Parker
In the past, I’d stayed away from charity events that felt more like the red carpet at the Oscars. Why the fuck did people need the recognition for doing good deeds? I sent a check to the organizations and left it at that.
But this one was different. It was too important to me not to attend in person, and I wanted Esme beside me for it. The theme was a masquerade ball, and thanks to Astro, Esme’s stylist was able to meet us before the event to give her a few options in her size and do her hair and makeup. I’d been on the fence about keeping Astro and Otto on as our girl’s security, but Malcolm had argued for them to stay. So far, that was turning into a great idea. But it was very early days.
They’d kept her safe from her crazy-ass sister for years, though, so I was going to give them the benefit of the doubt. We didn’t have much to go on when it came to Eloise—or Lizzie, as she went by at Inferno when she’d started stalking Benson—but what little Ghost had found was enough to make me shudder. Her family had kept her off the grid as thoroughly as they had Esme, but once she’d reached adulthood, she wasn’t as careful, and no one had been around to keep her in check. She was making sloppy mistakes that would come back to bite not only her but could harm Esme too if she wasn’t careful.
And we couldn’t allow that shit.
Esme took in the sights all around us. There was a live band, some kind of trapeze acrobats’ performance above us, and a silent auction for a number of invaluable items that were being protected by armed guards. If I didn’t know that all the profits went directly to the women’s shelter, I would have been pissed at the exuberant amount of money spent on the charity event itself. But this was the biggest and most far-reaching organization in the country for battered women and children who’d been victims of domestic violence.
They had a network of safe houses and shelters across the country that helped women get away from abusive situations, find them jobs, educate them, and, if needed, give them an entirely new identity. I donated millions to them in my sister’s name every month, attended every event for this particular charity, sat on the board, and made sure each shelter and every safe house was updated with security cameras as well as other technology. If we could save even one woman or child, it was worth it.
I only wished I’d been able to save Alora.
While Esme was taking in everything around her, all eyes were on her. The red dress she had chosen molded to her curves, the braided straps covering the mark I’d left on her shoulder earlier, but the front plunged low, giving a generous peek of her gorgeous cleavage. Her white Arctic fox mask was bejeweled with opals, with a single large emerald in the center. Perfectly cut and clear, sparkling from the overhead lights.
Her stylist had given me a tie the same shade of crimson as her dress. With it, I’d been handed a black mask with opals and emeralds in an infinity design around the eyes. Behind us, Astro and Otto both wore black masks of their own while blending in with the crowd. They were like fucking ninjas—I’d give them that.
“I’ve always wanted to try aerial dancing,” she murmured, watching the acrobats twirl through the air on little more than ribbons.
“One of the items up for auction is private lessons from the performer,” I told her, nodding to the woman rolled in silk high above us.
Bright eyes glittered up at me with excitement. “Really? I would love a chance to do that. Where can I bid?”
I tucked her arm through mine, and we weaved through the crowd toward one of the tables where the experiences were being auctioned. One option was guitar lessons by the guitarist of the band playing in the background. We were barely halfway through the evening, and there were an exuberant number of bids for that particular experience. For the aerial ribbon lessons, there were only five entries with low bids.
Esme plucked the board from my hands, doing a happy little dance as she scrawled her bid. While she was busy with that, I took aside the attendant who was overseeing the table. By the time Esme was done, I was back, and we were ready to move on.
“I’ve heard of this charity, actually. My parents get an invitation every year to this event, but I don’t think they’ve ever come. At least, not that I’m aware. But I know they donate. And Lia has even mentioned a few times wanting to work with the organization in the future.”
I turned her toward the row of sparkly auction items. “We are always thankful for any assistance offered.”
“We?” she asked, momentarily distracted by one of the necklaces.
“I sit on the board,” I explained, pausing to scrawl a bid before she could.
“I like that humanitarian work is something you’re passionate about. I can definitely get on board with that. I have a very large trust fund that needs spending, Daddy.”
“I am open to any charity you want us to contribute to, little one. Just point and say a number, and it’s done. But this is the only one I’m currently personally involved with.” A passing waiter stopped to offer us glasses of champagne. I took two glasses, slipping one into her hand and carefully moving her on to the next item.
Curiosity flickered in her eyes, but before she could ask her question, someone called my name. Putting my hand on Esme’s hip, I pulled her in closer to me and turned us to face the small group of older women who were the powerhouse behind the charity. “Ladies! You have yet again pulled off a beautifully successful night. As always,” I praised.
“This is all Victoria’s doing. She pretties it up, and we just click okay when she emails us the expense sheet.”
“Why she’s undervaluing herself, I don’t have a single clue,” Victoria dismissed, her amused brown gaze going straight to the other smaller woman at her side. “This one has already handled a thousand random issues without a single drop of champagne or wine, all while keeping her hair perfectly in place. I don’t know how she does it.”
“Is there anything I can do to assist you in some way?” I offered.
“You can put us out of our misery and introduce us to your lovely date. This is a first for you, . We never see you here with someone.”
Esme tilted her head back to look up at me, her thick lashes flickering twice before a smile teased at her lips. “I’m one of your firsts?”
“More than one of them, my love,” I promised her, brushing a kiss over her lips.
Her breath hitched. “ My love.”
“Little one,” I groaned, ready to throw her over my shoulder and say to hell with the rest of this night, but the women in front of us clearing their throats pulled me back from the edge of complete instability at the last second. Shooting them annoyed glares, I made introductions while Esme laughed lightly. “This beautiful woman is Esme, and you will definitely be seeing more of her. I think she would be a great addition to the charity. She has an incredible mind, a generous heart, and endless access to my money. Let’s see how we can use that to assist those most in need.”
“Ignore him,” Esme told them, shaking each woman’s hand. “I have my own money that I plan on making of use for your worthy endeavors.”
“I think you and I will definitely get along, Esme,” Victoria said with a laugh, but then she turned into the no-bullshit woman she was and started throwing out questions about any previous humanitarian work Esme had done.
Enthralled, I listened as Esme downplayed how she’d started volunteering at a soup kitchen when she was eight. Because Lia wanted to and the other girl’s grandmother wouldn’t let her. So Esme had convinced her own parents to allow her to start volunteering, and when Lia would come over for sleepovers, they would spend their Saturdays at homeless shelters. Starting in their fourth-grade year, the two best friends began organizing a food bank and a coat drive for the holiday season, and they then donated what they collected to the shelters where they volunteered. It was so successful, they did it every year afterward, setting and beating their goals for each previous year.
Esme kept bringing up Lia, as if it were only because of her friend that she had done those amazing things, but she wasn’t fooling anyone. We could all see that the girl in front of us was just as personally invested in helping others as Lia.
Someone caught Victoria’s attention, and she reluctantly nodded to let them know she was coming before giving Esme a hug. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Esme. Let’s have brunch at my home on Sunday to get better acquainted. , you aren’t invited. Girls only.”
Esme returned her squeeze. “Thank you, I would love that. Send me the details. You can get my information from .”
As they walked away, I urged my girl to the small dance floor that was near the live band. They were playing a slower tune, and I wasn’t going to turn down any opportunity to hold Esme against me.
Her arms went around my neck as we swayed slowly to the music. As pretty as her mask was, it annoyed the fuck out of me. I wanted to see all of her face. Touch my forehead to hers as we danced. Connect to her.
She stroked her nails up and down my neck as we swayed. When she smiled up at me, I felt like the luckiest motherfucker in the room—the world.
“So, why is this particular charity so important to you? From what little I learned talking to the others, you are the only man on the board. They seemed to make an exception for you, and I got the impression that it wasn’t just because you’re rich.”
I curved one hand over her hip, baring my teeth at a man when his gaze lingered too long on her ass. He jerked back and shifted his dance partner so they were going the opposite direction. Once other couples were between us and I spotted Astro out of the corner of my eye, I relaxed again and focused solely on Esme. “Being on the board doesn’t require someone to have the most money, little one. Think of it along the lines of those of us who have more passion for the cause. The fact that we are all billionaires is just a coincidence.”
Surprise filled her eyes, and she studied me for a few moments before she asked, “And why do you have so much passion, ?”
A lump filled my throat, but I cleared it away and gave her the truth. “They were trying to help my sister escape an abusive relationship while I was on my first deployment. He killed her when she was attempting to leave him.”
Tears instantly filled her blue eyes, causing the bottom to fall out of my stomach. “I’m so sorry.”
“It was a long time ago. Over twenty years now. I didn’t…” Blowing out a breath, I shook my head at the memory. “I was on a mission, so I didn’t get the news of her death until about two weeks after her funeral. By the time I got stateside, he was out on bail. That’s how I met Victoria and the others. They had tried to help Alora leave him. Got her into a safe house. But somehow, he found her. Followed her. They were going to transfer her to a different house in another state, but he found her and…”
“.” A soft sob bubbled out of her, and she squeezed her arms around me. She pulled my head down to her shoulder.
For several long moments, we stood there simply holding each other, not caring that there were so many people around us. All that mattered to me was holding Esme. I buried my face in her hair, absorbing her strength and goodness, my heart seeming to heal a little for the first time in over twenty years. After so long, it finally felt like I was sharing the pain of Alora’s loss instead of carrying it on my own.
Malcolm and Benson knew about my sister. They were the ones who’d helped me track down the piece of shit who’d killed her. We ended his life together. But we never spoke of it again. And we never would. It made it a little easier to get through the days. As did reaching out to Victoria and the charity to contribute. Keeping my sister’s memory alive gave me a reason to keep going.
Telling Esme about Alora, though, that was different. Cathartic in a way that relieved a pressure I wasn’t even fully aware was there until she unburdened me of it.