then, too. But for a far different reason. All I remember is her offering me water just before Tanner had to drag my ass upstairs.
Gabriel stands up as soon as he sees her, his voice a slick purr when he asks, “Luca Bailey, how have you been?”
He’s in character immediately, which means the rest of us need to follow suit.
No matter the circumstances.
No matter who gets hurt.
We have a job to do if we’ll ever bring down our families.
It’s game on just like always.
And it’s Emily we’ll be cornering next.
Emily
The night was dragging on like usual until Tanner arrived with his date in tow. It was habit to point him out to Ivy, a throwback to high school when we always warned each other that the wolves were stalking about.
The last thing I expected him to do was walk over and pull her away from our group.
Now my eyes are locked on them, suspicion dripping along my spine to see him lean down to whisper against her ear.
“Pretty night, isn’t it?”
My head snaps left to see Paul Rollings has stepped up to me.
All night, he’s lingered among the group, but this is the first time he’s spoken to me directly.
“Yeah,” I answer, my voice distracted because I’d rather be watching over Ivy and Tanner. I flash him a polite smile. “It’s great.”
When I turn back to look at Ivy, Paul touches my arm and a wave of nausea rolls through me. My eyes return to him, and I choke down the urge to scream for him to fuck off.
I can’t stand him, not after what happened in high school.
“Are you excited about your engagement? I know you and Mason have been waiting a long time for this.”
Bile shoots up the back of my throat. But I remember to smile, just like my mother demands.
I’m pretty sure she’s around here somewhere watching me and keeping a scorecard of all my mistakes.
“I’m excited. Thanks for asking.”
He steps closer, his body heat caressing my side. It only makes my skin crawl.
“I’m actually just recently engaged myself. I’m not sure if you heard. We’ve kept it somewhat quiet.”
Okay.
Good for him.
I step away to put space between us, but he moves to close it just as quick.
Fighting not to roll my eyes, I flash another quick smile.
“I’m sure whoever you’re marrying is lovely.”
“It’s Hillary, actually. You remember her from high school, right?”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
Although, I have to admit they’re perfect for each other. Both are conniving snakes in the grass.
I haven’t seen her around tonight, so I thank the heavens she didn’t make it.
“Of course, I remember her. It’s a shame she couldn’t be here tonight.”
He grins. “Actually, she’s just running late. She should be here any minute now.”
Perfect. As if this night couldn’t get any worse.
Sadly, the only thing I can look forward to is also the worst thing for me.
Several times now, I’ve stared at the house regretting the agreement I made with Ezra to meet him upstairs.
I’d almost made up my mind to stay outside instead of following through with it. But now that I know Hillary will be here, I have more of a need to take him up on his offer than ever.
The good Emily knows that staying outside is the respectable choice. The intelligent choice. But the bad Emily is already practically skipping up those stairs, her body primed and ready for whatever present the twins have for her.
“Listen,” Paul says, dragging my attention back to him. “I wanted to apologize for-“
His voice trails off when Ivy returns.
Thanking God for her perfect timing, I wrap my arm through hers and can’t help but worry.
She’s shaking which is so unlike her. Nothing scares Ivy, not like this.
I take the opportunity to excuse myself and walk a few steps away from Paul.
“What did he want?” I ask her, my voice intentionally soft.
Pasting on her fake smile so that nobody can see the fear I know is there, Ivy shakes her head.
“Nothing.”
If we were anywhere else, I would demand an answer. I glance over my shoulder to see everybody staring our direction, so I keep my questions to myself.
What are best friends for, right?
She needs to stay in character, so I slip into mine as well.
We spend the next twenty minutes smiling and nodding at the boring ass conversation around us, and I keep stealing peeks at the back doors of the Governor’s mansion.
They’re held open like a tease, just begging me to walk through and bite the poisoned apple.
I know