Chapter 8
Mace
The charity gala at the Excelsis hotel is full of well-connected people, none of whom I want to see.
It would be better if no one could see me either, but every time I glance at my phone, one of my fucking brothers makes a snide comment.
It doesn’t help that our host, Rory Moncrief had taken great pleasure in telling the others how I might have caused a bit of a commotion at Calder’s club.
I suppose I should have been more discrete, but at least I’d waited until Lily had left before tracking down the two jerks who’d dared to put their hands on her.
They’re not going to put their arms around another woman for at least six weeks with two broken arms. And that’s two broken arms each.
My guess is they were too stoned to register what was happening, or feel much pain. They’d just better remember my warning.
I know this level of obsession isn’t sustainable.
I can’t stop Lily from seeing other guys when I’m so intent on her not seeing me.
She isn’t mine, I repeat over and over in my head as the conversation continues around me.
Silverware clatters against plates, but the only appetite I have is for information.
Unfortunately, I have the misfortune of sitting next to Maddie, and she leans over to check what I’m looking at every time my phone is in my hand.
I’m tempted to give in and tell my sister-in-law all about the woman with a penchant for road rage. I’ve been surveilling Lily’s apartment to make sure she doesn’t go out tonight, because if she does, I’ll be leaving the gala before anyone can stop me.
I’ve already spotted Kaitlyn arrive with a bottle of wine.
Is it too much to hope that they’re having a movie night at home?
Judging by the way Lily’s friend was dressed, it seems unlikely.
I’m trying to hack into Lily’s Uber account so I’ll know where she goes if she does leave her apartment – but even that plan is full of holes.
She could call a local cab company. Kaitlyn could order the ride.
Or someone else could be picking them up… Fuck. How am I supposed to relax?
“Eat your dessert,” Reid says on the other side of me. “And if you like, we can sneak off as soon as the auction’s over and done with.”
“And go where?” asks Maddie.
“Calder’s club,” Reid replies, speaking over me.
Maddie pulls a face. “Is that such a good idea?” she asks, pointing at me with her eyes as if I can’t see what she’s doing.
“Nothing happened last week,” I say before the twenty questions start up again about what I may or may not have done at the club. “And nothing is going to happen tonight.”
“Because you’re not going,” Maddie says. “You both promised me a dance.”
“Nope,” I say, picking up my fork and stabbing the chocolate tart. “Never promised, and never would. Besides, Hunter wouldn’t let you out of his arms long enough to dance with someone else.” I’m beginning to understand what drives him to be so territorial over his wife.
Maddie meets my glare with one of her own. “You can’t leave Ash and Hunter on their own while Alice is in the room,” she says pointedly.
I don’t look across to the Emerson table.
I’ve avoided making eye contact with the witch all night.
At least she’s alone. If her golden child had dared to show his face, we wouldn’t be sitting here making small talk right now.
Maddie’s abduction was a step too far, and for once, Barrett has had the good sense to stay away.
The Emersons are in a different league to us.
Barrett’s father came from old money and they have all the right connections.
In contrast, we have more dirt on our hands, but at least we’ve kept our humility, and our humanity.
There’s only one thing we have in common with Barrett Emerson, unfortunately.
“Do you think your mommy will try to talk to you?” Reid asks me.
He says it sarcastically, but it hits one of my last nerves. I turn the lethal tines of my fork towards my kid brother, who wasn’t cursed with the bloodline we share with the Emersons.
“Never call her that again,” I growl.
“Jesus, Mace,” Reid says, his face paling because he can see I’m seriously considering using the fork on him. I’d only stab his hand, but still.
“Mace, for fuck’s sake,” Ash says from across the table. “Are you completely losing it?”
His warning does nothing to quell my growing frustration, and it’s Maddie who diffuses the situation. She wraps her hand around my closed fist, bringing the fork down and pointing it at my plate.
“It’s chocolate. Try some.”
I know I’m being a jerk.
I know I’m being a jerk.
I know I’m being a fucking jerk.
When Maddie lets go of my hand, I mutter an apology to Reid and cut a corner off the tart.
I don’t like chocolate but, for the sake of research, I put it in my mouth.
When it lands on my tongue, synapses in my brain come to life.
The chocolate is bitter, but it’s also salty sweet.
It’s not an exact match, but it’s the closest I’ve come to finding something that makes me think of Lily’s lips.
My insides twist with the memory, and blood flows where I’d rather it didn’t right now.
“What is this?” I ask Maddie.
“Salted caramel.”
“Can you buy candy bars with this flavor?”
Her smile is full of curiosity. “Would you like me to buy you some?”
I school my expression. “No, I hate chocolate,” I reply as if the suggestion is ridiculous.
My dessert is the first plate of the night I manage to clear, and when the auction starts and my brothers try to outbid each other, I use the distraction to check my phone.
Lily’s still at home, but I’m failing miserably at hacking into her Uber account.
Next chance I get, I’m putting that tracker on her phone.
As crazy as that might make me, the idea of not knowing where she might go is driving me insane.
Now I just need to get close enough to Lily again to hack into her phone. I check the time. Is it wise to leave Ash and Hunter when Alice is lurking nearby? Would Alice be stupid enough to make an approach in such a public setting?
It doesn’t take long to have an answer to that particular question. When the auction ends and Maddie excuses herself to go to the restroom, Ash gives us the first warning that Alice is on the move.
“Please say she isn’t coming over here,” he growls.
The moment I look up, Alice locks eyes with me.
The woman who left me when I was still in diapers fucking smiles like we’re family.
We didn’t have much to do with her growing up, but if she taught me anything, it was to bury my emotions.
I never expected, nor received affection from her, and as my body tenses, there’s nothing she could possibly say or do that would thaw the ice-cold corner of my heart that never received the warmth of our mother’s love.
We’re sharing the table with a few trusted acquaintances who know us well enough to quickly excuse themselves as Alice reaches our table. Only us four brothers are left to witness whatever this is.
“May I join you for a moment?” she asks.
“No.” I reply before the others can respond. I don’t expect their answers would be any different.
Alice ignores me – nothing new there – and pulls out a chair that gives her the best view of each of us. She narrows her eyes at Reid as if he’s some kind of usurper, not of her blood, but she doesn’t challenge his right to be at our table. Good. She’s the only one who shouldn’t be here.
“What do you want, Alice?” Ash asks, his voice as cold as my heart.
“To continue the meeting we should have had months ago,” she says.
Hunter rests his arms on the table, leaning forward so he can be heard above the entertainer who’s taken to the stage. “Do you mean the meeting we were traveling to when your son set his dog on my wife?”
“I told you I didn’t know what Ray was doing,” she says. There’s something about her voice that makes her sound age-worn. I have to concede that she’s always been a beautiful woman, but all of her sixty years are showing tonight. “It was a misunderstanding.”
“Maddie was dragged from her bed under explicit orders from Barrett. What part of that did I get wrong?” Hunter growls.
“Ray was only meant to persuade the girl. And Barrett thought you were getting a divorce.”
Hunter shakes his head. “You just can’t see the bad in him, can you?”
“Let’s not forget that Maddison was betrothed to my s–” Her cheeks flame as she stops herself from referring to Barrett as her son, as if he’s the only one who came out of her vagina. “To Barrett first.”
She really didn’t need to bother correcting herself. None of us are fighting for that recognition. Not anymore.
“He’s lucky I didn’t kill him,” Hunter states. “I still might one of these days.”
He makes to stand up, but Ash puts a hand on his shoulder. “Alice, just spit it out. What is it you came over to say?”
Alice flattens her hands on the table, her red fingernails pressing into the white linen tablecloth.
As we wait for her to compose herself, Hunter glances over his shoulder.
He’s watching for Maddie’s return. I can’t be sure if he’s planning on intercepting her when she does appear, or if he wants her at the table too.
It would serve Alice right to be subjected to Maddie’s sharp tongue.
“I appreciate that some people might judge me for leaving you boys when I did,” she begins.
My laugh holds no mirth. “And you’re looking at four of them right now.”
“Mason,” she says in a softening voice. “You were too young to understand what it was like being married to your father.”
“Young?” I reply, mocking her. “I’m just surprised you hung around long enough for them to cut the umbilical cord before you ran away to bag yourself a rich tycoon.”
“But I left you in capable hands,” she argues. “Lisa always did have a soft spot for your father, and it worked out for the best in the end. Wouldn’t you say?”