Page 71 of Victorious Vice

I return to the ballroom, where the DJ has begun his set. Couples are on the dance floor, dancing to the hits of the seventies and eighties. The majority of my most likely donors are of that generation, so I curated the playlist specifically to get them in a good mood.

I head back to the table when Hawk waylays me. “Where the hell have you been?”

I blink a few times. “Just taking a break. Jared was with me the whole time.”

Hawk gives Jared a stink eye. “Where has she been?”

“My brother seems to think he’s my keeper,” I say to Jared. “You don’t need to answer that.”

“She’s fine,” Jared says. “I take my position seriously.”

Hawk simply nods.

I decide to change the subject.

“I’d say the gala is a success,” I say nonchalantly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Vinnie. He’s gathering his wife—God, hiswife—and leaving.

Good. It’s better that I don’t see him.

“Who is that woman?” Hawk asks.

I roll my eyes. “Vinnie has apparently taken a new bride.”

Hawk drops his jaw. “He’s married to her?”

“Yes, he is,” I snap. “And I would absolutely love it if we didn’t discuss the matter further, Hawk.”

I don’t let him get a response in before I move away. I make small talk with a few more guests, and then I see Vinnie again, this time entering the ballroom without his new bride.

Where did she go?

Not my business, I suppose.

I work the room a bit, shaking hands and thanking people for their donations.

A moment later, the DJ takes a break and Emily mans the microphone.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for being here again. This is just a quick reminder that our silent auction will close in ten minutes, so get those last-minute bids in. Every dollar of each highest bid will go toward the Raven’s Wings Foundation. With your help, we will continue our work of helping families dealing with blood cancers and helping research facilities find new ways to treat and cure them.”

People head to the tables to make their bids, while I approach the bar to get something to drink. My mouth and throat are dry.

“Orange Crush, please,” I say.

The bartender nods. “Of course, Ms. Bellamy. Coming right up.”

He hands me my drink, and I take a sip of the sparkling orange soda, moving out of the way for the others in line. I sigh. Still tastes like sunshine.

Emily takes the mic once again after the bell rings to signal the end of the silent auction.

“Ladies and gentlemen, that bell signifies the end of our silent auction for this evening. We’ll be announcing the winners one at a time. So let’s get moving.” She smiles. “First of all, the winner of our big-ticket item for the evening, the Caribbean cruise for two, is Brandon Brown.”

I watch as the winner is congratulated by the people around him.

“Our cashiers are set up at the back of the room, so please make payment for your item before you leave tonight, and congratulations!”

She goes through the rest of the big-ticket items, including season tickets to the Texas Longhorns, a year’s supply of prime beef from my father’s ranch, a year’s supply of fine wine from Steel Vinyards in Colorado, three nights in Las Vegas, and a motor scooter.

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