Page 75 of Wild Card

“Okay…well excuse us, we’re going to find—” I started.

“Well who do we have here?” Jackie came over, butting in and grabbing my dad’s arm.

Her eyes bounced from Elias to me, and the way they went wide and round, even her lips parted as she drank in the sight of my date. I mean, he was good-looking, but she looked as though she’d seen a ghost. I faltered for a second before making the introduction.

“Elias, this is my stepmom, Jackie. Jackie, this is Elias Matthews.”

Taylor’s eyes hardened on the way her mom was looking at Elias. There were some awkward vibes going on here, and I was starting to piece it all together. Jackie and Taylor were in on the arrangement and were shocked to see him here with me, the oldest daughter. What the fuck was Elias’s game plan here?

Taylor glared at me while her hand tightened on Decker’s arm. I had no idea why she was suddenly staring with such vehemence, but I was over this entire scene.

“Well, I’m going to give him a tour of the house. I’ll see all of you later.” I pulled at Elias’s arm, and we departed. I took my time, showing him the gardens and the kitchen, which wasn’t that amazing, especially because it was full of staff at the moment. Then we wandered to the garage.

“This is bigger than my entire house.” Elias laughed, running his hand over one of my father’s rare cars.

“We weren’t always rich…” I walked around the cars. There were at least twenty-five in this garage, and at least thirty more in the secondary garage. I didn’t have the heart to tell Elias this wasn’t the only garage.

I watched him move with a calculating gaze, unsure of how to broach the subject of my stepsister, or my father…or Decker. What in the hell was this guy’s endgame, and why was my family a part of it?

“So, are you going to try to move on anything with Taylor?” I asked, trying to see if I could get him talking. At the bar that one night, he’d mentioned having a crush on Taylor, which was obviously bullshit, but maybe I could get him to start moving us in the right direction so my questions wouldn’t seem so strange. We walked back toward the party, shoulder to shoulder.

“She came with someone else tonight, so maybe I should just let things be what they are.”

Not what I wanted to hear. This only made me think he had his sights now set on me instead of her. I would have preferred he take his creepy vibes away from my sister, but I didn’t want them set on me either.

He opened the back door for me; it was being guarded by one of my father’s security team.

“So, that’s it? You’re just giving up?”

He laughed, holding my elbow while we started upstairs.

“Come on, there’s no way you’d just give up your crush on her.” I jabbed him in the side.

“What about you?” He looked over at me as we passed my father’s study and wandered toward the library. “What would you do if I went to talk to her?”

I pushed through the large library door, feeling a familiar comfort in the finished wood. “This.” I turned in a circle with a smile plastered to my face.

He lightly laughed while watching me with an odd expression on his face. “How about this: I’m starving. Why don’t I go hunt down some food for us, and if I happen to see Taylor not talking to someone, I’ll talk to her. Then I’ll bring some food up.”

I slipped off my high heels, finally feeling able to relax. “That sounds amazing.”

“Okay, I’ll be back.” He hesitated for a second before walking out.

I needed something to read while I waited. I veered toward the back, where all the classics were hidden. I knewBen-Hurwas buried somewhere on the back wall. I didn’t even know why I was in the mood for it, but it was one of my favorites.

“Where is it?” I mumbled to myself, trailing my fingers along leather spines. The low lights in the library created a dreamy vibe with all the dark leather and lush rugs on the wood floors. It was comfy and, on rainy days, my absolute favorite space.

I was thumbing through a rare edition ofPride and Prejudicewhen I heard the door open and shut…then the undeniable click of the older latch falling into place, locking us in.

I swallowed thickly, wiping my hands on my dress. I didn’t want to be alone with Elias, especially if he was aiming for some fucked-up marriage ticket. Carefully walking around the corner, still holding the book, I asked, “Did you strike out already? I hope you at least grabbed some of those stuffed mushrooms.”

I turned the corner, gripping the book tightly, only to find Decker standing there, hands shoved deep into his pockets and his head lowered.

It was unnerving not being able to see his expression. I could sense he was angry. Down in my bones, I knew he was vibrating with rage that I’d been with Elias all night, but he didn’t get to be angry anymore. I hadn’t even confronted him yet about losing my story.

“Decker.”

His head rose, those tired, mossy eyes getting their fill by searching me from head to toe. The bruises on his face still made my breath catch. I wanted to know what had happened.

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