Page 152 of Kings & Corruption

Oscar leaned down to give me a lingering kiss. “Not when it comes to protecting you, tiger.”

Neo stalked toward the garage door. “Jesus you’re pathetic.”

Rock helped me with my coat and I sighed as I sank into the thick wool. Then we were filing into the garage and heading for the Hummer.

I forced myself to stay calm while I waited for everyone to get in the car — Neo driving (of course), Oscar in front, Rock and I in back. I made myself wait a few more seconds until Neo started the car.

“Wait!” I said. Neo’s eyes found mine in the rearview mirror. “I forgot something.”

Neo sighed. “Hurry up or you’ll be walking.”

I knew he was bluffing but there was no point biting back. I slid from the car and hurried back into the house. I disarmed the alarm, then hurried to the console table by the door, praying my instinct was right and the gun was still there.

I opened the small drawer and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the handgun.

I didn’t know a lot about guns, but I knew they were personal, at least in our world. No man went around sharing his weapons, and the ones they carried were like trusted friends.

This was an extra, one kept by the door for emergencies, and I took the risk of an extra second to look under the console, unsurprised to find a bigger badder weapon attached to the underside of the table. My dad had kept one there too, and others around the house.

Just in case.

I straightened and stuffed the gun in my purse. At first it wouldn’t close, the gun too big for the clutch.

I removed my phone and stuck it in my coat pocket, then tried again.

This time the gun fit. Barely.

I breathed a sigh of relief and armed the alarm before heading back to the garage, my purse heavy with the weapon inside.

“Ready?” Rock said when I slid into the back seat.

I forced a smile. “Ready.”

I didn’t know if it was true, but one way or another, I was about to find out.

Chapter68

Willa

The dance was in full swing when we got there, the ballroom floor packed with bodies dancing to music spun by a DJ at one end of the room. The setup was familiar, complete with a full bar, but this time it had been decorated for Halloween, the walls covered with floor-to-ceiling canvases splattered with red paint to look like blood.

A fog machine or three funneled mist from somewhere in the room, giving the whole scene a hazy quality that would be perfect for my escape into the woods.

Neo scowled, then leaned over to say something to Oscar, and I wondered if he was thinking about how hard it was going to be to act as my prison warden with the fog swirling in the air.

The only downside was that I didn’t see Claire and hunting through the fog could take hours. I needed to meet up with the girls, do the whole wow-you-look-great thing, and get everybody onto the dance floor stat.

One thing I’d learned about the Kings — at least so far — was that they didn’t dance at these things. They were too busy in their role as jailers, or protectors, depending on how I was feeling about it at any given moment.

I scanned the room, hoping for a glimpse of Claire’s vibrant hair. I didn’t see her, but I landed on the bar, and if there was one thing I could be sure of, it was that one of the girls would end up at the bar sooner rather than later.

I pointed and mouthed the worddrinkto the Kings, not bothering to shout over the music.

They moved into formation like a squad of soldiers, Neo taking his usual position in front while Oscar and Rock stepped in behind me. I wondered if this was what celebrities felt like with all their security and if they ever had to plot an escape from their own team.

I got to the bar and ordered a Huckleberry Twist, which had become my drink of choice since coming to Aventine. I raised a questioning eyebrow at the Kings, and they ordered shots of whiskey.

I wasn’t surprised. It was hard to imagine the Kings, who were always wound so tight when they were on guard duty, nursing a cocktail.

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