“If you say so. I beg you to kindly take your hands off me.”
And then it was over. Hands grabbed me from behind. “Sir, you’ll have to come with us.”
Shit. Another couple of seconds.
God, I hated Bram. At that moment, I could’ve killed him.
I had no choice. I had to struggle. To my right, my eye caught a shimmer of red, and something made my skin prickle. It took my attention off Bram for a fucking second. A swath of red. A distraction. My attention was divided, and a crack came out of nowhere.
It was the sting I noticed first, then the sound. And then my head jolted to the right. I continued to struggle. I needed my arms to defend myself. Who was I kidding? I needed my arms to kick his arse.
I saw the lady in red, her eyes wide with shock and horror as she rushed forward. Bugger. I didn’t need her next to this. She was going to get hurt.
East tweeted in my ear. “We got it. Get out of there.”
The guards were starting to pat me down, restraining my arms. Oh, this was definitely going to hurt.
Angling my body to the right, I rolled my shoulder up and slid my arm out of the grip of one security guard. She was getting so close. Too close. Could I do this?
She ran up to us. “Stop it. Release him instantly. You’re making a scene.”
Her gaze met mine. Midnight eyes looked straight into my soul, twisting me up at the most inopportune time. If they patted me down before they handed me to the police, they were going to find the drive.
Performing the drop wasn’t going to happen. There was too much attention on me, and I needed to hand it off. Ditch it. Something.
The woman. She was my only hope. They might not look too closely at her purse. The guard grabbed for my arm again, but not before I elbowed him in the gut and lunged for her.
I had no idea who she was, but she’d be on camera, so we’d be able to get facial recognition and find her later.
The guard reached for me again, and I stumbled forward deliberately. She reached out for me as if she’d known the plan the entire time. As if we’d orchestrated this synergistic clusterfuck.
In the scuffle, she almost went down. One of the guards reached for her and tried to help her. I took hold of her purse and slid the device in and then let myself be taken down. “Fuck. All right, all right, all right. I’m going.”
She glowered at me. “He’s the prick who broke my pin, but this is overkill.”
I prayed to God that no one had noticed the transfer. I’d fucked this up. All of it was completely fucked up. If we lost our chance to dismantle the Elite, there would be no justice for Toby. Not now, not ever.
Livy
So much for minding my own business.
I’d gone my whole life following the rules. Playing by them. A year ago, my mother had told me to start living like I was only going to get one take.
Somehow, I didn’t think this was what she meant.
Two grown men fighting... at a political fundraiser? Who the hell would do such a thing? It was asinine. I had meant to find the Viking and give him a piece of my mind for breaking my pin.
I’d found him all right. Right in front of me. In an actual fight.
In the span of thirty minutes, I’d broken what was likely a priceless artifact, then hidden in a closet with a man so hot I could still feel his warmth wrapped around me. He’d whispered things to me that I’d only ever imagined someone saying. And then, I’d witnessed that very same man in a fistfight with Bram Van Linsted, firstborn son to one of London’s most elite families.
Who the hell was this Viking guy that he didn’t fear the wrath of the Van Linsted family? To hear it told, if everything went the right way, Bram would be prime minister in a decade or so. That would be enough time to make his foray into politics.
I shook my head and searched the crowd for Dexter, the only man I should be concerned with. But as usual, he was MIA. He loved a party. Me, not so much.
Did he ditch you?
I swallowed my annoyance. Before leaving our flat, we’d made a deal. He was to lay off the booze and not overindulge.
I couldn’t find him, though. The Viking caught my eyes again as security engaged him. Who the hell was he? And what did he have against Bram Van Linsted? More importantly, what the hell had he been doing in the closet?
“I will say, it’s never a dull occasion when the Van Linsteds are involved,” a voice whispered from behind me.
With a shudder of disgust chasing away my curiosity, I stepped back. “Mr. Mills. Have you seen Dexter? I can’t find him anywhere.”
He grinned at me broadly and leaned into my personal space. “You are all right, aren’t you? Not injured at all? I was worried as I watched you walk into that fray.” He reached out an arm to wrap around me, but I ducked just out of reach as I searched the crowd again.
“You know Dexter. Working the crowd. He’s really made himself an invaluable asset at the firm.”
I gave him a wan smile. Dex loved his job. All he wanted to do was make partner. I’d ruined his first shot, so I had to play nice, no matter how badly Fenton Mills made my skin crawl. “His career is so important to him. And he has my full support.”
He stepped closer, not quite touching me but standing so close that the gin and tobacco on his breath were mostly what I smelled. “Not everyone has someone as supportive as you. I know Emily doesn’t always understand my drive. My need.”
I forced myself to swallow the bile that surged in the back of my throat. The last thing I wanted to hear about was his need. “Well, it’s a very demanding career. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to text Dexter and head back into London. I’ve got a hell of a migraine looming.”
His brows furrowed as his gaze searched mine for any hint of falsehood. He wasn’t going to find any because I was done. Ready to bolt.
His frown eased, and he nodded. “I’ll send you in my car. As a matter of fact, I can join you.”
Oh hell no. Not happening. “So kind of you, but what about Emily? I know she said she had to travel in the morning, and she can’t very well ride the shuttle if you send the car with me.”
His lips pressed together in annoyance. He knew I was right. He couldn’t leave his wife behind. “Of course, you’re right. Remember, I count you as part of the Mills family and will do anything to look after you.”
“Uh, thank you, sir.” I eased back, plastering a smile on my face that I hoped seemed genuine but aloof. He gave off strong level-five creeper vibes, and the less time spent in his presence the better.
Thankfully, the security line was almost empty, and I handed my clutch to a guard while I was patted down. The guard was so busy staring at his monitor and talking to someone on his walkie about how cameras in a sector were down that he barely looked at me. “Have a good night, miss.”
Once outside, I dragged in all that blessed fresh air, crisp and clear, and I felt like I could finally breathe for the first time all night. The estate was located in the village of Virginia Water, close to the city, and it sat on an acreage of sparkling green. Automatically I glanced around, hoping I’d catch a glimpse of the Viking, but he was already gone. And you were going to, what? Interrogate him about what he was doing with you in the closet? Get real.