Page 19 of Wretched Soul
I’ve already spotted Kaitlyn arrive with a bottle of wine. Is it too much to hope that they’re having a movie night at home? Judging by the way Lily’s friend was dressed, it seems unlikely. I’m trying to hack into Lily’s Uber account so I’ll know where she goes if she does leave her apartment – but even that plan is full of holes. She could call a local cab company. Kaitlyn could order the ride. Or someone else could be picking them up… Fuck. How am I supposed to relax?
“Eat your dessert,” Reid says on the other side of me. “And if you like, we can sneak off as soon as the auction’s over and done with.”
“And go where?” asks Maddie.
“Calder’s club,” Reid replies, speaking over me.
Maddie pulls a face. “Is that such a good idea?” she asks, pointing at me with her eyes as if I can’t see what she’s doing.
“Nothing happened last week,” I say before the twenty questions start up again about what I may or may not have done at the club. “And nothing is going to happen tonight.”
“Because you’re not going,” Maddie says. “You both promised me a dance.”
“Nope,” I say, picking up my fork and stabbing the chocolate tart. “Never promised, and never would. Besides, Hunter wouldn’t let you out of his arms long enough to dance with someone else.” I’m beginning to understand what drives him to be so territorial over his wife.
Maddie meets my glare with one of her own. “You can’t leave Ash and Hunter on their own while Alice is in the room,” she says pointedly.
I don’t look across to the Emerson table. I’ve avoided making eye contact with the witch all night. At least she’s alone. If her golden child had dared to show his face, we wouldn’t be sitting here making small talk right now. Maddie’s abduction was a step too far, and for once, Barrett has had the good sense to stay away.
The Emersons are in a different league to us. Barrett’s father came from old money and they have all the right connections. In contrast, we have more dirt on our hands, but at least we’ve kept our humility, and our humanity. There’s only one thing we have in common with Barrett Emerson, unfortunately.
“Do you think yourmommywill try to talk to you?” Reid asks me.
He says it sarcastically, but it hits one of my last nerves. I turn the lethal tines of my fork towards my kid brother, who wasn’t cursed with the bloodline we share with the Emersons.
“Never call her that again,” I growl.
“Jesus, Mace,” Reid says, his face paling because he can see I’m seriously considering using the fork on him. I’d only stab his hand, but still.
“Mace, for fuck’s sake,” Ash says from across the table. “Are you completely losing it?”
His warning does nothing to quell my growing frustration, and it’s Maddie who diffuses the situation. She wraps her hand around my closed fist, bringing the fork down and pointing it at my plate.
“It’s chocolate. Try some.”
I know I’m being a jerk.
I know I’m being a jerk.
I know I’m being a fucking jerk.
When Maddie lets go of my hand, I mutter an apology to Reid and cut a corner off the tart. I don’t like chocolate but, for the sake of research, I put it in my mouth. When it lands on my tongue, synapses in my brain come to life. The chocolate is bitter, but it’s also salty sweet. It’s not an exact match, but it’s the closest I’ve come to finding something that makes me think of Lily’s lips. My insides twist with the memory, and blood flows where I’d rather it didn’t right now.
“What is this?” I ask Maddie.
“Salted caramel.”
“Can you buy candy bars with this flavor?”
Her smile is full of curiosity. “Would you like me to buy you some?”
I school my expression. “No, I hate chocolate,” I reply as if the suggestion is ridiculous.
My dessert is the first plate of the night I manage to clear, and when the auction starts and my brothers try to outbid each other, I use the distraction to check my phone. Lily’s still at home, but I’m failing miserably at hacking into her Uber account. Next chance I get, I’m putting that tracker on her phone. As crazy as that might make me, the idea of not knowing where she might go is driving me insane.
Now I just need to get close enough to Lily again to hack into her phone. I check the time. Is it wise to leave Ash and Hunter when Alice is lurking nearby? Would Alice be stupid enough to make an approach in such a public setting?
It doesn’t take long to have an answer to that particular question. When the auction ends and Maddie excuses herself to go to the restroom, Ash gives us the first warning that Alice is on the move.
