Page 79 of The Ring Thief
Astoria.
The man I just met was the same one that spent several hours charming the shit out of my wife. I keep my eyes forward, refusing to look for him, gritting my teeth, keeping my focus on finding Lily and attaching myself to her side.
Mom doesn’t notice my aggravation, chattering my ear off about how great Richard has been so far. I make appropriate noises whenever she seems to need them, hunting the room for a glimpse of Lily or Darcy as we circle back around to where we’d left them.
I catch the glittery sparkle of Darcy’s outfit at the bar, where she’s ordering a drink. I reach her side and meet Darcy’s questioning eyes. “Where’s Lily?”
“She went to the bathroom. Was she supposed to ask for permission?” she snarks back at me.
I don’t take the bait. “Where’s the bathroom?” She points to a set of glass double doors towards the back of the ball, just as Mom grabs my arm.
“What’s the matter, Declan?” she asks, worried.
“Nothing,” I try to reassure her. “Probably nothing.” My heart thuds uncomfortably just as my phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, finding a message.
Fifteen minutes.
Fuck. I flick my stare between them. “Have either of you seen the Huntingtons?” I ask quietly.
Mom shakes her head. “Elena and Darius? No.” Her mouth presses into a tight line. “We’re not exactly on speaking terms right now.”
“What about Silvia?” I ask impatiently.
Darcy shakes her head, even as Mom says, “No, I haven’t. You don’t think…? She wouldn’t approach Lily, would she? Even she wouldn’t…” Her eyes widen with horror. “Not here, of all places.”
“I wouldn’t be able to guess what Silvia would do at this point,” I say grimly, taking Darcy’s drink and swallowing it in one go, grimacing at the taste of vodka and lime. She grunts at me in annoyance, immediately turning to order another one.
“Declan,” Mom says, her tone reassuring. “We haven’t seen Silvia, and I’m sure Lily’s just fine.”
Fresh drink in hand, Darcy turns to face us. She goes to take a drink but freezes with her glass halfway to her mouth, eyes narrowed at something over my shoulder. “There’s Lily,” she announces quietly. “She’s talking to someone…” she trails off, eyes widening. “Oh. Shit.”
“What?” I bark out, whirling to face in the direction she’s looking. My eyes land on Lily almost immediately, finding her deep in conversation with an older lady. Behind Lily, three women are approaching, everything about them screaming trouble, and smack in the middle is Silvia.
“That answers that question,” Darcy says. “Can’t believe she’s doing this here, of all places.”
“Maybe she just wants to catch up,” my mother says uncomfortably, grimacing when Darcy and I both shoot her disbelieving looks.
I shake my head with a curse, already knowing I won’t be able to intercept them before they reach Lily. Still, I take a step to go to her when a hand grabs my sleeve, jerking me to a halt. I shoot a glare at Darcy. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Just…” she looks at Lily, then back at me. “Give it a minute.”
“I’m not just going to let that bitch rip strips off Lily,” I hiss in an enraged whisper. “Silvia has done enough to Lily, don’t you think?”
“Stop underestimating Lily,” Darcy demands impatiently. “She deserves better than that.”
I swallow thickly, because it’s a harsh truth and I know it. Our entire relationship I refused to trust her with the truth, worrying that shewouldn’t be able to handle it, or worse, that she’d leave me over the part I played in my father’s schemes.
I never put Silvia in her place, too worried over what she might take back to our fathers. That was no longer a problem, so this was a chance to show Lily that she was my first—and only—priority. Still, I shake my head, not understanding how standing back is going to show her anything. “You want me to wait here and do nothing?”
“No.” She rolls her eyes. “Just give it a minute before rushing in to save the day.”
Mom’s watching us with wide eyes, hands fluttering nervously. “I don’t think now’s the time to make a scene,” she frets. “We have enough to worry about. Silvia wouldn’t?—”
“Mom,” I cut her off ruthlessly. “Silvia would, and she’s making the scene here. It’s just not going to be the scene she thinks it’ll be.”
CHAPTER 34
Lily
