Chapter 5 No.5

Doria finished the champagne in two large gulps. She set the glass down hard.

"I'm going to the VIP Suite to... prepare things," Doria said. She fanned herself with her hand. "Is it hot in here?"

The drug was fast.

"Go," Janey said softly. "I'll come as soon as the ceremony is over."

Doria nodded, her eyes already looking a little glassy. She grabbed her purse and swayed slightly as she walked to the door.

"Don't be late," Doria slurred slightly, then giggled. "Or Carter will get impatient."

She left.

Janey walked to the door and locked it.

She found a hotel notepad and a pen on the desk. She needed an outside line, a trusted one. She scribbled a number from memory and a short, coded message.

She opened the door just a crack. A junior staffer was rushing by.

"Excuse me," Janey said, her voice urgent but low. "Can you get this to Vivian Roy? It's an emergency regarding the floral arrangement." She pressed a folded hundred-dollar bill from the emergency cash sewn into her gown into the staffer's hand along with the note. "Immediately."

The staffer, wide-eyed at the cash, nodded and scurried away.

Janey closed the door. She breathed. The message was simple: V. VIP Suite cam. Diagnostic window @ ceremony start. Switch source. For Mom.

"Aunt Vivian?" she whispered to the empty room. "Please."

She knew from her past life that Vivian, the outcast of the Roy family, was the only one who had ever shown her kindness. She also knew Vivian had been an A/V club nerd in college. And she knew the Walton estate's security system had a sixty-second diagnostic loophole that ran like clockwork at the start of any major event, temporarily unencrypting the internal feeds. A flaw Austin would never admit to.

This wasn't hacking. It was exploiting a known variable.

A knock on the door.

"Miss Roy? It's time."

Janey took a deep breath. She checked her lipstick.

She opened the door.

Marcus was waiting. He offered his arm, looking impatient.

"Don't trip," he muttered. "And smile. You're worth five billion dollars today."

Janey took his arm. Her nails dug into the fabric of his expensive suit, hard enough to pierce.

"Don't worry, Father," she said. "This is going to be a wedding no one will ever forget."

The organ music swelled. The heavy oak doors of the chapel swung open.

The aisle stretched out before her, lined with hundreds of people who didn't care if she lived or died.

At the end of it stood Austin.

He looked impeccable. Powerful. Cold.

He watched her approach. His eyes locked onto hers.

Janey didn't look down. She held his gaze.

She gave a microscopic nod.

Austin's eyebrows twitched. He saw the signal.

The game was on.