Page 50 of The Art of Ruin

I huff out a laugh before I can stop myself.

His mouth shifts slightly at the sound, not quite a smile but close enough that I notice anyway.

Then my phone buzzes again.

The sound cuts straight through the moment.

I feel it immediately, the way my shoulders tighten before I can stop them.

Adriano also notices as his body moves closer, as if to shield me.

Of course he notices.

His gaze drops briefly toward my bag before lifting back to my face. “You’re popular today,” he says.

The comment is light, but there’s observation sitting quietly underneath it. “Apparently.”

I hate how careful my voice sounds.

Letty is already tugging on my hand again. “We got pastries.”

“Did you?”

“And Daddy said I could have hot chocolate.”

Adriano sighs heavily beside her. “I said one small hot chocolate.”

“She heard the important part,” I say with a smile that feels more forced now.

“I’m beginning to realize that.”

The phone buzzes.

Goddammit, Jasper, catch a clue.

This time Letty notices too.

She wrinkles her nose. “Your phone is annoying.”

A startled laugh escapes me. “You’re not wrong.”

“You should tell it to stop.”

If only it were that easy.

I pull the phone from my bag long enough to switch it to silent, but the second the screen lights up, my stomach twists again.

Three missed calls now.

Another message.

Please, Casey.

I lock the screen before either of them can accidentally see the name.

When I look up, Adriano is watching me with that same unreadable steadiness that always makes me feel slightly overexamined. “You okay?” he asks.

The question is simple.