Page 58 of Dex

“Hi, Raquel,” I say smoothly.“Daniela has told me so much about you.”

Raquel’s eyes snap to Daniela.“You told him aboutme, but you didn’t tell me abouthim.”

“I was going to … in person,” Daniela hedges.Her friend narrows her eyes and folds her arm, disbelief oozing out of her.“Why are you here, Raquel?”my curious fiancée-to-be asks.

Her friend hesitates.“I got worried.”

Worried?What the hell was her friend worried about?

“Worried about what?”Daniela laughs, and we all break out into awkward chuckles.

They don’t discuss this further, but I’m curious.Raquel turns to me, her gaze narrowing.“So,thisis Dexter.Dexter Knight.”She spits out my name like it’s a curse.“You’re doing this?You’re marrying a Knight?”

My ears go on alert.I grin at her.“You’re talking about us as if we’re famous.”

Raquel folds her arms, like she’s getting ready to take me to trial.“Oh, they’re famous, alright.In every environmental law circle from D.C.to São Paulo.”She glares at Daniela.“Your fiancé’s family buries lawsuits like they bury toxic waste, quietly and with no accountability.”

A sniff of disgust as she looks at me.

“The Knights are everything I’ve spent my career fighting against.Corrupt.Ruthless.Untouchable.And now one of them has you in his pocket?”

“Dexter is wonderful,” Daniela coos, ignoring her friend’s disdain and smoothly slipping into a role that I sense makes her uncomfortable.If I can sense it, so can her friend.But then she lays her head against my shoulder, playing her part perfectly.“He’s just the sort of guy I never thought I’d meet, and yes, I guess what they’re doing is wrong.But, hopefully, over time, they’ll learn to do better, to be better ethically?”She gazes up at me adoringly, fluttering her eyelashes .

I stare down at her, stick on a grin.“With you by my side, I’d want to be better.”

I hear Rio snort.Her friend doesn’t look convinced.“How did you two meet?”

Rio’s watching, his gaze knowing, as if he’s waiting for me to slip up.Raquel folds her arms even more tightly.

“Did you know they were getting married?”she asks him.

Rio shrugs.“Didn’t you?”Perfect reply.

She exhales sharply.

“Why so cold all of a sudden?”Rio asks her.“I thought we were getting on just fine.”

Raquel glares at him, then me.“Tell me how you met,” she says, voice tight as she easily ignores Rio.“I need to hear this.”

We’re all standing around now, the energy tense.

“Shouldn’t we sit down and get more drinks?”I suggest.

“No,” Raquel snaps.“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is going on.”

I exhale through my nose.“What do you think?That I kidnapped her?Held her hostage?That I’m forcing her into this?”I hold up Daniela’s hand, to show off the engagement ring.

It feels like destiny, the way things are unfolding.The ring and us being caught and having our alibis straight.

Except …fuck.We didn’t discuss the very thing Justice Raquel is enquiring about.She cuts Daniela a sharp look.“This isn’t like you, Dani.”

Daniela stiffens.“What do you mean?”

“This makes no sense,” her friend says flatly.“Tell me how this happened.”She waves a hand between me and Daniela.We remain standing, arms around each other.Trying to look casual, even as I’m feeling something strange, with Daniela flush against me.I try to push it back down.Hide it away.Rio doesn’t sit.He stands with us.I think this dude might actually be afraid to sit back down with this chick.

“We met at a tech conference.In São Paulo.”Daniela says, easily.

Rio coughs lightly.I think I hear a “Bullshit.”

---