Winterssmiled, her relief palpable. “Just promise me one thing,” she said, her toneteasing. “No more Hawaiian shirts?”
Finn chuckled,raising his champagne. “Wait till you see my other Hawaiian shirt. It’seven more dazzling,” he replied with a wink, as they toasted to unexpectedturns and the adventures yet to come.
EPILOGUE
Finn so farhad refrained from being sick, but he knew it was on the cards. Free champagnewas never a good idea.
The night skywas draped in a curtain of stars as Rob assisted a swaying Finn up the gardenpath. The picturesque town of Great Amwell was quiet, its residents lost indreams. The duo’s laughter, slightly louder than intended due to theirinebriated state, echoed through the silence as they navigated toward thecottage Finn had been calling home.
Reaching the entrance,Rob, with some effort, managed to maneuver Finn inside and onto acomfortable-looking couch. Finn groaned, sinking into the plush cushions.
Rob stood up,wiping his brow exaggeratedly. “I’ve done my good deed for the day. There’s noway I’m carrying you up those stairs.”
Finn tried togive him a mock-saluting gesture, but it was more of a flailing wave. “You’reabandoning me?”
“I’ve got ataxi waiting, and it’s already costing me a small fortune,” Rob pointed out,checking his watch.
Pulling a pitifulface, Finn joked, “Who will undress me and tuck me in? I only have one usefularm.”
Rob chuckled,heading toward the door. “I’ll ask one of your neighbors, Mrs. Henderson,perhaps? She seems the nurturing type.”
“Night, Chief,”Finn called out, his voice laced with amusement.
The doorclicked shut, leaving Finn in the dimly lit living room. The weight of theevening’s libations settled heavily on him. The idea of moving seemed like aherculean task, yet he knew he needed to hydrate if he hoped to combat the inevitablehangover.
With a groan,he sat up, reaching for a nearby table where a glass of water sat from earlierin the day. As he drank, his phone buzzed, signaling an unchecked notification.Seeing it was a voicemail, Finn played the message, expecting perhaps an amusingdrunk call from Rob or maybe an update from Winters.
However, as soonas he recognized the voice, his heart froze. It was Demi, his ex.
“I can’t waitany longer, Finn. I need to talk to you. The affair… it never happened. Someone’sbeen blackmailing me. It’s complicated, and it’s dangerous. I’ll explaineverything when I see you.”
There was amomentary pause, during which Finn could hear the faint murmur of an airportannouncement in the background.
“I’m on thenext flight to London. We need to sort this out, face to face.”
The messageended, leaving Finn in stunned silence. The pleasant haze from the alcoholvanished, replaced by a sense of dread. The room closed in around him. Everyshadow took on a sinister form as his mind raced, trying to piece together thepuzzle.
What the hellwas going on?
