Page 77 of To Steal a Heart

Katia leaned forward and rubbed both hands across her forehead. “Wow,” she uttered. “This is a lot to take in. It changes everything.”

Arden nodded in understanding.

Katia stood. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“No thanks.”

She grunted. “I could certainly use something.” She strode over to the wet bar and poured herself a drink. She lifted it to her lips and downed it in a few gulps before slapping the empty glass down on the counter with a plink. Katia wasn’t taking this well. She turned back around to face Arden. “I need to call Dad and let him know what’s happening,” she explained as she went over to her purse, which was resting on the side table to the right of where Arden was sitting. Katia grabbed her purse and went back to sit down across from Arden. Instead of getting her phone immediately, she sat with the purse in her lap. “I can’t believe Garrett broke into your bedroom and gave you that pink diamond charm. Or that he showed up at the reading and sought you out on the terrace.” Her expression hardened. “Garrett always has been a sentimental fool.”

For a split second, Arden didn’t catch the meaning of Katia’s words. “I beg your pardon?”

“Garrett!” Katia barked. “Get out here!” Her face turned an ugly red, marring her beauty.

An invisible fist punched the wind out of Arden. Dizziness assaulted her as Katia reached into her purse and whipped out a gun.

“Don’t move a muscle,” Katia ordered, “or I’ll shoot. Garrett!” she hissed. “I won’t ask again.”

Arden’s heart dropped as Garrett emerged from the bedroom. He was still wearing a dress shirt and black trousers, but he’d removed his bowtie and the top buttons of his shirt were open. His body was pulled taut, the corners of his jaw flicking when he realized Katia was pointing a gun at Arden. “What’re you doing?” he demanded.

Katia belted out a grating cackle. “The question is—what have you been doing? Sit down,” she ordered, “or your girlfriend gets it in the face.”

Horror trickled down Arden’s spine. She’d left her purse with Grandmother and didn’t even have her phone. Her brain raced, trying to piece together what was happening. Garrett came over and sat down on the sofa beside Arden.

“How sweet to see the two of you together,” Katia taunted.

Arden turned to Garrett, rage hollowing out her insides. “You and Katia are in cahoots?” None of this made a lick of sense.

“Go ahead,” Katia prompted with a jeering smile. “Enlighten her.”

He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as he rubbed his palms on his pants. “Katia was the person I was talking to that night on the phone. She’s the one who wanted the mask.”

“Why?” Arden sputtered as she looked at Katia. “It’s not like you’re hurting for money.”

Resentment sparked in Katia’s eyes. “Daddy dear keeps a tight hold on the purse strings.” A hard smile wrapped her lips. “So I found other alternatives to meet my needs.” Her eyes glittered with a hard amusement. “Garrett tried to steal the Finkle Diamond once before.” She clucked her tongue. “Poor baby got caught,” she purred, “by me.” Velvety laughter trilled from her lips. “I could have called the cops and sent Garrett away for a long, long time.” Her voice went sultry. “But a man like Garrett has multiple uses … as you well know.”

“Stop being crass,” Garrett warned Katia.

A white-hot indignation engulfed Arden. She wanted to rush at Katia and scratch out her eyes. “When I first met you, you struck me as noble and refined. But in reality, you’re a loathsome bottom-dweller.”

Katia snorted. “Your girl has bite. No wonder you like her.” Her voice took on a dreamy quality. “There was a time when Garrett and I were one heck of a team, weren’t we, babe?” she purred to Garrett.

“Cut it out,” he growled.

“So sensitive,” she jeered. Her voice went razor sharp. “Several months ago, everything changed.” She adopted a singsong chatty tone. “Everything was right on track. Garrett romanced you just as we’d planned, and you fell for it like a pathetic sap.”

Humiliation burned through Arden, bringing tears to her eyes.

Garrett reached for her hand, but she snatched it away.

“I’m sorry,” he said hoarsely, his expression agonized. “It was real. I promise you that.”

Arden realized that Katia was staring at her with what could only be described as pure hatred. Chills ran down her spine. Katia intended to kill her and Garrett. Fear slithered down her throat. This couldn’t be happening! Arden had written scenes where the heroine faced impossible odds as she stared death in the face. She’d thought she understood the myriad of feelings and thoughts that would run through a person’s mind. However, nothing could have prepared her for this. Terror clawed at the base of her skull. A prayer went through her mind.Please, help us.

Katia’s spiteful words cut into her thoughts. “Imagine my surprise when Garrett called the night of the heist and said he wanted to back out. He claimed it was too risky.” A smug grin twisted over her lips. “Of course, Garrett was going by Crew back then. He didn’t realize that I’d discovered his true identity.” Her eyes narrowed. “It’s amazing what you can get a person to do if you know the right strings to pull.”

“She threatened to kill Hank and Chloe if I didn’t go through with the job,” Garrett muttered. “I had no choice.”

Arden’s breath hitched as more pieces of the puzzle shifted into place. “That’s why you only took the mask and nothing else.” Shame on Arden for discounting Grandmother’s keen observations.

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