Chapter Thirty-One

“Quick change of plans.” Jaxon bursts into the bathroom on Collin and me.

We both pause and turn our attention to him.

He takes in our positions.

A shirtless Collin is seated on a closed loo, and I’m standing between his legs so I can properly apply concealer to his facial bruises.

“What do you mean change of plans?” Collin prompts when Jaxon just stands there watching us.

In a crisp black shirt with a gray vest and skinny white tie, his hair styled with bouncy flourish, Jaxon King is the picture of debonair.

He checks his watch. “Yineris is on the move. She somehow found out the value of the vase, and now she’s got a sale set up. My guess is her idiot ex-husband blabbed to someone he thought he could trust.”

“When’s the sale?” Collin asks.

“Sale’s set to happen at a location near the city hall at the butt crack of dawn when the buyer lands at a private airport. The buyer just wants to get in and out of the country, so Yineris checked into a hotel to be close. Penthouse suite. She has only one guard with her.”

“The penthouse suite?” Collin blows out a breath. “That’s harder—and riskier—to break into than a mansion in the hills, Jaxon. And how the hell do I land her at a hotel without looking like a creeper, anyway?”

“Did you read her profile at all?” Jaxon appears wholly unfazed. “Yineris is obviously not the type to eat dinner in her room at a five-star hotel. She’s a confident show-off who likes to be seen. Trust me, she’s gonna be dining and mingling downstairs.”

“And if she’s not?”

“We switch to Plan B.” He taps the face of his watch and turns to leave. “We’ll have to leave right now in order to get to the city in good time. Leave nothing behind. You can finish putting on your lipstick and mascara in the car.”

“Suck my dick, prick,” Collin spits. But Jaxon is already gone.

“Wait. What’s Plan B?” I ask Collin.

He shakes his head. “We never know.”

“How can you not know?” I ask, incredulous.

He gives a deep, awe-inspired chuckle. “Because Jaxon is Plan B.”