Page 105 of A Real Good Bad Thing

Holy mother of jewels.

Diamonds. Everywhere. Handfuls of them. Gobs of them. My throat went dry and my pulse hammered. There they were, glittering in the sun. I stood frozen, gawking at the glorious sight.

“Gorgeous,” Jake whispered in a stunned voice. He was staring with the same awe I felt. It had been right under our noses for the last twenty-four hours. This was wild. After all this time, all these wild chases, all these dead ends, all these tricks, here they were.

I lifted a hand to reach for some, needing to feel the shape of them, the weight of them, but the slam of a car door startled me out of my trance.

Not just any car door.

Thiscar’s door.

The engine turned over and the Audi roared to life. I jerked my head out of the trunk and saw a chestnut-haired woman in the car wash’s uniform, grinning at me through the window.

“Thanks for your help, babe!” Clarissa called. “You’re the best.”

My jaw dropped. No way. No way was she doing this.

But she was.

With one hand on the wheel, she peeled out of the parking lot with the car, the stash, and the keys that had been left in the ignition as the attendants cleaned.

Jake tore off after her, running like a track star, sprinting on a mad dash for the car. He ran like a bullet, powered by adrenaline, out of the lot, down the street, chasing the black automobile.

But Clarissa and the Audi were far faster. She sped through the light by the car wash, leaving Jake in the dust. He bent over, panting, his hands braced on his thighs.

A green Honda drove by next, following the Audi. Tristan was at the wheel.

52

SLIPPED THROUGH MY FINGERS

Jake

I swallowed my scream of frustration. Pressing my clenched fists to my forehead, I cursed everything and everyone, ready to bang my head against the concrete and yank out my hair.

Because…fuck.

The diamonds had been in my grasp, inches away. I’d been reaching to run my fingers through them when Clarissa had torn off in Ruby’s stepfather’s car.

It was Venice all over again. I’d had the goddamn prize in my hands only to have it snatched away.

By Clarissa. Who was joining Ruby’s tour. Who Ruby said was super nice. Followed by Tristan, whose restaurant Ruby had dined in twice.

Déjà vu descended and gripped me hard. My chest burned. My head pounded.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

I knew better and I’d gone in anyway. I’d taken the risk for the woman, letting my stupid heart lead, and look where it had landed me.

Straight intoMy Terrible Romantic Decisions—the Sequel.

“Did you know?” I asked, not sure where the words came from or what I was trying to say.

“What?” She looked at me like she didn’t know me. I felt wild, frustrated, annoyed, and mad as fucking hell.

Not at Ruby.

Not at all.