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As she gathered her briefcase and zipped it back up, a thought flared. Ever since Sutton ran into that woman at the casino, I’d wondered who she was. There was history there—one that clearly didn’t end well.

But it was the name she’d said that had bothered me the most. Noah. Except I had no idea who he was, considering Sutton hadn’t been with anyone by the time I started watching her. There were hundreds of Noah’s in Vancouver, but even after marking out most of the names on the list, I’d drawn a blank.

“Amelia,” I said as she turned for the exit. “Who is Noah to Sutton?”

She halted her steps, her mouth turning up at the edges. “I didn’t peg you for being the jealous type.”

I clenched my jaw at the assumption.

Unfortunately, I feared she was right. Every time that stab of pain entered my chest at the thought of Sutton being with someone else, I’d narrowed it down to jealousy. An emotion I was unfamiliar with.

All it did was frustrate me.

“Who is he?” I pressed.

“Her ex-boyfriend, Noah Sterling.” She smiled softly—more sad and thoughtful rather than a jab at me. “I wouldn’t bother with being jealous over a dead guy.”

My spine straightened, and I blinked as it registered.

Noah Sterling. I’d heard of him before, mostly plastered on the news because the city hadn’t found his killer. Sutton dated Noah? Was that what she was hiding?

“How serious was it?” I asked.

“Well, she met him when he began interning at Luka’s casino. They started dating when she was eighteen,” Amelia said. “He was murdered a few years ago—about a year into the relationship, I think. They found his body near the river with multiple stab wounds. She was mourning pretty heavily by the time I met her at your gala.”

“Did she give you any more details?”

“No.”

I nodded and watched Amelia turn the corner, disappearing down the hallway the exact moment the elevator doors whooshed open. I knew exactly who entered the penthouse, and a grin teased my lips. Axell had texted me ten minutes ago, telling me they were headed back.

I might have… withheld some information from Amelia.

I leaned forward to better relish the awkward silence that followed before Sutton’s anger tainted the air. It came sharp and violent, like she was seconds from clawing Amelia’s eyes out.

“What are you doing here?” Sutton hissed.

“I—Manic said you were at the casino. I came to drop off some paperwork for him,” Amelia explained, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Can we talk? I’m… I’m so sorry, Sutton. I should have⁠—”

“Did you know their plan?” she interrupted. “Did you know they were going to kidnap me at the gala? How long have you known about any of this?”

I rounded the corner to watch and leaned against the wall, crossing my arms. She wasn’t accompanied by anyone, meaning Axell must have stayed in the garage. Sutton stared at Amelia, tension tightening her features as if it all sank in at once.

The betrayal of her best friend.

Amelia had been closer to Sutton than anyone. If she really wanted to, she could have told Sutton everything about the mafia and her relationship with Grave. And yet she didn’t.

A twinge of pity curled over my shoulders, as I knew exactly what it felt like to lose trust with those closest to you. Amelia deserved to be confronted—deserved every bit of Sutton’s wrath.

Sutton sneered when Amelia said nothing, only clutched her briefcase with white knuckles and looked off to the side. Even with a designer purse slung over her shoulder, Sutton wore a simple hoodie and jeans, casual for the casinos. The denim stretched tight along her thighs. Although she preferred comfort over the tailored outfits hanging in her closet, she enjoyed her oversized bags.

Sutton scoffed. “I have nothing to say to you.”

“Sutton, please. I’m sorry. I wasn’t allowed to say anything because of my father. Grave said⁠—”

“If you think I’ll ever let this go, then you don’t know me at all.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Amelia clipped as Sutton turned for the kitchen. “It was better for you to be with Manic than the Russians, don’t you think?”