Chapter 93

Things happened quickly after that. The police arrived. And then the FBI. Everyone in the building was detained. All things considered, the guests took it surprisingly well. The caterers brought out more food. The band continued to play. The party atmosphere remained. People seemed thrilled to be on-site for the most glamorous of all possible crimes: a diamond heist.

Perhaps it was understandable. A robbery this bold and daring that had taken place just a few floors away from a party with hundreds of guests—it was the stuff of legends. It would be big news in Quinley. The guests here tonight would dine out on this story for years.

Candace, however, didn’t feel quite so titillated. After all, somehow, her stupid, gullible brother had been roped into this mess. Of all the idiotic stunts one could be involved with, this really took the cake. And to think, she'd spent so much time complaining about Michelle.

Feeling tense and slightly nauseated, she scanned the room looking for Nolan. Police detectives were milling through the crowd, sorting people into groups. Everyone would have to be searched before they were allowed to leave. Information would be taken and IDs would be checked. Derek and J.D., along with the FBI agents, had disappeared into one of the offices upstairs. Nolan had gone with them, but Candace thought she’d seen him return a few minutes ago.

She’d heard a rumor filtering through the crowd that the FBI was questioning J.D. and Nolan. If the system was truly unbreakable, then Carrington Security itself was suspect. Which did wonders for her nausea.

Suddenly, despite her big noble speech about trusting her brother, she felt a surge of doubt. What if her brother was guilty? No. She couldn’t think about that. Couldn’t consider that possibility. Yes, she respected Nolan. Sure, she desired him. She even felt bad— okay, really bad—about how things had ended. But her loyalty here belonged to her brother. He was her family. Andrew may be a screwup, but she loved him. She couldn’t let her doubts get the better of her. Not yet.

While she searched the crowd for Nolan, she contemplated what had happened back there in the security office, before all this garbage with her brother hit the proverbial fan. Nolan had kissed her. Really kissed her. Like, I-want-to-go-on-kissing-you-forever kissed her.

She moved through the crowded room, looking for a place to sit for a minute alone, some respite from the buzzing chatter of the guests. She followed one of the waiters through a door at the back of the room that led to a service hall.

She was only a few steps through the swinging door when she heard a voice behind her. “Hold up there, miss.”

Turning, she found one of the suited FBI agents holding up his badge. “Agent Ryan. You’re not allowed to leave yet.”

The FBI agent towered over her. He had the build and demeanor of a defensive linebacker. Staring up into his humorless face, she felt her throat close off. His very presence was a reminder that she should not be thinking about Nolan at all. She had enough on her emotional plate right now just worrying about her brother.

“I wasn’t planning on leaving,” she explained. “I just wanted to get away from the crowd.”

“You’re the suspect’s sister, correct?”

A wave of guilt swamped her. Somehow, facing this FBI agent made everything more real. Dear lord, please let Andrew not be involved in this. Please, please let him be innocent.

“One of them. I mean, my brother is one of the suspects. I’m sure he’s not the only one. Surely there are several…” The more she rambled, the narrower Agent Ryan’s gaze got. She swallowed. “Yes. Andrew McKenna is my brother.”

“I’ll need to question you before you leave.”

“Certainly.” That should be easy enough. She knew very little and had nothing to hide.

A moment later, Nolan appeared in the hall behind the FBI agent. Nolan spoke quietly with the man for a moment, then the agent nodded his understanding and ducked back into the room. She took it as a good sign that Agent Ryan seemed confident trusting her with Nolan. Surely if Nolan was a suspect the agent wouldn’t be leaving them alone together.

“Ah, my savior,” she said lamely. Nolan didn’t bother to pretend to laugh, which, under the circumstances, she actually appreciated. “I wasn’t trying to leave. I just needed a moment away from the crowd.”

He nodded his understanding. “I can wait with you.”

His words sent a shiver of dread down her spine. “I guess then I really am at the top of the most-wanted list for this one, then?”

“As long as you don’t hide anything, you won’t be a suspect. But you’re definitely someone the agents want to talk to.”

She wrapped her arms around her body and rubbed at the chilled skin of her biceps. Why did they always keep office buildings so cold? “You’re trying to be diplomatic. How reassuring,” she muttered. Sarcastically.

“It’s probably not as bad as all that.” Nolan tugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Turning her toward the catering station at the end of the hall, he guided her in that direction. “Come on. Let’s see if we can get you something warm to drink. Maybe they have some cocoa or something.”

“You’re offering me cocoa?” she asked in disbelief. “Things must be worse than I thought. I already know you lied to me earlier about there not being any diamonds here. Can you at least tell me how much is missing?”

“Last week there was what looked like a simple clerical error. A shipment of diamonds that should have gone to another office was shipped here instead.” His shoulders were taut with tension, his movements as terse as his tone.

Her stomach clenched and she had to swallow down bile before she could ask, “How much were they worth?”

“The mistake wasn’t caught until this afternoon when they were unloaded. It appeared someone had simply typed in the wrong code on a packing invoice. It seemed innocent enough. The guy didn’t even realize he’d done it. When the mistake was caught, Derek arranged for them to be stored here overnight and shipped out in the morning. They were going to be in the office less than twelve hours.”

“How much were they worth?” Every minute he didn’t answer, her anxiety increased. If he didn’t want to tell her, it must be bad. Beyond bad.