Page 117 of The Scarab's Game

He’d just… stopped.

Noah took Enzo’s place at the helm. “Tell your boat—I’m assuming that’s Rav—to stop.”

Emmett stood there, doing nothing but sucking slow breaths. He’d said it was post-traumatic stress—that he’d been having a hard time dealing with it. But this? What had Enzo done to him?

He wasn’t doing a fucking thing other than breathing.

In the distance, the approaching boat slowed to a stop.

“I see Will’s improved the earpieces,” Noah said, sounding genuinely impressed. “It picked me up from all the way over there?”

Emmett’s lips moved, his voice barely audible at first. But as he spoke, his words gained volume and strength. “Let her go. She has no part in this.”

“You brought her into it.” Noah shrugged his shoulders dramatically. “If you’d left her and the bug in her hotel room and avoided her—as I recall, something you’ve done often throughout your shared history—she would have finished with the painting and left Monaco without ever learning the truth.”

A bug in my hotel room? The Reynolds team had swept it, but hadn’t told me about any bugs. Was that why they’d moved me?

You should be asking why they didn’t tell you.

“Truth?” Emmett’s voice was thick, guarded.

Noah’s face took on a mock-sympathetic expression that made my stomach churn. “I’m afraid I had to tell her about Reynolds Recoveries being a group of thieves.”

Emmett’s eyes finally met mine, wide with shock. Or apology? Shame? No signs of denial. No hints Noah was lying.

“I also told her you stole the scarab,” Noah continued, twisting the knife deeper into my chest.

No, Emmett wasn’t debating anything Noah said. Noah was the only one who’d told me the truth. My world tilted on its axis, and I had to brace myself against the back of the bench.

Noah’s voice took on a darker tone. “I didn’t tell her that when I went to pick up the Chinese disc for Massimo, it was already gone. I must confess, I’m surprised you got the jump on us this time.” He paused, gesturing at Jenn. “But if you want her back, you’ll have to hand over the disc.”

Emmett nodded, his face a mask of calm I now recognized as practiced deception. “Jayce, did you catch that?”

My heart shattered into a million pieces. He was in communication with Jayce this whole time. Noah was telling the truth—Emmett was a liar and con man. And if he was working this job with Scarlett, that meant Scarlett was a thief, too.

My best friend.

The person I trusted most in the world.

“Emmett?” I choked out, my voice barely above a whisper. “Is it true?”

He just stared at me, his silence more damning than any words could have been. The truth was written all over his face. My father’s warnings echoed in my mind, a cruel reminder of how blind I’d been. Emmettwasdangerous. Hewasno good for me. And I’d fallen for him all over again.

“We’ll be on Massimo’s yacht.” Noah started the engine. The low rumble increased the churning in my stomach. He raised his voice as the engine grew louder. “You have thirty minutes. Enzo won’t wait any longer.”

I couldn’t look up at Enzo, who still had the gun trained on me.

What would he do in thirty minutes?

Chapter 44

Emmett

The boat sped away,while I stood stock-still on the dock.

You fucking coward. You let them take her.

The calm sea and the wake behind their boat mocked me, reminding me of my failure to act, jump in, or do something—anything—to save her.

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