Page 8 of Tangled Lies
I watched Carrow take the girl with him. My entertainment was him not knowing his little future bride was here.
I changed my course, stepping behind her.
“Tell me, little bird. Does he seem familiar?”
Her pretty pink lips opened and closed. Behind the mask I could see her eyes narrow.
“Maybe. But I doubt I know anyone in these circles.”
I couldn’t keep my hands to myself. When I gripped her upper arms, pulling her closer into my body and making sureshe had a front-row seat, fucking hell, it was a whole new high flooding through me.
I didn’t chase women. I didn’t need to. But this one? She’d gotten away from me once, and now it was my turn to get what was always meant to be mine, only she didn’t know that yet. She didn’t know I intended to ruin her. Even if I had never wanted her, she’d given up and abandoned her promise, making my life just that much harder.
“Tell me, little bird. Have you ever met your fiancée?”
Her gasp was just loud enough for me to hear, but no one else would have noticed much of anything. No one other than my brothers. They knew the game and the rules and would be paying attention.
“Does he look familiar now, little bird?” I asked.
My attention went to the glass in her hand as the ice clinked. I couldn’t keep the thin smile from crossing my lips as I watched her grip tighten and her knuckles whiten.
I leaned in even closer, making sure she could hear my whispered words.
“Ah. I’m guessing you made the connection then. Something tells me the woman next to him isn’t his sister, is she?” I wanted to poke at her a little. See where this went.
She cleared her throat.
“It won’t matter soon enough. What is this all to you, sir?” The way she said sir had bite to it. She wasn’t afraid of me.
She yanked away, my grip just this side of too tight against her bare skin. This dress was pissing me off. I didn’t like how it hugged her hips and the ass that was pressed firmly against a hard-on I wasn’t doing well at concealing.
“It’s part of the game, little bird. Isn’t everything a gamble in the city of sin?”
The way her breasts pressed against the low line of the dress told me just how hard she was breathing. Good. I’d gotten to her and now I’d let her go.
This was the only real purpose of him being here. Stoking a fire.
The other table of players all stood, and Margaux stopped again, apparently realizing she didn’t have a drink to deliver anymore.
I moved with her and leaned into her ear from behind.
“Little bird, just say the word, and I’ll help you get your revenge.”
With that I left her, not waiting for her response. Hell, best that I didn’t analyze my own poor judgment.
I stepped away from her and listened as the remaining pretentious assholes left for the night.
“The night just got too rich for my blood. It’s important to know when to quit,” said one of the men.
Talon smirked, still sitting at the table like nothing could faze him, and really, nothing had been able to yet.
I leaned against the wall and watched my little game continue to unfold. The pieces were in place, but what would everyone’s next move be?
Margaux had turned around and ignored the commotion of the others leaving. Soon there would be only the four of us.
Margaux practically slammed the glass on the counter pulling all the attention her way even if she didn’t notice. She wasn’t stupid, not like her uncle had tried to put out there into the world. He kept her caged, letting her out only when it made sense to him, and even then I wondered if she knew just what that uncle of hers said about her when he was trying to sell her off to the highest bidder.
I crossed my arms over my chest as I watched the exchange with the other girl, Reina Xavier, the heiress to a fortune she’dprobably never see with the way her dad fucked over the wrong people almost daily. Still, I wondered what she was saying to the little heiress.
