Page 103 of Vow to Hate You

“She was coming home anyway,” I replied coolly. “I only sped up the process by a couple of months.”

“I don’t think she would have come home. Ever,” she muttered, her voice barely audible over the music. “But you seem to make her happy now.” She frowned. “Are you the one who carried her onto the stage on my birthday?”

I arched an eyebrow. “You think I’d let any other man touch my wife?”

Before she could respond, her attention went behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I spotted the DJ crossing the room toward us. Her red mask was still on, and from what we knew about her, she never took it off in public. Her black dress brushed the floor and had a slit up one side. The sleeves were long and the fabric clung seamlessly to her body. My eyes cut back to her mask as she got closer.

Ash jumped off the couch, his eyes locked on the woman. Charlotte watched him with a smile tipping her lips as she leaned back against the couch cushions.

“She won’t talk to you,” Rhyett reminded Ash, handing him a drink. “She only talks via email or her manager.”

“Maybe she’ll make an exception,” he said, not hiding that he was checking her out. “You think she’ll go out with me?”

Charlotte giggled, and I glanced at her, wondering what I was missing. She met my gaze, her eyes dancing with amusement. I checked my watch, not caring about talking to the DJ. I just wanted to see my wife. I got to my feet, intent on searching this entire fucking place if she didn’t show in the next few minutes.

The woman stopped a couple feet away, and Charlotte stood up, tugging down her short dress. Ash stepped in front of the masked woman, holding out his hand.

“Your music mixes are amazing,” he told her, a flirtatious gleam in his eye.

“He’s gonna try to sleep with her and fuck up the chance of her playing at Facade,” Rhyett muttered in my ear.

Ice dripped through my veins at his words. It was another reminder that soon I wouldn’t be a part of the club I built anymore. Not if my father got his way.

She didn’t respond to Ash but looked in my direction instead. I gave her a polite smile, in no mood for small talk. Before I could leave to find Talie, the woman erased the space between us, her palm landing on my chest. I grabbed her wrist without a thought, gently removing her hand.

“Not interested?” she asked, tilting her head. The mask muffled her voice, and I barely heard it over the music.

“My wife is the jealous type.”

Ash barked out a laugh at my response, sauntering closer to try and claim the woman’s attention again. But she only scooted closer to me, clearly determined to talk.

“I thought you came to see me?” she questioned. Since she was closer, her voice was slightly more audible, and I stared at her, wondering why she sounded vaguely familiar.

Rhyett was studying her, his usual frown on his lips, while Charlotte watched all of us with a gleeful smile.

“No, he’s here to see his wife,” Ash said cheerfully. “But I’m not married.”

She didn’t turn away from me. “If I could, I’d throw you over my shoulder like you did to me when I first saw you in a mask.”

I went still, gaping at her. Her words were loud enough for all of us to hear, and confusion swam on Ash's face as his gaze flicked to me.

“Talie?” I hissed in disbelief, my eyes raking over her again. Between her long dress and the full-face mask, it was nearly impossible to recognize her. Her hair was pulled back in a loose bun, and I noticed for the first time that it perfectly matched Talie’s.

“Oh, shit,” Ash choked out with a laugh, glancing at me sheepishly. “I take back every dirty thought I had a few seconds ago.”

“You’re DJ Savoie?” Rhyett asked in a low voice.

Before anyone else could say a word, I snatched her wrist, pulling her with me toward the bar. She didn’t utter a protest even when I tugged her behind the bar and into a door markedStorage. The small supply room had floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked with boxes, with a bright fluorescent light already on.

She pushed the door closed behind her, leaning against it before carefully pulling up her mask until it was resting on top of her head. Her green eyes were bright, her cheeks flushed, most likely from having the mask on. A smug grin lifted her lips as she stared at me, but I caught a speck of indecision in her gaze.

“Music,” I murmured, kicking myself for not thinking about it earlier. “That’s what you did when you were gone?”

“Yes.” She reached for me, grabbing my wrist to look at my watch. “I have three minutes before I have to get back to my table.”

“This is what you do every time you go out with your sister?”

Her eyes darted to mine. “Every single time, Damian. Were you thinking the worst of me?”

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