Page 131 of The Devil's Pawn

“Liar.” I jab a finger at him. “You forget I know you. Inside and out.”

“I’m aware. It’s rather inconvenient.”

I get to my feet and grab my jacket off the backof the couch. “I’ll call Elizabeth and tell her we’ll pick her up on the way.”

“Oh, can Vicky come, too?” Imogen asks.

The words “No fucking way” race to the tip of my tongue, but Xan gets there first.

“I don’t see why not.”

I fucking do.

“Sure she’ll want to play gooseberry?”

Imogen frowns. “What’s playing gooseberry?”

“When there’s an odd one out,” Xan explains. “Two couples, plus Victoria.”

Imogen turns her green eyes on me, and I don’t know why, but what I see in them makes me uncomfortable.

“We’ll all have to make sure she doesn’t feel like that, then, won’t we?”

I shrug. “Fine. She can come, but she’s your problem. Don’t expect me to go out of my way to stroke her hair and tell her she’s pretty.”

While stuffing my arms into my jacket, I beeline for the door. With any luck, Victoria will refuse the invite, but either way, my mood has already taken a nosedive, and I’m half tempted not to go. But as I was the one to suggest it, I’ll look like a dick if I back out thirty seconds after bringing it up.

I don’t have to speak to Victoria. Hell, I don’t even have to look at her. It’s three weeks until my wedding day. Once Elizabeth and I are married, I’ll slowly unpeel her sister’s fingers from her coattails and cut the elder Montague loose.

Imogen will have to find another best friend.

Unfortunately for me tonight, though, Victoriadoestag along.

We enter the VIP area, and I make sure I’m as far away from her as I can get. She’s already given me several hardlooks, and I’m not in the mood for another one of her “You’d better treat my sister like the princess she is” fireside chats.

As luck would have it, Imogen drags Victoria onto the dance floor, although Elizabeth refuses to go. She looks paler than usual, and while she’s not the vocal kind, she’s even quieter, too.

“Are you all right?” I ask.

A ghost of a smile touches her lips. “I’m fine. A little tired, that’s all. There’s a lot to organize.”

“It’ll soon be over,” I say. “Then you can relax and breathe.”

She nods. “Yes. Breathe. That’ll be nice.”

Our brief conversation lapses into silence. I figure she’s overwhelmed with wedding arrangements, even though the wedding planner has taken most of the burden. There are still things for her to agree to, decide, or try on. All I have to do is wear my suit and turn up on time.

Leaving her to her thoughts, I shift closer to Xan and, as it often is with us, we dive into work discussions. I suggest a mark I’ve been researching, and he gets all animated, which, I have to say, is something of a relief. I’d wondered whether, now that Imogen knows everything, he’d have slayed his demons. But he’s as excited as ever at the chance to erase another scumbag and make the world that little bit safer.

When we finish our discussion, I turn around to check on Elizabeth, but she isn’t there. I scan the dance floor, but I can only see Imogen and Victoria.

“Did you see where Elizabeth went?”

“No.” Xan scans the dance floor, too. “Maybe she’s gone to the bathroom.”

“Yeah, perhaps.” I wait a few minutes, but when she doesn’t return, I make my way onto the dancefloor, with Xan right behind me. I tap Imogen on the shoulder. She’s the lesser of two evils. “Have you seen Elizabeth?” I shout in her ear.

She shakes her head, then leans in and says something to Victoria—presumably asking her the same thing. Victoria glances over to our booth, then her eyes flit to mine.

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