Surrender (Careless Whispers #3)(38)

“The client no longer exists,” Kayden supplies. “He’s been wiped away as easily as Ella was.”

“That’s exactly right,” Matteo confirms.

“Can you find an internet signature of who, where, and when?” Kayden asks.

“I’m trying, but unsuccessfully. Whoever did this was good. Really damn good.”

“This from a man who claims to be one of the best hackers on the planet,” I say, not secure with his claim that our security system can’t be broken into anymore.

“I am one of the best hackers on the planet,” Matteo snaps back sharply. “But you don’t go head-to-head with someone like me, unless you’re someone who can keep up.”

“What the hell is going on?” Carlo demands. “And how was I used to make it happen?”

Kayden’s response is to look at me in a silent question. Do I want to tell my story or let him? “Me,” I reply, as if he’s spoken. “I’ll tell them.” I inhale and glance around the table, then get right to the point. “Some of you know pieces of this. Matteo for sure, because he’s been helping look into my past. Adriel, because we just told him.”

“What the fuck is going on?” Carlo demands. “And how many times do I have to ask that question?”

“You really are charming, Carlo,” Sasha says. “A prince, in fact.”

“I’m your lead to finding the necklace,” I say. “That’s why Niccolo was looking for me. I wasn’t just some random person who was at the wrong place at the wrong time, as we initially thought.”

“Your identity being wiped out completely was a pretty good sign that something didn’t add up,” Matteo says.

“Obviously Niccolo believes you don’t remember where it is,” Sasha says, “or you’d be under lock and key.”

“She’s protected under Evil Eye,” Carlo reminds her.

“He’s fully aware that I have amnesia,” I say, “and, unfortunately, he’s using me to try to get Kayden to work for him.”

Kayden is quick to weigh in on that. “He lost that leverage when Alessandro led the private eye hired by Ella’s friend right to her.”

“But the PI did help jolt some of my memories,” I say, “which I hope will help me remember where the necklace is.”

Sasha asks, “Are you saying you actually had it, or just a lead on it?”

“I had it,” I say. “I’ll start at the beginning and tell the entire story, which is somewhat convoluted with chunks of my memory still missing.” I begin with David, the engagement gift, everything I told Adriel, and finally David dying in the alleyway and me calling Garner Neuville.

“You were staying with Garner Neuville?” Sasha asks.

“Yes. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that he wasn’t what he seemed, and that I’d been set up. I was his possession in his eyes, set up for the murder of my fiancée if I went to the police, my complete identity erased. I figured out he was after the necklace, but to my knowledge I never knew why or what it was worth. I just know that I hid it.”

“And that no one has found it,” Kayden adds. “They’re all still looking for it.”

Carlo narrows his gaze on me. “How did you get here, and why was Niccolo looking for you?”

“He claims I promised him the necklace in exchange for protection from Neuville,” I say. “There’s no way I’d have promised him that necklace. I’d have had a plan to avoid giving it to him.”

“In other words,” Carlo says, “he believes you have the necklace.”

“He’s aware of my amnesia,” I say. “But yes, he believes I’m the key to finding it and he’s right. I had it the night I called Neuville for help, and I remember the night I overheard Neuville talking to his bodyguard about me having it. My thought was—it’s hidden; you’ll never find it. But I didn’t remember that until two days ago.”

“The good news here is that she hid it well enough that no one has found it,” Nathan offers. “It’s bought us time to remove some of the players.” He glances at me. “What’s the story behind the watch?”

“It’s Garner Neuville’s watch,” I explain. “It was him telling me that he’s coming for me, and that he can get to any of you to do it. He wanted to own me and the necklace. He doesn’t have either, and when I left, per Niccolo, I held a gun on him in front of a crowd. He’s obsessed with me.”

“You humiliated him,” Sasha says. “Which the bastard deserved, but he won’t let that go.”

Carlo looks at Kayden. “And now we know why you invoked Evil Eye.”

I feel those words like a slap.

“I invoked Evil Eye because I want Ella by my side,” Kayden corrects. “I needed a solution that sent an off-limits message to Neuville and Niccolo, long term. Otherwise, I would have hidden her away until this was over.”

“Evil Eye won’t keep him away,” Sasha says softly, her hands flattening on the table as if she’s bracing herself for a fight.

My gaze goes to Kayden’s, a silent push to remind him that this is exactly what I’ve said, as well. He gives me a small nod, while Adriel offers Sasha the same response Kayden gave me earlier tonight. “He’d be crazy to risk Evil Eye,” Adriel says. “Not even Alessandro is that foolish.”