Their Forever - Chloe Kent Page 0,75

that his shoulders had tightened just a little and so did his jaw. He quickly dissolved it when he looked down at her again, taking her hand and telling her she looked stunning.

The instant she walked into the private foyer of the theater where prominent guests gathered to have drinks and hors d'oeuvres, she crept closer to Liam. These were people she knew well and socialized with often enough, but she wondered if she had managed to hide what her husband and his friend had done to her body. She felt the differences as if they were physically painted on her. Could anyone else see it?

She shook her head. In the grand scheme of things, that was the least of her problems.

She put on a full smile, pretended that everything was fine, great. She glanced repeatedly at Liam, who seemed relaxed as he slipped his arm around her waist, keeping her possessively close to him. She closed her eyes every time he kissed her hair, cracking her heart with all the love she felt for him.

She sipped champagne and arranged lunch dates, laughed at funny stories, and still that damning cloud hovered over her head. And she couldn't seem to take her eyes off Liam. He had left her with a group of ladies after he was led away by some of his business associates.

And just as she kept looking at him, he did the same to her, and every time she knew exactly the moment, he had turned his attention to her. She felt the weight of his gaze caress her, whisper against her naked skin. And sure enough when she looked up, she found his focus on her, his darkening gaze, making her blush immediately.

She always loved this theater. It was one of the oldest ones in town and had been preserved accordingly. The ornate cathedral-like structures mesmerized her. The plush red-velvet-covered seats bordered with carved wood were inviting. She threw back her head and sighed at the beautiful high ceilings, angels in flight.

She excused herself from the group of ladies and went to Liam to tell him she was going to take their seat in the box. He nodded and told her he would be there shortly. She knew he still had some shop talk he needed to get through, and she was happy to follow a group of women in a similar position to her, leaving their husbands extra time to get through one more potential deal.

She lifted the program off the seat of the private box before she sat down, then shifted as her tender backside winced in pain. It took seconds for Liam to find her, and she smiled back at him when he did. She watched him enter a private alcove where men smoked cigars.

The lights started to dim, and she wished he would get to their box already, although he never disappointed her before. Expecting to see him when the curtain was pushed aside, a heavy, burdensome frown dipped into the center of her forehead.

“John?” She rose from her seat instantly. That dread that she had been feeling, the one that told her to cancel tonight, to go back home resurfaced in full force.

“Where's Liam?”

“What's wrong? He's in the alcove. John, what's wrong?” she cried.

Taking her arm, John tried to force her out.

“I have to get you out of here.”

“Tell me what’s wrong, right now.” She stood her ground.

“My contact just called me. There's a hit on Liam's life. It's happening here tonight, right now. We have to find him and get out.”

All the blood drained from her body. She staggered for a moment, holding on to John to stop herself from falling. It all happened so fast. One blink. In the time it had taken to scream out Liam's name. That was all it took.

Liam's tall perfectly cut figure emerged from the alcove. He looked up at her. At that same moment, she felt something else. Something she couldn't avoid, couldn't discard. She turned her head into the wings of the stage, high up in the ceilings, where the lighting was controlled.

Her heart exploded as she took in the sight before her.

Kade.

He had cast his gaze on her, and it had whispered against her nakedness, engulfing her and setting her afire. Just like Liam. He had sought her out. Had looked at her and that was how she had found him. Hidden behind the structures, pointing a gun at the audience before him.

Everything happened in slow motion and in a heartbeat