Chapter 27 #2
Mr. Ravencourt puts his hand on my shoulder. “Come,” he says, steering me away. “My wife would be delighted to see you.”
I glance at Kane, who briefly closes his eyes and clenches and unclenches his hands at his sides.
I’ve never seen him look so conflicted, and for some reason, it makes me want to go to him and reassure him that everything will be okay…
that it isn’t as bad as it seems. He moves quickly to follow us down the hall.
We step through a set of intricately carved mahogany doors that groan as they open to reveal the lavish dining room.
Over by the tall windows, a woman in a satin dress plays the piano as her graceful fingers glide over the keys, while sheer curtains sway in the light breeze.
Near an unlit fireplace, Cash stands beside an older couple, holding a flute of champagne.
Which strikes me as odd because who drinks champagne this early? Still, they’re wealthy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they wiped their backsides with hundred-dollar bills. What’s a little champagne to them?
Mr. Ravencourt places his hand on my lower back and guides me over to their group.
Instantly, a chill runs over my skin, though I keep my smile in place as the others notice our presence.
To say I feel like prey among wolves would be an understatement, and even though I remind myself that Kane and Cash are here with us and that I’m safe, I can’t help feeling my heart lurch when the older man notices me.
Standing to Mr. Ravencourt’s right, his seedy gaze examines me as it slides down my body. It’s not really about me, though, and I couldn’t tell you how I know that, but every nerve in my body senses he’s curious only because of the stiff Ravencourt heir behind me.
I’m no one. Just a poor girl from the Falls.
Which is why I know none of these powerful men would look at me twice if it weren’t for Kane’s possessiveness. I’m not nearly as prim and polished as the escorts they hire.
Still, they’re intrigued.
Especially the man Kane’s father introduces as the senator.
With his hand still on my lower back, Mr. Ravencourt introduces me to a slender woman with red hair, whose manicured nails look like claws as she accepts a champagne flute from a waiter.
Taking a sip, she watches me over the rim before her cat-like eyes shift to Kane. Not only is she beautiful, but she also moves with a grace I could only dream of possessing. Naturally, I feel inferior in my leggings and crop top next to her emerald green bandage dress and stilettos.
“And you’ve met my wife.”
Mr. Ravencourt’s voice pulls me out of my self-deprecating thoughts, and I smile politely at Kane’s mother as she pulls me into a hug.
Mrs. Ravencourt looks stunning in a long-sleeved bohemian dress and woven wedges, and it’s easy to see why Kane’s father was drawn to her. She’s naturally beautiful in a quiet way that reminds me of pressed wildflowers tucked between the pages of an old book.
Inevitably, a man as tainted and corrupt as Kane’s father would be attracted to such delicate beauty, if only to crush its petals.
While Kane’s parents and their guests drift toward the table, Cash approaches us and says in a low voice, “I tried to warn you not to come home today, but you didn’t pick up your phone.”
“What’s he doing home anyway?” Kane asks, pulling me close with his arm around my waist.
“Fuck knows. When I got back this morning, they were already here.”
“Shit,” Kane grumbles, rubbing his face.
Before he can say anything, waiters bring in food, and Kane’s father calls us over.
Now, anyone with two eyes can see that neither Kane nor Cash wants to be here, but like two trained dogs, they meander over to take their seats.
Kane pulls out my chair while I wonder briefly if it’s too late for me to leave, though I doubt they’d let me.
Especially the senator. The old man watches me across the table where he sits with his wife, who has her eyes on my man as he speaks to his brother in hushed tones.
Fact is, I don’t like the predatory way she looks at Kane, eyeing him over the rim of her champagne.
I pretend not to notice and act as though it doesn’t bother me, even though it does. More than I’ll ever let on.
“So, Miss Holt, is it?” the senator asks, as a waiter pours sauce over his steak. “Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself?”
Next to me, Kane stiffens like a rod. It’s like that feeling in a dream when you’re running from danger, but you’re stuck in thick mud.
Naturally, you’re too slow. The enemy is gaining, the clock is ticking down, and you know you’re about to get caught.
That’s how I feel now beneath his cool, assessing gaze.
I tell them the barest, briefest details about myself, though I get the feeling they already know everything there is to know about me.
Cash saves me from further discomfort by steering the conversation away from me and my miserable existence.
Kane squeezes my thigh beneath the table. The steak on my plate is barely dead, with blood pooling around it on the plate. I poke it with my fork, my appetite gone. How does anyone eat meat that looks like it was cut straight from a freshly slaughtered cow and slapped on a plate? No, thank you.
Across the table, the senator’s wife brings the speared meat to her mouth and moans like she’s having sex. Not only does she moan, but she also tilts her head back, revealing the line of her neck.
Surely, this isn’t normal? I glance at Kane and Cash and frown. They look like they’re about to be sick, both of them, and once again, I sense there’s more to this than I realize. Secrets waiting to be revealed.
Only now I’m not sure I want the truth.
After dinner, Kane and Cash get dragged into talking to his father while Mrs. Ravencourt ushers the musician away and shows me how to play a song on the piano.
It’s nothing complicated, a simple piece, and I quickly get the hang of the opening notes.
Growing up, I always wanted to play an instrument, but lessons were expensive and my parents couldn’t afford them.
Come to think of it, the few people I know who play were self-taught on some old guitar with broken strings.
“Excuse me for a second,” Mrs. Ravencourt says as I stand up from the piano. Then she walks away to speak with the head of staff.
Through the window, I see an older man with silver hair pruning a boxwood hedge beyond the shimmering pool.
This is the first time I’ve actually seen someone from the Falls working for the founding fathers, and although it’s no secret that it pays well to do the odd tasks on this side of the bridge, I haven’t seen it with my own eyes. It makes me feel…cheap.
“Shame they let the vermin in.” Venom coats Beverly’s acidic tone as she sidles up next to me, her flute glass filled with bubbly champagne.
And just like that, my hackles rise. Granted, she’s never going to like me because of my roots, but this runs deeper than simple distaste. I’m just a fly to her, one she wants to swat away.
I keep my gaze fixed on the pool while she takes a sip, glancing over my shoulder to where the men are talking. And then she remarks, “The twins are alike in so many ways, don’t you think?”
She’s baiting me. I grind my teeth together. The last thing I want is to fall into her trap. Then again, she’s not one to give up easily.
“But they’re also very different,” she continues. “Especially in bed.”
The words hit me like cold water. My stomach drops so fast, it feels like the polished floor has vanished beneath me.
No.