Page 17 of Secrets in the Dark

"That was..." she began.

"A beginning," I finished.

Her smile held sadness. "Beginnings are dangerous in places built on temporary pleasures."

"Some risks are worth taking."

"Are they? Even when neither party is being entirely truthful?"

Before I could respond, my phone vibrated with an urgent alert pattern—the signal Detective Chen used only for critical developments. I stepped back, creating a swath of cold distance while checking the screen.

The message was brief but explosive:T.L. confirmed. Front row seats purchased for Thursday performance. Primary target surveillance in effect.

Tommy Lace wasn't just surveilling the Jade Petal. He had deliberately positioned himself to watch Celia Marshall perform—from the closest possible vantage point.

Whatever connected the legal assistant to the Licata family, the confrontation would happen in less than twenty-four hours. Our evidence window had just accelerated dramatically.

I looked up to find Nova—Celia—watching me intently, concern evident in her expression.

"Bad news?" she asked.

"Change of schedule," I replied, mind racing through implications. "Something unexpected."

She nodded, understanding far more than my words conveyed. "That happens here. Plans change. Timing shifts."

"Yes." I pocketed the phone, professional mask firmly back in place. "I should go."

"Of course." She stepped back, arms crossing protectively over her chest. The moment of connection already fading.

As I headed toward the rooftop exit, I paused. "Nova?"

She turned, silhouetted against the city lights. "Yes?"

"Be careful tomorrow night. The audience isn't always who they appear to be."

Confusion flickered across her face, but beneath it lay comprehension of the intended warning.

"I always am," she replied.

As I descended into the casino's controlled chaos, Detective Chen's alert burned in my mind. Tommy Lace would be watching Nova—Celia—tomorrow night. And I would be watching him, caught between my mission to gather evidence and an increasingly complicated desire to protect a woman whose secrets might be as dangerous as my own.

The countdown had begun.

Chapter Five

Celia

"How's Waikiki treating you, sweetheart? You look a little pale for someone spending all day on the beach."

My mother's concerned face filled my phone screen. I adjusted my position on the windowsill of my room, making sure the backdrop showed nothing of the Jade Petal's employee housing. Instead, I'd arranged a tropical-themed scarf over the curtain rod and propped a guidebook to Hawaii conspicuously beside me.

"Just being careful with sunscreen, Mom. You know how I burn." I forced brightness into my voice. "The weather's been gorgeous."

"And you're really enjoying this vacation?" The slight pause conveyed volumes of maternal skepticism. In my thirty years, I'd never taken an impromptu trip anywhere. Planning, preparation, and detailed itineraries were my hallmarks, not spontaneous island getaways.

"It's exactly what I needed." I angled the phone to hide the shadows under my eyes, poorly concealed by makeup. "Sometimes you have to break routine."

"You do look different," she admitted, peering closer at the screen. "Your hair..."

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