AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He smiled darkly, accentuating every handsome feature in a way that made me think he really had been born for it. “It’s my best quality, Bunny.”
An arch made of bent willows and lined with tiny, white lights spanned the open double doors as we entered the rooftop venue. The warm scent of pumpkin spice and cinnamon assaulted my nose from the hundreds of candles that had been lit along glittering, gold tables stretching the length of the indoor portion of the space. Silky fabric and flowers in harvest and burgundy colors lined the ceiling, and to the right, the wall of glass doors opened to the gardens beyond. Jack-o’-lanterns had been carved with floral designs and lit from the inside with soft candlelight. They lined each of the long walls to the left and right, and their dancing shadows tapped out eerie patterns on the floor.
I followed behind Mattie, admiring the way her curled, blond hair brushed against her bare back. The dress she wore swooped down to her lower back, and she’d swept her curls away from her face with glittery pins. She also held herself like a fucking goddess, and I loved it. Whatever hurt she’d endured, she wore it like armor, and from the outside looking in, it gave her a fearless strength I hadn’t even realized I’d come to admire so strongly.
Classical music drifted across the empty room, and I let my gaze rove over the details for anything that might be amiss. Four hundred places had been set with gold trenchers and delicate china—adorned with those fucking stupid napkins—and place cards indicated where each guest should sit. It did look like a wedding, and now I knew why. It wasn’t so much a wedding as it was a celebration of a mutually beneficial transaction. In a medieval way, it was a ceremony. And it made me want to turn on my heel and plant my fist in both her parents’ faces.
It was only for Mattie’s sake that I stayed calm enough to see this through. Like it or not, it was the best way to free her. I had my eyes on Mattie, and I’d keep them on her the entire party. Whatever Cohen wanted from her, he wasn’t getting it. Not that I thought he would do something outwardly devious here in front of hundreds of guests. Mattie had been sort of right in assuming that ruining the Thornes was a logical first step to her freedom. But even with their finances destroyed, I knew Cohen would chase her down. Which was why I needed to ensure that the Thornes knew I was behind their fall. It would cause Cohen to pause momentarily. He’d back off—hesitate, even if for a short time.
Until I found him. Then he was a dead man.
Mattie ran her hand over the fabric-covered chairs, walking slowly and taking in the extravagant decorations. Alicia walked briskly beside her, and already guests were filtering in and conversing in hushed tones with one another. Mattie looked distinctly uncomfortable, but she began to follow Alicia from group to group, shaking hands, chatting about nonsense, and thanking total strangers for coming to “Mattie’s” welcome home party.
I drifted several paces behind her, always out of the way, but always close enough that I could see her expressions. Mattie had such darling features—that was what made her spunkiness so funny to me. She looked sweet and cuddly like a bunny rabbit, but she had teeth on her. Even the people she spoke to sensed that, either because of whatever snarky remark she had made, or simply because she had that aura about her. Her sweet, doll-like face was completely at odds with the “fuck with me and I’ll castrate you” vibe she gave off. It only made me admire her more.
After an hour or so, the room had reached what I assumed was full capacity, and the faces blended together as guests milled around, the drone of their conversations ebbing and flowing over the classical music in the background. I turned on my earpiece finally, giving Tabitha a line of communication to me as I kept Mattie in view.
Her voice crackled to life in my ear. “I’m here. I confirmed that the computer is hooked up and ready to go. It’s the correct one.”
“Good.” I eased my way between two older guests, my eyes on Mattie as she laughed stiffly at a man’s joke. “Have you spotted Jonathon Cohen yet?”
“Weirdly, no. He was invited, but I don’t see him.”
My intuition poked at my brain with relentless, irritating jabs. “Why wouldn’t he be here?”
“He’s a billionaire,” Tabitha said with a shrug in her voice. “Who knows.”
That didn’t track. If I’d had my whole team still on board, I would have already had one of them tailing him. But as it was, I was lucky to still have Tabitha after we’d shut down our main operations.
Finally, dinner started, and I sat next to Mattie at her table near the front of the venue. It felt like sinking into a hot tub to be near her again. The muscles in my neck and arms uncoiled, and with her parents down the table to her right, I threaded my pinky through hers under the table before they brought out the truffle-infused lobster bisque. Barely moving my lips, I murmured, “You’re doing perfect.”
Her shoulders rose and fell with a sigh. “Thanks. I feel crazy.”
“Almost there,” I assured her.
I barely tasted the ostentatious menu, working my way through the foie gras terrine, and then Wagyu rib-eye, followed by champagne-braised Chilean sea bass and a wild mushroom quinoa pilaf. I was fairly certain it was all artfully prepared, but my gaze kept scanning the guests for Jonathon. He still wasn’t here.
“You look tense,” Tabitha said in my ear.
“I am tense,” I muttered.
“Dude, what happened to stabbing an ambassador through the nose?” she teased. “This is nothing compared to that.”
“It was a rebel I stabbed. To protect an ambassador. And I really don’t know. Maybe I got soft from inactivity.”
“Sure,” she drawled. “That’s totally it.”
I didn’t have time to really think about what she meant because Mr. Thorne had stood and tapped his champagne flute to draw attention to where he stood at the front of the assembly. An attendant handed him a microphone, and he cleared his throat into it. “Welcome, everyone. We are really so pleased to see so many of you here.”
Scattered applause followed that.
“As you all know, our little Mattie has been on a global tour these last couple of years,” Augustus went on. “Quite the adventurer,” he chuckled.
While the guests laughed softly with him, Mattie muttered, “He said ‘escape’ wrong.”
“But she’s finally back and settled at home, and we are just thrilled to have her.” More clapping, and I would have bet my 9 mm that not a single person actually knew or cared about Mattie. Such a strange practice, to know many people but not care or emotionally connect with a single one of them. In the absence of connection, people like Mattie’s parents filled the gaps with extravagance and greed. Even if they hadn’t been sociopaths, I wouldn’t have blamed Mattie for wanting to leave this behind.
The projector behind us lowered, and as it did, Alicia stood, pulling Mattie with her. Augustus handed the microphone to his wife. “We thought it would be so special to show some pictures of Mattie and her adventures to commemorate the experiences she’s had.”
