Now I feel guilty. It’s not her fault that my petition for custody is likely to fail. If only I’d taken legit jobs earlier then I’d have a few years of documented income. But I didn’t realize why that would matter back then. I just thought that if I had more money, then I could help my sister. But it turns out that all the shady jobs I took are just one more mark against me if anyone finds out. Agent Walker’s words run through my mind again.

I can help you get something you want. And I think you can help me, too.

My heart clenches at the thought. The means to get everything I want lies in how quickly Luke trusts me. And how effective I am at stabbing him in the back.

My little sister’s future depends on whether I’m willing to betray the one person besides Grace that I actually care about.

“Thanks anyway, Amy. Sorry to keep bothering you.”

“You’re never bothering me, Sarah. I want what’s best for you and Grace.”

“I know. Thanks.”

After we hang up, I glance behind me. Luke is still on the phone, his back to me.

And his laptop is on the blanket next to me.

My heart speeds up. This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for. Luke guards his laptop carefully and never leaves it behind. But after spending all week with me, his guard is obviously down. He left it open right next to me. I reach into my tote bag and pull out the flash drive.

My eyes dart over to Luke as I lean closer to his computer. All I would have to do is insert this and open the file on it. Two seconds and I could be out of here. All my problems would be over. I could go home secure in the knowledge that my petition for custody of Grace would go through and all of my past indiscretions forgiven. But as my hand hovers over the machine, my fingers shake slightly and the flash drive lands in the grass.

Damn it.

 I lean over, running my hands over the soft blades, searching for it.  Once my fingers brush over the cool metal, I quickly stuff it back into my bag. Luke is still on the phone facing the other direction so it’s unlikely I’ll get caught but I tell myself it’s too risky. That it makes more sense to wait until I have a clear field. Like when he falls asleep or goes to the bathroom.

All the while I’m ignoring the part of me that knows the truth. I could do it now but I just don’t want to. I’m not ready for our time together to be over.

When I look up, Luke has turned so his profile is visible. A second earlier and he would have seen me leaning over his computer. My heart is still beating double time so I close my eyes and take several deep breaths. When I open my eyes again, Luke is walking back.

“Sorry about that. That was my brother, Tank. Apparently he forgot to remind me about their rehearsal dinner. Tonight.”

“Oh. Oops.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Luke’s lopsided smile makes me feel even more guilty. “So we have to leave. I’m sorry to rush you.”

“It’s no problem. You definitely don’t want to miss that.” I only brought my laptop so he’d bring his so I quickly close the lid and transfer it back into my tote bag.

“Definitely. Especially since I’m in the wedding and actually need to practice. I’m one of his groomsmen. Hey, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if you came to the rehearsal dinner, too.”

Luke stows his laptop in his bag and hooks the strap over his shoulder. He glances over at me, a pleading look on his face. “It’ll be way less boring if you come with me.”

Even though he sounds annoyed by having to go, I think a rehearsal dinner with family and friends sounds nice. It would be so easy to go along, imagining that whole time that I really belong here with Luke and his circle of friends. In his life.

But I know the truth.

I don’t belong here. And once Luke discovers the real reason I’m staying with him, he won’t want anything to do with me. The longer I hang out with him, the more attached I’ll get. It’s better if I stay behind tonight and finally accomplish what I’m here for.

“Actually, I’m kind of tired. I think I’ll stay behind. Maybe get some work done.”

He looks disappointed but as usual, he’s understanding about it. Luke gets my weird moods in a way no one else ever has. It’s dangerous to spend this much time with him and it’s only going to make my mission harder. Because every day I’m with him, I wish that I didn’t have to go.

Back at his apartment, I sit on the couch with my laptop while Luke disappears into his room. Ten minutes later, he comes out dressed in a neat pair of khakis and a blue collared shirt with a dark blue blazer.

“Wow. You clean up well.”

He laughs softly but I can tell he’s pleased by the compliment. “I can’t embarrass my brother. He’s already in the doghouse since he forgot to remind me. Are you sure you’ll be okay here alone?”

“I’ll be fine. I’m used to being alone, Luke. It’s how I prefer to be.”

He nods and then stoops to press a kiss to my forehead. “Okay. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Shocked into silence, I watch wordlessly as he leaves. The skin on my forehead is tingling, like the place where his lips touched is extra sensitive now. It takes me a few minutes to get my equilibrium back but once I do, I stand up and walk slowly down the hall to his room.

Ten minutes later, I’m forced to concede defeat. Despite how much fun we’ve had and that kiss, it’s obvious Luke still doesn’t trust me. His laptop isn’t in his room, the guest room, the bathroom or anywhere else I looked.

It’s gone.

chapter seven

†

LUKE

As I’m driving to the restaurant where Tank told me to meet him, my mind keeps going back to what I overheard. I’m fully aware that no conversation ever sounds right from the outside but there was no mistaking the desperation in Seven’s voice. Whatever she needs “to go through” must be extremely important to her.

Maybe it’s related to one of the games she’s designed or hell, it could have to do with a bill she paid before she left. There’s no end of the ways I could fill in the blank on that conversation. So why can’t I let it go?

Maybe because you saw her leaning over your computer?

I barely got a glimpse, more an impression of movement than an actual image but it was enough to make me wonder. Seven has been acting so strange since she got here and after overhearing her conversation, I’d be a fool not to wonder if she has an agenda.

But what?

I can’t think of anything I have that she’d want. She makes her own money so I seriously doubt she finally made contact with me to try and rob me. The look on her face when she thought I saw her messing with my computer is hard to discount though. She looked guilty as hell and there’s only one reason she’d look that way.

She’s up to something.

I’m still turning over the possibilities when I arrive at Sweetie’s, an upscale restaurant in the city of Newport News. There’s valet parking but my old habits are hard to break. It wasn’t that long ago when I was still counting every dollar I made so wasting it on letting some other person park my car seems pretentious. There’s a parking lot on the side of the building and when I turn in, I recognize Finn’s beat up old pickup truck. It makes me smile. It’s definitely not the kind of thing you’d expect a billionaire to be driving.

After parking a few spaces over from Finn, I get out and jog around to the front of the building. I don’t think I’m late but I definitely don’t want to put Tank any further in the dog house with his soon-to-be wife.