Page 35 of The Sentinel

I turned my champagne glass in my fingers, my mind racing.Did he?

Marcus had let me walk out with this file. He could have stopped me. Could have ripped it from my hands. Could have done a hell of a lot more than just watch me take it. And yet, he’d let me go. No fight. No warning beyond that dark look in his eyes.

That wasn’t an accident.

It was a move.

The question waswhy.

“I think,” I said slowly, “that Marcus Dane never does anything without a reason.”

Diego let out a breath, glancing around like he was already calculating how fast we could get out of here without drawing attention. “And what if the reason is to see how deep you’ll dig before he decides to bury you?”

I smirked. “Then I better start digging fast.”

His jaw clenched. “Claire.”

I set my empty glass on the bar, slipping the file into the folds of my dress as discreetly as I could. “Relax,” I said lightly. “I know what I’m doing.”

Diego muttered something in Spanish under his breath that I was fairly certain was not a compliment. Then he exhaled, rolling his shoulders back, schooling his expression into something more relaxed. The perfect mask.

“Fine,” he said smoothly, taking another sip of his drink like we weren’t standing in the middle of a viper’s den. “But if we end up dead, I’m haunting you.”

I grinned. “Wouldn’t expect anything less.”

But beneath the teasing, my pulse was pounding.

Because Diego was right.

This just got a lot more interesting.

Diego didn’t let me bask in my victory for long.

“What’s the plan now?” he murmured, keeping his tone light, casual—just two friends chatting over champagne, like I hadn’t just emerged from the shadows clutching a stolen file from one of the most powerful men in Charleston. “Because if you say we keep it, I’m going to assume your orgasm rewired your common sense.”

“Two orgasms,” I replied. “Or was it three? I think I might have blacked out at some point.”

I shot him a look, but my heart was still hammering. He wasn’t wrong. Keeping the file was out of the question. I had no idea who else in this room might have eyes on me. No idea if Marcus would let me keep it, or if I was about to find out exactly how much he’d let me get away with.

“We need to find somewhere quiet,” I said under my breath.

Diego nodded, already scanning the ballroom. “Powder room?”

“Too much foot traffic.”

“The terrace?”

I shook my head. “Too open.”

His eyes flicked toward a side hall, where a set of gilded double doors stood slightly ajar. He tipped his head toward them. “Library?”

I followed his gaze. The room was dimly lit beyond the doors, just a few wall sconces casting a soft glow over shelves lined with books. More importantly—it was empty.

Perfect.

I moved first, slipping away from the crowd as naturally as I could, Diego just a step behind. We ducked inside, and I exhaled as the noise of the party muffled behind us.

“Okay,” I muttered, glancing around to make sure we were alone. “Let’s see what Marcus was so eager tonothide from me.”

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