Chapter 9
In a city with spies everywhere and more cops under my thumb than all the other families combined, I couldn’t find my Good Samaritan. Not a last name, a place of employment—nothing. Even his car was a nonstarter. All I had was his first name—Nate. Or…the name he’d given me. Who knew if that was even real.
I had the world’s technology at my feet, thanks to my bank account, but this one man was a fucking ghost, and I couldn’t let it go.
What if he’s in danger because he was with me? Did they find out he shot some of the Aces too? What if he’s hurt? Will they leave him alone since he was just defending himself?The thoughts hadn’t stopped since I’d watched him drive away, and the result was little sleep and a lot of stress. I had so much power, but I still felt helpless. It was a mindfuck.
Greyson was in a mood too. He hated to lose, and the mystery stumped him as much as it did me. He’d called in spies and favors and requests for help and gotten nothing in return.
But for the first time in days, I had to put those thoughts away. Gilded’s opening night was a success. Everywhere I looked, people danced to the soft croon of the music, while trades and treaties were discussed over glasses of expensive scotch. The first step toward my dream of peace was a reality, and tonight, that was all that mattered.
The hand around my waist squeezed once, and I tuned back into the conversation, leaning into Dominic briefly. Despite Grey’s apprehension, Dominic had been the perfect date, and I was grateful for him.
“Mari tells me you’ve been a client since Mario was alive. You must’ve been young when you started your business.”
Troy Kincaid smiled into his glass, the low lights reflecting off the strands of silver in his thick black waves and a naturally bold streak of silver just to the left of his chin where his hair had gone inexplicably gray in his teens. He was older, handsome, and incredibly charming. Three things he used to his advantage whenever possible. He’d been one of my father’s favorite clients, and now, he was mine. “Let’s just say that while most teen boys were focused on chasing skirts, I was chasing money.”
Dominic grinned, tossing back the last of his own drink with a low chuckle. “It seems to have done well for you.”
Though once upon a time he’d been a forger who rivaled the masters themselves, now Troy’s money came from buying and selling counterfeit art. He believed the problem with outdoing the masters was he had no one left to compete with, so he’d found a new competition to thrive in. He was in designer labels from suit to socks, and I knew without a doubt that the car he’d driven was likely the latest model. He reeked of new money and didn’t care who thought it. He’d earned it fair and square.
It was a testament to Ash’s collection of menswear—and her ability to sew lightning-fast—that Dominic fit in with the guests like he was meant to be there, despite the late notice.
Troy only gave Dominic a sly smile as an answer before turning to me. “You should come to the penthouse for dinner sometime. It’s been ages since the walls have seen such a beautiful woman.”
“Are we pretending you aren’t a playboy, Mr. Kincaid? My apologies, I didn’t get the memo.” I laughed, light and airy, as if I didn’t have a care in the world. Who cared if it felt like everything was fracturing into pieces? I had to look like I had it all under control, or the vultures would hunt me down. Dominic’s grip tightened, and I knew he’d caught my lie. It felt good to know someone could see through the bullshit.
“You never were one to let my lies slide. Even as a girl, you called me on them.” Troy grinned as Dominic pressed his smile into my shoulder. “I’d like to discuss a new piece coming in soon. It’ll need extra security to make it through the city. You and Greyson can bring your new friend too.”
The idea of a night stuck between the two of them sounded torturous, especially with the inevitable squabbling, but I smiled anyway. “Of course. Have Alexa call tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll set up an appointment.”
“I will.” His eyes darkened at someone behind me, and I knew he’d found the night’s conquest. Midforties and still happily a bachelor. With a kiss on my cheek and a handshake for Dominic, Troy disappeared into the crowd, leaving us alone.
“You’re good at that.”
I tilted my head back, and Dominic’s eyes roamed my face like he was trying to puzzle me out. He’d been doing that a lot since he’d come home. Had I really changed that much, or was he trying to see if the girl he’d known was still there? I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out. “Good at what?”
“Schmoozing.” He said it with such disgust that I nearly laughed. For such a people person, Dominic despised small talk. It made me like him more.
I hummed, sipping my champagne. “Father taught me to manipulate people, men specifically. Antoni’s the one who taught me to read their intentions, their desires. Both help me figure out what I can offer clients that no one else can.”
“What about your desires?”
I drew my eyebrows together. “What about them?”
“Who figures out what you desire?”
“Me.”
“Do you always get it right?”
No. What did I desire? Privacy? Love? Freedom? I was still thinking when the band shifted into a slow, sensual song, and Dominic held out a hand with a soft smile. “Dance with me, Mari.”
“That didn’t sound like a question.”
“It wasn’t.” He pulled me into his body with a grin. Once I was in his arms, I found I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to enjoy the moment as we swayed together. Tennessee and Moore were nearby, but the illusion of privacy made it feel like we were in our own little bubble, and I didn’t want it to pop.
Everywhere we touched felt electric. The soft graze of Dominic’s body against mine, the brush of our cheeks, the weight of his hand as he twined our fingers together. I pressed myself as close as I could and felt his sharp inhale.
“You look beautiful tonight, mariposa.”
“Thank you. You look very handsome.”
Dominic leaned back to look me in the eye, cheeky grin in place. “Handsome or hot? Be honest with me.”
Pretending I hadn’t been looking all night, I peered down at him. The black-on-black suit was snug on his body, just tight enough to hint at the muscles underneath. It made his naturally tanned skin seem darker, especially when the only color he wore came from the honey-gold pocket square that matched his eyes. He looked delicious. I wanted a taste.
“I’m not sure your ego needs the boost, but both.”
“Is that so?” Dominic leaned in, lips caressing my ear as he spoke. “Would you like to peel this suit off me tonight? Because I’m dying to see that dress on my bedroom floor.” He curved his hand along my hip, dangerously close to the swell of my ass, as he pulled me in. I felt him against me, hard and ready, and I liked it.
Fuck. My thighs clenched with the desire to take Dominic up on his offer. Before I could, I heard a throat clearing behind me. I turned, and there was Greyson, his face carefully blank, the same way it had been for days. “It’s time for your speech.”
Right, the welcome speech. Talking to gangsters and power-hungry men, I could do all day. Public speaking, not so much.
Dominic let me go without a fuss, and I took the arm Grey held out, letting him lead me to the stage. We were silent, nodding to other family heads as we passed, and despite our issues, I felt like a unit again. Like we were on the same page. It’d been so long since I’d felt that way that the emotions nearly toppled me. We can fix this. We just need to talk through it all, one thing at a time.
Determined to take the first step, I spoke. “You look very handsome tonight, Greyson.”
It was an understatement.
Though he often wore suits, this one was nearly black and particularly striking against his coloring. He looked downright edible, and I’d been pretending that both he and Dominic hadn’t soaked my panties the second I’d seen them at the house.
Grey looked at me, eyes trailing slowly over my dress like he’d never seen it, despite being present at every fitting. If I thought I was warm from Dominic’s attention, I was scorching at Grey’s. “You’re radiant tonight, reina. If I saw you on the street, I’d think you were a goddess walking among us.”
I didn’t know how to respond. His words weren’t unusual, but the way he looked at me—hot and possessive—was.
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the opposite cheek Dominic had. “I don’t like that he got to touch you in it. I’m feeling a bit replaced.”
I reared back to look at him and nearly tripped myself. He said it with the lilt of a joke, but I could hear the truth underneath his words. Was Greyson jealous of Dominic? Was our problem really as simple as feeling replaced?
I raised a hand to his cheek, pulling his suddenly uncertain eyes to me. “There is no one in this world who could replace you in my life, Greyson. Not now, not ever.”
He laid his hand over mine, gifting me one of the smiles he saved for me. A little lopsided and a lot sexy. “Break a leg, reina.”
Certain he believed me, I made my way to the microphone and hoped that this was the start to the mending we so desperately needed.
* * *
An hour later, and with Dominic busy talking to an old friend, I made another circle around the room. By the time I finished, my face hurt from fake smiling, and I was desperate for some water.
“Drink?”
The voice was darker, more seductive than it had been on the side of the road, but I’d have known it anywhere.
Nate.
“You’re a hard man to find.” I turned around, brows creasing when I found him dressed in Gilded’s uniform. “You serve here?”
How did we miss the fact that he worked for us? Greyson was going to have a meltdown.
“Bartender, actually. I’m covering a break.” Nate handed me the drink, eyes dropping briefly to my dress before they met mine again. “You look lovely. Am I allowed to say that?”
I couldn’t help my grin. “I don’t mind. Your honesty is refreshing.”
Refreshing and unnerving. How easy would it be for him to share his secrets with the world, for him to be manipulated into sharing what wasn’t his? I didn’t want to believe Nate would do that, but everyone was fallible. Even kind farm boys moonlighting as Good Samaritans.
He grinned, the slightest hint of a dimple peeking out, and stepped closer. “I didn’t tell anyone.”
“I believe you. I still would’ve preferred you come back with us.” I neglected to tell him it kept me up at night. He didn’t need to know the hold he had on me.
Nate shook his head. “I’m fine at home, really. I just wanted you to know that your secret’s safe with me.” Someone called his name, and he sighed. “I have to get back.”
My hand reached for him automatically. I didn’t want him to go, and that alone had me pulling away. I didn’t do emotional connections, certainly not with strangers when my world was diving into chaos, but something about Nate pulled me in. “Be careful.”
He gave me one last long look I couldn’t decipher before he slipped between two bodies and disappeared into the crowd.
Wandering away, I sipped gratefully on what I realized was water until I found myself at the edges of the dance floor and looking face first into my own personal nightmare.
Greyson had Aislynn in his arms, dancing her expertly across the dance floor. When she laughed at something, he smiled down at her, soft and sweet. They looked happy. Carefree.
In love.
It wasn’t real. I knew that, but it still felt like someone had ripped my heart out and laid it at my feet.
A throat cleared at my side, but I didn’t look away. Sean O’Bannon was hard to miss, even from the periphery. Brawny and bearded, the Irish lord smiled as he lifted a glass toward his daughter. “They look good together.”
The heavy suggestion in his voice made my head throb. “They do.”
“They’d make handsome babies. Little princes to take over my empire.”
Absolutely not.“He’s not a stud to breed out,” I snapped.
O’Bannon laughed. “No, but he is an eligible man in your family, and she’s of marrying age.”
The idea of anyone marrying Greyson was absurd, but Ash? I looked at them together, her light to his dark. Moody and cheerful. Beautiful opposites. The thought of them together, of his ring on her finger when it would never be on mine, shattered me. Only years of practice kept my shoulders back and my face from showing it. “You want to be family, O’Bannon?”
He shrugged. “Worse ways to unify.”
Considering he’d offered himself and every one of his sons to me at one point or another, I wasn’t so sure. He was awfully desperate to combine forces for a man running the second-largest territory in the city. It didn’t sit right with me. “I’m not going to speak for Greyson.”
Sean snorted into his glass, and I wondered how many it had taken for him to get the courage to approach me tonight, of all times. Marriage alliances were a formal affair in the underworld, and offering one in the middle of an event was casual, bordering on disrespectful. We didn’t have the relationship for him to feel that comfortable with me. “Andrews is so far in your pocket, I wonder if he’s got a soul of his own. But he’s a goddamn genius, so it would be worth the oversight. Besides, if you’re not going to put a ring on it, you should let the boy go.”
The nerve of this asshole. “As I said, O’Bannon, I’m not going to answer for Greyson.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but I stepped close, noting how tense he got. I kept my voice low since eyes were already on us. I needed to put the Irish bastard in his place, not turn him into another enemy.
“You seem to be under the impression that we’re friends, O’Bannon. We’re allies—nothing more, nothing less. You know nothing about my family, and you won’t be joining it unless I say so.” His eyes narrowed at the condescending pat I laid on his chest. “And in the future, you speak about my people with respect, or you keep your goddamn mouth shut. Am I clear?”
“Crystal.” The word was full of hate, and I wondered if I’d just royally fucked us. It doesn’t matter. It had to be done.
A brisk nod to one of his sons had him whisked away. Every part of O’Bannon’s proposal soured my stomach. Greyson with someone else was the future we were looking toward, but would it be better to know he was with someone I trusted, or worse? Would it hurt more to watch them grow together while I was left behind?
Suddenly desperate for air, I set my drink on a passing tray and moved away from the crowd. Away from the future that already felt set in stone.
“Mari.”
I didn’t know who it was, and I didn’t care. “Getting some air. I’ll be right back.”
“I think we should talk now, actually.”
A man stepped in front of me, and all I caught was a pair of bright-blue eyes and a smile that rivaled a movie star’s. He was the all-American boy, the golden god.
And I had no fucking clue who he was.
“And you are?”
“My apologies. I should have been by to introduce myself sooner, but the city’s been taking up so much of my time.” He grinned, picking up my hand and bending over it in a shadow of a bow. “My name is Cassius Beckstrom. You can call me Cash.”