Chapter 16
16
KOLBI
I pulled up in front of the hundred year old home promptly at seven Saturday evening as the invitation had instructed me to do. I knew my men had been here for the last few hours setting up the proper parameters to ensure the evening didn’t go sideways. Since I trusted them to do their jobs, I didn’t see the need for me to arrive any earlier than when the party started. Handing my keys to the valet and making my way up the front walkway, I took in the sight of the estate which had been decorated to the nines for the evening’s event.
The three-story mansion had garland hanging from the banisters and each of the old, slightly warped windows had large, pre-lit wreaths with massive red bows hanging from them. Around the old oak door that led inside was more garland made from Magnolia leaves which was a tradition here in the Lowcountry. The front yard and driveway had been tastefully lined with Christmas lights to lead guests toward the home and every few feet were small, candle-lit lanterns that illuminated the pathways to the garden. The night sky was dark and you could see the stars hanging in it like ornaments. A chill rolled through the air due to the late winter season.
Once inside, I looked around to find that the main entryway and foyer were full of people. The Sinclairs were expecting close to 200 guests this evening, many of them from some of the wealthiest families in the city. Looking around the room, I could spot a few of my guys wearing earpieces and dressed in black-tie formal as they had been instructed. I gave the ones I saw small nods to let them know I was here. Hank’s number one guy, Parker, was standing just inside the door and I stopped to say hello.
“Parker.” I nodded and shook his hand.
“Hey, man, welcome to the party.” He returned the hand shake and kept his head on a swivel. Several of our other private clients were here and raised a polite hand when they noticed me.
“How did things go earlier, everyone in position?” Parker blew out a breath and cleared his throat at my question. My eyebrows met in the middle of my face and I looked at him directly, waiting for him to explain his exasperated demeanor.
“Yes, everyone is in position. I’m stationed here, Smith is taking care of the outside perimeter, Mendez is trailing Susan and William, and Clark and Spencer are on patrol. Things went fine after their daughter got what she wanted.”
“And what did she want?” My lips curled around my teeth and I tried to keep my voice even when hearing she had caused my men problems. Turning over my shoulder, I looked to see if I could spot her anywhere and waved to another client I recognized.
“Well, it’s what she didn’t want. Her mother insisted that we have a tail on her throughout the evening, but she refused. When we gave her the option to pick who she wanted to be her tail, she announced that her choice wasn’t here yet and that she ‘didn’t need a babysitter.’” I pressed my tongue into the side of my cheek and let out a heavy breath. For once could she just not be so difficult? “None of us understood what she meant by ‘my choice isn’t here yet,’ but we weren’t about to cause a fight half an hour before the guests arrived.” You don’t know what she meant but I sure as shit do because she’s talking about me.
“So did you figure it out?” I continued, trying to keep the conversation casual.
“Yeah, she’s currently on her own but I told Spencer to keep eyes on her from a distance.” Parker continued to watch the sea of people filing into the house and I nodded in agreement with his decision. This is why I never worried about my men or the people who worked for me. They always did the best they could, even with the most difficult of clients.
Even with the clients who currently have me in a chokehold.
I made a mental note to talk to her about not being a pain in the ass when it came to letting my people do their jobs.
“Good man.” My hand clapped him on the shoulder. “I will talk to Miss Sinclair about proper protocol. Keep up the good work, Parker. If you need me, you can get me on my phone. I’ll be here all night.” He nodded before speaking into his earpiece to the other men who were strategically scattered around the grounds letting them know I was here.
Walking through the grand halls, I ran into several clients who we worked for and said hello to many important figures of the city. Several members of city council were here as well as the county sheriff, two local judges, and the mayor. I spoke to each one, shaking their hands and listening to them tell me about their Christmas plans and how much they appreciated the work my people did for them. I gave them all my warmest smile and did my best to pay attention to the things they were sharing with me, trying to keep my eyes from wandering around the room, searching for her. I’d circled the lower level of the home for nearly thirty minutes and was standing in the living room holding an Old Fashioned, and speaking to the wife of a councilman, when I spotted her coming down the stairs out of the corner of my eye. Once I caught a glance of her, I couldn’t look away.
She floated down the stairwell wearing a dark emerald gown that came in around her small waist. It was off the shoulder with a large slit up the side so that when she kicked her feet out, you could see the shoes she had sent me a photo of earlier in the week. As instructed, she had her hair up and twisted behind her head and around her neck was a diamond studded tennis necklace that danced in the light of the ornate chandeliers. I tried to keep my eyes from drifting below her neck, but the way her dress lifted and framed her breasts made them hard to ignore. I turned to the older woman who had continued to yap in my ear even though I’d clearly stopped paying attention, and politely excused myself before meeting her at the bottom of the steps.
“Hello, Jack.” She batted her lashes as a sultry smile bloomed across her face from a few steps up, creating the illusion that she was taller than me. With her closer, I could see her skin had been coated with something that made it shimmer in the warm party light. Between the dress, the shoes, and the way the diamond necklace highlighted the smooth angles of her neck, she was absolutely radiant.
“I heard you were giving my people trouble.” I started, keeping my voice low so only she could hear, causing it to come out as more of an accusatory growl. She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes before holding out her hand for me to help her down the last few steps. I studied it for a moment before taking it and when our fingers met, I could feel a heat growing under my collar again.
“I wasn’t giving them trouble, I simply told them that the person I wanted to protect me tonight wasn’t here yet,” she purred with a confident smile, raising a brow at me in challenge. Now at the bottom of the steps, she didn’t need me to hold her hand to steady her any longer, but I didn’t want to let her go. Wary of being noticed holding her hand, I gently pulled away and straightened my suit jacket. She took a step closer and brought her hands to my chest, straightening my tie and causing every muscle in my body to seize up.
“You need to let my people do their job, Miss Sinclair,” I pressed, looking down at her as her hands were still lingering on my chest. I knew I should move away from her, anyone at this party could see us any moment, but it was as if my legs had cement blocks around them. She had completely transfixed me with the simple straightening of a tie.
“Ugh, not this ‘Miss Sinclair’ business again.” Her plump lips pressed together in annoyance and she looped one of her arms under mine, pulling me next to her as we walked through a room full of people. I tried to swallow the lump that was forming in my throat as the unease of being this close to her in a public setting started to grow inside of me. She was the daughter of one of my most important clients and I didn’t want people to think anything was going on between us when there wasn’t.
“‘Miss Sinclair’ feels appropriate for the setting, flower ,” I repeated my words to her from when she ambushed me in my office two weeks ago. When I tipped my head towards her ear and growled out the nickname I’d given her, she smirked and licked her lips in satisfaction since she got what she wanted. This girl always seemed to get what she wanted when it came to me .
She walked me around the room, keeping her arm looped around mine and introduced me to several people I didn’t know. Some were friends of the family who lived further outside of the city, others were prominent business owners in the area whom I’d heard of before but never had the chance to meet. With each new person we approached, she would introduce me as her friend and rave about the work my company was doing for her family.
“Sweetgrass Security is the best of the best.”
“Mr. Vesey and his team are true professionals and so wonderful to work with.”
“You must reach out and set up a time to meet with him. He listens to your needs and does what he can to exceed your expectations. He always goes the extra mile for his clients.”
As much as I tried to deny it, it was nice to walk through the room with her on my arm. She felt like she belonged there and with each new person we met, the more I relaxed with having her there. I reveled in getting to watch her be poised and graceful with her guests and loved the sound of my name on her lips. More than a few times she would pat my arm or rest her hand on mine and each time she did, I wished that time would stop for a few extra moments just so I could feel her hand in mine a little while longer.
“Someone sure is complimentary tonight,” I commented after she introduced me to yet another new potential client. I was going to have to refill the stash of business cards I kept in my wallet as I had nearly handed them all out over the course of an hour walking around with Magnolia.
“As I told you before, this party is a great networking opportunity. I’m simply following through on my promise to make it worth your while to come.” She flicked her eyes up to me confidently and started to move towards a different part of the house, pulling me along with her as she went, when a shrill voice came from behind us.
“Magnolia Sinclair, who in God’s name are you—” the voice shrieked in a hush tone but stopped when she grabbed Magnolia’s arm to turn her around and noticed who she had been walking with. “Oh, hello Mr. Vesey.” Susan Sinclair gave me a curt smile and pinched her face up at me. When her eyes darted back to her daughter, they clouded over with disapproval.
“Magnolia, I didn’t know Mr. Vesey was going to be here tonight. Did you invite him?” She kept her voice low and even but didn’t look at me when she spoke. My eyes flickered between the two women as the air grew thick and heated between the three of us. When Magnolia didn’t respond, I stepped in to save her.
“Good evening, Mrs. Sinclair.” I stepped towards her to place a cordial peck on her cheek before continuing, “This is a wonderful party you’re having tonight. I’m here as one of my men fell sick and needed someone to take his place. Your daughter was just showing me around and introducing me to some of your guests.” My eyes found Magnolia who was watching me intensely, her mouth in the shape of a small O as she watched me cover for her. She gave me a grateful smile and then turned to her mother again who looked at both of us in disbelief.
“I see. Well, thank you for stepping up and taking his place. I’m sure you have better things to do with your Saturday night than spend it here.”
“There’s no place I’d rather be,” I stated without missing a beat, wrapping my arm a little bit tighter around Magnolia’s. Susan’s expression grew cold and she glared at me through thin eyes before she turned to her daughter once more.
“While it’s very kind of you to show Mr. Vesey around, the Bates are here and you must go say hello to them.”
Magnolia released me finally but only to cross her arms in front of her in protest and I watched as her eyes bugged out of her face in shock.
“What do you mean, the Bates are here ? Is Daniel here too? Did you invite him to come tonight?” Her voice came out heated and she snarled at her mother. I wasn’t sure who the Bates were, but clearly their being here upset her.
“Magnolia, don’t,” Susan snapped, aggressively swiping a hand across the air. “You will go over there and say hello to them and you will apologize to Daniel like I’ve been instructing you to do for weeks now.” She turned and spoke to me now with an arrogant look on her face. “Enjoy the party, Mr. Vesey. Now go do your job and keep our family safe.”
I didn’t even have the chance to respond before she grabbed her daughter by the wrist and pulled her away from me. As they left, Magnolia turned over her shoulder and gave me a look of apology. I watched them disappear into a crowd of people and couldn’t deny how much I missed the feeling of having her on my arm.