Chapter 14 #2
The Sterling University Event Center had been transformed into a winter wonderland. Everything was white. White drapes, white carpets, white flowers, white lights. It looked like the inside of a cloud, or a padded cell.
I stood near the bar, tugging at the collar of my rented tuxedo. It was tight in the shoulders and loose in the waist. I felt like a penguin in a lineup of peacocks.
The room was filled with the elite of Burlingham. Men in five-thousand-dollar suits. Women dripping in diamonds. The air smelled of expensive perfume and money.
"Relax, Cap," Jax said, appearing beside me with two glasses of champagne. "You look stiff. You look like you're waiting for a firing squad."
"Feels like it," I muttered, taking the glass but not drinking.
"Just smile. Shake hands. Don't punch anyone. Easy."
"Easy for you. Your dad owns half the buildings here."
"True. But you're the talent. They love the talent. Look at them." Jax gestured to the room. "They're staring at you like you're a prize pony."
He was right. People were looking. Boosters. Alumni. They were pointing at me, whispering. That's Thorne. The Enforcer. The Future Ranger.
I scanned the room, ignoring them. I was looking for one person.
And then I saw her.
The crowd parted near the grand staircase.
Aurelia descended.
She was wearing a white gown that defied physics.
It was silk, strapless, clinging to every curve of her body like a second skin before pooling at her feet in a puddle of fabric.
Her hair was swept up in an intricate twist, exposing the long, elegant line of her neck.
She wore diamond earrings that caught the light, sparkling like ice.
She looked breathtaking.
She looked untouchable.
She looked like she belonged to this world, and I was just a tourist looking through the glass.
My heart hammered against my ribs. That's mine, I thought possessively. That goddess. That masterpiece. She's mine.
She reached the bottom of the stairs. Her father was there, offering his arm. Arthur St. James looked regal in his tuxedo. He said something to her. She smiled—a perfect, practiced, fake smile.
They began to circulate.
I watched her work the room. It was terrifyingly impressive. She laughed at the right moments. She touched arms lightly. She charmed old men and intimidated young women. She was a weapon.
Then, she looked up.
Across the sea of white, her eyes locked onto mine.
The mask slipped. Just for a fraction of a second. Her eyes softened. Her lips parted slightly. The longing was there, naked and raw.
I raised my glass slightly. A silent toast. I see you.
She touched her earring. I see you too.
Then Arthur pulled her toward a group of Senators.
I watched her go.
"Stop drooling," Jax whispered. "Vance is watching."
I snapped my head around.
Vance was standing by a pillar near the band. The little shark-eyed lawyer. He was watching me. He gave a small, curt nod. I'm watching. Behave.
I turned my back on him.
"I need air," I told Jax.
"Don't go far. Speeches start in twenty."
I walked toward the terrace doors. The terrace was open, overlooking the snowy campus. It was freezing, which meant it would be empty.
I stepped out into the cold.
I took a deep breath, letting the icy air clear my head.
"Atlas."
I turned.
Aurelia was there. She had slipped out a side door. She was shivering in her strapless dress, her arms wrapped around herself.
"You're crazy," I said, taking off my jacket instantly and draping it over her shoulders. "You'll freeze."
"I needed to see you," she whispered, pulling the jacket tight. "It smells like mothballs."
"I warned you."
"You look handsome," she said, reaching out to fix my bowtie. Her fingers brushed my neck. Fire.
"You look..." I shook my head. "There are no words. You look like a dream I'm afraid to wake up from."
She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She looked anxious. Her eyes were darting around the terrace.
"Is everything okay?" I asked, sensing the shift. "You seem jumpy."
"I'm fine. Just... the crowd. My mother. Topher is here."
"Topher?" I stiffened. "Is he bothering you?"
"No. He's just... around. Being annoying."
"If he touches you..."
"He won't. I handled it."
"You handled it?"
"Yes. I'm a big girl, Atlas."
She looked at me. She looked like she wanted to say something else. She opened her mouth, then closed it.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing. Just... hold me. For a second. Before we have to go back in."
I pulled her into my arms. I held her tight, pressing her against the front of my shirt. I buried my face in her hair.
"We're almost there," I whispered. "Two hours. Then the contract is signed. Then we're free."
"Free," she repeated. She sounded unconvinced.
The terrace door opened.
We sprang apart.
It was a waiter, collecting glasses. He didn't even look at us.
"We should go back in," Aurelia said, handing me my jacket. "Before people notice we're both gone."
"Yeah."
She squeezed my hand—a quick, desperate pressure—and then slipped back inside.
I put my jacket back on. It smelled like her perfume now. Vanilla and fear.
I had a bad feeling. The same feeling I had before the game.
Something was wrong. She was hiding something.
I walked back into the ballroom.
The lights dimmed. A spotlight hit the stage.
Arthur St. James walked up to the microphone.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," he boomed. "Welcome. Tonight is a night of celebration. Of excellence. Of the future of Sterling University."
He paused, scanning the room. His eyes landed on me. He smiled. It was a predator's smile.
"And tonight, I have a special announcement regarding our hockey program. And a certain... rising star."
The room applauded.
I stood there, feeling the trap closing around my neck.
I looked for Aurelia.
She was standing near the front, next to Topher. Topher was whispering something in her ear. He was smirking.
Aurelia looked pale. She looked terrified.
And then I knew.
Topher knew. And Topher was about to pull the trigger.