Page 22 of Take the Wheel

Nancy glanced up. ‘Where are you going?’

‘Bathroom,’ Ari said casually. Then, just as she turned away, she leaned down slightly. ‘If Paris leaves the room, text me.’

Nancy blinked. ‘What?’

‘I said, if Paris leaves, text me.’

Nancy was immediately on alert. ‘Why?!’

But Ari was already gone, disappearing into the maze of tables. Suspicion prickled at Nancy’s spine. What the hell was Ari up to?

Sixteen

Ari moved swiftly through the corridors of the second floor, her heels silent on the plush carpet. The estate was massive, an intricate labyrinth of hallways and grand rooms. She had slipped out of dinner unnoticed (at least, she hoped so), but finding Paris’s bedroom was proving harder than she expected. She was sure she knew where it was. But it had been a few years now, and nothing was quite as she remembered.

She turned another corner, only to be met with another identical stretch of dimly lit hallway. Cursing under her breath, she stopped and tried to get her bearings. This was absurd. As a person who had grown up rich, even she thought the manor was way too much. It was easy to sympathise with the eat-the-rich crowd in a place like this.

A faint noise made Ari freeze. Footsteps. Her pulse jumped. The steps grew louder, steady and deliberate, and she held her breath, bracing for discovery.

Then, out of the shadows, a figure emerged. Ari’s stomach lurched.

Nancy.

‘What thehellare you doing?’ Nancy demanded, her voice low but furious.

Ari exhaled, her heart still hammering. ‘What areyoudoing?’ she countered, buying herself a second to think.

‘You first,’ Nancy shot back. Her eyes were sharp, scanning Ari like she was trying to piece together a puzzle. ‘Why did you want me to text you if Paris left the room? And why are you sneaking around up here?’

Ari had no immediate answer.

Nancy folded her arms. ‘I’m not moving until you start talking.’

Ari sighed. ‘Fine. But not here.’

Nancy narrowed her eyes. ‘Then where?’

Ari glanced over her shoulder, the sense of urgency still thrumming under her skin. ‘Somewhere more private. Orlessprivate.’

Nancy hesitated, then nodded once. ‘Lead the way.’

Ari did, with the unmistakable feeling she was about to get the reaming of a lifetime. Worse, it was probably fair.

Seventeen

Ari led Nancy through the twisting corridors until they found a small game room back down on the ground floor, tucked away from the main flow of guests. The heavy wooden door clicked shut behind them, muffling the distant sounds of laughter and clinking glasses from the hall. Ari turned to face Nancy, who was watching her with arms still folded, waiting.

‘Start talking,’ Nancy said.

Ari took a breath. ‘I didn’t come to this wedding for Paris. Not really.’

Nancy’s eyes flickered with annoyance. ‘I’d gotten that far. So why were you sneaking around her house like that?’

Ari hesitated, then said, ‘I’m here for my grandmother’s necklace.’

Nancy blinked. ‘Wait—what?’

‘She never admitted it, but Iknowshe took it. She was furious when I broke up with her, and then suddenly, the necklace was gone. Doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes, does it?’ Ari explained calmly.

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