Page 122 of Ruthless Prince
On the other hand, the way he was cutting me off from my friendships, fake or not, reminded me of the way abusive people isolated their partners from their friends and family. Logan was definitely abusive—he had a fucking torture dungeon to prove it—so it seemed like the latter was probably happening in thiscase.
He didn’t really give a shit about me. He just didn’t want me to have a support system in case I ever tried to escapeagain.
I changed the subject, hoping he wouldn’t get mad at me for doing so. “I wonder where Simone is,” I said, casting my eyes around the ballroom. “She was here during the speeches, but now I can’t see heranywhere.”
“She’s probably gone to the afterparty,” Logan said. “Looks like a lot of people have done thesame.”
I arched a brow. “Afterparty?”
“Check yourpurse.”
Knitting my brows, I reached inside my clutch to find a black envelope with a familiar crimson seal in the shape of a skull. I tore it open to find an invitation from the Order to a party in the secret hall several stories below the WhiteHouse.
“You should feel honored,” Logan said. “It’s the first Order party of the season, not counting the Bacchanalia, and they’re throwing it for you. Well, forus,really. To celebrate ourengagement.”
“How did you know about it before me?” Iasked.
He gave me a thin smile. “My dad is a member of the high council, remember?” he said. “Plus they send out text and email invites as well as the paper ones.But—”
“But I don’t have a phone anymore,” I blurted out, finishing his sentence for him. I immediately clamped my hand over my mouth. He would probably punish me later for being sorude.
His smile widened. “Don’t look so scared, princess. You’re getting a freebie tonight, okay? You can say whatever you want and act however you want, as long as you don’t do anything to fuck things up forme.”
“Thank you,” Imumbled.
“Don’t thank me. I’m not doing it to be nice,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “I just don’t want you freaking out and looking like a terrified mouse all night. It’ll make peoplesuspicious.”
“Oh.Right.”
He slid his arm around my waist. “We should get going now. Don’t want to miss thefestivities.”
My eyes widened. “Can we really leave our own engagement party to go to anotherparty?”
He snorted. “Yeah. Who gives a shit? Your mom has basically taken over the whole thing,anyway.”
He had a point. My mother had spent the entire evening fawning over everyone the Thornes had invited—people who usually wouldn’t be caught dead at one of her events, given their political differences. She obviously hoped she could get some of them on her side to further advance herinterests.
Logan nodded toward the carved Grecian columns marking the exit. “Let’sgo.”
I went and said a quick goodbye to Jared, squeezing him in the tightest hug ever while pointedly ignoring my treacherous father. After that, Mal and Adam escorted us to our car outside thehotel.
“Jackson Place,” Logan said to our driver, handing him a sizable cash tip. He looked over at me. “The tunnel entrance closest to the Order headquarters is near there,” heexplained.
I nodded and murmured a vague answer as the car pulled away from the curb. I didn’t want to talk to him or anyone else right now. I just wanted to admire the glittering city lights and feel the cool night air on my skin as the world swept byus.
It was so rare that I got to do that nowadays, seeing as Logan made me spend most of my time cooped up in my private suite at Thorne House. While it was a beautiful room with almost everything I could possibly need, it was still a prison. I’d honestly rather wander around a grimy back alley if it meant I had myfreedom.
It would probably be less dangerous,too.
When we finally arrived at the Order Hall in the secret tunnels, we took a left from the foyer and headed into the main party room. I’d been in here before, but my memories of the place were fairlymisty.
As I looked around with wide eyes, it all came flooding back to me. I remembered the arched ceilings now, soaring high as a cathedral, and I remembered the long, narrow turquoise pool in the center of the room with the jeweled statue rising from the steaming surface. I also remembered the black and red velvet love seats scattered throughout the space, along with the masked waitstaff handing out cocktails and silver platters with lines of white powder and all sorts ofpills.
Tonight’s celebration was already in full swing, and the room was awash with bodies engaged in all kinds of hedonistic acts—topless dancing, drinking, snorting lines, fucking. On top of the myriad Order members, there were scores of men and women with perfect figures wandering around wearing nothing but black masks and coy smiles. They seemed to be high-class sex workers offering favors to any interestedparties.
“I can’t believe they do this in front of everyone,” I murmured, cheeks flushing as I spotted a couple openly fucking in the heated pool. Not far from them, a full-on foursome was goingon.
Logan looked down at me. “The party rooms are the Order’s version of paradise,” he said. “You can do whatever you want here, whenever you want. No judgment from anyone. It’s one of the rewards for being amember.”
