Surprise Bidder

“Are you sure?” I ask her. “I believe Gavin said he made Owen an offer he can’t refuse.”

“What offer?” Fiona asks curiously.

I shrug. “I don’t know, but he said it’s a good thing Owen is gay.”

Fiona’s eyes grow wide. “How did he…?”

How did he find out? So she knows it, too.

“That Owen.” Fiona grits her teeth as she starts pacing the room.

I can tell she’s falling apart now.

“He just can’t keep his ass in his pants, can he?” She puts her hands on her hips. “Has he forgotten that I know what he’s done?”

“What has he done?” I ask bravely.

Fiona doesn’t answer, though. She stops walking and looks at me.

“So you’re saying Gavin and Owen are coming after me?”

I nod. “And Thomas?”

“Thomas?” Her eyebrows go up.

“Now that Gavin has him convinced that you tried to kill Elias, he’s not going to help you.”

“And how on earth did Gavin convince him of that?” Fiona asks angrily.

“Gavin was able to find the witness who placed him at Elias’s apartment,” I tell her. “And now he’s saying you were there, that you had an argument with Elias.”

“Impossible.”

Because there was no witness?

“Also, you were caught on camera going to Elias’s apartment,” I add.

Fiona looks at me in disbelief. “Camera? What camera? There was no…”

No footage? Because she took care of it?

“There were no cameras in Elias’s apartment,” she says.

I shrug. “One of the neighbors had, I think.”

“Impossible.” Fiona clenches her hand into a fist and holds it against her chin. “There was no one around at that time. And I didn’t see any cameras.”

But she was there. She just said she was there.

I try to keep the satisfaction from my voice.

“I know you’re innocent,” I tell Fiona. “But you know men, they will always put the blame on us.”

“Damn right.”

“They only treasure us when we’re of some use to them, but when they get tired of us, they throw us away,” I add fuel to the fire.

“Well, if they think they can bring me down, they’re wrong,” Fiona says. “I’ll get them for this. Gavin. Owen. Thomas. I’ll get them all.”

“You’ll kill them?” I ask her.

Fiona touches my cheek and grins. “Darling, sometimes killing someone is the only way to get them out of your way.”

I suppress a shudder as I feel the chill from her words.

“I’ll help you,” I offer her. “We women have to stick together, right?”

“Maybe I should have asked a woman to work with me in the first place,” she mutters. “Not some half-baked man.”

Now she’s showing her true colors.

“But first, we have to get away,” I say. “We have to hide somewhere.”

Fiona nods. “I’ll make a few calls.”

She runs out of the room.

“Hurry,” I call after her.

As soon as she’s gone, I let out a breath of relief. That’s done. I’ve done my part.

I look at the microphone that’s hidden in my dress.

Gavin should have heard everything and recorded it. Now all he has to do is “arrest” Fiona when she goes out of the house.

It’s over.

As I wait for Fiona to come down so I can escort her out, my eyes wander. They fall on the green teapot above the mantel.

My eyebrows crease. Haven’t I seen that somewhere before, too?

“Liar!” Fiona spits at me as she suddenly comes back into the room.

I turn towards her. “What?”

“I just spoke to Tom,” she says. “He hasn’t heard from Gavin.”

Shit.

“In fact, he’s searching for Gavin now. And you.” Fiona walks towards me with her fists at her side. “How dare you try to trick me, you ungrateful little…”

“That’s enough.”

Gavin steps into the room with gun in hand. He points it at Fiona’s head.

She gasps. “Gavin.”

“I heard every word you said. I know what you and Owen have done.”

Fiona freezes. I rush over to Gavin’s side.

“It’s over,” Gavin tells her.

Fiona looks around, frantically looking for a way to escape. She sees the letter opener on the table.

Shit.

“Fiona, no!” I scream.

At the same moment, the window breaks. As the glass shatters to pieces, Fiona crouches on the floor with her hands above her head. Gavin grabs the letter opener and tosses it aside.

“It’s over, Fiona,” he says as he stands over her.

Fiona remains on the floor and starts to sob.

I almost feel sorry for her. Almost.

Angelo comes in through the window and takes her away. Gavin places his arm around me.

“Are you alright?”

I nod as I snuggle against his shoulder. He kisses the top of my head.

“You did well.” He rubs my shoulder. “In fact, you did great.”

“Thanks.”

As I rest my head on his shoulder, I see the teapot once more. I stare at it curiously.

“What’s wrong?” Gavin asks me.

I point at the teapot. “I just feel like I’ve seen that before.”

“Well, maybe you have,” Gavin says. “That place where we met at that masquerade party. That’s Fiona’s house.”

I look at him with wide eyes. “What?”