21. Reed
Chapter twenty-one
Reed
Istraighten my tie for the fourth time in the last thirty minutes, making Taryn groan from beside me. She fixes her red sequin gown over her crossed legs before nudging me harshly in my side.
“Ouch.”
“Then stop fidgeting,” she hisses.
Emma leans forward, her curls tipping over her shoulder elegantly as she tucks more of her blue cocktail dress around her. “Kids, behave.”
I rest my head back as my eyes trail to the driver who’s trying his hardest to pretend he doesn’t hear our bickering in his backseat. “It’s just nerves.”
The car glides beneath the sweeping stone archway of the venue, and its tires whisper against the circular drive.
Beyond the tinted windows, the gala unfolds in a blaze of golden light.
Crystal chandeliers shimmer through towering glass panels, and strings of white lights wrap around manicured hedges that frame the entrance.
Guests in tailored tuxedos and glittering gowns drift up the grand staircase while photographers cluster behind velvet ropes, flashes illuminating the evening like distant lightening.
The car slows to a stop, and for a moment, none of us move. The silence becomes suffocating in anticipation of what will go down tonight.
“Well,” Taryn says, smoothing an imaginary wrinkle from her gown, “too late to fake our deaths.”
Emma laughs softly, though I catch the tension behind it. She checks her reflection in the darkened window, adjusts one of her curls, and squares her shoulders.
My stomach twists. “It’s just a gala,” I mutter. Though I think I’m just trying to convince myself it is at this point.
“Right,” Taryn replies, smoothly masking the question in her tone.
I reach for the handle before shoving the door open and taking a deep breath. The noise hits immediately. Conversations in full swing, music bleeding from the event walls, and the distant clinking of champagne glasses.
And cameras.
Far more cameras than I expected.
A wall of flashing lights erupts near the entrance as another notable guest arrives, drawing the attention of the crowd. The brilliance reflects off polished marble and the sleek black hood of the limousine.
“Showtime,” Emma says.
She exits first with practiced grace, accepting the driver’s hand as she steps onto the red carpet. Taryn follows, every bit as confident as she pretends to be, her sequined gown scattering crimson sparks beneath the lights.
I’m last.
The cool evening air meets me as I step from the car. My polished shoes touch the carpet, and suddenly the enormity of the event settles over me. The grand facade rises overhead, all marble columns, gilded balconies, and glowing windows.
For a heartbeat, I simply stare. Then Emma slips her arm through mine, and Taryn takes my other side.
“See?” Emma says quietly. “We can do this.”
“Yup.”
Together, we turn toward the staircase, our eyes squinting at the camera’s flash that seems to follow our every move. Reporters shout at the crowds, but we quicken our steps until we reach the top.
The doors of the gala stand open before us, spilling warm light into the night, and with hundreds of eyes watching, we begin our ascent.
Taryn waves to a few people she recognizes from the hospital as I offer a cordial nod.
The whole time, I’m in complete wonder at how someone can afford a place as extravagant as this…
The inside is just as lustrous with polished marble floors and trickling fountains carved from stone. My eyes move upward, toward the top banister where men and women mingle with glasses of something bubbly in their hands.
“Holy shit,” Taryn whispers.
Burton appears in front of us, dressed in a fitted black suit with a bright blue pocket handkerchief. He stops, spreads his hands wide, and smiles crookedly at me. “Reed!”
“Oof,” Taryn comments under her breath before releasing me. “Go, man hug your boss.”
I reluctantly trail down a few steps until the hospital owner can embrace me, hating every second of it as he pats me roughly like a father.
Burton draws back before holding me at arm’s length. “So glad you three could make it! Now the real party can start!”
I must not be masking my expressions well, because Emma points to her lips before mimicking a smile at me. My lips tug up into a forced expression. “Of course—”
Burton steps aside, revealing another man who’s been lingering behind him this whole time.
The words die on my tongue as I take in this newcomer.
He’s far shorter than I am with dark curls that fall carelessly into his eyes.
It’s odd, but he looks out of place in his suit, almost like the doesn’t belong in it with his rough features and crooked nose.
His brown eyes hold intelligence that strikes a chord with me immediately.
Like he’s constantly calculating the next steps of everyone around him.
Brooks.
My expression loses all warmth as the corner of my mouth twitches, threatening to lengthen into a sneer.
Burton motions to the man. “Now, I know you and Brooks got off on the wrong foot before, but tonight is about rekindling and building something bigger than all of us, right?”
Brooks tucks his hands behind his back before quirking a thick brow at me. “Dr. Bellamy.”
Southern prick.
“Brooks,” I force out.
Burton claps. “Now that’s the spirit!”
Taryn catches my attention as she side-eyes my sworn enemy. “He’s Thalia’s ex, right?”
“Yup.”
She pats a hand on my bicep. “If you get the chance, rock his shit.”
“Already working on it.”
Emma grabs her wife’s hand, motioning with her head to the food table across the room. “Come on, baby. Let’s leave them to talk.”
Taryn moans about wanting to stay to hear, but her spouse isn’t having it. Once they’re out of earshot, Brooks extends a calloused hand out to me.
“A truce?” He asks, those cold eyes narrowing on me.
I glance at Burton to see that he’s distracted while talking to a group of people and slap my hand over Brooks’ before yanking him close in a threat.
“There is no truce between us,” I whisper. “The first chance I get, I’m laying you out on this fucking floor.”
His jaw grinds before he rips his hand out of mine. “Very well. You’ve made yourself an enemy.”
We’re caught in a staring match with neither of us wanting to back down. It’s sheer will and determination between us, but I refuse to back down.
“Sending your men after us back at the bar was cute,” I goad. “Couldn’t make it yourself?”
His tongue runs under his upper lip as he sucks. “I figured it wouldn’t take much to kill a killer, but I’ve been wrong before. You see, I was far too busy to go myself. If you know what I mean…”
I scowl at him. “Busy doing what?”
He smirks as he makes a secretive gesture with his finger. “Now, if I told you that, it would ruin the surprise.”
I let out a small laugh, shaking my head. “You must feel threatened by me then. That’s the only logical reason you would keep such a big secret.”
His demeanor morphs quickly—he loses all traces of confidence in a second as anger leeches into his gaze. I think I’ve finally broken him until his eyes flicker to something behind me.
Without thinking, I turn my head to see what he was looking at.
Ascending the stairs are three people. In the center, a curvy blonde woman dressed in Seafoam green is flanked by two large men in suits.
She talks quietly to the blonde on her right arm, who’s smirking like he’s in heaven.
Her date with dark hair is quiet as he scans the floor like he’s looking for someone in particular.
I blink before turning back, but Brooks is gone. I lift my head over the crowd, searching to see where the little fucker slipped off to, but I have no luck. It’s like he vanished into thin air.
I sigh before making a plan to try to find him.
I begin my search on the first floor, weaving in and out of couples as I ask a few people if they’ve seen someone by Brooks’ description.
I’m met with more nos than anything, so I continue as I aimlessly stalk through the event center.
I’m almost back to the front when I run right into someone’s back and it’s like hitting a fucking brick wall.
“Shit,” I curse. “Sorry about that.”
The man, who towers over me by at least four inches, turns around, and I’m completely caught off guard. He’s covered in tattoos—they dust along his knuckles and trail up his neck. His eyes are blue, but so intense they make me take a step back.
“Watch where the fuck you’re going,” he bites.
I hold up my hands to apologize until I notice the gentle cursive at the base of his throat.
Loxley.
Where have I heard that name?
I frown. “I’m sorry, but do I know you?”
He chuckles. “Nah, if you did, you’d be dead already.”
My eyes widen at how familiar that sounds. Then I take in the black hair, the pale blue eyes, the tattoo…
“Atlas?” I ask.
His brows jump as the mirth dissipates from his expression. “Oh, fuck.”
The fucker tries to dip back into the crowd, and I grab the back of his suit.
“You’re Thalia’s brother, aren’t you?” I push as I trail behind him.
“Never heard of her!” He calls back.
“I know already!” I shout, making him stop. My chest heaves as I swallow. “I know everything.”
He rests his head back against his shoulders before turning to face me with a stern expression. “Then you probably know things are about to get ugly quick. Word of advice? Get out of here while you still have a chance.”
I stand my ground while shaking my head.
“That’s not going to happen. I…” My words trail as I try to find the right thing to say before clarity washes over me.
My eyes meet his as conviction infects me.
“I feel very strongly about your sister. Nothing is ever going to change that. I’m staying, and that’s final. ”
At first, he doesn’t react. He almost looks bored until his lips tug upward slowly. “I knew you’d fit right in. Welcome to the family, Reed.”
I release a breath. “Thank you. Now, if you don’t mind, could you point me in the direction of my date for the evening? Brooks is lurking around here and I don’t want him trying anything.”
Atlas winces at something behind me. “May be a little too late for that…”
I whip around, my heart plummeting at the sight of Brooks forcing Thalia onto the dance floor.
To anyone else, they look like a couple smitten with each other, but I can see her uncomfortable signals.
His hand is biting into her waist too sharply, and she’s keeping her body angled away from him as much as possible.
The sneer on her face tells me everything I need to know about this situation.
I stalk towards them, my whole attention becoming centered on the stunning woman in blood-red. Her dress has long, elegant sleeves that lengthen the closer they get to her hands, and the neckline stops at the base of her throat. Behind her, a trail of maroon follows.
Brooks is whispering vehemently to her, and he makes one mistake.
He spins her out of his grip, and I catch her without any missteps before gliding her away as I block him from her sight.
I gently rest my hand on her waist before her fingers curl warmly around mine and she stares up at me through thick lashes.
“Reed,” she smiles like I’m her favorite person in the whole world, and it does things to my pounding heart.
“I’m here,” I whisper softly as we sway to the music.
Thalia curls a hand into the lapel of my jacket, her eyes raking over my attire appreciatively. “You clean up so nice…”
“Me?” I chuckle before spinning her and becoming breathless at the vision she is. “You’re radiant. As always.”
She giggles low, tucking her head as the apples of her cheeks turn red. Her eyes shift upward to mine, and everything around us slows. “I need you to listen to me, okay?”
I nod.
Her gaze flickers to the edge of the dance floor, and I follow.
There, just a few feet away, stands a man who looks familiar.
Not in the sense that I know him, but that I know someone related to him.
He has the most likeness in features to Thalia, the same mouth and eye shape.
Only his hair is buzzed short, and he doesn’t look as decorated as her second to oldest brother.
He gives us a subtle nod before disappearing into the crowd. My pulse quickens as I finally take in the gravity of the situation. All around us are people—not partygoers, but hitmen. They linger and hide out in the large crowds, waiting in silence to strike.
It should terrify me.
I should want to leave while I still can.
But then I look down at my date and everything seems to evaporate. The worry and the fear become a distant memory, and my whole mind is attuned to Thalia.
We’ll protect each other.
Something crackles. It’s a distant, low buzz that makes me blink. I spot the wire that trails up to Thalia’s ear as her face sets into something cold and hard.
“Grab Taryn and Emma and get down.” She orders.