Page 51 of Hawk's Sapphire

Sadie smiles at the agent and says, “No one.He’s mistaken me for someone else.I hope you two have a wonderful evening.”Sadie pulls out of my grip and stalks off arm and arm with her guard.

She disappears into the ballroom, and I lose track of her in the crowd.Galina tugs my arm back, glaring at me.“You want to tell me about your little girlfriend and what the hell she’s doing here with one of Parisi’s men?”

I shrug.“I honestly have no fucking clue.”It’s not a lie, but it is a question I’ll be getting answers to before the night is out.“She took off a few weeks ago.No one’s heard from her since.”

“You think she’s in trouble?”

Yes.

“No.She seemed like she was here of her own free will.I didn’t see any signs of struggle.”Galina watches me closely.She must accept my answer as the truth because she shakes it off and starts dragging me back toward the ballroom.

We sit at our table and Galina talks up every person at the table.I answer questions about my supposed business and the way my tech will help families around the world solve their problems.

Galina plays her part as my doting girlfriend well.Watching her red nails trail across my chest, running up and down my thigh, it’s making my skin crawl.A few times her hand has reached my cock, and I’ve had to intertwine our fingers and lay them on the table and give her a look that says,knock it off.I don’t want her touch or her scent on me, but this is the part I agreed to play in order to guarantee my freedom.

I scan the room.My eyes finally land on Sadie.She’s sitting next to Matteo in the far corner of the room closest to the bar.She’s been sitting on his lap or cuddled into his side all night.Several people have approached Matteo, but I’ve noticed every time someone speaks to Sadie, she differs to Matteo until he gives her direction.Most of the time he nods, and she speaks, but there have been a few times when he’s given a subtle shake of his head, and she turns her attention away from the person speaking.It’s weird.

Is she asking permission?

What the hell has he done to her?Sadieneverasks permission to do anything.She does what she wants, consequences be damned.

Matteo kisses her shoulder, and I want to rip his fucking throat out.

She’s mine.

A deep voice addressing the couple across the table from us drags my attention from Sadie momentarily.I recognize him as a senator something or another.I’ve seen him online giving speeches and spouting about how he’s working with the police and Congress to reduce sex and drug trafficking here in Texas.

I wonder if he knows his campaign is bullshit.

The Senator makes eye contact with Galina.I see the moment recognition happens between the two of them.She chooses that moment to introduce me as her date and the new tech mogul sweeping the state with my personal tracking and protection program.She’s got one arm up around my neck, her head on my shoulder, looking the part of a doting girlfriend while her other hand is splayed across my chest.

The Senator’s eyes narrow.He’s not convinced, but he doesn’t blow her cover.Instead, he pastes a fake smile on his face and reached to shake my hand.“I’d love to hear all about this personal tracking program.Is it invasive?Intrusive?I’m sorry I’m not familiar with such things.I’ve always been more of a law books and financial spread sheets guy.I’m afraid I’ve never been that good with technology.”

“I understand.”I say, fighting the urge to put this prick in his place.The constituents may think he’s nothing more than a lawyer with a secondary degree in business—hence the financial spreadsheets—but I did some research into everyone on the invitation list.This motherfucker’s childhood records are sealed.The only information I could find before his college transcripts was a set of adoption papers, but there was information missing.

His parents’ names, for starters.He was dropped off at the hospital by a woman who claimed to have found him in a dumpster.I looked for DNA testing and medical records, something to identify where he came from, and found nothing but a clean slate of health and a vaccination record.

Prior to college, the man’s a fucking ghost.He has one sibling, a brother, also adopted, but he never mentions him.He’s never seen in public supporting the Senator.His story is the same.Dropped off at a hospital and sealed childhood records.

Which begs the question; How did he get elected?

People in political office are generally scrutinized.Everyone wants to know their background, their qualifications, who they were before they took office.And I’ve found nothing where anyone actually investigated McAlister,anywhere.

“My company’s program is a wearable tracking system.It can be worn on the body inconspicuously.Our target audience at the moment is families with disabled family members who wander or maybe can’t remember where they live.”

“Like the elderly.”He snaps his fingers as if he’s just had an epiphany.“You’ve created a way to alert families if their elderly grandmother with, say dementia, wonders off.They can track her movements.Is that it?”

“In a nutshell, yes.”

“But doesn’t the GPS app on a phone, or the Apple Air tag do the same thing?”He smirks, the snide bastard.

“Yes, in a way.But how often does Granny forget to grab her phone when she wanders out the front door?How about a child with Autism?An air tag can be worn in a rubber bracelet, but it can also be a distraction or discomfort to a child who already struggles to pay attention.”I explain, remembering how Sadie explained what she was doing to Caleb.I hung back from the conversation because she seemed shy about her plans, but I also remember how proud I was of her for thinking outside the box with her designs.

“So then, how do you put the tracker on them?”He’s intrigued now, leaning back with his arms crossed over her chest.

“We’re currently in the prototype phase, but we’re working on several options to conceal the device, making it blend into an everyday outfit or accessory, while making it something your family member would be happy to wear.”I honestly don’t knowexactlywhat Sadie has been doing because the brat found a way to keep me out of her shit.Every time I try to crack into her files something weird happens to my computer, and a text pops up on my phone telling me to fuck off.Which of course, has become my favorite game to fuck with her.

We talk for a few more minutes about nothing I care about, but I can bullshit with the best of them, so I play the game.Our goal is to be seen and get Galina some attention and obtain an invitation to the private party.

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