Page 94 of Pride
She placed her hands in his and he gripped them tight, knowing that this woman was worth holding on to. He only hoped she felt the same way when the night was done.
34
Alice had never felt soout of place in her life as she did on that penthouse terrace by the balcony. Her dress weighed on her. The shoes pinched. Tasteful fairy lights draped around poles and columns, and the stars twinkled in the sky, but she couldn’t shake her grumpy mood. Parker had convinced her to leave her weapons in the dressing room, stating that any battle tonight would be one of words, not fists.
So she endured without her sword.
The night was clear and crisp. A pool stretched across the roof and a pop-up bar was set up on one side. Parker had told Alice that a few months ago the Syndicate tried to kidnap Misha from here. They’d even attempted to land a helicopter. Wyatt had destroyed the elevator in his efforts to get to his mate. Not even a scar remained on both Wyatt or the elevator.
It was now champagne and caviar. The rich and the richer. Standing in her skintight, sparkling sheath, Alice couldn’t believe Parker had been right. Each of the Syndicate leaders waltzed in without a care in the world, despite knowing they walked into enemy territory. But then again, that was exactly what Parker had done when he’d walked into the cathedral and a room full of Sinners. To be fair, his arrogance had been justified.
That’s what worried her.
In a room full of prideful arrogance, whose would come first?
To everyone else, Parker looked like a dignified king as he moved about the room socializing. To her, she saw the heavy head beneath the crown, from the pinch of his eyes to the press of his lips. More than once he’d touched her, whether a brush at the elbow or his favorite spot at the back of her neck. He tried to hide his release of tension, but she felt it in the air. The pride in the room must be suffocating.
Part of her felt honored to be that steady rock for him. He, the heroic vigilante. He, the billionaire visionary. He, the savior. In a room full of gut-wrenching pain, he came to her for relief. Her nails dug into her palms. It was this same system that could work against him and trigger his doom. She guessed there was no way of knowing for certain what the future held. Even their psychics had foretold two different futures, any of which could become reality.
Parker came up behind her and touched her elbow. “You ready?”
The leather glove on one hand only added to the suave, enigmatic air he always seemed to exude. She relaxed her fingers. “Let’s do this.”
“Good.” He lowered his lips to her ear and spoke quietly. “Next up is Brigit Johansen. She’s the CEO of venture capitalist company Erobre. Definitely Syndicate. She’s not even trying to hide it.”
Alice’s eyes narrowed at the skinny blond in her sixties. “She doesn’t have a drink. Let’s bring her one.”
A flash of teeth. “That’s my girl.”
They collected champagne from the bartender and joined the Norwegian and her entourage, a tall buff bodyguard, and a shorter man with a weaselly face.
“Brigit Johansen,” Parker said as they arrived. “May I introduce Alice Montgomery, the future of Lazarus Tech.”
Alice blushed and laughed at Parker. “You’re being silly. I’m just his assistant. Here, I brought you a drink for the toast.”
Brigit smiled tightly as she accepted the champagne, the warmth never entering her eyes. She flat out dismissed Alice and turned to Parker.
“And when will your announcement be?” she asked, her accent thick.
“Later.” He stared blankly.
“How does it feel to have something you’ve worked for your entire life taken away from you?”
Wow. No sugar coating from this woman. Parker’s lip twitched and his eyes danced with humor.
“Why, Brigit? Nothing has been taken away from me yet.”
Brigit grunted and took a sip from her glass. Parker put his ungloved hand on Alice’s elbow, taking advantage of their connection. The woman’s pride must be through the roof.
“Yet,” Brigit agreed.
While Parker spoke briefly with the woman about the weather, Alice imagined stabbing her in the eyes. Parker excelled in diplomatic chit-chat. When they moved to the other leaders, it was much of the same. Parker introduced Alice. They promptly ignored her and made some kind of derogatory or snide comment to Parker about his upcoming “retirement.”
Through it all, Parker remained stoic and unwavering.
Alice dropped off a fingerprinted glass behind the bar for one of the Lazarus siblings to collect. She smiled politely at the bartender and accepted another glass of champagne, then stood back and watched as Parker took his second spin about the terrace, this time making a point to talk to the executives who blackmailed him. He did this all with a half smile on his face, as though he knew a secret none of them did.
If only he’d let Alice in on that secret, she’d feel a lot more at ease about the night. Damned Parker Lazarus and his magic tongue, distracting her in the dressing room when she should have been insisting he reveal his plan.
