Page 144 of Saved By My Buyers

Sitting on the bed, I open the laptop, feeling my heart beating hard. This is what we expected, but there’s a spike of adrenaline rush regardless.

“I’m at my laptop, Lorrie,” I murmur, waiting for the file. Nodding as it pops up, I watch it with her still on the line.

“Fuck,” Gareth growls, picking up the phone. He paces as he mutters under his breath before calling someone. “The money is gone, Adamson, and your cousins want to know where it is. No, I didn’t fucking take it!”

He listens for a while, shaking his head and cursing. “I won’t go anywhere, they fucking took my money too. Every cent in the accounts have been drained. No, I don’t know who did it,” he growls. “I’m going to work on getting some more. I have a plan, okay?”

Gareth hangs up, draining the glass of whiskey before he launches it into the raging fire he has going in the fireplace in his office.

“Quite the temper,” I murmur, watching the video again. “Think he’s talking to Archie Adamson?”

I noticed that Arina’s father paid Dolly way too much attention during the open house, and it would make sense if he’s been working with Gareth.

“I don’t know another Adamson that’s a player in this,” Lorrie says. “It would make sense for it to be. I wonder what money he’s going to get to be able to return the Boxley's their money.”

“Would he steal from the hospital?” I ask, frowning. “That’s the only other place I can imagine that he may have access to money.”

“It would be really ballsy, but he’s such a terrible person I wouldn’t put it past him,” she mutters. “I’ll see what I can dig up. Try not to worry too much about tonight. We have everything as locked down as possible.”

Nodding, I thank her and hang up, moving to change as well. Bee trails into the room, already dressed in a midnight-blue and green dress, with cutouts along the sides and a high slit.

Her red hair is in a side fishtail braid, the ends allowed to curl wildly. Her makeup is natural, and she looks stunning.

“I’m going to be on edge this entire event,” I confess, pulling on a cream-colored shirt. My movements are sharp as I button it up, my midnight-blue pants already on.

“Please stick close to me or your guard. Thomas is attending tonight to help protect what’s most important to me. There are too many things that could go wrong.”

“It won’t,” Bee says firmly. “Let’s see if we can leave early. As soon as Dahlia’s done performing, we’ll split. As much as it would be nice for us to stay the entire time and support the other students, most of them treat her like shit.”

“You’re so fierce,” I tease her, though I agree with her. My cufflinks are the next thing to go on after I tie my tie, and now I’m checking the reflection of myself in the mirror, as I put on my suit jacket.

“Eh, you’re just as bad,” she reminds me, pulling the shoulders of my jacket taut and tugging on the back. Now, the lines all sit correctly and my black loafers are the last thing I need.

I don’t know where the night will lead, if I need to run, I want to be able to.

“I know I am,” I say with a grin. “Will you please wear your knife for me? It’ll give me peace of mind.”

“Wear it where?” she asks, giving me a little spin as I sit on the edge of the bed to put my shoes on. The flash of thigh she gives me makes me want to sink my teeth into the soft skin and give her a hickey.

Taking a deep breath, I stand once I’m ready. “If I really wanted to be an ass, I’d say to wear it where everyone can see it, but we should probably set a good example,” I grumble. “Put it in your purse just in case.”

Smirking, she drops it into her navy-blue clutch, and flounces out to check on Dolly. Rolling my eyes, I follow her, only to find our girl walking out of the bedroom. She's wearing a navy-blue off the shoulder dress that appears to be very modest, despite the high leg slit, only to plunge down her back.

My jaw drops as I watch her hips sway underneath the dress, her heels making her legs appear as if they go on forever. Dolly is wearing the earrings that Bee bought her, and looks stunning.

“Wow,” I whisper, swallowing thickly. Dolly’s hair is down, her dark brown curls mildly toned down, her makeup playing up her gray eyes due to wearing her contacts. “You are making that dress work tonight, baby. Fuck, I’m going to want to kill everyone this evening between you and Bee.”

Dolly grins, looking between us. “We match,” she notices. “Is this on purpose?”

“Jack can’t physically mark us as his, so this is the way he makes his claim,” Bee says, smirking. “I think it’s adorable, and I have to say we look amazing.”

“We’ll walk in together, make sure everyone sees us, and then I’ll be happy,” I tell them smugly. “Okay, I won’t be happy until we’re done and out of that place. I’m twitchy now.”

“Did I pass on my nerves?” Dolly asks as I shake my head and walk back to my room to pocket my knife. Anything else is probably overkill when all the guards will be armed tonight.

Walking back out, I make sure they have everything they need before ushering them into the living room, to grab Dolly’s guitar and case. We all put on our winter gear, the snow showing no signs of stopping.

“Not at all, I had a call just now with Lorrie. Gareth not only has seen the missing money, but the gang is asking for access to it,” I explain, leaving the apartment with them. Ciara and Thomas will be following us to the mansion tonight.

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