Cruz and I reach the bottom of the massive staircase to find the rest of the guys waiting by the door, ready to go and get this dinner party over and done with. The guys have been to a million of these in their lifetimes, so they know exactly how it’s going to go, which I’m assuming is why they’ve all put a little extra effort into their appearance, and damn, they look great, but not as delicious as Cruz.
“Ready to go?” Cruz questions, looking up at the guys.
Grayson nods and reaches for the door handle, swinging it wide open. “Yeah, let’s get going. We didn’t think ahead and forgot to get a ride for the night,” he says, eyeing Carver, whose Escalade is currently in the shop getting fixed. “We have to walk.”
“Ahh, fuck,” Cruz mutters, completely capable of walking, but hating the thought of just how uncomfortable it’s going to be.
“Surely my father would have had something we could use in the garage,” I suggest, following the boys out the front door.
“Tried that,” King mutters, a hint of anger in his tone. “Don’t know when, but apparently someone thought it’d be a good idea to fuck with all your dad’s cars. None of them are working. We’re going to have to get a mechanic in to look at them.”
“Fucking hell,” I grumble under my breath, irritation deep in my gut. I mean, sure, fuck with me all you want, but not my parents. They were good people. Leave them out of it. “Ember?”
“That’s my guess,” Carver growls. “She’s a fucking snake.”
I let out a heavy sigh and start the whole process of hating myself again, before remembering that I’m supposed to be pretending to be happy for Cruz’s big night. We make our way down the long driveway and make quick work of getting through the gate.
The boys stop to double check the codes and security. Ember was true to her word and yesterday, I sat out on my bedroom balcony, watching up the street as Ember moved into her father’s house. No one is safe now. No matter how many times we change the codes or do a security sweep, our enemies are inside the border and I have to assume that Ember is feeding Paris information. Hell, she could very well move her mother into her big ass mansion in the middle of the night and none of us would have any idea.
With my head so far up my ass, I don’t even realize when we reach Cruz’s driveway. I keep walking and Carver curls his arm through mine and yanks me aside, facing me in the right direction. Otherwise, I would have ended up God knows where.
By the time we reach the front door, my feet are already aching and my excitement for the night is quickly plummeting. Cruz opens the door and welcomes us all in and I instantly look around. His mom really has gone all out. There are decorations, soft music, and champagne waiting for new guests. Though, what else would be expected of a wife who belongs to one of the sexiest organizations I’ve ever come across. It is her job to please, host, and succeed, and luckily for her, I think she truly loves this aspect of her life.
“Whoa,” I breathe, taking it all in.
“You haven’t seen nothing yet,” Cruz murmurs, taking my hand and leading me deeper into his home.
The further we walk, the louder the chatter becomes, and as we round the corner to see the room completely packed with bodies, I realize that this is so much more than just a dinner party. This is a fucking party.
People are everywhere, dressed in their formal attire and I quickly glance down at my ripped shirt and thigh-high boots. I’m definitely underdressed, but a part of me just doesn’t care. At the end of the night, I’ll be the one prancing around in comfort while all the other women look as though they’re strapped into corsets from the twentieth century.
“What the ever-loving fuck?”
Cruz laughs. “My mom knows how to throw a party, right?”
“She sure as hell does.”
I find Cruz’s mom a moment later, barging her way through the crowded bodies with at least six wine bottles piled up in her arms, looking nothing short of flustered, and without giving it a second thought, I grab the tray off the closest waitress and start helping.
The boys scatter behind me, each going their own way to talk to people they know or try to find a window to throw themselves out of, either way, tonight I’m free to mingle knowing that they will always be close.
I make my way around the party, helping guests with whatever they need before emptying my tray and hurrying back into the kitchen for more. I pass Cruz’s mom a few times and she gives me a grateful smile that breaks my heart. Something must have gone wrong in her planning or someone canceled last minute, because any other time, she would have chastised me for helping and demanded that I go and enjoy the party.