Page 99 of Ezra
“So am I.” I glance at her husband. He’s tall and broad, and wears a sharp tuxedo. He’s not as powerfully built as Ezra, from what I can tell. Then again, I’m well aware I’m biased. I extend my hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Oliver.”
Seeming somewhat surprised, he gives me a firm handshake. “The pleasure is mine, Katrina.”
“I appreciate you coming,” I say. “It probably wasn’t easy. I understand Humanity First has become an icon of violent people with bats, crowbars, and bad attitudes. I mean to change that.”
He nods. “I’m intrigued by the prospect. I also understand emotions tend to run high, especially when those involved have lost their livelihood.”
“What do you think of the new orders being rolled out by President McKinley?” I ask him.
Oliver clearly didn’t expect me to address him at length. “I think she’s making a mistake and shifting blame from the true underlying issues.”
“TerraPura, you mean?”
“Yes. People should be worried.”
“I agree. I’mveryworried about TerraPura. All the time. But we shouldn’t give up our liberties out of fear. That means yours too.”
Rebecca looks like she’s about ready to drop her jaw to the floor. Oliver smiles. “I’m glad we see eye-to-eye.”
I take that as my cue. “I should probably make more rounds. Pleasure meeting you all.”
As more and more guests keep coming, I keep my eyes open for Ezra. If he’s here already, he’s staying out of sight. Then I spot Jayne Rose.
She wheels toward me with a broad grin. “Kat! Hi!”
“Hi, Jayne. I’m so glad you came. Is Ezra here?” I ask.
“He is,” she says. “To others, I’m sure it looks like he’s being a bit of a wallflower, but he’s around. I wouldn’t go searching himout at the minute. He’s focusing on face recognition and weeding out potential TerraPura affiliates.”
“Should I be concerned?” I ask. Just the thought of being in the vicinity of TerraPura again puts me on edge. But we have increased security and members of the ACU here as well—I’m aware this might be my nerves.
But what if it isn’t?
Jayne’s quick to put my fears to rest. “No, no. Just taking precautions, that’s all.”
She’s dressed for the party in a pretty pink gown, and her red hair has been tamed and braided to one side. I appreciate her understated but elegant appearance far more than the gaudy jewelry and wear-once fashions of the New Carnegie elite.
“You look lovely, Jayne. Your dress is beautiful.”
“Thank you.” She beams at me. “I’m just excited to get out of the office. Thanks for inviting me. I’ve never been to a fancy party like this. This seems like a pretty tame opportunity to do so and slay while doing it.” She strikes a little pose for me. “I understand most of these fellows are off the market, but you never know, I might meet a handsome Mr. Moneybags to snag for myself.” We giggle. “Are we still on for lunch next week?”
“Absolutely.”
Jayne grins at me. “Oh! You didn’t tell me you invited Nicholas Kane. I am swooning! He’s so hot. I used to have such a crush on him.” She sighs dreamily.
“If all goes well, you might be able to speak with him tonight. I hear he’s very personable,” I tease.
She blushes and waves a hand at me. “No, no, don’t you dare. Don’t play with my heart like that. He’s married anyway. Her name’s Sophie, if I remember correctly. They’re standing over there. See them?”
I glance across the beautiful ballroom where clusters of people talk, drink champagne, and pick at appetizer trays asthey’re carried out by staff. Sure enough, wearing a black suit and tie is the handsome English billionaire, his beautiful android wife on his arm in a long blue gown that displays her elegant shoulders. She seems to be glowing as she stands with him. She looks familiar to me, somehow, and I’m not sure why.
“I was so excited to see him here. I thought he retired,” Jayne adds.
“We had to pull a lot of strings, but we managed to lure him out this way,” I say. “I’m going to go introduce myself before I lose my chance. Do you want to come with me?”
“No no no no no,” Jayne says quickly. “I’ll gaze at him wistfully from a distance.” She pauses, then adds, “See if he has a brother!”
I excuse myself from her company and weave through the New Carnegie elite, my attention set on Nicholas Kane, the richest billionaire in the UK and the creator and founder of EverFed, the most successful tech company in the Western world.
