26. Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Six
Carys
W e’re in the dressing rooms of a high-end women’s clothing store in Belfast, and I’ve already tried on half a dozen outfits. While I might not trust Jade, she has impeccable taste in clothes. I’ve never been here before, but it’s becoming a favorite.
When I emerge from the dressing room, I rotate in front of the bank of mirrors. The deep-purple dress fits me like a glove, and the color makes my skin radiant.
Jay flips through a magazine on a bench meant for beleaguered spouses or supportive friends. Finn didn’t trust my safety to Kim alone when we’d be more than an hour away. Jay doesn’t glance up from his reading material but still says, “You look great.”
“That’s a winner.” Kim brandishes another dress from the racks. “If I was you, I reckon I’d get it.”
“I want to see,” Jade calls from her own change cubicle. “Give me a second.”
I eye the outfit she’s holding and tease a finger along the neckline. The black lace will plunge between my breasts, a deep V, exposing my scar. I raise an eyebrow in question, and she circles where the mark lays. “I can’t wait to see her face when she sees this.” Her midnight eyes are full of a sly meaning. The comment is loud enough for Jade to hear, but since she can’t see us, she won’t understand Kim’s true intent.
Jade pops out of the dressing room. “That’s gorg.” She orbits around me, her own dress floating around her legs with a swish. “You have to get that.”
“That’s pretty.” The fabric of her dress slithers between my fingers. “Nice and light.”
“Good for summer.” She rotates to catch the angles in the mirror like I did.
Another stab of familiarity strikes me. Did I see her at the pub when I was stabbed? Is that why some of her movements and expressions hit me so hard? Last night when Finn and I went back to bed, I tried to remember faces from the crowd. But other than his stricken expression above me, and Lorcan’s steady presence, everyone else is a blur, a vague remembrance. It’s not a happy memory, one I cultivated, or clung onto. Instead, I worked to suppress the helplessness of that evening. All Finn’s strength and cunning were nothing compared to a tiny knife inserted in the right place. Death a hair’s breadth away.
I snatch the dress out of Kim’s hand. Perhaps she’s right. The scar has grown faint over time, and if Jade notices, it’ll be because she knows to look. When I’ve zipped up the back of the dress, I examine myself in the mirror. The scar is framed perfectly by the neckline. One of many reasons why I never wore dresses like this. I tug on the waist and smooth it down. With a deep breath, I open the door.
Jay throws his magazine to the side, ready for his body language study. Kim lounges on the seat beside him, but Jade is back in her room.
“That’s a dress stitched to lie on a man’s floor,” Kim exclaims for Jade’s ears. The comment is so obviously a bait, I almost laugh.
“Do you think?” I turn in the mirror.
Jade’s door flies open, and she’s wearing her own clothes, three dresses draped over her arm. She strides over to me, peering at the silhouette and then homing in on the neckline.
“That plunge doesn’t really feel like you.” She meets my gaze. “It’s very daring. Are you comfortable with it?”
“I like it, actually.” I twist toward the mirror, offering her another chance to peek at my scar while I peer at her.
“You’ve got a mark.” She gestures to her own chest. “Just there. What’s that from?”
My cheeks warm, unable to help the reaction. Talking about the night I lost my baby with Finn and almost died is one of my least favorite topics. Creating the discussion flusters me. “An old injury.”
“What happened?” Jade’s eyes are wide while she stares at me. “An accident?”
“A knife,” I admit. “Meant for someone else.”
“May I?” Her index finger is poised above my chest. She’s transfixed by the scar, unable to tear her gaze away.
While I don’t want her touching me, I’m interested to see where her behavior leads. Yet another side to examine, dissect. “It’s a scar.” I force myself to stay in the moment with Jade and not to look at Jay and Kim. “You can touch the mark. The skin’s a bit rough.”
Her fingertip brushes the raised flesh, and she shudders. With her eyes closed, she says, “He must have been terrified.”
“Who?” Kim’s voice brims with false curiosity.
Her eyes snap open and widen at the slip. Then a mask falls over her face, and she rubs her forehead. “Oh, I—” She seems to stare through us for a beat. “She said the knife was meant for someone else. I assumed it was a man.” A soft chuckle escapes her. “How many women get into knife fights?”
Kim draws a tiny one out of the side pocket of her spandex tights and twirls it across her fingers. “I know a few.”
Jade’s jaw tightens a fraction before she turns to me. “I shouldn’t have assumed. Was it another woman you were with?” Her face is open with innocence again, any hint of calculation gone.
“It was Finn, actually,” I say. “He was afraid. Terrified. Scariest moment of his life.” He’s never said those words, but he’s laid his heart bare to me over the last year. Going after the men who attacked him and stabbed me was his way of getting control back. When Finn’s backed into a corner, he doesn’t cower. He swings with all his might. Exaggerating his fear may elicit more information out of Jade. “He couldn’t save me, so he punished everyone else.” I hope she hears that because not even God will be able to help her if she comes after me or Lucas. Finn will hunt her to the ends of the earth.
When our gazes meet, Jade’s pupils are dilated. Jesus. She’s aroused. Was the trigger fear or punishment? “Must be incredible to have that kind of desperate love,” she murmurs.
I can’t lie. Who wouldn’t want someone who’d suffer their own personal hell to save you from yours? I chased the kind of love Finn gives me for almost two decades with other men and had no success. Not everyone can have what we have, and her envy shines bright from her eyes. Does she want Finn to pay for his crimes, or does she just want Finn? “You must have something similar with PJ?”
The reminder snaps her out of a trance, and one side of her lips tilts up. “Pierre-Jacques isn’t much for desperate. Too emotional.”
Too emotional? Interesting. She drank up my Finn story as though it was the sweetest nectar. She’s already told me she values fear. Does she also value love? Or is she like her partner?
Jay clears his throat.
“I can help you with that zipper again, Carys.” Kim comes to my shoulder.
“I suppose I should pay for these.” Jade stares at the dresses slung over her arm. “Did you want to get the purple one? He won’t notice one more in the pile.”
I observe her for a beat before saying, “That’s all right. Kind of you to offer. I’m going to think about it. My closet is already stuffed at home.”
“Ah, yes. Cape Verde. Gorgeous island.” She turns and heads for the cash, clearly a little off her game.
In the dressing room, Kim doesn’t bother to help me with my dress. Instead, she leans against the wall while I change.
“She was there that night, and she got off on seeing Finn so upset,” she whispers.
“That’s how I read her too.” I slip on my outfit from earlier. “There’s something not right with her.”
“That was fast,” Jay says, his voice raised. “Efficient cashier here.”
“They like my money,” Jade responds.
Kim takes the black dress and puts it on the hanger and gathers the other dresses lined up, tossing them over her arm. “Are you getting any of these?”
“Not today.” The whole experience, fun at first, has been tainted by our final interaction. I’m still not sure whether Jade’s after revenge for her dead boyfriend or lusting after mine.
“Dinner?” Jade suggests when Kim and I emerge.
“Sounds lovely.” And necessary. Lorcan and Finn need as much time as possible to search the mansion for clues. “I’m in the mood for one of those multicourse places. A real experience.”
“Oh.” She frowns. “I’m not sure we should be gone that long.”
“I’ve found a place,” Jay says. “We can walk there. Only a few blocks.”
Jade’s bodyguards have kept their distance near the door, and one of them opens it when we get close. “Home?” he says.
“Everyone’s hungry. We’re going to walk to a restaurant a few blocks from here.” She draws her phone out of her purse. “I’ll have to let Pierre-Jacques know we’re going to be late.”