louder, making me freeze in my tracks like I’m playing a game of red light, green light. Can he see us?

My gaze swings to the noise, and I’m reminded the front door has frosted glass. His imposing shadow shifts on the other side, but he’s not going anywhere. He leans into the frame, cementing himself in place.

“Come with me.” I reach for my wide-brimmed hat, slip on my heart-shaped sunglasses, and tug Amelia to the back of the property.

Sure, I would love nothing more than to open the door and face Gio while watching the realization of what I did spread over his handsome face. The issue is, once he finds out, there will be no peace. This entire un-honeymoon will become a battlefield. And though it’s been thrilling, I honestly just want to enjoy some stress-free winning for once. Besides, I need to focus on finding Adam, so Gio needs to get in line.

Why can’t he just go away! I grumble to myself.

Unable to unlock the back gate, I take the only recourse possible. I swing a thigh over the fence rails and inch my booty over the rim. One dangling foot searches for the ground on the other side.

“Are you serious?” Amelia gives me a pointed look.

“I’ll explain later.” I wince as my thigh snags on the wood.

Gio knocks again, which really ticks me off. Like, how many times does someone knock on a door before they leave? Is it even socially acceptable to visit without being invited? Annoyed, I huff.

Both feet hit the sand on the other side, and I drop on all fours. I continue my obstacle course and crawl on.

Escape is within reach!

“Sophia!” Amelia whisper-yells through clenched teeth. She easily steps over the fence with her longer legs, but falls to the ground beside me, mirroring my movements. “Why are we hiding?”

“It’s a funny story, actually.” I scrabble on, elbows and knees digging into the sand.