Page 19 of The Devil's Torment

We’re led through the main area to the VIP section toward the back. The crowd in front of me thins, and I get the shock of my life. Right in front of me are my two best friends and Nicholas’s sister, Saskia.

“Oh, my God.” I dash forward, throwing my arms around Eloise and Briony. “You said you couldn’t come.”

“We wanted it to be a surprise.” Eloise glances over my head and tips up her chin. “Imogen kept our secret. She’s one of us now.”

“I hate surprises.” Even so, I’m smiling like an idiot.

“We know,” Briony says.

“I thought you didn’t care.”

Eloise rolls her eyes. “Bitch, please.”

Saskia edges forward and briefly hugs me. “I hope you don’t mind me tagging along.”

“Of course not.” I don’t know Saskia all that well, but she is going to be my sister-in-law. “It wouldn’t be right if you weren’t here.”

“I know Nicholas isn’t who you’d have chosen, but I want you to know that I’ll do everything I can to help you settle in at Oakleigh. Imogen will, too. We want you to be happy.”

Imogen appears to my right, grinning. “We do, Vicky. But first, we want you to have the best sendoff possible.”

“You’re a sneak.” I wag my finger at her. “What if I’d have refused to come?”

“Ah, I had a backup plan.”

“Which was?”

She hitches a shoulder. “Kidnapping, of course.”

Her joke lands like a punch to the gut. I’m not sure I’ll ever fully forgive myself for the part I played in getting Imogen kidnapped. Even though she was rescued relatively unscathed by her husband, things could have gone an entirely different way.

“Hey.” She squeezes my shoulder. “I know where your mind’s gone. Stop. This is your night, and we’re going to throw you the best bachelorette party we can. Right, girls?”

“Right,” the other three chorus.

A bottle of champagne appears from somewhere, and the popping cork bounces harmlessly off the wall before rolling to a stop at my feet. Glasses are filled, although Imogen’s is sparkling water rather than Bollinger, and when the first sip hits my stomach, a warmth spreads through me.

I raise my glass in the air. “To Beth.”

Somber faces greet me, and all four women join me in toasting my sister. God, I miss her, but I’m lucky to have Eloise, Briony, and Imogen to prop me up. I find myself scanning the club. On occasion, I catch glimpses of women who remind me of Beth, and for a split second, I think it’s her. As hard as it is when that happens, I figure it’s my subconscious trying to find a way to deal with the crushing blow dealt by losing Beth in such horrific circumstances.

Our VIP server brings out plates of finger food, and once our stomachs are full, we all pile onto the dance floor. Max and Andrew, along with another bodyguard who I presume is Saskia’s personal protection, stand on the periphery, scanning the crowd for signs of trouble, and at first, I can’t help but notice them. After a while, though, I forget they’re there and throw myself into having a good time.

“I’m out!” Imogen shouts after a half an hour, raising her hands in the air. “This baby’s already sucking all my energy and I’m not even showing yet.”

“I’ll come with you,” Saskia says. “I should have known it was a mistake to wear brand new shoes.”

They vanish to our private seating area, leaving me and my two best friends behind. It’s been ages since we had a night out, and who knows how long it’ll be before I can do this again. I haven’t a clue what Nicholas’s idea of marriage looks like, but if he thinks he’s going to stifle me like Alexander did to Imogen when they first got together, he’s got rocks in his head. While I understand that security is essential, these amazing women are a key part of my life, and that won’t change after the wedding.

The DJ switches out the upbeat music for a slower tune, leading couples to take to the floor, their arms around one another, eyes locked in a private conversation. A surge of envy rushes through me.

I’ll never have a man look at me like that. It’s one more loss in a series of losses that seem to be piling up around me. I’m buried beneath them, struggling to breathe.

Eloise touches my shoulder. “Let’s get a drink.”

I follow her and Briony through the mass of swaying bodies, jumping when a hand grasps my arm.

“Where you going, beautiful?” a tall stranger slurs, getting a good look down my top from his lofty height. “How ‘bout a dance?”

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