THE SHATTERED VOWS OF INNOCENCE

The realization hit Clara like a physical blow. The shattered bride, the trembling hands, the dropped peony bouquet—it had all been theatre. Sophia wasn't the blind victim of a callous fiancé; she was the architect of the entire maneuver. Julian was merely the errand boy carrying out the scheme to save both of their families from federal indictment.

Clara sat frozen in the blue light of the screen. Then who gave me this drive? she thought frantically. If Julian and Sophia were partners in crime, who stood to gain by blowing up the wedding and exposing them?

Before she could process the thought, the floorboards outside her apartment door creaked softly.

Clara went rigid. Her apartment was on the third floor of an old brownstone; the front stairs always gave warning, but this sound had come from the fire escape landing just outside the kitchen window.

Slowly, without making a sound, Clara closed the laptop lid and grabbed the heavy cast-iron skillet resting on the stove. She crept toward the kitchen window. The rusted metal fire escape hung in the darkness against the brick exterior.

A shadow moved against the glass.

Clara raised the iron pan, her muscles tensed to strike, when two quick, deliberate taps sounded against the pane. Tap. Tap. Then a pause, followed by three rapid taps.

A face appeared against the glass, illuminated by the pale moonlight. It was Marcus.

Clara let out a ragged breath, lowered the pan, and unlocked the window latch, sliding the heavy sash upward. ""Marcus? What are you doing out there? I thought you said you were sending a patrol car.""

Marcus slipped through the window with practiced silence, pulling his long coat in after him and immediately sliding the window shut. He was out of breath, his tie loosened, and his trench coat bore fresh splatters of rain and dirt.

""Don't look outside,"" Marcus whispered harshly, grabbing her wrist and pulling her away from the kitchen window. ""The patrol car I sent was intercepted two blocks away. Eleanor has friends in Internal Affairs. They pulled my badge ten minutes after I booked Julian.""

""What?"" Clara gasped, clutching the counter. ""How? On what grounds?""

""They claim I planted evidence against my own brother to settle a personal family vendetta,"" Marcus said, his jaw tight. ""Julian is already out on five-hundred-thousand-dollar cash bail. And Eleanor knows you have the drive.""