Page 104 of Wretched Heart
I hadn’t realized Rory had been told about the attempted abduction, but it’s becoming clearer over time how much the brothers trust him. Which makes me trust him too – not that I won’t negotiate hard when it comes to the house.
“There’s no sign of Barrett,” says Mace as he taps his cell phone. He’s checking security cameras.
“Can you not hack into our systems for once,” Rory says, rolling his eyes.
“If you let me overhaul your security, no one would be able get into them,” Mace assures him.
“If I let you into our network, you’d probably lock me out,” Rory mutters, but he’s distracted by someone closing in on us. “If you want to head on in, I’ll divert Alice.”
We continue deeper into the hotel, and follow the throng through to the main hall where the gala will take place. Rory at least had the foresight to seat us at a table furthest away from Alice, and I relax enough to eat.
When the charity auction starts, I’m laughing as I watch the Griffin brothers bid against each other.Hunter and Ash get most competitive over one of the last lots, which is a designer purse that I’d expressed an interest in because it was once owned by Grace Kelly. Ash wins, and immediately gifts it to me.
“I can’t believe you two fought so hard when it was obvious you were both going to give the purse to me.”
“Because my brother’s an asshole,” Hunter answers.
“Funny. I have three of those too,” Ash retorts, but he’s smiling. He’s actually smiling at me.
I don’t know if I’ve completely convinced Ash that I’m not going to be a disruptor in their lives, but maybe that’s exactly what I am. I want Ash to find love one day too. It might soften his edges, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s going to be one of his other brothers who falls first.
It won’t be Reid, who’s far too interested in playing the field. Mace on the other hand… He’s been very distracted lately, and he’s spent most of this evening checking his phone. I hope whoever she is, she doesn’t mind having her privacy invaded. It would be nice to have another woman on our team.
Hunter leans into me, his lips ghosting my neck as the lights go down and the music starts. “I should have kept bidding. I wanted to be the one to give you something,” he complains.
“There’s something you could give me that no other man could,” I tease, leaning into him. “It would be a shame not to make use of that key card.”
“If we leave now, we can make it back for the last dance,” he promises. “And I want to dance with you, Maddie. I want everyone to see that you’re mine in every way that matters.”
“I want her to see too,” I reply, knowing the show wouldbe for Alice. “Just let me go and freshen up first. I’ll be back in two minutes.”
As I weave my way through the tables, I keep Alice in my periphery, as I have done all night. She’s watching me, and when she stands, I have a horrible feeling she’s going to follow me into the restroom. I’m only slightly relieved when I see her head straight for Hunter and his brothers. She was waiting for me to leave.
Although I’m anxious to find out what passes between them, I take my time reapplying my makeup. I know the bare facts about how she walked out on her family, but it’s become painfully clear how her abandonment affected three little boys, and continues to influence their life decisions.
The three older Griffin brothers appeared hard and heartless when I first met them, and it took a while to see the fissures in their granite surface. Alice broke each of them in a slightly different way, and I hate her for doing that. I could kill her for the cruelty she inflicted on her babies, in much the same way that Hunter wished Hugo dead. Unfortunately, I don’t have the authority to order a hit. All I can do is help Hunter heal, just like he healed me.
Anxiety tightens my chest as I leave the restroom and make my way back to the main function room. Recent experience has taught me to be very much aware of my surroundings, but I don’t sense impending danger until I turn a corner and spy a group of men in tuxedos. When I look into the face of the man who’s talking, I have a flashback to the night I was dragged from my bed.
Ray meets my eye for only a fraction of a second. There’s no shock, and he continues talking without pause. He was expecting me to appear.
“It’s been a difficult year for all of us,” he’ssaying to his acquaintances. “But Barrett knows how to turn misfortune to his advantage. I was only talking to him a moment ago…”
His voice fades out of my consciousness as I watch him point in the direction of the gala. Ray doesn’t look at me again. He’s delivered his warning. Barrett’s here.
I wrap a clammy hand around my purse and pick up my pace. I’m not scared of my ex-fiancé, but I am worried about how Hunter will react. The lights have been dimmed, and loud music vibrates through my bones as I pause to scan the room.
Alice is in my seat. Hunter and Ash stare at her with arms folded, while Mace has his head down staring at his phone. Reid seems to be the only one conversing with Alice. I cast my gaze wider, searching for the only son who received Alice’s devotion. It makes me wonder how corrupting her love must be given that Barrett is the only one without compassion or morals.
I spot the man himself leaning against a wall on the opposite side of the room. His eyes are trained on our table, and he hasn’t noticed me yet, which gives me a moment to figure out what to do for the best. Persuading Hunter to leave should be easy, but I couldn’t leave without warning the others. In which case, I’d have to tell Hunter too because they work as a team.
I search the crowd for Rory. He might be able to intervene before there’s a scene, but he’s sitting at a table in another corner. I can’t reach him without drawing Barrett’s attention. And if Barrett dares approach me, all hell is going to break loose.
If I were the one to confront Barrett, however…
I start moving before I’ve thought it through. It seems inevitable that there’s going to be a confrontation, so I need to position myself front and center. The feud between theGriffins and Emersons has been going on for decades, but this latest war is over me. And I want Barrett to know that I’m not his pawn, and it’s not his game.
My strides become more confident as I draw nearer my target. I glance in the direction of Hunter and almost lose my step. He’s spotted me, and then his eyes train across to where I’m heading. His features darken, and he says something to his brothers. Four men shoot up out of their seats.
