Page 66 of Shadows and Whispers

“Why are you angry? I didn’t know you were in the middle of a business deal with him.”

He cut his eyes my way and shook his head. “You could do better, Cress. Why do you always sell yourself short?”

“Betterlike the man I’m currently engaged to?” I was wrong. Wasn’t sure why but I had no idea what the hell had just happened with Elias. It was as if the man I knew was somehow transformed into one I couldn’t recognize. This wasn’t like the altercation with Shilo. Even then, it was more about Elias defending me but tonight, things felt off. Like he wasn’t himself.

“Yeah well. I’m beginning to wonder if I made the wrong call with this,” he muttered and I glanced at my phone just in time to catch a text from Jona.

She left not long before things got crazy, hurrying to the airport with a flight to catch from plans she made before the engagement party. One week in Maldives. She was flying home for the wedding and leaving the day after on her way to Bali.

“Jona is on the plane. She said she’ll let me know when she gets there.”

“One problem at a time, please.”

Christian wasn’t onboard with Jona’s new found desire to travel the world alone but there wasn’t much he could do to stop our baby sister that wouldn’t end in her shutting him out. He controlled most of the family’s portfolio, but not her trust which held enough for Jona to live a luxurious life for a very long time.

“Why is a lawyer with Allen? Is he already preparing to sue?”

“I’m sure he considered it but by the time Ez’s lawyers are done detailing how fiscally stupid that will be, he’ll cut his losses, accept whatever is offered, and if he’s smart stay the fuck away fromyou.”

Christian glared at me like this was somehow my fault.

“I didn’t ask him to come.”

“Did you bother telling him you were marrying another man?”

“No. I was going to but he was in Japan. I haven’t talked to him in weeks. That’s not how we work. It was just sex. Mutually consensual sex with no strings attached or promises of commitment.”

“Spare me please.”

“God, Chris. You’ve slept with half the female population in the city. Are you really judging me?”

“I’m not judging you, Cress. I don’t give a damn who you sleep with but I do care about being handed the intimate details of how you handle things.”

“Fine.”

I walked over to the bar and wrapped my hand around a bottle of bourbon not caring that they were working efficiently to pack everything away.

“Can I have a glass please?”

The guy stacking bottles of champagne in crates nodded, kneeling lower. When he was at his full height, he handed over a glass. I filled the bottom, tossed it back, and repeated the act.

“May I?” Ez motioned to the bottle and I extended it to him. He turned it up, not bothering to request a glass like I had.

“How did it go in there?”

He laughed arrogantly. “They’re stitching him up.”

“I was thinking more along the lines of whether or not I had to worry about my wedding being delayed because my future husband is about to be tied up in a lawsuit.”

Ezekiel eyed me in silent contemplation for a long moment. I couldn’t read him but when he opened his mouth I pieced together part of what the skeptical look was about. “You still plan on marrying my brother?”

I arched a brow. “Are you saying something’s changed and you no longer need me to?”

He exhaled a slow breath. “No, nothing has changed on my end. Wasn’t sure if it had on yours.” He placed the bottle on the bar and turned to me again. “What happened out there?”

“I really don’t know. Allen was disrespectful. He got exactly what he deserved but I really don’t think it was just that. Something happened to your brother. He was different.”

“Different how?”

---