brought a date. Actually, if you’ll excuse me, I see her looking for me now.” I leave without preamble and push my way through the crowd.
What is he saying to her? He’s going to blow everything I’ve done so far.
As I cross the last few feet, I’m not sure whether I’m more worried about what he might say to her about me or more worried about whatever his interest in her is.
“What do you want?” I say as I pass him and stand by Isla’s side.
She appears startled, blinking a few times and looking between my father and me.
My father doesn’t miss a beat or appear fazed by my appearance. “I was just asking Miss Flores here where you might be.” He smiles, and to most it would look genuine, but I know better. I know there’s a lethal snake inside his polished exterior, and he can shed it like snakeskin at will.
“Your dad just came up to introduce himself because he knew I was your date tonight,” Isla says.
I can’t help but wonder whether that’s because he has some inside track or because he saw us earlier.
At least Isla doesn’t seem to be rattled. Perhaps my father behaved himself.
“I’m sure he did,” I say, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her closer to me.
“She was just catching me up on what she’s been up to since she left Cherry Creek. Such an unfortunate incident that was.” His penetrating gaze flicks up to me and I challenge it with my own.
We’re locked in a battle of wills and Isla looks between us.
Finally, my father steps back, reaching out for Isla’s hand, bending at the waist to kiss the top before straightening. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Flores. I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of you.” His smug gaze meets mine, and my fingers dig into Isla’s hip before she squirms ever so slightly, and I realize what I’m doing and loosen my grip.
“It was good to meet you as well,” she says.
With one last glance at me, my father leaves and I immediately face Isla.
“What did he say to you?”
Her head rears back. “What? Nothing, just what he said. He introduced himself and asked what I’d been up to in Washington.” There’s a crease of annoyance between her brows. “He seems perfectly pleasant to me.”
“Listen to me.” I grip her upper arm in my hand. “You need to stay away from him. I don’t care how pleasant he may seem—the man is a bastard.”
She yanks her arm from my grip.
“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to scare you. Just trust me on this one, all right? You do not want to be even the smallest dot on his radar.”
Any more than you already are.
“Okay, I’ll cross the street if I see him coming down the sidewalk, okay?”
“Promise me.”
She releases a breath. “I promise.”
I hold her gaze for a few seconds and my shoulders relax.
“I’m sure my warning seems dramatic, but I can assure you, it’s not.”
“I said I’d avoid him and I will, Garrin. Now I’m going to the bar to get a drink. You cool off and I’ll meet you back here in a minute.”
She spins as fast as her gown will allow and heads in the direction of the bar. I glance around and see my father on the far side of the ballroom, his eyes on us when he should be deep in conversation with Joshua and Alicia.
My lips draw into a thin line and I hold his gaze, conveying, “You’ll never get whatever you’re looking for.”
19
Chapter Nineteen
Isla
I don’t know what’s going on between Garrin and his father but there’s clearly some big issues. His father seemed nice enough to me, but Garrin feels strongly about the subject, so I’ll do as he says and keep my distance. I don’t want to find myself in the middle of a family squabble. I have enough going on in my own family without dealing with someone else’s.
Thoughts of my dad and the most recent news come to the forefront for what seems like the thousandth time tonight. I order two glasses of champagne from the bartender. I funnel the first one down my throat with only a few swallows and leave the empty glass on the bar, taking the second with me to go find Garrin and see if he’s relaxed any since I left him.
I don’t want him to think I’m a lush—truth is I rarely drink—but I need something to get through tonight.