Page 30 of Savage Little Lies

“Actually, make one of them a whiskey,” I speak up before turning to Andrei. “Cara is more of a whiskey girl.”

“I can certainly respect that,” Andrei replies as he motions for Cara to come closer to him.

Before she can budge an inch, Annika throws her arm out to block Cara. “She’s not even an actual guest. She’s Dmitri’s assistant. He had to buy her dress because she couldn’t afford one.”

My jaw tightens as Annika scrambles to knock Cara out of the spotlight so that she can step into it herself.

“Well, that was generous of him,” Andrei says as he nods to me.

“He does love a charity case,” Annika replies, speaking loud enough for other people at the bar to hear. Some of them turn around to be nosy and watch. “I mean, this is an exclusive event. I don’t think we should be letting just anyone in.”

“I’m not just anyone,” Cara replies in a calm voice. “Dmitri trusts me.”

Probably more than I should.

Annika crosses her arms over her chest as she faces Cara. “And I’m marrying him. You should remember your place before thinking that you’re anything special.”

Cara’s expression wavers, and I almost think that she’s finally about to snap from Annika’s mistreatment of her. She then breathes in slowly through her nose and smiles. “I’m going to network. Andrei, it was a pleasure to meet you.”

I don’t say anything, watching her instead as she grabs her shot of whiskey off the bar and downs it without a flinch. She places the empty glass back down before turning and striding away, drawing a few eyes with her swaying hips.

She doesn’t need to be defended. She has everything under control all the time.

No matter what Annika does, she can’t put a chink in Cara’s armor.

“I’ll be back,” I say before knocking back my shot and staring Annika down. “Stay here.”

Annika’s jaw drops. “What? Why? Where are you going?”

“To handle business. Tell Andrei about your wedding plans,” I suggest, patting Andrei on the back and heading off. I’ll have to make it up to him later. He’ll make certain of that.

I slip through the crowd, greeting a few people and shaking some hands. I know a decent amount of the hundreds of people here, but I’m not really in the mood to talk about business tonight. That’s all I do every day at work.

Eventually, I spot Cara on the outskirts of the dance floor as she watches a few couples sway together to the slower song. When I approach her, my hand grazes the back of her arm to let her know that I’m there.

Cara looks over at me and smiles, but her green eyes aren’t their usual brilliant shade. “I’m fine.”

“She feels threatened by you.”

Cara laughs a little. “I know. She’s not shy about making it clear she doesn’t want me here.”

“I want you here,” I reply as our eyes lock. “And I want you to have a good time despite her.”

“I know you brought me here to meet associates, to see who seems trustworthy, but I’m enjoying watching them,” Cara admits as she nods to the dancers, an almost bittersweet look on her face as she watches them dip and twirl, holding each other like they never want to let go.

I take Cara’s hand and pull her onto the dance floor, making her eyes fly open wide in shock.

“What are you doing?” Cara questions me as I take us to the middle of the floor, her cheeks growing pink.

“Dancing,” I reply before pulling her close to me, my other hand resting on the small of her back. “I promise I’m decent at it. I won’t step on your feet.”

“You better not. These shoes cost you a fortune,” Cara says with a playful smile on her face as she places her free hand on my bicep.

I slowly sway with her, a warm sensation growing in my chest. It’s nice having her in my arms like this. She’s a perfect fit. “I’m glad you came. Andrei seemed glad too,” I mutter, knowing that he would’ve kept flirting with her at the bar if she hadn’t left.

Cara tilts her head to the side. “You don’t think the notorious Sin City Savage is good enough for me?”

“So, you’ve heard of him,” I remark with a chuckle and she nods. “Despite the rumors, and womanizing, he seems trustworthy.”