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“Done,” I say, without argument.
Theo narrows her eyes suspiciously. “In writing,” she insists.
“Notarized by a lawyer,” I agree. “Now, let’s get to work.”
“Right now?” Her eyebrows rise like question marks.
“No time like the present.” Theo has no idea how true that is—this deal is a ticking time bomb, in more ways than one. “What can you tell me about the yacht party?”
“Practically everything. I’m the one who organized it.”
Our pizza arrives. I ordered pepperoni and jalapeño. Theo asked for mushroom. Not mushroom and something else—just a whole pile of fungi.
“Did you become a vegetarian?”
“Nope.” She takes a huge bite. “I just love mushrooms.”
I have to admit, it looks pretty good.
“Give me a piece.”
“Only if you give me one of yours.”
“Same time trade…” I swap a slice of my pepperoni for her mushroom, Indiana Jones style.
Theo laughs. The food has relaxed her a little. Eating with your hands helps; it’s why I picked pizza.
I spend the rest of lunch grilling her about the guest list, the activities, and Angus’ favorite haunts. Some of this, I already know. Like I said, I do my research. But Theo has an eye for detail and an excellent memory. She’s filling in all kinds of information that I bet Angus doesn’t even know she knows.
She’s not telling me anything proprietary—just the psychology and habits of the major players.
I need to know what to look for.
Because when you know what to look for…you can see everything.
It’s Theo who’s become the real puzzle.
She’s changed. I can’t put my finger on it, but she seems…sadder now. But harder, too, bits of flint in her. Before, she was so shy, you could have gotten her to jump out of a window just by barking at her.
I was impressed that she stood up to me at the party. And even more impressed that she changed her mind once she took a good, hard look at the facts.
Angus doesn’t give a fuck about her. If he did, he’d never let her drive around in that death trap of a Camry. He wouldn’t run her ragged until the dark circles under her eyes are deep as thumbprints.
I remember the way he talked to her at the party, condescending as fuck.
Yeah, I really don’t like this guy.
In fact, I’m going to enjoy taking his money.
But not just yet. Angus is no fool; people try to put their hands in his pockets every single day. This will require a delicate touch.
Which is why I’m not annoyed at Theo. In fact, I’mgladto see she’s grown a spine. I’ve already put months of work into this deal, not to mention every fucking penny I own. I can’t risk it all falling apart at the first sign of pressure.
“Are you sure you’re up for all this?” I watch her across the table. “I don’t want you cracking under the pressure halfway through…”
Theo sets down her half-eaten slice, frowning.
“I want this just as badly as you do. Probably even more.”
