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I pause, gripping the handle but refusing to look back.

“There’s something else that needs to be addressed.”

Reluctantly I turn back to him. “What?”

He clears his throat, still pretending like this is some official HR meeting instead of a father accusing his son of being a thief. “As you’re currently under suspicion, I can’t allow you to wander around the resort unattended.”

“You can’t be serious. You honestly think I’m going to nick someone’s Rolex on my way out?”

“It’s policy,” he replies firmly, his expression unmoving even as colour rises in his cheeks.

“Policy? Right. Because heaven forbid we ever bend a single rule at the Glen Garve Resort.”

Ignoring me, he says, “Johnny will escort you to your locker so you can collect your belongings. Once you leave today, you aren’t permitted back on the premises without prior agreement from me.”

So my own brother is to escort me out of here like I’m a common crook? You couldn’t make this up.

“It’s not personal,” Da adds. “It’s just procedure, son.”

Son. The word sounds hollow, a formality rather than a bond. I stare at him, this man who shares my blood but has never really understood me. I wonder if he ever will.

“Fine,” I grit out. “Let’s get this over with.”

Johnny’s waiting outside, his face a picture of misery. He falls into step beside me as we head down the staff corridor towards the locker room, his shoulders hunched like he’s carrying the weight of this whole mess. The silence between us is thick enough to cut with a knife.

I hate seeing my wee brother like this. It takes the edge off my anger, just a bit. I’ve spent my whole life trying to shield Johnny from the worst of things, and here he is, caught in the middle of this shitshow.

“Hey.” I nudge his arm. “Relax. I’ll be fine.”

He shoots me a look that’s somewhere between exasperation and concern. “I should be the one reassuring you, Robbie, not the other way around.”

I shrug. “I’ve got thick skin.”

“I warned you to keep your cool in there.” He glances around to make sure no one is within earshot. “I was right outside, and you weren’t exactly being quiet. I know it’s not fair, but Da was only going to suspend you while the police investigate. Did you really have to quit?”

I exhale sharply through my nose. “You weren’t in the room, Johnny. You didn’t see the way he looked at me. He’d already decided I was guilty.”

“That’s not tr⁠—”

“It is,” I cut him off. “And we both know it.”

We reach the locker room, and I’m grateful to find it empty. The last thing I need is an audience. I spin the combination on my locker, open it, and pull out my leather jacket, which is stuffed in a heap at the bottom. As I do, something clatters to the floor between us.

A ring.

A signet ring, to be precise. Gold with some sort of crest on it.

For a beat, neither of us moves. The ring just sits there on the floor like it’s mocking me. My brain stutters, trying to make sense of what I’m seeing.

“What the fuck?” The words come out low and sharp, my pulse pounding in my ears. I glance at Johnny, whose face has gone as white as the resort’s overpriced bedsheets.

He swallows hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing like he’s choking something down. “Is that⁠—”

“The ring that was reported missing this morning? I think so.” My heart thuds harder. “Johnny, I swear to God, I’ve never seen it before in my life.”

His eyes dart between me and the ring like he’s waiting for someone to yell, “Surprise!”

“Robbie . . .”