Page 74 of Conquest

“Anything you want, baby,” Fred told his fiancée with a soft smile. There were more lines on his face, and the man looked tired. Older, somehow. Like the two betrayals that had been uncovered today added a decade onto his age.

“Oh!” Nadia brightened and looked at Amelia. “We should sing karaoke!”

Amelia’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth.

Leo shifted. “Amelia’s voice needs to, um, rest…before, um, her next tour…”

“Nonsense,” Nadia said. “I’m sure she’s been dying to sing. It must feel like withdrawal to go so many days without practicing!”

“Well, not really. It’s been okay,” Amelia responded weakly.

“We’ll do it in the theater,” Nadia proclaimed. Her left hand was still bandaged, the broken fingers in a thick splint, but her arm seemed to be moving more freely. She stabbed a bit of chicken and chewed before smiling at Amelia and Leo.

“Percival,” Fred said, leaning back in his chair.

“Sir?”

“Prepare the theater. We’ll be singing karaoke after dinner tonight.”

Amelia gave Leo a horrified stare. Then her gaze landed on her wine glass, and she downed it in one swig. She put the glass down, then faced Leo again.

“Uh-oh,” she whispered. “This is not good.”

TWENTY-TWO

Dinner had givenway to dessert, and Amelia had only had two bites of it. Her stomach was in knots, which was a real shame, because they’d served an absolutely divine crème brûlée. Even downing three glasses of wine and getting a decent buzz going didn’t help her anxiety.

All too soon, Nadia and Fred were leading the whole group down a new hallway and into a huge home theater. A karaoke machine had been set up near the big projector screen, with two microphones waiting, their cables like coiled snakes.

The wine in Amelia’s belly turned sour. Throwing up was a real possibility.

But Leo’s arm was around her shoulders, and she was gripping his waist. His body was a warm wall of strength and security, and she inhaled the scent of him to calm her rioting nerves. It helped, a bit. When she exhaled and took a seat in the second row of theater seats beside Leo, she figured she could make it through this evening without embarrassing herself. Probably.

“I haven’t done karaoke since college,” Trudy said. She was seated directly in front of Amelia, and she turned around to look at her and Leo. Her arm was on the back of her seat, and her face was bright with excitement. “Rob and I are going to do ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.’”

“We are?” Rob asked dubiously.

Trudy laughed. “Better believe it, hun.”

Rob pretended to grumble, but he still jumped up to help with the setup and write down their song choice. The first few turns filled up before Amelia could even settle into her seat, and she began to relax. Maybe no one would ask her to sing. Maybe she could sit here for an hour, enjoy some silly performances, laugh with her new friends, and let the stress of the day melt away.

This was just another team-building activity. Everything would be okay.

A staff member arrived with a silver tray bearing drinks, and she sipped the mojito she’d ordered earlier. Nadia started the party with a Britney Spears hit, and then Trudy and Rob were up. They brought down the house. Pretty soon, Amelia was giggling intermittently, leaning her head on Leo’s shoulder. She was pleasantly tipsy, comfortable, and finally feeling a bit more at ease.

There was no more ring thief to uncover. No more risk of exposure. Nothing more to do but sit here, enjoy the company, and drink in the last few hours in Fred’s beautiful mansion.

“Next up, Kitty Catelli!” Nadia screamed into the microphone. “Woo!”

The screen lit up behind her:Man! I Feel Like a Woman!By Shania Twain.

An anxious, exaggerated giggle left Amelia’s lips as she shook her head. “No way,” she laughed. “My voice. I need to save my voi—”

She was hauled up and cheerfully bullied to the front of the room. Nadia thrust the second microphone into her hands and then threw her good arm around Amelia’s shoulders.

“You need to do this for me,” Nadia protested. “As a thank you for finding my ring. You owe it to me.”

“I’m not sure that logic is exactly right,” Amelia said, and the room laughed. That’s when she realized she’d spoken into the microphone and it wasveryloud.