Chapter 33
33
After picking up my costume, I drove straight to Mayfair to help Abeo with the party prep.
His family’s mansion had been transformed into a vampire’s lair: coffins lay askew, bats hung from the ceiling, cobwebs coated the opulent furniture, towering candles lit the length of the vast dining table, which held bowls of fake blood.
‘As ever, the décor is impeccable,’ I told him, genuinely impressed.
He looked smug. ‘It really is perfect, isn’t it? Everything’s right on track, by the way. Security will check the face of every single person coming in. The cameras have also been adjusted to ensure there are no blind spots. We’ll have footage of everyone entering and leaving.’
I nodded. ‘So, by tomorrow, we’ll have a list of all the possible people Mr Ex can be.’
‘I feel like he’s still going to get away with it, and there’s a part of me that kinda wants him to.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean? I thought we –’
The look on his face stopped me short. That was fear in his eyes.
‘I haven’t told this to anyone else,’ Abeo whispered, ‘but just a few days ago I received an envelope. Inside it were photos of me making out with James at his place in Kensington. And, er … they don’t leave much to the imagination.’ He cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. ‘The last thing I need is for Mr Ex to release a sex tape of me. If we rile him enough, who knows what he’ll do. Let’s face it, he has way too much stuff on us now. It’s impossible to get the upper hand.’
I took a deep, unsteady breath.
‘Does James have security tapes of his entrance?’
‘I told him to check them, but he didn’t find anything.’
Blood pounded in my ears. ‘Was there a note or anything with the photos?’
‘Yeah,’ Abeo said gingerly. ‘He basically implied he would’ve shown me a better time than James.’
‘We can probably rule out James being Mr Ex then. But it just doesn’t add up. He was the strongest contender on our list.’
‘I don’t get it,’ Abeo said thoughtfully. ‘I don’t know whether Mr Ex is flirting with me or threatening me. Just when I think I finally understand him, he pulls something I’d never expect. It’s kind of … thrilling.’
Holding Abeo by the shoulders, I got close up to him and looked him dead in the eyes. ‘I don’t know what’s going on between you and him, but you need this reminder: he is not good for you. With everything he has on you, he could destroy you in a heartbeat. He’s a messed-up stalker. You need to detach.’
‘I know, and I will,’ he replied, but his promise didn’t seem to reach his eyes.
Mr Ex had clearly got under his skin.
‘The moment we discover his identity, the ball will be in our court,’ I explained. ‘We can threaten him then – we’ll tell him if he wants to remain anonymous, he’ll have to quit talking about us on his blog.’
‘Do you really think he’ll let it go that easily? He could make a serious profit from releasing what he has on us.’
‘He wouldn’t want the world to know his identity. While he’s anonymous, he’s witty and entertaining. The moment everyone knows who he is, he’ll just be a bully.’
‘You’re right. Holy shit. I can’t believe he’s going to be in my house in a few hours.’
‘It’ll be just like every other year. He’s come to every Halloween party you’ve ever thrown. How else could his blog have listed all the gory, juicy details of everything that went down?’
‘We better get him this time, Karim. The longer this goes on, the more stuff he digs up on us.’
‘Don’t worry, we will. How are things going with James? Is he your date for tonight?’
‘Oh, he’s just a time pass now,’ he replied with a shrug. ‘I’m trying to keep some distance between us. I guess he is my date tonight though.’
Unease crept through me. I had a feeling Abeo had his eyes set on someone else entirely, the last person he should’ve been interested in. I knew how much he loved a thrill, especially when it involved a dash of romance.
‘I’m bringing a date too,’ I told him.
‘Who?’
‘Just someone I like.’
We could both keep secrets from each other.
His eyes narrowed. I gave him a little nod of farewell before leaving him to his thoughts.
This was why I constantly craved Zara’s energy and company. Between us, there were no lies, no secrets, no double meanings. We never doubted each other’s intentions or honesty; I could be the most authentic version of myself, knowing that she was also showing me who she was down to the core.
I’d met so many beautiful girls in the past, but there was something different about Zara that drew me in: she was outspoken and brave and would never let my status stand in the way of reprimanding me if it was needed, and yet she was soft and thoughtful and always ensured I was doing OK. Perhaps she was the only person in my life who truly checked in on me, not to make sure I was well enough to carry out my duties to my brand or to other people, but for my sake. She saw me without the layers of fame and wealth, and she still wanted me.
That meant everything.
It surprised me that I’d fallen for her so deeply in such a short amount of time, but everything between us just felt so right, as though we were fated to meet and be together …
Although I was nervous about introducing her to my world, my crowd, I knew it was something that would have to happen eventually. We couldn’t stay in our own little bubble forever if we really wanted to make this work. I just had to protect her from the vultures that always came for me; I had no choice but to deal with them, but I never wanted to expose her to their viciousness. She wasn’t someone who liked gossip; I loved that about her and planned to keep our lives as drama-free as I possibly could.
It sometimes felt a little strange that I’d become closer to Zara Khan than to any of the people I’d known for years, but it also made perfect sense: I’d outgrown them, and I was growing into her, our essence entwining until we saw each other better than anyone else in our lives.