Page 61 of Psyop Kings

“I…” Gareth trails off and darts his gaze to me. “Ro, you know I can’t do that. We can’t risk it.”

The lie of me being Caius’s girlfriend has fallen to the ground, shattering at our feet. There’s a truth to his words.

“I know you’re a decent man.” I squeeze his hand, hoping to reach the thread of humanity inside him. “So do the decent thing. No one ever has to know.”

He swallows hard and then dips his head once. Was that a yes? My heart leaps into my throat and starts hammering double time when he lets go of my hand to stand. Without another word, he strides away from the sitting area, disappearing around a corner.

Am I to follow him?

Do I wait here?

Will he really go through with it?

While I attempt to get a hold on my racing thoughts, I scan the room of people. The penthouse is loft-like with its high ceilings and huge open floorplan. Stairs lead to an upper level where there are several closed doors. I haven’t yet seen Orion and wonder if he’s hiding until he makes his grand appearance.

Hopefully, I’ll be gone by then.

That man gives me the creeps.

I catch a few men curiously looking my way. It’s probably spreading that Caius is my “boyfriend,” and all these people who know the cold man are probably wondering how he snagged a young, vibrant woman such as myself. Surely they’re all asking themselves if he kidnapped me because there’s no way a Langston would shack up with one of these monsters.

If they all find out, word will get back to Dad, right?

It has to.

Dad runs with the wealthiest and most influential people on the planet. The king of media will certainly hear of this news soon.

If Gareth doesn’t come through, Dad and Bastian will be my backup plan. Maybe Gareth did me a favor introducing me to Solomon. This could be the door that allows for my mistake.

I’d rather get out of here on my own, not involving my father.

When I see Theo by a bar area, I jump to my feet. Eyes continue to watch my every move, but I ignore them in my effort to reach him.

“Hey,” I say, grinning at him. “Thought I’d never find you.”

Theo’s grin falls as he checks me out. He leans toward me and murmurs, “Damn, babe, you look fucking fine tonight.”

It’s stupid that his compliment actually makes me feel good. I mean, I know I look good. There were mirrors at Caius’s house. But since my own “boyfriend” failed to mention it, I didn’t really believe it. Theo’s raspy words confirmed it, though.

“Thanks.” I take the cocktail he hands me. “You don’t seem to be nursing a hangover.”

He snorts out a laugh. “Should’ve seen me this morning at my meeting. I thought Dad was going to thump me in the head. It was rough.”

“What did you have to meet with him about?”

“Nothing exciting. Some coming events. A new CUP acquisition…” He trails off and holds up his cocktail. “Cheers to getting wasted again!”

I want to push on the words he’s just said, but it’s evident he caught himself. I’ll need to encourage him to drink again since he loosens up when that happens.

We drink a round while Theo points out people, explaining who’s who, who betrayed who, and who slept their way around to nasty, expensive divorces. I pay attention to every name, every detail, every story. Nothing in Theo’s demeanor tells me he’s lying, so I take his words as truth, memorizing all of it.

Since Gareth doesn’t come back and Caius is nowhere to be found, I find myself relaxing in Theo’s presence. Gareth is awildcard. He may or may not help me with finding Megan. Theo, however, can’t hide his interest in me. Whenever a man looks too long my way, Theo guides me out of their sight or steps in front of me to block their view. Again, it’d be cute and attractive if he were some regular guy I met rather than my kidnapper.

Dinner isn’t formal. It’s grab and go from a buffet table set up in the middle of the room. Thankfully, Theo grabs us a couple of plates so I don’t have to walk through the groups of strangers. After we eat and drink more strong cocktails, I notice Theo openly touching me in a possessive way—a lingering hand on my hip, a brush of his fingers over my cheek, standing close enough to sniff my hair.

“We should go somewhere,” I tell Theo, giving him a sly smile. “We can get in your car and leave. Just the two of us. Don’t you want to be alone?”

Theo groans. “You’re killing me, babe.”

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