Leonard arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"


    Sellers wasn''t the type to believe in coincidences-he knew better.


    He shot Leonard a look, then answered the ringing phone.


    "Mr. Gardner, how can I help you?"


    Joshua was sitting on a private jet, a satellite phone in hand, his tone cool and measured. "Tell Leonard to let Ste go. If he doesn''t, the Gardner family and the Lerman family will be at war. There''ll be no backing down."


    Sellers froze, instinctively ncing at Leonard.


    "Mr. Gardner, I''m not sure I understand-"


    But Joshua cut him off, his voice sharp and cold. "I know you''re together. Put Leonard on."


    Sellers hesitated, then passed the phone to Leonard.


    How on earth did the head of the Gardner family know Ste? What exactly was their rtionship?


    Leonard took the phone from Sellers, unfazed. "Mr. Gardner, what can I do for you?"


    Joshua didn''t waste words. "Let Ste go. I''ll owe you a favor."


    Leonard knew all too well that Simone had her sights set on the Gardner family''s patriarch, dreaming of marrying Joshua. Yet, for reasons unknown, Joshua kept his identity hidden and lingered by Ste''s side.


    Now, judging by Joshua''s call, things were clearly moreplicated than they appeared.


    Leonard almostughed. A man like Joshua, interested in a divorced woman with a child—a secondhand mother, so to speak? What exactly was it about Ste that drew him in?


    Leonard nced down at Ste, doubt flickering in his eyes. Did she really have that much charm?


    Still, he yed it cool. "I''m not even in Novaris right now. Maybe you''ve got the wrong guy?"


    Joshua''s reply was ice-cold. "Quit ying dumb. You know exactly what I''m talking about."


    Leonard deflected smoothly. "Mr. Gardner, usations need


    Gone, it''s a little u


    throw them at me, don''t


    you


    But just then, Leonard heard a voice in the background on Joshua''s end. "Mr. Gardner, we''ve tracked their location."


    Joshua grunted in acknowledgment and hung up without another word.


    Leonard stared at the dead line, his face darkening. Joshua had just yed him.


    ***


    On the ne, one of Joshua''s men leaned in, uncertain. "Mr. Gardner, will this really work? What if they don''t buy it?"


    Joshua, still holding the satellite


    phone, knew full well he couldn''t


    actually pinpoint a location from the


    air. The whole thing was a


    bluff meant to put psychological pressure on Leonard and force his hand.


    He hadn''t even been sure Sellers and Leonard were together until now.


    Before boarding, he''d had someone check up on Sellers, who, surprisingly, had gone to Sandford that day.


    So, Joshua decided to gamble—and it paid off. Now he knew for certain they were together.


    "Leonard is paranoid by nature,"


    Joshua exined, a cold glint in his eye. "He''ll assume, since I called Sellers'' phone, that I''ve found something out. Even if he suspects it''s a trick, he won''t risk ignoring it. And if he does-well, that''s fine too."


    His gaze turned steely. "Because either way, his time is almost up."


    He turned to his aide. "Contact Neville. Tell him to trace Sellers'' phone. Ste should be with them."


    Aetheria was a world away from Novaris. No matter how anxious he was, there was no way he could get there in time.


    Joshua knew Leonard wouldn''t kill Ste. But if she stayed in Leonard''s hands much longer, she was bound to suffer.