Page 46 of Enigma: The Final Chapter
“The Dungeon is an eighteen-plus dance club. You're more than welcome there, Cate,” Isaac tugs me in close to his side. “Then, I can keep a close eye on you.” Even though he's looking at Cate, I know the last part of his statement was directed at me.
When I slap his chest, I feel his cell phone buzzing in his breast pocket. His jaw sets into a hard line as he pulls it out to check the screen. “I’m sorry, I have to take this.”
When I nod, he places a quick kiss on my temple before striding toward the entrance we just walked through. I loop my arm around Cate’s, then make my way to Harlow standing near a makeshift bar set up in the impressive foyer. The room has been done up in a Christmas theme with red and white being the main colors. It’s elegant while also being warm and inviting.
Harlow’s eyes shoot around the room while she pours three shots of tequila. “Bottoms up.”
She sneakily hands a shot glass to Cate who licks salt from her hand, swallows the tequila, then sucks on a wedge of lime like a real pro, exposing she’s done this many times before. I giggle before following suit, except my face screws up when the ghastly taste slides down my throat.
I eye Harlow with suspicion when she hands me a funky-looking tomato juice concoction. “A chaser.”
I arch my brow. “When did you become Ms. Party Queen?”
Cate giggles. “That’s my fault. I may have dragged her to a college party. There was a boy—”
Before Cate’s can share all her story, I'm engulfed by a broad arm. Their hold is so strong, my feet lift off the ground. My heart squeezes when I recognize the woodsy smell filtering through my nose.
“Hugo!” My squeal gains me the attention of a handful of strangers surrounding us.
After climbing down from his clutch, I step back so my eyes can assess him in full detail. Other than his arm being in a sling, he looks like the Hugo I’m used to seeing, including his customary black suit with a white dress shirt underneath.
“Is the sling required, or are you aiming for sympathy points from the ladies?”
Hugo laughs a full-hearted chuckle. “A little bit of column A, a little bit of column B.” His eyes shoot around the room as inconspicuously as Harlow’s did earlier before tilting in close to Harlow’s side. “Are you going to share one of those?” He nudges his head to the tequila bottle in her hand. “Since I'm not officially on duty and can’t get fired by Izzy misbehaving, I may as well have a little bit of fun.”
When I poke out my tongue, he chuckles before bumping me with his non-injured shoulder. Nodding, Harlow pours another four shots of tequila. When Cormack joins us, Cate’s bottom lip drops into a pout, frustrated her big brother is killing her buzz.
Harlow, Hugo, Cormack, and I clinch our glasses together. “Bottoms up.”
“Or not.”
Regan snatches the shot of tequila from Hugo’s hand before downing it herself. I’m impressed when her face doesn’t allude to the harsh bitterness sliding down her throat. She doesn’t even grab a lime from the counter. She just scrubs the back of her hand over her mouth before dumping the empty shot glass onto the counter.
Regan is dressed to impress in a one-shoulder Donatello red slip dress. Her hair is pinned back, exposing her delicate neck, which is adorned with a gorgeous diamond and ruby necklace that appears high-priced. She looks like Hollywood royalty.
“Come on, Regan, one shot won’t kill me,” Hugo objects.
Regan’s red-painted lips twist. “No, but Raquel might if she finds out you were drinking alcohol after taking pain medication.”
“If she stopped ramming them down my throat, I wouldn’t have to worry.”
The hairs on my neck bristle a mere second before an arm wraps around my waist, and I’m pulled back. I suppress a moan when Isaac places a kiss on my neck before he greets Hugo and Regan with a nod of his head. “How did you get out of Raquel’s clutches for the night?” he queries, glancing at Hugo.
“I didn’t.” Hugo rolls his eyes before settling them on Regan. “She sent her evil twin in her place.”
Air whizzes out his nose when Regan whacks him in the stomach with her clutch.
“Did you tell them?”
I peer up at Isaac and shake my head. When he angles his head. so his anxious eyes shift between mine, I rub the wrinkle between his brows. “I was waiting for you since it’sournews to share.”
The fretful mask on his face relaxes. “Do you want to tell them, or shall I have the privilege?”
“They're mainly your friends, so why don’t you—”
“Holy crap. What’s that?” squeals Cate at the top of her lungs, scaring the living daylights out of me and anyone within a five-mile radius.
When I turn to face her, her bulging eyes are fixed on my diamond engagement ring.
