Chapter 25
Whoever said this storyline was a good idea needs a swift kick in the ass.
I should’ve thought about having to hobble around this damn party on crutches before agreeing to this, but no, I heard a good pitch and ran with it.
What the fuck was I thinking? Maybe Sloane was onto something when she said this was stupid.
Speaking of, where is she? We need to go, or we’re going to be late.
Granted, I could always blame the crutches.
The arrival bell rings out before the elevator doors part.
Sophia steps out wearing a strapless navy blue evening gown, but no sign of Sloane.
“She forgot her bag, she’ll be down in a second,” Sophia says, fiddling with the button on her own purse.
“Thanks again…for inviting me tonight. My inner child is screaming at the idea of going to an EWE party, let alone the fortieth anniversary party.”
“Happy you could make it, but I’d probably refrain from freaking out in front of the others, especially at the party.”
“I promise to restrain myself, unless it’s Blair or Ryker, but I will do my best.” Hasn’t she met them already?
I thought she might have seen them when she was at Monday Night Rage a few weeks ago, or maybe she only met Rae.
“Or Brody.” She didn’t meet Brody, either?
Well, tonight is going to be interesting…
“But I don’t want to make it weird. He’s one of your best friends, and if I freak out, that could make it extremely awkward.
I don’t want to make it awkward. Not to mention, I will probably see him again since you and Sloane are—”
“Sophia, breathe,” I say, laughing.
The elevator dings again, and this time, when the doors part, my heart stutters in my chest. Sloane’s eyes drag up from her feet to meet mine, and my hands flex around the handles of the crutches beneath my arms when she twirls to show off the whole ensemble.
The yellow satin clings to her figure in a way that is classy and elegant but leaves enough hidden that no one else will know the curves of her body the way I do.
Tendrils of hair frame her face, left out of a messy bun, and her makeup looks natural, not overly done.
It amplifies her features, finished off with mauve-colored lips.
“Is this good enough?” she asks, and I have to stop myself from laughing.
Good enough? She looks fucking perfect.
“You’re beautiful,” I say, and a small blush rises in her cheeks. Sloane steps closer, and I tug her by the hand to capture her mouth in a soft kiss. “I love you.”
Her mouth quirks at the admission before she pecks my lips again and whispers, “I love you.”
“I hate to be the one to interrupt such a beautiful moment, but we should probably go.” My sister’s voice comes from the door behind us. Looking over my shoulder, I see her and Sophia standing near the door. “If you two are done making out, some of us would like to get to the party.”
Elite Wrestling Entertainment’s fortieth anniversary party is being held at the event center on the southern tip of the island where headquarters resides.
From the outside, it looks like a warehouse, nothing special, but on the inside, it feels like you’ve been transported back into the 1920s.
The space blends old-time glamour with modern industrial design and offers an unobstructed view of the surrounding lake.
“Are you sure you want to keep this ruse up?” Sloane asks, looking up at me from my side. “You’re not going to be able to dance with me tonight if you’re on crutches, you know.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you when we get back to the hotel,” I say, bending down to kiss her. After we have a conversation about what she’s really been working on.
Lexi rolls her eyes and gags from the other side of the elevator, and Sophia keeps her gaze straight ahead.
She’s done that a lot since Sloane joined us—kept her distance, avoided conversation with her best friend.
Did something happen upstairs? They were excited upon Sophia’s arrival, but now they seem to be keeping their distance from each other.
“Hey, make sure you introduce Sophia to Brody tonight,” I say.
Sophia gasps, glaring at me. “I told you that in confidence!”
“Oh, so you’re a Brody girl?” Sloane asks, leaning forward to look at her best friend. “Now I know why you wouldn’t tell me. You know, I was starting to think you had a crush on Ben or something, but didn’t want to tell me so it wasn’t awkward.”
Sophia rolls her eyes. “I didn’t want you to make it weird.”
“I’m not going to make it weird, you’ll do that on your own,” Sloane says, earning a glare that slowly morphs into a smile. Okay, maybe things aren’t that weird between them. Just a little tense, but at least I know they’re still talking.
The doors part upon our arrival to the fourth floor, revealing a long hallway with dark stone arched ceilings.
Three crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, casting a warm glow on the crowd below.
A sitting area with two couches and four armchairs on either side of a coffee table has been set up toward the end of the hall, and I’m sure there are more throughout the space.
They are a staple at any EWE party, providing a more intimate and comfortable space for people.
A mosaic runs down the middle of the floor, leading to a raised platform framed by black iron railings, where a DJ has been set up.
Along the left wall, there’s a full bar, and to the right, a ballroom where tables and chairs surround the dance floor.
The décor is more modern chic with a blend of warm colors—gold, tan, gray, and copper.
Lexi releases a contented sigh, soaking it all in. “I almost forgot what an EWE party is like. You never know what’s going to happen around here.”
“Lexi, behave,” I say.
“I always behave,” she says, grabbing a cucumber sandwich off a passing tray. “Bye, Wolfie, have fun on your crutches.” She wiggles her fingers and disappears into the crowd.
“Do you want to make the rounds or find somewhere to sit and let the people come to you?” Sloane asks me, eyes raking through the crowd before she looks up at me.
She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, and that pit in my stomach opens again—the same one from the other night when I saw the Post-it with Callum’s name.
I’ve tried to push those thoughts to the side after talking to her—she seemed genuine enough in her apology—but that ache in my gut is telling me something different.
This isn’t the place to confront her. The last thing I want to do is cause a scene.
I’ll do it when we get back to the hotel, and if things go sideways, we won’t have an audience.
Maybe I should’ve said something when she got to the hotel earlier, but it’s not going to be an easy conversation to have.
What if she is writing a story about EWE?
It wouldn’t be the first time she wasn’t being honest with me about her job.
If that’s true, how can I trust her again? Will that be the end?
“We can make a quick round,” I say, trying to ignore the thoughts racing through my head.
I look over the crowd for Brooks or Savannah.
“I should probably show my face. Gotta sell the whole injury thing. I doubt Brody and Rae have made it out of the hotel yet, but Brooks and Sav should be around here somewhere.”
Knowing Brooks, they probably parted ways to cover more ground and will regroup later in the party when members of corporate will take the stage to express their gratitude for forty years of EWE, followed by a quick word from Amos.
“I don’t see them, but Ryker is over in the corner,” Sloane says.
I glance at Sophia, and she rolls her eyes. Even in the low light, I can see the blush creep into her cheeks.
“Ryker, too?” Sloane gapes at her best friend. “Well, you leave me no choice. We have to go.” She loops her arm through Sophia’s arm and drags her toward the back corner.
I chuckle, gripping the handles of my crutches, ready to follow, when my path is blocked by none other than Grady Chandler. I was hoping he and Harper would skip the festivities tonight, but I guess I’m not so lucky.
“Heard you’re out for the foreseeable future,” he says, lifting a beer bottle to his lips.
“Seems that way,” I say, trying to move past him again, but he steps in front of me again.
Grady smirks. “Too bad, I was looking forward to kicking your ass.”
Too bad he has no clue what’s coming for him in four short weeks. As much as I’d like to wipe the look off his smug face, I’d rather see it happen on stage.
Shouldn’t he be in a corner with my ex-wife somewhere? That’s normally what they do at events like this: pick a spot and make everyone uncomfortable with their overt displays of affection. It was annoying at first, but now I find the whole thing comical.
“Where’s your girlfriend? She already find someone else? Damn, that sure didn’t take long. You’re losing your touch, Wolfie boy.”
A heavy hand lands on my shoulder when I start to take a step forward, ready to disregard the crutches and storyline. The hand gives me a hard squeeze, while I glower at the man standing before me.
“Better get your dog under control, Brooks. Wouldn’t want him to get more hurt than he already is, I’d hate to see you have to put him down,” Grady says.
Brooks squeezes my shoulder again, a warning. “Lay off, Grady. This is not the time or place for your shit.”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you two were lovers, with the way you’re always lurking around. Does Savannah know, or are you keeping secrets from her again?”
Brooks doesn’t visibly react, but I can see the storm brewing behind his glare.
Brody or me taking a jab at Brooks is one thing, but it’s completely different when it comes from one of the men who had a hand in the creation of the bet.
Drake might have placed it, but Grady was one of its biggest instigators, or so I was told.
“You’re like a walking billboard for the guy who peaked in high school.” The annoyance in Raelynn’s voice is palpable when she and Brody appear. Nice of them to finally join the party, late per usual. “Don’t you have anything better to do than bring up the past?”
“Maybe you should go find your pet before she does something to get herself off the short list of budget cuts,” Brooks says, face unchanging.
Grady looks over his shoulder when Brody motions toward the corner where his girlfriend sits a little too close to none other than Noah Callahan.
She flips her hair over her shoulder and offers a flirtatious smile, bringing the rim of her champagne glass to her lips.
Harper knows exactly what she’s doing, but the problem is, she doesn’t know where to draw the line.
Noah has the power to keep her on television, to give her a title run, and so much more.
But if the look on his face is any indication, that won’t be happening anytime soon.
She’s playing with fire and about to get burned.
Grady releases a heavy exhale as his shoulders sag. He glares back at us one final time, then pushes through the crowd to save what little dignity my ex-wife has left.
“I fucking hate that guy,” Brody says after a moment.
“Well, that looked like fun,” Savannah says, approaching from the left. She stands out from the crowd in her one-shouldered red evening gown, which matches the color of the tie around her husband’s neck. “What did I miss?”