Page 17 of Sinners Keepers
“Tomorrow night,” I admitted. I wanted to bang my head against the countertop because I knew there was no way I could tell her no. Not to this, and probably not to anything.
“I’m going,okay?” she prodded.
“Yeah,” I sighed. “Fine. Okay.”
She squealed, placing her cute little hands on either of my shoulders and leaning around to place a quick kiss on my cheekbone. I scrunched my face and shrugged her off. The last thing I needed right now was her touching me, even innocently. I couldn’t think straight.
She clapped, giddy, and darted up the stairs. Probably to try on everything in her closet.
Law chuckled gruffly. “You’re whipped, bro.”
I glared at him. “Am I? You go tell her she can’t go, then.”
He held his hands up in submission before picking his burger up again and taking a large bite.
“I think we both are,” I said under my breath, taking a bite of my own.
CHAPTERTEN
Hunt
Icarefully slipped on the tight red dress I'd beendyingto wear forsolong. The plunging neckline showed just enough skin, and I was ecstatic with how it looked on me as I took in my reflection in the mirror. My new tits filled it out nicely, and I was thankful it fit in that area because when I’d purchased it I most definitely did not have much to fill it with. My scars were on full display, making me look like an absolute badass.Suck it, Ijah.My looks had been altered by what he’d done to me, but I wouldn’t let the flaws he’d left me with change how I felt about myself.
I zipped up the back and shivered at the thought of what the frigid evening air would feel like on my exposed skin, but I didn't care. Looking likethismade it totally worth it. Sometimes you just have to freeze a little, beauty is pain and all that.
I ran my fingers through the wavy strands of the black wig Alec had given me, fiddling with it until it looked like it might pass as my actual hair. I inspected it closely, feeling the urge to fully commit to the look long term by taking the plunge and dying it this color for real. Doing so wouldn’t be totally out of character for me. When I was a teenager, every time I was stressed about something, I’d give myself bangs or dye my hair some random color just to have a little control over something in my life. Probably would have kept up that little habit of mine if it wasn’t something Mattia had promptly nipped in the bud. I had tolookthe part even if I had no interest in playingthe part.
Once I finished my hair and makeup, I made my way downstairs to find the guys waiting for me in the foyer. They stood at attention, their heads tilting slightly upward and their jaws slackening as they took in the way I’d dolled myself up for the night. Meeting each of their eyes, I felt a rush of excitement. Who knew what the night had in store for us? But, also… who cared? Their awestruck expressions were all the confirmation I needed that I looked just as amazing as I felt.
When I reached the bottom step, I ran my hands down the front of my dress. It was an anxiety thing for me; straightening things that didn’t actually need to be straightened. “Are we sure Roman won’t recognize me?”
“There’s a chance he might,” Alec admitted. “But the chance is low. Your appearance has been altered in multiple ways since anyone last saw you,” he said, looking pointedly at my breasts, then tugging at a strand of synthetic hair.
I’d always hated going out to these stupid fucking parties as Mattia’s arm candy. If I didn’t have such major cabin fever with a dash of FOMO, I would have been a lot more compliant about staying home tonight. They both still looked as hesitant as ever about me going with them.
Alec quickly darted into the side office, returning with a long black coat in hand. Law reached out and interlaced his fingers with mine, guiding me toward Alec. “You’re going to freeze in just that," he said as Alec draped the soft cashmere over my shoulders. The coat was knee-length and fit loosely on my frame, the expensive fabric smooth and silky against my skin. It was warm and super comfy.
I adored Cashmere. I’d developed a taste for expensive shit early on in my marriage.Looking the parthad its upsides, and I figured I might as well getsomethingout of the old fuck. How well Alec seemed to know me felt a bit stalkery at times. First the flowers and now this.
“Perfect,” he said, grinning and running his hands over the length of my arms and circling his fingers around my wrists. At least he was a nice, happy stalker who liked to give me stuff.
Law led the way to the car, while Alec stayed back to try and give me a better idea of how things would go. “I need you to stay close to me. You can try and treat this as any normal fancy fuck Christmas party, but please know that it isnotsafe. You can’t just go off by yourself or anything like that.”
I wouldn’t have wanted to regardless, but I didn’t say that. “Got it.”
“You’ll be there with me as my date, and for the first part of the night Law will be focused on Cassidy. He’s Roman’s bodyguard. A big fuck, can’t miss him. Undernocircumstance are you to goanywherenear him. He’s more dangerous than you could ever possibly imagine and he’d love nothing more than to corner a pretty little thing like you and take what he thinks he has a right to.”
I shuddered. I was no stranger to that. And Alec was very wrong about what I was capable ofimaginingwhen it came to men like the ones I knew would be in attendance at this party. I’d likely already experienced worse, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. Not like he could kill someone who was already dead.
“And at a party of Roman’s, hedoes.Not one person there would try to intervene,” Alec added. “The first thing we have to do is eliminate him from the equation. If I’m being one hundred percent honest, I’m not sure how we’ll be able to do that. Not that it will be hard to distract him from Roman, just that he’s… massive, and blowing his brains out in front of all the guests there is not really an option, is it?”
I swallowed roughly and nodded my understanding as we climbed into the backseat.
“If you think he’d be distracted by a woman, why not use me as a distraction?” I asked, already knowing the answer to that question.
“No,” they replied in unison.
I guess that was that. I wasn’t about to push them on it, though. They still had plenty of time to leave my ass at home, and I didn’t want to ruin my chances of getting to be there.
