Page 43 of Wicked Lord

I chewed on my bottom lip to prevent the grimace from breaking through. “Not exactly.”

Lorelei’s jaw dropped, and she yanked her hand out of my grip. “Are we breaking in?”

“Ididtell you to wait in the car.” I dug a small flashlight out of my pocket and pointed it toward the exit on the other side of the kitchen. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get this over with.”

Her fingers curled around my bicep, the whole length of her body pressing against my side. “What if we get caught?”

“No one’s home.” I smoothed my palm over her arm to calm the frantic pitter-patter of her heart. “I’m just being cautious. Better safe than sorry.”

Lorelei nodded and finally relaxed, but instead of releasing me, her hand wrapped around mine, our fingers lacing together. “Lead the way.”

Of course committing a crime didn’t scare her off. Blondie had bigger balls than that little weasel Vaughn.

He just had to text me at The Battenberg’s house to demand I conduct this stupid fucking mission immediately while the mansion was empty. I felt like such an ass for leaving dinner early.

We traveled through the foyer and up the grand, double-sided staircase, Lorelei’s footsteps almost as quiet as mine now. I’d studied the floorplan and memorized the quickest path to the office on the second floor, but the hallways of slick marble, plush carpet runners, and gilded fixtures seemed to go on forever.

“Your dad’s kind of a dick,” I blurted as we turned a corner.

Lorelei frowned. “He’s not the easiest guy to impress.”

Understatement.

“What’s the deal with him pairing you up with that asshole Brock?” I asked, peering at her out of the corner of my eye, her expression hidden in shadows. “Haversham is loaded, but so is your family.”

Her hand flinched in mine. “My father doesn’t always reveal the motives behind his decisions.”

“Yeah, but?—”

She jerked me to a stop, her head tilting. “Do you hear that?”

“Stop messing around, Lore.” Was she trying to divert the conversation away from her father and the arrangement with Brock?

“I’m serious, Ax.” She flicked her hand toward the right where we were headed. “Is that whistling?”

A faint tune suddenly infiltrated the darkened hallway.

“Someone’s coming.” I yanked Lorelei through the nearest door, shutting it quietly as steady footsteps approached.

“I thought you said no one was home!” she whisper-hissed.

No one wassupposedto be home. Unless, of course, Vaughn set me up.

Did he really want to fuck with me that badly that he’d have me break into a home only to get caught?

“Whose house is this anyway?” Lorelei searched the bedroom for hints, but the generic cream, gold, and white décor some designer probably charged an arm and a leg for didn’t provide a single clue.

“No idea,” I muttered under my breath.

Vaughn hadn’t given me enough time to conduct any research before springing this shit on me tonight.

The whistling and footsteps grew louder, and the doorknob began to turn.

I lifted Lorelei, dashed into the closet on the other side of the room, and eased the door closed until barely a crack remained. A middle-aged woman in a white and gray uniform strolled inside and flicked on the lights, her lips pursing as she perused the bedroom.

Had she heard us?

She tucked graying strands of dark hair back into the low bun at her nape. When she spotted the worn leather purse on the pristine white dresser, crinkles formed around her eyes as she smiled.