The taxi crosses the bridge into downtown Manhattan just as the dawn glow is lighting the streets. Even to my bleary eyes, it’s a gorgeous sight. I stifle a yawn, taking in the pinkish tinge reflecting off the skyscrapers, the streets that are about as quiet as Manhattan ever gets. My head feels muggy, I didn’t manage to sleep more than three hours of sleep on the plane, but my heart is thumping with anticipation.

We’re close. This is the final treasure location, it has to be.

My stomach grumbles, and Max looks over with a smile. “Hungry?”

“First the treasure, then breakfast,” I say firmly.

“You always did have your priorities straight.” He glances out the window. “I love the city this early in the morning. Like the calm before the storm. We should go to Cairo sometime,” he adds. “There’s a spot near one of the markets, best coffee I’ve ever had in my life and great food too. The way the light hits the buildings around there as the sun is just rising . . .” He smiles at me. “You’ll love it.”

“Oh,” I say, as casually as I can manage, pretending my heart isn’t flipping over at the mention of future plans. Our future. “That sounds amazing.”

“Have you ever been?”

I shake my head. “I’ve tagged along to Europe. And to Tokyo once. But that was all business—assisting at conferences and that sort of thing. I didn’t get to do a whole lot of sightseeing.”

“Then we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.” Max squeezes my hand. “I’m looking forward to it.”

I can’t help beaming back at him. My throat suddenly feels tight with emotion, but it’s a good kind of emotion. I haven’t wanted to ask if our not-so-fake relationship will see out the week, but it seems like Max is thinking the exact same thing as me.

That this, whatever crazy way it started, is something real now. Something special.

The cab pulls up outside the building, and he pays the driver before we climb out.

“Ready?” Max looks as tense and excited as I feel. After all, there’s nothing between him and a billion-dollar inheritance now. We took extra care to sneak out of the estate without anyone noticing. We left on foot, hailing a cab a mile down the road to take us to the airport, grabbing the first red-eye flight that would take us out here. 007’s got nothing on us.

“Ready.” We push past the massive doors and stop in the majestic foyer. That moment when I stood here before my interview feels like it was a year ago, not just a week.

The gallery is closed, a little sign hanging in the frosted glass window.

“What exactly did the last clue say again?” I ask.

He brings it up on his phone. “From inside and above, it’s a window to the world. Arrive to see it first, and you’ll find your prize unfurled.”

“Inside and above,” I repeat. “So it could be the gallery or the roof. There’s an observation deck up there . . .”

“77 floors,” Max says. “That really narrows it down. Well, why don’t we start at the top and work our way from there.”

We get in the elevator, my pulse thumping faster. I can almost taste it: our victory—well, Max’s victory, but it feels like mine too—waiting for us up there.

“Nervous?” I ask Max.

He kisses me. “Not anymore. I’m ready for this,” he says, and I know he doesn’t just mean winning. He’s ready to take control of the company, and take it in the right direction, and I know he’ll do an amazing job.

The elevator stops at the top floor, and the door opens.

“So, you finally made it.”

We stop dead. The observation deck is full. Artie, Cordelia, Parker and Brad, plus a couple of their SWAT team looking guys, and a few dudes in suits for good measure. There’s barely enough room for us to get out of the elevator.

Artie steps forward with a sneer. “Haven’t I always told you, Max: never fly commercial. It takes twice as long, and you can miss out on all the breaks.”

He holds up another linen envelope—but this one is twice as big as the clues, with a fancy wax seal. A seal that’s clearly been broken. “In this case, the jet saved us a fortune. And lost you one. Whoops.”

My heart sinks. Beside me, Max is rigid. “How the hell did you get here in time?” he demands. “You guys were stuck back at the estate! You had no idea where to look!”

Artie chortles. “All thanks to your lovely fiancée. Thanks for the intel, Hallie.” He winks. “We never would have beaten him without you.”

Wait, what?

Before I can sputter a response, Artie has snapped his fingers to summon his crew. “Enough chit-chat. We’ve got celebrating to do—and a business to sell.”

They brush past us to the elevator. “But, you’re lying!” I protest. “I never—”

Ding!

The doors close behind them. Max and I are left alone.

“You need to tell me what the hell is going on.”

Max’s voice is like steel. I turn. He’s staring at me like I’m a stranger.

“I don’t know!” I protest. “I swear I didn’t tell them. He tried to bribe me into helping him, days ago, but I told him to stick his offer up his ass. Max, you have to believe me!”

“He knew to come here,” Max says slowly. “Not just the city, but this building. Right after we figured it out. No one even knew we’d left. And why would he thank you if you had nothing to do with it?”

I throw my hands in the air. “I don’t know! Because he’s an asshole. I have no idea how he figured it out, but I swear it had nothing to do with me. Why would I sabotage you when we were so close?”

“Maybe he offered you more money than I did,” Max says darkly. “What’s your price then? A hundred grand? A million? You were only doing this for the money anyway. So why not go with the highest bidder?”

I feel like I’ve just been hit in the gut. “That’s not the kind of person I am. I wouldn’t do that to anyone.” A swell of emotion fills my throat. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”

But Max is still looking at me like the past week means nothing. He shakes his head. “I thought that was true. I thought— For fuck’s sake, Hallie, I trusted you with everything. So you can stop lying. Just admit it. What was your price?”

I don’t know what to say to make him believe me. I don’t know if I’d believe me if our positions were reversed. Ten minutes ago, everything felt perfect. How can it all have come crashing down so fast?

My eyes well up. I swipe at them, fighting to keep my voice steady. “I’m not lying. I didn’t sell you out. If you trusted me before, then keep trusting me. We can look into it, try to figure out how he—”

“No,” Max snaps. “I don’t ever want to see you again. Enjoy your dirty money.”

He turns on his heel and stalks away. “Max, please, listen to me!” I desperately follow and grab him by the arm. He jerks around. His eyes are so hard with anger they freeze me in place.

“Why did you even take this job?”

“What?”

“You heard me. I asked you before, back when all of this was just beginning, and you said you’d tell me later. Well, now is later. So?”

I falter. “I . . . I . . .”

Max stares at me, waiting.

“I thought, maybe, I could show my photographs to someone,” I confess, my cheeks flushing red. “I applied for a job at one of your magazines, and didn’t get it. I just wanted a chance,” I add miserably. “To be judged on my talent.”

“And you do have ample talents, don’t you?”

My head snaps up. “That isn’t fair.”

“Why not? You said it yourself, you were using me from the start. But why settle for a couple of photography assignments when you could take a slice of the whole company?”

“No.” I gulp, my tears coming now. “It’s not like that!”

“I know exactly how it is.” Max’s angry expression drops, just for a moment, and I see the betrayal in his eyes.

Somehow, that’s worse.

“I trusted you, Hallie.” His face twists with emotion. “I thought you were different from these vultures. Someone real. But I guess I was wrong.”

He gets on the elevator before I can say another word. The doors slide shut, and then he’s gone.

I sink down onto one of the deck’s benches and drop my face into my hands. The tears stream out with a sob I can’t control. It’s over. I’ve lost it all. The guy, the company that should have been his, the dream he was building for his future . . .

But I still don’t understand how any of it happened.

At last, my sobs subside, but I don’t even know what to do next. My stuff is still in Palm Beach, but I can’t face going back there. And how? This was all Max’s mission: I was just along for the ride.

Don’t let yourself get swept up in the moment, Olivia told me. It’s purely business. I wish I’d listened to her. Maybe then I wouldn’t feel like I’ve lost the best man I’ve ever known.

Hello, heartbreak. Population: me.