It’s a question and a trap. One I’m not stupid enough to fall into. “Of course. Yes, I’m here for now, until her brother recalls me to another task.”
She makes an agreeing noise. “See you at eight o’clock.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
She clicks off, and I lower the phone to my lap and sling my head back into the car seat. Looks like I don’t get to leave quite yet. This is a gift. I’ve dreamed about the day I would sink my blade into this woman’s heart for years. Ever since the day she paid to “rent” my body and then throw me out like trash. It’s not the discarding that stuck with me, it’s the depraved things she wanted to do with my then much scrawnier sixteen-year-old body. She’s sick, twisted, and the perfect customer for the likes of Sal’s fucking family.
I grab my bag and go back into the house. It’s quiet, the lights are off, and I settle back into the guest room even as I imagine curling up behind Selena. I can’t though, not when I need to get into the headspace for what I’m about to do.
After breakfast the next day, I find Selena in the study. Another large clothing box sits in the center. “You decide you need a different dress for tonight?”
She looks up from her computer, her eyes focusing as if I pulled her attention from far away. “Oh, no. That’s for you. Apparently, you made quite the impression on my friend Margery.” There’s a hint of jealousy in her tone, but I don’t have time to savor it since I’m focused on her words.
Her friend Margery.
I barely keep my lip from curling. Margery’s only friends are ambition and treachery. She might have loved her husband once. Maybe enough to spare him some pain when he, so tragically—and conveniently—died years ago.
I kneel on the floor and lift the lid off the box. Inside is a tuxedo, and it disturbs me she thinks she has my measure so easily.
This is a challenge, and a claim of ownership all at once.
Selena comes around her desk to peer into the box. “Oh, she sent you a tuxedo?”
I slide the lid in place again and stand. “She asked me to be her date for the charity event tonight.”
Barely a flicker shows on her face at my news, and it’s a punch in the gut. Only a few short nights ago she laid claim to me, just as I did her long before then. Now, she’s just going to ignore the fact that another woman is trying to cut in. Friend or not? The only reason I haven’t gutted Emmanuelle already is because Adrian forbade it immediately after Andrea’s attack. He didn’t explain himself, but he rarely does until he finds it necessary, at least to anyone who isn’t Kai.
Selena stoops and pulls the suit from the box. “You should go hang it up so the wrinkles will fall out. There’s a steamer in the bathroom, or I can call someone to take care of it.”
I take the suit from her carefully. “I’ve got it. Sorry to interrupt whatever you are doing.”
She shakes her head and sits behind her desk again. “Don’t worry about it. I was reviewing some society connections, hoping to figure out who is intent on taking me out. If I can identify them, then I can know how they got others on their side. It’ll mean for an easier shift back to how things are supposed to be.”
Lost in thought, she’s completely forgotten about me, and I slip out of the room to take the suit upstairs. The idea of wearing it disgusts me, but donning the clothes she provided, acknowledging the ownership in the fact, will give me an advantage.
I lay the suit on my bed, but before I can go find the steamer Selena mentioned, my phone ringing cuts through the silence. I answer immediately, knowing the distinct ringer I set for Adrian.
“Boss?”
His voice is frosted over. Ice with zero give. “Where the fuck are you right now?”
I have nothing to fear from Adrian, so I tell him the truth. “At Selena’s townhouse. I kept tabs on her when she snuck out the other night. I’ve been staying in her guest room.”
“And this party tonight?”
I’m not sure what he wants me to say. “I’ll be there. Attending with another society member here. Selena will be escorted by her fiancé.”
Adrian makes a rough noise low in his throat. “What’s going on, Mich? It’s not like you to run off without a word and sit on an unsanctioned job.”
I slide onto my bed and sigh. “It’s nothing. I just need to make sure she’s safe before I can come back home.”
“It’s like that, huh?” His voice is deadly soft.
I don’t acknowledge or deny the implication in his voice. “I’ll be home once this is done, and Selena is back where she belongs.”