Sehun noticed it as soon as he walked into the locker room for swim practice on the Monday after Thanksgiving weekend. Something was wrong. It was way too quiet. The guys on the swim team were all there, as usual. But everyone was getting changed silently. There was none of the usual post-school, pre-practice banter.

‘What’s up with you guys?’ Sehun called. ‘You all still in a turkey coma?’

‘One of us is a thief,’ Chen answered flatly.

‘What?’ Sehun demanded, wandering over to Chen’s locker. Luhan sat next to him, swim goggles pushed up on his forehead.

‘The Wu’s got robbed the night of Kris’ party,’ Luhan explained.

‘They’re sure somebody who was at the party did it,’ Kai added from the next row of lockers over.

Sehun relaxed a tiny bit. ‘So you’re talking one of us who was there, not one of us on the team,’ he said.

‘It better not be somebody from the team!’ Kai declared, appearing from around the corner. ‘That would be an even bigger betrayal.’

‘What was taken?’ Sehun asked. ‘A lot?’

‘Just one thing. An antique that’s been in the Wu family for hundreds of years,’ Luhan said. ‘Kris’ dad had a full-on freak this morning when he realized it was missing. He called the school and had Kris yanked from class.’

‘That’s asinine. What’s Kris supposed to do about it?’ Chen asked.

Luhan shrugged.

‘All I can say is that Tiffany is not guilty,’ Tao volunteered, joining the group. ‘I had my hands on her all night.’

‘Tao just wants everyone to know that he finally got a little,’ Kai commented with a laugh.

‘Hey, we’re talking Tiffany Hwang here,’ Tao said.

‘Been there. Done that,’ Chen told him.

‘You lie. We all know you’re on your way to being the next forty-year-old ,’ Donghae shot back.

Ah, this was the locker room Sehun knew and loved.

‘What kind of antique are we talking?’ Chen asked, getting serious again.

‘A gold chalice. That’s a cup to you, Chen,’ Luhan answered. ‘The guy was smart, too. The Chalice was locked in Mr Wus briefcase. I guess the thing is usually kept in a safe deposit box, but he’d taken it out to use over the holiday. Anyway, the thief managed to crack the lock, and he left this glass paperweight in place of the chalice. Otherwise, Mr Wu would have realized something was wrong the second he picked up the case.’

An image of Baekhyun suddenly slammed into Sehun’s head. Baekhyun all twitchy. Hoodie all zipped up to his chin. Hands jammed in the big front pocket. Because he was holding the chalice? Hiding it under the baggy sweatshirt?

A year ago, Sehun would never have considered the possibility. In fact, he’d have punched anyone who considered the possibility. But since his parents’ divorce, Baekhyun had changed. And he was desperate for cash.

But that desperate? Sehun wasn’t sure.

Then he remembered the phone call. The one on Baekhyun’s cell, with the guy who mentioned a thirty-six hour deadline. The one that had turned Baekhyun in an instant . It had been an obvious threat. It might have been enough to make Baekhyun willing to do just about anything.

But the threat was nothing compared to what Baekhyun might be facing now. That guy on the phone was human. The ones who’d been robbed were not.

‘How can a place like the Wu’s not have some hi-tech security system?’ Tao asked.

Luhan turned toward Sehun, even though the question had been Tao’s. ‘It does. There are cameras everywhere. By now, they probably know who did it.’

Sehun stared back at him. Was Luhan trying to tell him something? Had Luhan seen something that made him suspect Baekhyun, too?

Was it a warning?

‘Damn! I completely forgot I have a dentist appointment,’ Sehun exclaimed. ‘My mom’s going to massacre me. Tell the coach, okay?’

Luhan nodded. And Sehun headed out of the locker room, holding himself to a fast walk. The second he was through the doors, he broke into a run. He had to talk to Baekhyun. He just hoped the guy was in front of the TV where Sehun had left him that morning.

Sehun raced to the parking lot and over to the Bug. He vaulted into the convertible without bothering to open the door and squealed out of the lot. He pushed his foot down on the accelerator as soon as he hit the Pacific Coast Highway. Seventy. Eighty. His speedo went up. He needed to find Baekhyun fast.

Kris Wu was a guy who took action. When Suho had gone feral, the other vampires had turned to Kris. And Kris had taken care of the problem by driving a metal stake through Suho’s heart. What exactly would Kris do to Baekhyun for stealing something irreplaceable from his family?

Sehun caught sight of a figure out of the corner of his eye and slammed the brakes. He twisted around. Yeah, it was Baekhyun. His friend was staring at him from the edge of the cliffs overlooking the beach on the other side of the road. ‘Baekhyun!’ he shouted. ‘Get in the car!’

Baekhyun waited for a Jeep to drive past, then jogged across the two-lane highway. ‘Hey. Decided to walk into town,’ he said cheerfully.

‘Get in,’ Sehun told him again.

‘I was thinking of maybe renting a board. Can’t come all the way to Malibu without at least attempting to surf. Am I right?’ Baekhyun asked.

‘The Wu’s was robbed at the party on Friday,’ Sehun told him. He locked eyes with Baekhyun. ‘I think it might be a good time for you to be at home. A stranger in town could be at the top of their list of suspects.’

Baekhyun nodded wordlessly and climbed into the car.

‘Did you do it, Baek?’ Sehun couldn’t stop himself from asking the question. He pulled back onto the highway. He wanted to get Baekhyun out of sight until he knew exactly what the situation was. ‘I don’t hear you answering.’

‘You take me to a party with you and you think I walk out with something?’ Baekhyun shook his head sadly.

‘That’s not an answer.’ Why couldn’t Baekhyun just give him a ‘no’? That was all Sehun wanted.

‘You have a Bible? I need a Bible if you’re going to put me on the witness stand,’ Baekhyun snapped.

Sehun glanced at his old friend. He looked as pissed off as he sounded. And Sehun wondered if he was wrong. Maybe he jumped to a completely false conclusion.

‘I didn’t do it,’ Baekhyun told him, speaking slowly and carefully, like a kindergarten teacher giving safety instructions. ‘Happy?’

‘Ecstatic,’ Sehun muttered as they entered the Heights. ‘Sorry,’ he told Baekhyun. ‘I just…’ He didn’t go on. There was no explanation good enough for accusing his friend for being a thief.

‘Forget it,’ Baekhyun said.

Sehun pulled into his driveway – and hit the brakes fast. His stomach seized up as he looked at the house.

The front door hung open.

‘Didn’t my mom and Boa say they had some kind of charity lunch on today? He asked. ‘And Luna was going to go straight to Sunny’s and stay there until after dinner.’

‘Yeah,’ Baekhyun said, staring at the gaping door. ‘And your father’s at work.’

Sehun threw the car into park and killed the engine. He dashed to the door, Baekhyun right behind him.

Books, CDs and DVDs lay all over the living-room floor. The coffee table had been knocked over. The glass in his mother’s curio cabinet smashed. The ottoman flipped and bottom slit open.

Someone had come in and searched the place. And Sehun was sure he knew exactly what they had been looking for.