Page 92 of A Little Naughty

I park close to the front in the one space for a motorcycle, and Jemima takes a minute to arrange her hair, pick out her bangs and straighten her mask.

“All set?” She blinks up at me, and I kiss the tip of her nose.

“Good as new.”

Twining our fingers, we walk hand in hand to the entrance. The girl manning the ticket table waves us inside, and Cass is the first person we see. She’s wearing a similar black dress as her sister, although it has more fabric. She’s also wearing a dark lace mask.

“You look amazing!” Cass cries, throwing out her arm. “We’re twinning!”

I stand back watching them, and except for the hair color, they are very similar. They’re both tall and really pretty, and I’ve heard Cass sing.

“Raif?” Alex Stone walks up. “How’s it going, man? Is this your first time at Stone Cold?”

I look around the massive wooden structure. Huge oak barrels line the walls, and it’s all polished wood and brass. It smells like leather, and it has the feel of an old lodge built from old money.

“I usually go to El Rio.”

“Welcome.” He shakes my hand, which is new. “I hear you’ve been working with Martha?”

“Yeah.” I slide my hand down the front of my coat. “She wanted an addition.”

“My grandfather was a contractor.” Alex hands me a tumbler of scotch. “He worked hard all his life. If it weren’t for him, this place wouldn’t exist.”

I taste the expensive bourbon and nod. I don’t really know bourbon, but I know Bender’s always raving about this being the best. “Good stuff.”

“That’s his recipe. Pop used to say the only place you findsuccesscoming beforeworkis in the dictionary.”

“Sounds like a smart guy.” I look down at the tumbler, trying to imagine any of the Stones starting from scratch.

I guess one of them had to do it.

“He loved to fish. Do you fish?”

“Never tried it.”

“Tell you what, I’ll get your number from Cass, and we can give it a try one afternoon.”

“Okay.”

“Have a good time.” He points at me before stepping behind the bar.

I glance down at the crystal tumbler in my hand wondering what just happened. The richest man in town just shook my hand and welcomed me into his world, and it’s kind of messing with my head. I’m trying to shake my brother’s pronouncement that I’ll never be one of them, but it’s hard to turn on a dime.

I’m surrounded by all the people who’ve never liked or trusted me or my family, and they’re all wearing masks. I need to find Jemima.

She’s talking to Piper, who’s dressed in a high-waisted shimmery beige dress. Wide gold cuffs are on her wrists, and her mask is pushed up into her red hair, which is piled high on her head.

I start to go to them when a familiar female voice stops me. “You clean up nice.”

Martha Jackson is one of the last people I expected to see here. She’s wearing fatigue-green cargo pants and a gold shirt with purple and yellow feathers in the pockets. It’s pretty much what I’d expect to see on her.

“Thanks.” I nod to her outfit. “You’re festive.”

“Pfft, I’m not wearing all that filmy see-through and sequins.” She waves her hand at the room full of ball gowns. “I’m not Gwen.”

“Gwen’s here?” I’m actually encouraged to hear this.

If Gwen is here, that means Bender might be here, and I’ll feel less like the fly in the buttermilk.

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