For three terrifying seconds, nobody breathed.
Then—
The guard stepped back.
"Be back before morning," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And if Director D'Angelo asks, I was never here."
Valerie pressed both hands dramatically against her chest.
"Oh my God. Marcus. You do care."
"I don't," the guard said flatly. "I just enjoy keeping my employment."
The gate slid open.
The second it shut behind them—
Hanalei exploded upward from the floor of the car.
"Oh my God!"
She grabbed Valerie's arm.
"We almost died!"
Valerie looked offended.
"Please. That was barely a felony."
"That was definitely a felony!"
The driver muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like:
I deserve hazard pay.
"I honestly thought Marcus was going to drag you out by your ankles, Hani. That 'mannequin' lie was the worst thing I've ever said, and I once told an ex I was moving to Nepal."
