Page 76 of Fractured Loyalties
I freeze mid-bite.
“Earlier today,” he adds, too lightly. “Security said some guy came in asking for you. Tall, serious. Not the type we usually get unless someone’s delivering subpoenas or making threats.”
I set down my fork.
Celeste snorts. “Oh, that guy? Come on. He was giving more ‘avenging angel’ than legal courier.”
One of the admins perks up. “Wait, the hot one with the ridiculous jawline and the long coat that screamed ‘I own secrets’? That guy?”
Alec raises an eyebrow at me. “So we’re all pretending this wasn’t a thing?”
I tilt my head, keep my voice level. “He’s a friend.”
“Doesn’t look like any of my friends,” someone mutters into their wine.
I lean forward, just enough to take the tension back. “Then maybe you need new friends.”
Laughter bubbles around the table, but Alec doesn’t laugh. He just watches me with that maddening steadiness of his. Like he’s reading beneath the words.
And for once, I let him.
Let him see how sharp my edges are tonight.
Let him guess why.
The noise returns. Small jokes. More toasts. Forks scraping plates. But it all feels a beat too fast, like someone’s drumming on my spine with an off rhythm.
And that’s when the door opens.
I don’t look immediately. I don’t have to.
I feel the change in the room before I hear the footsteps.
One of the host staff calls out a name. It’s not anyone at our table. Someone in the back waves.
But a different figure crosses my peripheral vision.
Too slow. Too smooth.
I glance—just once—and my stomach twists.
It’s not Elias.
It’s not anyone I know.
But the way he scans the room doesn’t belong to someone looking for a table.
His eyes move like they’re checking exits. Counting heads. Weighing variables.
I look away fast. Back to my plate. I lift my glass to my lips and take a long, steady drink.
Alec leans in again. “Something wrong?”
“No,” I say, too quickly.
He looks toward the door. “That guy?”
I shake my head. “No idea who that is.”
