Page 18 of The Wicked

Charming grimaced. “Did she just…?”

“Yup,” I whispered back.

“Yikes. This is like watching a car crash.”

My guts seized. He couldn’t have realised the effect his words would have on me, and I wasn’t about to explain. But he knew something was wrong.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine. Shhh.”

He kissed my temple.He kissed my freaking temple.I wasn’t sure whether to melt into his arms or slap him, but I did neither because Nico wasn’t done yet.

“I know exactly who you are, Ms. Baldwin. Which is why it’s easy for me to ban you from setting foot on this property again. We won’t accept any more event bookings from LKB, your spa membership is revoked, and you’re no longer welcome in the restaurant. And just in case you get any ideas about pretending to be your sister, I’m adding her name to the ‘persona non grata’ list too.”

“You…you can’t do that.”

“Yes, I can.”

“My family owns this town. Wearethis town.”

“Strange, I thought half of your family was in prison now.”

Lillian’s expression turned mutinous. “You’ll pay for this. You’d better watch your back.”

Nico took a step forward, crowding her space, and my poor dumb cousin paled a shade.

“Thanks for the warning. When you take your shot, you’d better not miss.” He leaned in closer, and I could barely hear his next words over the background noise. “Because I never do.” Nico straightened. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

If I hadn’t been wrapped up in Charming at that moment, I might have run after Nico Belinsky and kissed him. Wow. The twins were low-key obsessed with the aromatherapy hot-stone massages at the Peninsula—the spa had been rated ten out of ten byImaginemagazine—and now they’d probably have to drive to Portland to get their pampering fix. All hail King Karma.

“That was fun,” Charming said. “Maybe he could do my brother’s girlfriend next? She’s a pain in the ass.”

“Do you have to play chauffeur to her this evening too?”

“Thankfully no. Her father had a meeting in Coquille this evening, so he said he’d swing by afterward. Which means we can go back to the dance floor and celebrate Lillian Baldwin being blacklisted. Did I mention that a year ago, one of my buddies went on a blind date with her?”

“Please convey my deepest sympathy. How bad was it?”

“She talked about herself for two straight hours, then interrogated him about his family and finances. He told her his dad was a hospital administrator and his mom sold handicrafts.”

“Smart move.” Lillian would never date anyone whose father wasn’t either employed at C-suite level or independently wealthy. “What do his parents really do?”

“His dad is CEO of a hospital group, and his mom is a renowned sculptor.”

“Oops. Hey, maybe you could introduce me? I might need medical attention if Kayleigh finds out who took her phone.”

Again, I’d been joking, but Charming’s smile dropped. “Introduce you? No, I don’t think so.”

What was I thinking? Of course he wouldn’t set up his rich friend with a no-name party-crasher who revelled in others’ misfortune. And although it hurt to get a reminder of my shortcomings, his words broke the spell that had befallen me this evening. I stepped out of Charming’s arms.

“I’m going back inside.”

I didn’t bother to check whether he was following. And when I reached the ballroom, I forgot about him completely. Because Kayleigh was on the stage, microphone in hand, basking in the limelight as she made another speech. Hadn’t she learned from the last one?

“Okay, you lovely folks. It’s a little early, but we’re all sick of wearing these masks, aren’t we? Poor Elina’s barely taken a drink this evening. So why don’t we fast-forward to the good part?” Whoops and hollers came from the crowd, and my stomach plummeted through the floor, heading for the earth’s core. I barely heard the rest of the announcement because I was already hightailing it out of the ballroom. “Three, two, one… Masks off at midnight!”

It was barely eleven freaking thirty. Kayleigh couldn’t even respect time, the one constant in this messed-up dumpster fire of a world. I dashed across the terrace and around the corner, vaguely aware of shouts behind me. Was that…Charming? He was chasing me? Or had I attracted the attention of Nico’s security team? I turned to look, only to stumble and smack straight into a wall.

---