Page 54 of Live To Tell

My father takes a glass of whiskey from the table and looks away. “How interesting that Christopher Sawyer never informed me Petrescu is still his attorney.”

“Sawyer’s aware you’re looking for Josef,” I say, and Dorian nods curtly. “Promise me Josef won’t walk away before you can catch him tonight.”

His eyes slide to mine. “I will deal with the situation appropriately.”

“Appropriate by whose standards?” I ask. “He needs stopping!”

Dorian blinks at me. “These outbursts are unlike you, Violet.”

I hold back together before I blurt the reason why—fear for Grayson’s safety.

“Where are your other friends?” interrupts Eloise.

“They left,” I say and press my lips together. “And I am not having outbursts.”

“Mmm,” says Dorian and drinks.

“As the man who loses his temper and kills people, I’d say your comment is rather hypocritical.”

“Violet!” says Eloise.

Someone taps on the mic at the dais and all attention turns to a smiling Sawyer and his beaming wife beside him. Mrs. Sawyer must’ve chosen his outfit, because the gold handkerchief artfully folded into his jacket’s breast pocket matches Mrs. Sawyer’s dress. He’s always well-groomed, but this doesn’t prevent the woman picking lint from his dark gray jacket or smoothing his tie—also gold.

“Complete overkill for a teenager’s birthday party,” comments Dorian.

“Kai surviving until his eighteenth birthday is both a celebration and miracle considering events of late,” I inform him, and Rowan nudges me hard. “What?”

“Keep your voice down, Violet.”

The room falls into hush in response to Sawyer’s call for attention—although I believe the hush from the group of kids at the table beside us could be due to my comment. I flash them a smile. Everybody knows I’m right about Kai’s life.

Rowan places his forearms on the table and leans across, voice lowered. “What if Josef attacks Kai?”

“And risk the consequences?” Dorian shakes his head. “No. Josef’s playing a longer game, remember? Let’s see what tonight’s move entails.”

“Violet. You need to remain in sight until the end of the event in case Josef hurts someone else in a similar manner to the witches’ attacks,” adds Eloise and sighs. “I knew tonight was a bad idea.”

“And you know that I have to suck up to the bloody humans thanks to supes killing people,” grumbles Dorian.

“Thank you all for joining us to celebrate my son’s eighteenth birthday,” announces Sawyer, his voice filling the room via unnecessary speakers. “A truly momentous occasion in his life.”

“I can think of others,” I mutter.

“Now, I did intend a little slideshow of Kai’s life, but Sarah informed me that was ‘cringe’.” He laughs heartily.

“Oh, good grief,” I say.

“Shush, Violet.”

I stare at the back of Rowan’s head. “Why do you always tell me to be quiet?”

“Somebody has to,” he replies, not looking around.

I’ve caught Sawyer’s attention, and he’s displeased. With an exaggerated sigh, I look the other way. The kids ushered in here by the Tweeds crowd tables towards the rear of the room, ready to beat a hasty retreat once they can. Hopefully things remain calm between Dorian and Josef and that hasty retreat isn’t a necessity.

A handful of other families sit around tables closer to the Sawyers, all human. Relatives? Friends? Witnesses to an upcoming crime? One woman with chin length black hair stares at me, so I hold her gaze until she’s disconcerted enough to look away.

“Today is also a momentous occasion for the family as my son will take on an important role in Sawyer Industries.” He beckons at Kai. “And I wanted everybody to witness and celebrate that too.”

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