Page 23 of Scarred Sacrifice
“Jesus, is there a countdown where we all start at the same time, too?” I mutter under my breath.
“I don’t think its mandatory,” Mr. O’Connor quips.
I look at him and he smirks as he takes a bite of his scallop. I clear my throat. “So, Mr. O’Connor, what do you like to do with all your free time?” I ask, trying to deflect.
He wipes the corners of his mouth with a napkin before leaning back in his chair, taking a long sip of his drink. “It’s Nyx, and I do whatever I feel like doing. I often like to go on rides,” he states.
“Horse rides? My husband and I loved to go riding in the countryside.” Edna smiles.
“No, Edna, not horses. Bikes,” he states.
That has my attention. “Bikes?” I press.
“Yes, I ride motorbikes. There is nothing quite like the open road.” He sighs.
“No, there isn’t,” I blurt out. Cringing, I sit up straight, feeling stupid for opening my mouth. “Er, I mean, so I’ve heard,” I say, quickly scrambling to cover my mistake. Jesus, the first night and I’m already fucking this up.
“Well, hello, Edna. How are you?” a woman—probably in her fifties—approaches. It’s not hard to tell that she’s had a lot of cosmetic surgery. While for the most part she looks fabulous, but she probably should have stopped when her eyebrows weregetting too close to her hairline. She has a permanent shocked expression about her.
“Oh, shit. Watch out, she’s a viper,” Edna mutters behind her napkin, pretending to wipe her mouth.
“Sherry! How wonderful to see you,” Edna falsely beams.
The woman smiles, or at least tries to, but she has so much Botox and lip filler, her face is staying mainly emotionless. Her eyes flicker to me. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” she asks with the flick of her hand in my direction. I notice a huge diamond ring on her finger. It’s so big, I’m surprised it’s not weighing her hand down.
“This is Miss Valentina Fox.” Edna gestures to me. “And Valentina, this is Sherry. Her husband is the rather large man loudly blowing his nose. His name is Lord Mulberry.” She points.
I watch as Sherry huffs in annoyance at Edna. “So, your husband is British?” I ask, trying to take Sherry’s attention away from Edna.
Her grey eyes shift to me. “Yes, he is the third cousin to the King,” she boasts.
“Oh, I see.” I nod, not sure what else to say to that. Well done? Whoopie for you? Clearly not satisfied with my response, she turns her attention to Nyx. “And who might you be?” she asks, her voice turning sultry as she leans across the table, pushing her cleavage together, which wouldn’t normally be a problem, but they’re practically in my face. I blanch, leaning back.
“Nyx O’Connor,” he states curtly.
Sherry looks him over. “How have I not come across you before?” she practically drawls.
“Well, I’m sure we have crossed your path before,” he states, smiling up at her.
My eyes flicker back and forth between their interaction. Something in her expression makes me think she knows him, or in the least recognises him, but while she is playing dumb, Nyx is acting like he wished he didn’t know her.
I frown, confused. “So, do you attend many other events then, if you recognise Sherry?” I ask.
“Some, but not many,” he answers.
I nod. “Do you have favourite one?” I ask, pressing further. Something isn’t sitting right.
“Sure, this one.” He shrugs.
“But this is your first time here. So how do you know it’s your favourite?” I ask.
He gives me an irritated look, not appreciating me pressing the issue. He puts on a smile. “Quite the detective, aren’t you, Miss Fox? Well, if you must know, I’ve heard so much about these events. What I meant to say is, I’m sure this one will be my favourite,” he states firmly before he stands. “If you ladies will excuse me, I require the little boys room.” He pushes to his feet, giving us a brief nod before he walks through the room and out the double doors. I frown, watching him.
“Well, I suppose I best get back to my seat. Good to see you, Edna, and you, Miss Fox,” Sherry mutters under her breath as she walks back to her seat.
An unsettled feeling swirls around my gut. I’m not sure what it is, but something doesn’t feel right. Maybe it was just the scallops, but something about Nyx O’Connor isn’t all as it seems.
CHAPTER EIGHT
