Page 4 of The Devil's Deceit
“Christian,” the man says, clapping him between his shoulder blades. “What the fuck is going on with you?”
It takes every fiber of my being not to openly stare, even though neither of them are paying me any attention. Contempt crawls into my veins.
There he is. My target. My mark.
My parents’ murderer.
Chapter Two
CHRISTIAN
The masked ball is in full swing as I stand on the sidelines and scan the email from Secretary of State Bartholomew, the man in charge of, among other things, the Health and Safety Executive. A mixture of relief and annoyance races through me. The bastard kept me waiting four fucking weeks to confirm he’d buried the truth about the building collapse. I could have pressed harder or reminded him of the threat hanging over his head if he didn’t come through for me, but I find these things are better kept as friendly as possible.
Besides, who knows when I may need to use his secret child as leverage sometime in the future.
A faint smile pulls at the corners of my mouth as I read the email, although I don’t feel as though I’ve won. Two people lost their lives in part because of my failings. They were far from blameless, but if I’d done my fucking job right, they wouldn’t have had the chance to dupe me.
The thought of my family finding out what really happened is something I can’t,won’tentertain. Nor do I want Grania and Drew’s kids to find out just how much theirparents contributed to their deaths. I’ll take the truth to my grave.
“Christian.” Nicholas claps me on my shoulder. “What the fuck is going on with you?”
I stuff my phone into my pocket and frown at him. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t be obtuse. You haven’t been yourself for months. Is the building collapse still playing on your mind? Is there anything I can do?”
“I’m fine,” I snap, guilt and fear driving my reaction. “I just heard from Bartholomew.” I lower my voice. “Official report will state an accident. It’ll release to the media tomorrow.”
Nicholas angles his head to one side. “That’s good, right?”
My brother is too smart—far smarter than me. He sees more than he’s letting on. “Yeah. All good.” I force a smile. “Catch you later. I need to tell Dad the outcome of the enquiry.”
I wander off in search of my father. It takes a while to track him down, but I eventually spot him talking to my eldest brother, Xan. I lean in, lowering my voice. “No-fault accident.”
He instantly catches on, nodding and smiling at me while giving my upper back a fatherly pat. “Good job, son.”
If threatening to ruin a man’s marriage and career is a good job then I guess I just fucking excelled. This family does whatever it takes to protect itself, and I’m not averse to doing the same. If only I could shake this crippling sense of failure, put it behind me, and move on. Maybe once the report is published I’ll find a way to do that.
My father, my brothers, and even Saskia, my babysister, are always brimming with confidence. Whatever they’re undertaking, there’s an assuredness about them that shines like a beacon in the night sky. Theyknowwith one hundred percent certainty that they’re not going to fail, that there won’t be any mistakes. Whereas, on many occasions, I fake my confidence. The thought of my family realizing I’m the runt of the pack literally makes me feel sick.
Which is why I’llnevertell them what really happened to Nexus.
Leaving my father and Xan to talk, I skirt the edges of the ballroom. The news from Bartholomew should’ve put me in the party mood, but it’s had the opposite effect. If I could leave without anyone noticing, I would, but even the mask won’t stop my absence from being noticed.
“You look how I feel.” Tobias sidles up to me, handing over a glass of champagne. “We could ask Saskia to create a diversion and make a run for it.”
“We need Donovan.” Donovan Sinner, heir to the Sinner Dynasty, loves to infuriate Xan by shamelessly flirting with our younger sister, even though neither of them is romantically interested in the other. “Xan breaking his nose would divert attention for sure.”
Tobias chuckles. “For that, I might stick around.”
He says something else, but my attention drifts as a woman in a full-length, shimmering gold gown floats past like she’s walking on air. There’s a stillness about her. A kind of elegance that isn’t practiced, it’s inherited or hard-earned. The scent of her perfume lingers as my gaze tracks her, eyes panning over her curves, groin heating. It’s been a while since I’ve felt an instant attraction to a woman.
“This party just got a lot more interesting.” I thrust my champagne glass at Tobias. “Take that, will you?”
“Sir, yes, sir,” he says, but I’ve already moved away, stalking after the woman in question. By the time I catch up to her, she’s at the buffet, scanning the options.
“I can recommend the smoked salmon and cucumber canapes.”
Her head turns. Her eyes, not just blue, but that rare kind of sea glass blue, collide with mine. “Thank you.”
