Page 59 of Psyop Kings

Gareth offers me his elbow, which I take, looping my arm with his. He guides me over to a man holding court over a few couples, all of which are rapt with attention.

“Solomon, my man,” Gareth says to the regal, middle-aged man. “I don’t think you’ve met RomyLangston.”

The man—Solomon—peels his stare from the woman in front of him to look my way. His shrewd eyes take me in, and I can nearly see the wheels turning in his head. Gareth emphasized my last name on purpose.

“Ahh,” Solomon says, offering me a smooth, bony hand. “Lovely to meet the daughter of the great Gideon Langston. I’m Solomon Grayhawk, CEO of Grayhawk Steel.”

“Solomon’s claim to fame is he’s the world’s largest provider of steel that’s used to manufacture military weaponry.” Gareth shakes Solomon’s hand after I do. “Every war in this world is using steel that’s been forged in one of his factories.”

“And is this lovely peach yours?” Solomon asks, narrowing his eyes on me while speaking to Gareth.

Prickly awareness washes over me and the chilly presence of a man crowding me from behind. I stiffen at the proximity.

“She’s mine,” a deep voice rumbles, tickling over my hair.

Solomon flits his gaze between me and Caius. “What a shame. She’s exactly my type.”

My breath hitches as Caius slides an arm around my middle, pulling my back against his chest. He nuzzles my ear affectionately, warm breath tickling my hair. To Solomon and other guests, we must seem very much a couple in love.

“Sell it, little girl. Your life depends on it.”

Caius’s words, so soft only I can hear, remind me I’m in a den of starved lions. I’m unsure why he’s suddenly acting possessive and staking his claim in front of this man Gareth wanted me to meet, but my instinct tells me to play along.

Twisting in Caius’s arms, I loop my arms around his neck and stand on my toes to peck his full lips. Caius’s hands settle on my ass, pulling me to him. I can feel the eyes of several people on us, but my gaze remains fixed on Caius.

Warning glimmers in his dark eyes.

The slight pinch between his eyebrows is telling of his worry.

It’s obvious the nerves he was feeling earlier have something to do with this man in particular. It should excite me knowing the man unnerves Caius, but it does exactly the opposite.

Solomon Grayhawk is a bad guy, even worse than the ones who took me.

And in some strange, caveman-like claim over me, I think Caius just saved me.

Interesting.

Romy

Caius releases me and then steps around me to speak with Solomon. Gareth, attuned to his brother’s desires, grabs hold of my wrist and guides me away from them.

“What was all that about?” I ask, shooting Gareth a questioning look.

“Just a test.”

His cryptic answer tells me nothing. Was it a test for me? For Caius?

“Where’s Theo?” I stop and tug my wrist out of his grip. “I told him I’d meet him for a drink.”

Gareth’s usually smiling face curves downward into a slight frown. “Why?”

“He’s my friend.” I poke at Gareth’s firm chest. “He doesn’t set me in the lap of a dragon to test me becausehe’s my friend.”

Unlike other people…

I leave those words unsaid, but Gareth hears them loud and clear. Guilt flickers in his gaze.

“Sorry,” he mutters. “Come on. Let’s go somewhere quiet so we can talk. You’re right. I’m not being a good friend. That was careless to do when your head’s been such a mess.”

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