Chapter 29 #2
“It started when Dorran and Jayce got out of prison,” Varsha informs me. “Chase helped in making sure there were no records under their names, and ever since then, he’s sort of always kept us out of legal trouble or binds.”
I run my fingers through my hair, messing up my hairdo a bit. “And I’m assuming he knows you’re here tonight?”
“Yup,” says Alex. “Even the security here is aware of our presence. Just not the elites, of course.”
“Does our regular security know about you?” I ask.
“Yeah,” Varsha tells me, then gives me a faint smile. “And yes, Maverick knows about us too.”
I don’t know why, but I’m not as shocked to learn that, and it’s because I know Mave’s #1 priority is to keep me safe. He’d never tell me about Dorran and the crew, especially because he knows firsthand how dangerous they are.
Same goes for my uncle, I’m presuming. He wouldn’t want me knowing Dorran or getting associated with him in any manner – for the exact same reason as Mave’s.
Little good that did, though.
It now makes sense why Dorran chooses to sneak into the estate to see me, but still, there’s something I don’t understand…
“Why did Dorran keep something like this from me?” I say, then shake my head again. “I mean, I–”
“I kept what from you?” comes Dorran’s voice, seconds before he reaches us. He’s got a piece of paper towel in his hand, and he’s absentmindedly cleaning tiny drops of blood from his now stained shirt, but stops when he’s in front of us, and raises his brows at me.
“I thought Jayce had advised you against drawing blood tonight,” Alex remarks.
“Tomas was getting a bit…fidgety. He deserved that quick stab in the throat, I promise.”
Alex chuckles. “Right.”
Dorran flips him off, then turns his attention to me again. “What did I not tell you, Cignette?”
Jayce walks in and stands next to Dorran, and looks exasperated as he glances around at the four of us.
“What the hell are y’all talking about?” he asks.
“About Dorran hiding the fact that my uncle and mom are your clients,” I provide, then bunch the hem of my dress, get to my feet, and face the man in question. “Were you even going to tell me?”
He shoots daggers at Alex and Varsha, then brings his intense gaze to me. “Honestly? I don’t know. I seriously don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. I’m content with how things are, and I didn’t wanna fuck anything up.”
“Telling me the truth wouldn’t have changed things between us,” I say truthfully.
Dorran sighs. “I’m sorry,” he tells me, and his crew whip their heads at him like he’s said something forbidden.
“What?” He glares at them. “I’m capable of accepting when I messed up, okay?”
Jayce makes a grunt-like noise, whereas Alex remains surprised. Varsha, on the other hand, has her signature all-assessing look on her face.
I cross my arms over my chest. “It’s not gonna work if you keep things from me,” I address Dorran. “I need to know shit so that I’m well-prepared for certain situations.”
He nods. “I agree.”
“So?”
His brows furrow. “So what?”
Sweet Jesus, gimme patience.
“Are you hiding anything else from me?” I grit out.
He thinks on my question, then clears his throat and slides his hands into his pant pockets.
“Well, Solo doesn’t know about us,” he confesses. “I’ve been meaning to tell him, but I don’t know how. So, if you see him tonight, just act indifferent. Or better yet, ignore him until I’ve told him everything.”
“And when will that be?”
“Not tonight, I hope,” Jayce cuts in. “I wouldn’t want the old bastard getting a coronary in a room full of unsympathetic elites. It wouldn’t be pretty, even by his standards.” He chuckles, and the rest of us join in.
“So…” I let go of a breath and try to sort the facts in my head. “Solo doesn’t know about us, and neither do Mave, my uncle, and my mom. Right?”
“Correction: Miranda knows,” Jayce says. “Dorran made sure of it, by not only murdering Steven and cutting off his tongue, but also threatening your mom with it, and letting her know that you’re under his protection. You should have been there. It was a whole thing.”
“Jayce,” Dorran warns, his voice clipped and laced with anger.
Fuck me ten ways to Christmas.
“Why the fuck would you do that?” I ask. “If Mom tells Uncle Chase about this, the–”
“She won’t,” Alex states, then gets to his feet and stretches his arms above his head. “If she knows what’s good for her, she won’t. Besides, Chase thinks Miranda fired Steven for misconduct. He doesn’t know about Steven’s murder. Not that he’d care if he did.”
No wonder she’s been ignoring me tonight. Giving her a verbal warning is one thing, but killing her bodyguard and in turn taking away her assurance of being protected? Yeah, that’s some next-level shit.
“I screwed up, didn’t I?” Dorran asks me, and there’s this vulnerability on his face that’s so beautiful in its rarity, that I have to blink just to make sure it’s actually there.
It is.
“I’m not an ungrateful bitch,” I say, then walk over to him before fixing some of the curls on his forehead.
“You killed a damn human being for me – just in warning. And, as crazy as it sounds, I appreciate it. It may make me seem fucked up or weird, but I don’t care.
I like this; I like us. I don’t know what this is, but it’s good, and it’s something I want more of. ”
Dorran smiles. “Don’t go soft on me now, Little Swan. You know I’ll kill anyone who tries to wrong you or hurt you, and when I do, I’ll take all the fucking pleasure in it.”
It’s a little questionable, but that promise of his turns me the hell on.
Dorran smirks, knowing he’s got me, and damn if I’ll deny it.
There’s a ping of a new message, and a second later, Jayce pulls his phone out. He reads whatever is written in the text, then scowls and looks at Dorran.
“It’s Solo. He says it’s tough to separate Rizwana from the crowd. She’s a social fucking bee, but she’s trying extra hard tonight. You think she sensed something?”
“Perhaps,” Dorran says, then works his jaw.
“We need to isolate her in order to finish her, and she’s making it impossible for us to do that.
She either knows we’re here, or she’s trying to win the elites over in order to secure a position in next year’s elections.
This gala is the perfect opportunity for her to make some fans, after all. ”
“Maybe I can help,” I provide, and the four of them look at me.
“I can pull Rizwana out of the ballroom,” I add.
“How?” Jayce asks.
Well, fuck if I know.
“Umm, I’ll find a way,” I tell him. “Just…give me a chance; I’ll come up with something.”
“We don’t have time for trials, Cigs,” Varsha says as she finally gets to her feet. “We have to leave before a former client finds us out and informs the others. Can you imagine the chaos that’ll create?”
“Do you have another idea?” I counter.
“We don’t,” Dorran answers, then gives me a nod. “Do what you gotta do, and when you have her alone, text me the location, and we’ll be there.”
To my surprise, Jayce gives me a nod as well.
My phone buzzes in my clutch. I pull it out and glance at the screen, then look at Dorran after reading the name flashing on it.
“It’s Mave,” I say, before receiving the call. “Hey.”
Booming music hits my ears, followed by Mave’s voice. “Where the hell are you, Nettie?”
“With a couple of Lure’s sponsors,” I lie immediately.
Dorran grins at me, making me roll my eyes.
“What floor are you on?” Mave asks, and I catch a slight slurring in his words, which means he’s had a few drinks for sure. “I’ve been looking for you in the ballroom.”
Fuck.
“I’ll be there soon, okay?” I tell him. “Please don’t stop having fun on my account. I’m fine, Mave.”
“Nettie.” There’s a couple of voices in the background, but I can’t understand what they’re saying. “Nettie, hold on.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Dorran rolls his arm in a “wrap it up” gesture, to which I nod.
“Hey, okay; sorry about that,” Mave says. “You still there, Nettie?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“Uh, yeah, alright. So, where are you? Because I need to come and get you right now.”
“You don’t–”
“Dorran Ledger and his crew are in the building tonight, Cignette,” he says firmly now, like he’s suddenly sober. “I need you close so that I can keep an eye on you.”
My heart thuds in my chest, and I glance at Dorran and the others.
“Who are you talking about, Mave?” I ask, then quickly pull my phone away from my ear and put it on speaker.
“The Bloody Prince,” Mave’s voice filters through the phone. “He’s here tonight, and so is his crew. I need to know where you are so that I can come get you.”
Dorran arches a brow, and a look of amusement takes over his features.
“How do you know they’re here?” I ask, even though I already know my uncle has informed every security personnel about the crew’s presence.
There’s a pause on the other side, and the speaker’s audio cracks against the loud music.
“One of the hotel’s external guards saw him and let me know about it,” Mave answers. “Just…just tell me where you are, Nettie. I’m–”
“I’ll be there in a few, I promise,” I tell him, then disconnect the call and throw my phone back into my clutch.
I grab a lapel of Dorran’s jacket and pull him in for a kiss. “I should go before Mave starts looking for me,” I say against his lips. “But I’ll text you as soon as I’ve got Rizwana.”
He smirks and kisses me back – hard enough that it makes me a little dizzy. “Show me what you’ve got, Little Swan.”