Page 2 of Survive the Night
Why did it feel like she wouldn’t survive another second?
When Chester pulled the SUV up to the entrance of Mod fifteen silent minutes later, Alice swallowed a groan. Of all the Dallas restaurants, they had to go to the most pretentious one? She shook off her annoyance. Of course they did. Aaron had chosen the place after all, and he was easily swayed by flash over substance.
“Miss?” Jeb held her door open. With a deep, soundless breath, she climbed out of the SUV.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, waiting for Aaron to circle the vehicle and step to her side. Instead of offering an arm to her, he strode ahead. Alice hesitated, the temptation to turn and run so strong that it almost overwhelmed her. A nudge from Jeb brought her back to reality.
“Miss,” he said again, gesturing for her to follow Aaron. Straightening her shoulders, Alice walked into the restaurant after her brother.
As she approached the hostess stand, she heard the tail end of his question. “…the Jovanovic party arrived yet?”
Her heart skipped at the name, and she sucked in a quiet, shocked breath. As shady and unethical as her father had been—and now Aaron was—the Blanchetts were angels compared to the Jovanovics. The Jovanovics, according to everything Alice had heard, were the worst of the worst.
Alice had always been quiet, even as a small child, and people tended to forget she was in the room. She’d heard dozens of horror stories about the Jovanovic family, and she wondered which of the demons they’d be meeting tonight. From what people said, Noah Jovanovic was the true head of the family now, although his uncle Martin was the false face of their empire.
She’d gotten a glimpse of Martin one day five years ago. Breathless and with bits of hay in her hair, Alice had been hurrying inside from the stables, hoping to clean up before her father caught her. She may as well not have bothered. Not only had he spotted her, but so had his guest. Her father had introduced them, and Martin had shaken her hand for a bit too long as he stared intently at her face. Alice had to fight not to yank her hand back, not to rip her captive fingers from his grip and run to her room. Even now, five years later, those eerily light-blue eyes were burned into her memory. His gaze had been cold, as calculating and predatory as a snake’s. Even if she hadn’t heard whispers about Martin Jovanovic and his family, Alice still would’ve recognized evil at a glance.
Now she was going to have to sit and have dinner with them. Alice briefly considered faking sick, but she was too afraid of the consequences. Aaron didn’t like it when things didn’t go as planned. It was either sit with the Jovanovics for a few hours or deal with the fallout. Her stomach churned until she thought she was going to vomit for real. Whatever she did, Alice knew it would be a lose-lose situation. Once again, she was trapped.
The hostess began to lead them into the dining area, making the decision for Alice. She’d endure dinner. At least this way, she knew it had to end. Aaron’s anger never did. Alice flexed her shoulders, trying her best to stand straight and not cower as she followed the hostess into a private room that held a single round table surrounded by four chairs. Four men in dark suits stood around the room, and Alice knew they were most definitely armed to the teeth.
The two men who were seated at the table rose, and Alice’s heart thumped in her throat. The elder of the pair wasn’t Martin, thank God, but rather a somewhat older and more faded version. Despite his slightly cruel smile, he didn’t have the same aura of menace.
Alice’s muscles relaxed slightly. Dinner might not be quite as torturous as she’d expected.
“Judd,” Aaron greeted the white-haired man, shaking his hand. “Good to see you again.” He moved to greet the younger man, tall and gangly, with a sparse mustache, who looked to be in his late twenties. “Logan. This is my sister, Alice Blanchett.”
The two strangers eyed Alice with a similar expression: smarmy avarice tinted with lust.
“Miss Blanchett,” the older man—the one Aaron had called Judd—said, his voice low and smooth and much too slippery. “What a pleasure to meet you.”
“Hello.” Alice managed a slight smile as she shook his hand. “Please call me Alice.”
The courtesy slipped out almost of its own volition. Manners had been drilled into her from the time she could speak, and it was as easy as breathing to go through the motions, even with Jovanovics. Then she turned to Logan, and the gross way he flicked his eyes up and down her body immediately made her stiffen. It wasn’t even the rude, sexual perusal that bothered her. It was the possession in his gaze—as if he’d already paid the asking price and she was being delivered for his pleasure—that truly made her skin crawl.
After she shook Logan’s hand and greeted him politely, her smile slipped away. He pulled out her chair, and she sat at the very edge of the seat, hoping to avoid any accidental touches. Logan slid the chair beneath her, brushing his fingers along her arms and shoulders as he straightened. Even through the fabric of her dress, Alice felt the sticky heat of his caress long after he’d moved back and taken his seat again.
“Any news on the case?” Aaron asked as soon as they were seated and a discreet server had poured their wine. Alice was careful not to let her interest show. There had been a few whispers about a raid on the Jovanovics’ place—one that had led to several arrests—but this was the first time she would hear any of the details.
Judd made a face. “Nothing good. For the amount we pay the attorneys, you’d think they would’ve made these charges go away by now. Noah and Martin are getting…antsy.”
“I’m sure they are.” Aaron lifted his wineglass. “Here’s to a quick dismissal of all charges, so that things can go back to business as usual.”
The others lifted their glasses in response, and Alice followed suit, pretending to take a sip afterward. She’d always hated wine, but she knew better than to refuse with Aaron watching.
“Business as usual can’t come soon enough,” Judd agreed, sounding completely sincere. “I’m ready to hand the reins back to my nephew and brother.”
Aaron raised his brows slightly, as if the idea of giving up power was inconceivable. “Any luck finding the witness?”
If the dinner continued to be this interesting, it would almost make up for the way Logan was staring at her. His gaze felt as if it left a sticky film on her skin wherever it touched. Alice felt a rare moment of appreciation for her Aaron-chosen, not-at-all-revealing dress. At least she had that thin layer of protection between Logan’s slimy gaze and a good portion of her body.
Judd cast a quick glance at Alice, and Aaron waved a hand. “Don’t worry about her. She’s family.” He gave Judd a knowing glance that Alice wasn’t sure how to interpret before continuing. “She’s aware of what the consequences would be if she ever even thought about betraying us.”
The threat made Alice shiver, but his words seemed to convince Judd. “We’re working on it. The witness met Noah in Denver, but she could’ve flown in from anywhere. Our guy in WITSEC can’t find any mention of her, which is strange. Since the FBI was involved, we assumed she was in witness protection, but we’re starting to wonder.”
Aaron made a small, skeptical sound. “Isn’t she just some nobody that Noah hooked up with a few times? How hard could it be to find one woman?”
“Harder than you might think.” Although Judd’s voice was still mild, he’d stiffened at the implied criticism.
