Ryan shrugged, glancing down at the floor. “Well, it hasn’t exactly been ruined. Besides a few questions, because people in this family are generally curious, nobody has given you a second glance. It’d be nice to have our friendship back. I’ve missed it over the years.”
Rubbing his jaw, Dax wanted to avoid eye contact, but he knew that was the coward’s way out. “I missed it, too, man. And I’ll continue to miss it. We can’t have contact after this. We created a cover that will hopefully hold. If Martin Chilani ever found out I work for the FBI, I would still be a dead man. Maybe even you. I won’t risk that. I want you to have a nice, happy life with your new wife. I would never risk putting you in harm’s way. It’s the way it has to be.”
“I figured you were going to say something like that. That sucks.”
Dax barely laughed, finding no amusement in those words. “Tell me about it. Imagine how I felt when my boss told me what was going to happen. I never wanted to do this to you.”
Ryan slapped his shoulder. “I know. I see that now. I was pissed off at first. I wanted Lily to have the wedding of her dreams. She’s been happy so far. Thank you for not ruining anything.”
“I never planned to.”
“Did you find what you were looking for? Did this whole ruse work?”
Dax shrugged. If he had, he wouldn’t tell Ryan. “Night’s not over yet.”
“When you talked to Mr. Chilani I guess he didn’t spill everything to you.”
Dax laughed. “If only it were that easy.” He clapped Ryan on the shoulder. “Do you feel a noose yet?”
“I never will. I love her. And when you find the right woman, you won’t feel trapped either. You only have to find the right one.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to happen any time soon.” His eyes pinned to Sarafina like a heat-seeking missile, wondering if he was wrong in his choice of words.
She could feel his eyes on her, but every time she chanced a glance, he wasn’t staring in her direction. Yet, the moment she turned away, she felt his heated gaze.
Sarafina knew she was torturing herself for no apparent reason. He wasn’t interested. No matter all the kind words, silly laughs they shared, he hadn’t felt a connection like she obviously had. He had said he wanted to dance with her back at the church. She was still waiting for him to claim that dance.
Lying to her that he couldn’t dance wouldn’t fly as an excuse either. She saw him on the dance floor several times already, moving to the songs with an ease that spoke volumes. Circling the room like a vulture, he talked to many different people, but his path never brought him near her. She wanted to scream with frustration.
Typical. Another typical man saying sweet things to turn into a no-good, lying skunk. If he didn’t want anything to do with her, he should’ve never said he wanted to dance with her. Darn that man!
Space. Some air. A breather would be good. Sarafina left the ballroom, intending to use the bathroom, but found herself walking to the gardens instead. Taking in the beauty of the gardens, lit with soft lights from the ceiling to imitate stars, she breathed in a bout of peace.
Why didn’t they create this to show the real sky? To see the night sky would make this place even more magical. The lights gave it a surreal look, but it would never compare to the real thing. Perhaps it hadn’t been feasible, or maybe it never crossed the architect’s mind. Regardless, it would’ve added to the beautiful ambiance of the room if they had created a sunroof.
Taking her time walking down the path, she wondered if she should make the first move. Maybe Dax was shy, not sure if he should make a move. Or maybe he was trying to recover from Lora retracting her beautiful body from his side. Had he been looking at her with those heated eyes or Lora? Lora said he was looking at her. At the moment, she agreed. When he didn’t ignore Lora in the limo and acted interested in her, she changed her opinion. Those heated stares had been meant for Lora.
Why did life have to be so confusing? Men in general.
She started to make her way toward the gazebo when she heard a familiar voice.
She stopped in her tracks, not making a sound. Panic threatened. Don’t panic. That would be very bad.
“You know how MC hates when shipments aren’t on time. He expects everything to run smoothly. What you’re telling me does not reassure me that things will run according to plan. Get your ass in gear and make this shit happen. I want everything on Pier 9 tomorrow at midnight. Not a second late. Have I made myself clear?”
A moment of silence.
“Good. Don’t make me take action that you wouldn’t like. You know the consequences when shit goes wrong. Do you want to be on the receiving end of that?”
Another pause.
“I didn’t think so. Don’t call me again. I’m trying to enjoy myself.”
She heard rustling like he had shoved the phone into his pocket, then footsteps make their way toward her. Oh, darnation. She couldn’t let him see her. Dashing into the flowers, she crouched behind a low bush.
Her heart beat like a jackhammer as she waited, barely covered by the bush. But she must’ve been hidden well enough when the footsteps never slowed as they passed her. Waiting a few minutes, not wanting to risk being seen, she stayed behind the bush going over everything she overheard.
Shipment? Consequences? MC? What did it mean? Who in the world was Franklin talking to?
She never did like Lily’s cousin Franklin. The man always gave her the worst jitters when he was near. His tone of voice and harsh words didn’t help her impression either. That hadn’t been a happy phone call. That’s for sure. She never trusted him, and hearing a few unsavory things, she didn’t think he had been talking about anything legal. She wouldn’t be surprised if he was involved in criminal activity, especially considering he had a record for drugs. She didn’t know anything beyond that, just a short conversation she had with Lily one time about him getting arrested for having cocaine.
Figuring she hid long enough, she stood up, peeking back and forth before making her way through the flowers and back onto the path. She made a quick pit stop in the bathroom to make sure she didn’t get dirty from the garden and removed a bit of dirt from her shoes. Tempted to leave the party, she took a deep breath and headed back to the ballroom with a smile on her face.
Barely making it into the room without managing to calm her racing heart, Franklin appeared at her side.
“May I have this dance, Fina?”
Oh, jeepers, no.
She had no chance to decline when he curled his grimy hand around her waist and pulled her onto the dance floor.
“Where did you run off to? I’ve been wanting a dance with you all night.” His eyes trailed down her face, landing on her breasts with a predatory glare. His hands made a similar trail as they glided down her back to rest on her butt.
Not wanting to make a scene, but also unwilling for him to touch her there, she moved his hands to her back. “Ladies room. I had a few too many drinks, and what do they call it…breaking the seal. Unfortunately, I may have done that.”
Show no fear. He had no idea she heard his phone conversation. Or did he? Was that why he latched onto her the moment she reentered the ballroom? Did he know she was there and heard everything? Or was he being an annoying leech like always?