Page 59 of Cruel Dreams

I gulp the one Mel gave me, and the alcohol loosens my shoulders.

Clayton and the governor of Minnesota stand off to the side, laughing. I wonder if Nora’s father is mixed up in any of the Blacks’ business. I feel sorry for him if he is.

I look beyond the party and in the distance spot members of a security team. I don’t know if they work for Banks or the governor. I hope Stella and the others don’t have a difficult time sneaking into the party. There really is no reason they need to be here other than if it weren’t for Stella, none of this would be possible. Quinn would never let Stella go alone, Max said he wanted an in-person account for the paper, and Denton, well. I think Denton wants to keep an eye on me whether he wants to admit it or not.

I don’t know which direction they’ll come from, and Mel drifts away, presumably to watch for them and let them inside.

Ash sees me alone sipping a flute of champagne a passing waitress offered me, and gently holding Nora’s hand, he ambles toward me, stopping occasionally to speak to a guest.

He assesses me as he approaches, and his face evens out when he sees that I’m calm. I’m not going to cause a scene. Yet.

“Zane, glad you could make it. You remember Nora?” he asks, leading her up the three steps to the patio.

“I do. It’s nice to see you again.”You lying bitch.She’s supposed to be an advocate for the women Ash uses and abuses, instead she assists him, showing him the best ways to avoid detection. Because, of course, she would know all about that.

I wonder how much Ash pays her, or if when she spreads her legs, she accepts that as payment enough.

“I’m sorry about Nathalie. I saw on the news they found her body in the Renegade? What happened? Why didn’t you call me?”

The games. Jesus Christ, the games.

I swallow and pretend. “She went to your club to party, didn’t you hear? She said she wanted to see her friends. Douglasdropped her off, and that was the last time I saw her.” I pause. “I think she missed the way she lived before we got engaged. The attention, you know, from other men. Maybe she got mixed up in something that night. I appreciate your condolences. Douglas feels guilty he left her there even though that’s what she wanted. Her death will always be on his conscience.”

“I told you nothing good would come out of your engagement. You need to find a woman more within your league. It’s a nasty business,” Ash says, and I don’t know if he means Nathalie’s duplicity, her death, his connection to it, or what he thinks we need to do to stay on top.

“Yes. I believe you now. No one understands what it’s like to live the kind of life we’re expected to live having the wealth we do.”

“Did you bring someone more...suitable, I hope,” he says, sliding an arm around Nora’s shoulders.

“She’s around here somewhere,” I say vaguely. He won’t know Mel, and I want to keep it that way. I turn to Nora. “Please tell your father it was very generous of him to let Ash host his gala here.”

“I will.” She beams. “He’s very passionate about this kind of thing. Keeping Minnesota safe. When I broached the subject to him, he was enthusiastic.”

“It looks like it turned out well.”

“We’ve raised millions of dollars. It will be well spent.”

I’m sure it will.

“Thanks for coming,” Ash says, holding out his hand, and I shake it, burying over fifty years of history between our families.

They drift off to mingle, and I lean against the patio’s railing and watch the party. Nothing seems amiss or out of place.

After another half an hour, I glance over my shoulder, concerned. Stella, Max, Quinn, and Denton should have arrivedby now. The presentation will start soon, and I want them to see the fireworks.

The sudden thought Ash has found us out again tightens my throat. Because of Nathalie, he was always two steps ahead. Were Max and the others intercepted before they arrived at the mansion? No doubt Nathalie told Ash our plans, but how much did she know? Ash and Nora didn’t say one thing about the cargo ship or the women the FBI freed. Not one word about Stella or Quinn, though Ash knows that I know Stella is still alive. I thought we finally had the upper hand, but Ash might have kept it all along. What does he have planned for tonight?

My skin turns clammy and the champagne roils in my stomach, but then Mel appears in my peripheral vision and she nods slightly.

I sink onto a patio loveseat like a limp noodle, my adrenaline crashing. I let my fear and paranoia get out of control. I want to see Stella, see for myself she’s okay, but Mel lowers next to me holding a flute of champagne. “They spared no expense,” she says.

Anxious to hear news, I tamp down my impatience. They’re all right. That’s all that matters. “Ash never does.”

“They’re okay,” Mel murmurs. “They got held up by a couple of German shepherds, but Stella had calmed them down by the time one of the FBI agents caught them. This place is huge.”

“Was she bitten?” I grit my teeth. That’s all Stella needs, though a dog bite at this point would be a cake walk.

Mel rolls her eyes. “Are you serious? They’re putty in her hands. She’s like a goddamned Disney princess. They followed her into the house and she’s feeding them canapés.”

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