Chapter 44
ALEXA
“Uh, I can’t breathe.”
Nolan leaned in closer and kissed my forehead. “But you look amazing.”
Spider laughed from the stool next to me. “Yeah, she has boobs.”
“And she also looks older than fourteen,” Jez added.
“Remind me again why I invited you witches?”
“Because you wanted to know what was in your neighbour’s safe,” Spider said, and okay, that was true.
The emails between Everett Cranston and the gem companies talked about samples, so I figured the Cranstons had already helped themselves to a bunch of diamonds, and I was curious to know how many.
Since Spider cracked safes as a hobby, she was the best woman for the job, and she’d found fourteen lumps of kimberlite, each nestled in a velvet pouch, all tucked into the safe in the floor of Antonella’s walk-in closet.
Tempting though it was to reclaim the loot, we’d left them where they were. It wasn’t time to show our hand yet.
After Spider’s sneak-and-peek, we’d escorted Donna Hayes up to her cabin to pick up the stuff she’d left behind when she moved to the shelter.
It was the perfect time to do so because not only was she planning to move into her new apartment next week, but Bo and the boys were in the hospital.
Nothing sinister—with Donna gone, Bo had been forced to try his hand at cooking, and they’d all gotten salmonella poisoning.
There was talk of the boys spending time in a foster home afterward, and although Donna kept berating herself for being a bad mother, the therapist had convinced her that she needed to get her own shit together before she considered having the two little terrors move in with her again.
Now we were getting ready for tonight’s little get-together.
Marcel had sent a stylist and a party planner, and Nolan’s home and terrace had been transformed into a winter wonderland with twinkling lights, fake snow, and a string quartet dressed in shimmering silver dresses.
We’d missed Halloween, so officially, it was a pre-Christmas party for friends and neighbours, but really, it was a fuck-you party for two people in particular.
Did we know that all the sabotage was down to them?
No, but the fire sure had been, and I was willing to bet they’d been involved in at least some of the earlier incidents too.
The sulphur dioxide, for example. Antonella was all about subtlety, and it made more sense for her to target Dionysus than for Marielle.
Marielle had targeted me personally. First with stupid stuff like the coffee, then she’d escalated rapidly and come at me with scissors.
Anyhow, the sabotage had stopped for now, but we wanted to make sure the pause was permanent.
The hedge fund project would provide a long-term solution, so we needed to put an interim safeguard in place, one that would make the Cranstons realise they wouldn’t be getting the pasture, not today, not tomorrow, not ever.
And the best way to do that? Apparently, good hair and a five-thousand-dollar dress.
Actually, five five-thousand-dollar dresses because Spider, Jez, Ari, and Erin decided that if I needed to play a wealthy heiress, then they should look the part too.
No wonder the stylist seemed so happy—she was probably on commission.
Chase walked in with a tray of champagne.
“Isn’t it a bit early for this?” I asked. “I don’t want to celebrate prematurely.”
“You’re not. You’ve already had two wins this week, three if you count the salmonella.”
That was true.
Firstly, Point Team India had retrieved seven-year-old Gabriela from a weirdo’s ranch in Colorado. During the process, the weirdo had gotten trampled by a horse, so I guess the four-legged fiends did have some good points.
Secondly, the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office had found Marielle Marten’s body in a shallow grave beneath the summerhouse at the property on Long Island.
Her skull was caved in, probably thanks to the rolling pin that was found buried beside her, and her debit card was in her jacket pocket. Oops. Guess Rayna missed that one.
Interpol had issued a Red Notice, requesting Rayna Bishop’s arrest, and the Mexican authorities had been alerted.
Nothing would ever come of that, obviously, but it was the thought that counted.
At least Marielle could rest in peace now, hopefully with a proper headstone.
Angelo had balked at the prospect of paying for it, but the folks at Ivory and Ink had passed the hat around, and Latoya took responsibility for arranging the memorial.
One of the deputies had spoken with a neighbour, and before Marielle left town, she’d dropped by to return some bakeware.
When the neighbour invited her in for coffee, she’d declined because she had to get home to meet Rayna.
Apparently, Rayna had an apology to make.
Marielle didn’t elaborate on the reason for the apology, and we all knew Rayna wasn’t the type to apologise, ever, so the cops figured that somehow the rolling pin had joined the conversation, followed by the spade.
“I need to stay sober for a couple more hours,” I told Chase. “Breaking an ankle would be a shitty end to the evening. Why do these shoes have to be so high?”
“Because you’re short,” Jez reminded me.
“Gee, thanks, I’d forgotten. I think I’m gonna be sick.”
“Just pretend it’s a board meeting,” Jay said from behind me. “You slay in those. Quite literally, sometimes. People are terrified.”
I wanted to sag in relief because he’d made it, and he hadn’t been sure he would after his flight from Denver got delayed.
When I was younger, I’d grown so used to being alone, to only having myself to trust, that having a support network felt strange and even uncomfortable at times.
But tonight, people had shown up to support me in a way my parents never did, and for that, I was so freaking grateful.
“You’re late.”
I hopped off the stool, and he pulled me into a fierce hug.
“And you’ve got this.”
“Have the guests started arriving yet? Like, regular guests, not partners in crime?”
“I think the hockey player just rolled up. A horde of women mobbed him as soon as he climbed out of his truck.”
Erin groaned. “I’d better go rescue him. Oh, wait a second…” She paused to snag a flute of champagne off the tray as she passed, drained it, and put the glass on the counter. “That’s better.”
Once my hair was finished, Nolan fastened a diamond necklace that matched my earrings around my neck.
The set had actually been a gift from Jay—he’d said I needed something frivolous after Astela reached a billion in revenue for the first time.
We’d since passed that benchmark many times over, and I joked that he owed me a jewellery store now, but he just shrugged and said, “Darling, you have one neck and two ears, and you never wear the diamonds anyway.”
Well, tonight I was wearing them, ready for the charade to start and even more ready for it to be over with.
Nolan looked as nervous as I felt, but he’d have Jay, Cole, Rusty, and Zach backing him up like the four horsemen of the apocalypse, if the four horsemen wore tuxedos and represented charm, hotness, money, and cologne instead of conquest, war, famine, and death.
Ari poked her head around the door. “They just arrived.”
Our carefully choreographed plan swung into action.
This finessed version called for each of our horsemen to work their way around the room, and when the time was right, introduce themselves to the Cranstons.
They’d subtly make sure Antonella and Everett knew that (a) they were obscenely fucking rich, and (b) each of them was a new investor in Dionysus.
If Nolan had brought in outside investors, he wouldn’t need to sell any land, would he?
Our original plan had called for me to bear the brunt of the financing—which, in reality, I would be doing—but Jez was worried that Antonella might try to do something really, really stupid.
Like, say, trying to run me down with a horse, a scenario that seemed all the more plausible after the incident with Point Team India and Gabriela’s purchaser.
Anyhow, now we had four separate investors, each residing in a different location.
Antonella might take out one, but she’d never get all of them, so she’d be dumb to even try.
And she might have been many things, but she wasn’t stupid.
I took great delight in watching her throughout the evening.
The tips of her ears turned red when she got annoyed, a dead giveaway, especially when she was sporting a five-hundred-dollar updo.
Nolan’s palm sweated against mine, but finally, it was our turn.
“Antonella, how lovely to see you again.” I grimaced inside as I did the European kiss-kiss thing.
“Likewise. You look great—is the dress an Ishmael creation?”
“I believe it is.”
“From his new collection?”
“My stylist picked it out,” I said as if that explained everything. Collections weren’t high on the list of priorities for a woman who lived in yoga pants and tennis shoes and sweaters that definitely didn’t show off my boobs or the lack of them. “Oh, your drink’s nearly empty.”
I snapped my fingers, and Chase smoothly waved to a waiter, who hurried over with a bottle. Antonella watched Chase with undisguised curiosity, precisely as we’d intended.
“Chase is part of my security team,” I explained. “I’m sure you heard about the fire?”
“Such an awful thing to happen.”
“The fire chief said it was arson. Honestly, it scared me half to death, and they still haven’t caught who did it. Plus there have been several other worrying incidents lately, so we decided to tighten things up a bit—additional patrols, electronic surveillance, the new boundary fence…”
Ah, the fence. The contractors had started the groundwork this week, a little later than we’d hoped, but we’d wanted to consult with wildlife experts to ensure the design would allow animals to pass through while keeping out humans, horses, and those pesky ATVs.
“Surely you’re not going to fence the entire property?” Antonella asked, and was that a hint of panic I detected?
“Don’t worry; it’s a smart fence. We’ve been sure to consider the animal trails, so the deer can run around as usual.
Even the bears can get through—there are gates big enough for them to fit, and each gate is monitored by a camera, so if a human shows up, the gate closes, and the system emails a photo to the security team. Clever, huh?”
Her ears were scarlet now.
“But what about the horses?”
Nolan’s nails dug into my skin, but he stayed outwardly cool.
“I’m afraid it just won’t be possible to give you access to our trails anymore, Antonella. Now that Alexa’s moving in, we can’t take any more risks with our security. I’m sure you understand.”
Everett didn’t look too happy with the situation either.
“A fence like that must be very expensive,” he said, because of course money was always the first thing on his mind.
“A million and a half,” I replied, smiling sweetly and feigning nonchalance with a wave of my hand. “Such a small price to pay for peace of mind, don’t you think?”
“I’m surprised your new investors are willing to pay for a project like that. Must take a chunk out of the bottom line.”
“The fence has nothing to do with the investors. I’m paying for it personally.”
“Oh,” was all he managed, and he and Antonella glanced at each other. “I didn’t realise you had that kind of money.”
“Well, I try to avoid talking about my bank balance. Financial dick-measuring is so vulgar, don’t you think? Hey, there’s Janus Monroe—I should go and say ‘hi’ before I get too tipsy.”
I walked off, one very careful step at a time, with Chase at my elbow both playing the part of bodyguard and also ready to catch me if I turned an ankle in these stupid shoes.
Another milestone in Operation: Fuck Them Right Back was complete.
* * *
An hour later in the kitchen, Jez and I high-fived as the Cranstons beat it down the driveway. Nolan picked me up and hugged me tight, then sat me on a stool, unstrapped my shoes, and tossed them over his shoulder. Juno caught one and decided it was a new chew toy.
“Have at it, dog,” I told her.
“Do you think they got the message?” Erin asked.
“Loud and clear, my darling.” Jay poured himself another glass of wine. He only drank on special occasions, and this sure counted. “Loud and fucking clear.”
Rusty shook his head at the offer of a refill and found a beer in the fridge. “Should’ve invested in a brewery.”
“We could start one,” Zach said.
“Don’t we need to know something more about beer than how to drink it?”
Jay gave a nonchalant shrug. “Alexa and I started a billion-dollar company fuelled only by caffeine, determination, and a burning need to spite our parents. How hard can brewing beer be?”
“I tried it,” Nolan told him. “The actual process is more complex than winemaking, but as long as you get all the steps right, it’s easier to craft a good beer than a good wine.”
“I’ll chip in a few bucks to start the Dionysus Brewing Co.”
Nolan started shaking his head, but then he stopped to consider. “If I used dried hops rather than fresh, I could make a batch over winter while the tanks are empty.”
“That’s the spirit.”
“Spirits are a whole other thing,” Jez said. “When will you start making gin?”
Zach glared at her. “Hey, hey, let Nolan make the beer first.”
Rusty held up his bottle. “Here’s to beer. And friendship, and safety, and leaving diamonds in the ground where they belong.”
Finally, I was able to smile. I held up my glass and the last dregs of the excellent Syrah it contained, and said the words that thirteen-year-old me had never dared to dream.
“To friendship.”
* * *
Friendship and more…
I wanted more.
I wanted everything. No, I still hadn’t slept with Nolan, and by “slept with,” I meant fucked. I shared a bed with him each night, and his mouth and fingers knew every inch of me, but he’d been so ridiculously respectful when it came to his dick.
Based on past experience and simple logic—that thing wasn’t small—I knew it would hurt, which was why I hadn’t pushed him. Now, I was both annoyed with myself for being a coward and grateful that Nolan had given me the space he thought I needed.
But enough was enough.
I had birth control pills, wine, lube, and determination.
And I also had a whole box of sex toys, courtesy of the Choir.
I could do this.