Chapter 23 The Ball #4
“That is the not-so-honorable Mr. Jefferson.” Karson didn’t keep his tone low. A muscle in his jaw twitched. I dragged my gaze from his face, trying to concentrate on what was being said, but it was hard with a temple of testosterone smoldering at my side.
“As you know, tonight is our annual fundraiser to send underprivileged students to college,” Jefferson said, “and you will be pleased to know, so far we have raised more than twenty thousand dollars.”
The crowd applauded. He waited for a long moment, reveling in the approval, then waved his hands toward the floor to silence everyone.
“There are still items for sale in the side room, including paintings by renowned artist Florence Griffin. Please, if you haven’t already, browse our selection and pop your tender down.” He paused, drew a breath, then threw his hands out wide and roared, “Let’s get to fifty thousand!”
The crowd clapped and cheered. A whistle came from the other side of the room.
I glanced across and Georgie had her fingers in her mouth, her cheeks bubbled out, and another whistle sailed through the air.
Jodie gave her a nudge with her elbow. BJ looked amused.
Gina had her resting bitch face on. BJ leaned down and spoke to her, and when she looked up, she gave him a smile full of sugar and spice.
Jefferson waited until the applause stopped before he spoke, “I have a big announcement to make. As you all know, our beloved town has struggled economically for a few years now.” He dropped his voice low, seeming sad, but it felt disingenuous.
“Shops are empty, people have lost jobs. Many of our loved ones have been forced to move away.”
The crowd murmured in agreement.
“But I’m here to tell you no more.” He raised his voice.
“We have a plan and a vision that will lift this town out of despair and into a thriving and vibrant metropolis once again. So without further ado, I would like to introduce the instigator of this vision, Kurt Cole, a respected businessman from Memphis.”
The whole room erupted, clapping and cheering.
A short, plump, gray-haired man walked across the stage. He fiddled with his jacket button, sucking in a belly intent on escaping, and clasped the jacket closed. He lowered the mic, and it screeched across the room, sending shards of steel straight through my bones.
I cringed. Karson glanced down, and I mouthed, “Who’s that?”
“Just some pompous ass who made his money treading all over people.”
He turned back to the stage, his eyes fixed on Cole, his jaw tight. I wanted to reach up and trace my fingers over its outline, or take his hand clenched by his side and twine my fingers through his. I clasped my hands together in front of me instead.
“Thank you. Most of you know who I am, and for those that don’t, you soon will.
” He smiled through thin lips. “For now, all you need to know is I’m here to create jobs, to bring prosperity back to this beautiful town you all call home, and to make it great again.
” He paused, taking the microphone out of the stand, and again it squealed in protest. My teeth clanked together as he paced to the left.
“We have plans to build a resort so big, and so exclusive, it’ll bring thousands of cashed-up tourists to your town every year, and we all know what tourists do.
” He stopped, throwing out his arm. “They spend!” He turned and paced in slow, thoughtful steps back to the stand, like some huge stage production.
“There will be world-class restaurants, with the famous chef, Mr. Migetto, already indicating he’ll move here. ”
The crowd murmured. I hadn’t heard of the chef, but I assumed he was a big deal.
Cole waited for the murmurs to cease and went on.
“We will have a luxury retreat, and a world-class golf course, and, if we get the go ahead, I will give a token of my appreciation to every existing business”—he paused, and I half expected him to ask for a drum roll—“in the form of twenty thousand dollars each, to renovate their shops to help make them the standard they’ll need to be. ”
Wild cheers drowned the room, and clapping erupted like thunder. Jefferson and Cole stood side by side, like rock stars at a concert, soaking up the adoration of screaming fans. After some time, Jefferson waved his hands down again, and the crowd settled.
Someone from the crowd yelled out, “Where exactly will it go?”
“That’s a good question.” Cole lifted the mic up. “It will be built in Rutherford’s Forestry Estate.”
Many stopped applauding abruptly, and those who remained clapping were mostly younger. A distinctly unpleasant energy stifled the air.
“Over my dead body!” someone yelled. The applause shuddered to a halt.
I looked in the direction of the outburst and found Luke Toronto, eyes blazing.
“You.” He stabbed his finger at Cole. “Will not destroy lands of cultural heritage, the history, or the wildlife. They are our lands, and you will not get your grubby little hands on them.”
Cindy, dressed in pale blue, clutched at his arm, muttering something to him, but his eyes never left Cole. A hush fell over the entire room.
Cole straightened and his eyes narrowed. “Only someone lacking intellect would critic an investment he hadn’t bothered to educate themselves on.”
Luke snorted. “And only the morally bankrupt would destroy a pristine environment for something as pathetic and shallow as greed.”
“I’m sure some of the locals would disagree, they want to put food on their tables, they want their children to be able to stay home and have a career instead of being forced to move away.” He scanned the room looking for support, but only a few nodded, including Ron.
“I hope you have your funeral planned,” Luke sneered, “because if you take one step up there, that’s exactly what you’re going to need.”
The shock of the threat coiled through the room like a dark fog. Cindy’s eyes widened, her fingernails dug into Luke’s arm.
Cole shifted on his feet, fiddled with the button on his jacket, and cleared his throat. Before he could respond, Jefferson touched his shoulder and took the microphone.
“Okay, folks. It’s a fantastic opportunity for our community, one we should all embrace.
Anyone who would like to chat about the plans is most welcome to.
Of course your elected members will have a vote.
If we don’t get the numbers to support this proposal, it will not go ahead.
” He gave a thin smile. “Tonight, we came to enjoy ourselves, and to raise money for children less fortunate than us, so let the party continue.” He waved his arm at the DJ, then placed his hand on Cole’s back, guiding him off stage.
Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” blasted across the room.
Mike looked visibly upset. A mix of anger and disappointment clenched his face; the story he thought he was getting, the answers to his girlfriend’s death, was trumped by the development. Even though he was an arrogant prick, I felt a twinge of pity for him.
“Karson, the mayor would like to see you,” an attractive girl said. She was a tall, well-spoken brunette, with perfectly arched brows over cold-brown eyes. She threw me a look, as if I was a cockroach she wanted to stomp on.
“Rebecca, tell her I will speak to her later.”
“She needs you now.” Rebecca insisted.
He sighed. “I will be there in a moment.”
She threw me a sharp look, before spinning and gliding off the floor.
“If you will excuse me, Amelia.” He didn’t wait for me to agree before he strode after her.
My stomach began to churn. I wasn’t used to drinking so much, and I hadn’t eaten, thinking I had time before Georgie arrived.
I turned to see both Katrina and Robert striding across the floor in the opposite direction Karson had gone.
Telling myself I only was only following him to let him know about Katrina, and nothing at all to do with the fact that he went with Rebecca, I headed outside.
A strong breeze had risen and the fairy lights swung back and forth, restless as spirits.
The night was still warm, but I felt cold to the bone.
I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself and scanning the grounds.
Drunk people swayed in their shoes, and the chatter was drowned out by the whine of the wind through the trees.
A couple walked, hand in hand, out from the layers of the dark.
There weren’t many people left out there.
Georgie and the others stood off to the side under the limbs of a giant oak.
Georgie’s high-pitched laughter, distorted by the wind, created a haunting sound.
A prickling sensation hit the nape of my neck. I felt like I was being watched. I scanned the dark, peering into the murky shadows in search of . . . what? A killer? A bear? What?
It hit me then like a stinging slap to the face. I was searching for the man in my nightmares. The heinous figment of my subconscious. Not real, no threat, and I was awake, so I had no excuse for the pathetic foreboding. Irritated, I moved toward the group.
Jeff, who was supposed to drive, staggered.
“Amyyy!” Georgie sang.
“Georgie, I’m going now,” I yelled to be heard above the wind and the rowdy laughter of the group.
“Don’t go—stay and have some fun. We’re heading to The Hollow later.” Georgie put her arm around my shoulders, and the sickly sweet smell of champagne, with and a tinge of weed, wafted from her mouth.
“No, I’m good. I’ll grab a cab. And, Georgie, make sure you get one too. Don’t let Jeff drive!”
She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Yes, of course, Mom.”
From behind one of the groups, a tall brunette stumbled backwards and landed on her ass.
The group roared with laughter, and I took the opportunity to make my escape, heading around to the front of the house.
The doorman advised me cabs were on their way, and I headed to a wooden bench, near the circular driveway, to wait.