Page 56 of Lochlan

CHAPTER25

RED BITCHES

KENZIE

Only half the squad is available during the holidays. I'm guessing that's why Poppy rented Café Vincenzo to hold court. Even in this small café, she's arranged a head table that faces the smaller seating.

The women are in their finery, but the usual group of minimally clad men who wait on us when we are at her mansion are not present. I'm relieved that I won't see Connell tonight. I haven't been back to the winery since I let him know I wasn't interested and we called off what almost happened between us.

I haven't received a schedule from Layla. I'm assuming that Lochlan has already told her I no longer work for MacTavish Cellars.

I'm feeling a little self-conscious with the rest of the club without Pru. Last night, I spoke to her. I was so desperate to hear her voice that I almost told her everything that happened between Lochlan and me. It would've been nice to hear her sage advice, but I stopped short, not wanting to add insult to injury.

Poppy is waving me to the head table, where she and Livi are seated. I hand someone from the restaurant my coat to hang up and shove my hand into my sweater pocket to make certain the letter is still in its place. The letter and the pictures Lochlan gave me will get me one step closer to the club, confirming that I'm one of them, and maybe convince Poppy that I should be her partner.

“Hi Poppy,” I say to a woman who is dressed in a tight red dress that sports sequins down the long sleeves. She has a sprig of green plastic holly behind one ear that she plucked from the table centerpiece. She looks like a spirit coming to show us Christmas future. Livi has chosen to wear ice blue, which sets off her blue eyes.

“Hello, Kenzie, you look fun dressed in winter white. It sets off your dark hair and eyes,” Poppy says.

“I don't know,” Livi says, studying us with a critical eye, “with your blonde hair, Poppy, I think white would have suited you more and the red for Kenzie. But I get that you're the crimson queen and you have to keep up appearances.”

I check to see if there's an empty wineglass in front of Livi. I've never heard her be so direct with Poppy, but then again, this is only the second time I've attended court.

Poppy claps her hands and tosses her head back. “I like honesty. I see we're going to have fun tonight. Kenzie, please take your seat beside me. We'll get to our business at the end of the dinner. Tell me what you've been doing during this short hiatus.”

Something appears odd. Not to say that Poppy is unfriendly—she is, but with an underlying of deviousness. Who else would be so creative with handing out challenges? Maybe it's the season because there's a lightheartedness that I've never seen before and it's also reflected in Livi.

We talk until the main course is over about the holiday and how we’re both eager to begin regular practices. We laugh and talk so long that I'd almost forgotten why we are really here. The dread begins when they clear away the dishes.

Poppy stands to address the small gathering. “Sisters, every time we come together, I want to show my appreciation for the hard work you all exhibit for the club. I know we aren't at the Novik mansion tonight, but I have arranged a little surprise with our dessert. I have ordered Café Vincenzo's excellent chocolate tiramisu and a little bubbly to go with it.” The women's eyes are bright, clapping in appreciation.

Poppy nods to a waiter at the far end of the restaurant and a stream of men with trays of chocolate cake and flutes of champagne appear. There are about six trailing in between the tables, and one of them is Connell.

Instead of a uniform of a black brief and red bow tie, they dressed the men in black pants and white shirts minus the sleeves to show off their impressive guns. The men serve the women at the café tables first, then three of them break ranks and walk to the head table. I recognize the bronze god who served Pru when we were at the mansion. He's now in front of the head table, sliding a piece of cake off his tray and placing a flute in front of Poppy. An equally gorgeous man with black hair in a shirt that is perhaps one size too small serves Livi. Connell comes to me, but this time he doesn't break his robotic stare. He stiffly places the dessert and champagne in front of me, bows slightly, and turns away.

Poppy leans toward me, keeping her voice to a whisper. “I remember how much you liked that one. Annabelle told me he's still available. I can ask her to have him wait until our meal is done. Here's your chance to meet him if you're still interested.”

I give Poppy a weak smile, not knowing what to say. Lochlan and I are in the past; he made that very clear. There's no reason I can't find out if Connell is willing to talk. If he'll listen, I can tell him what really happened. He might not have a great opinion of me after I tell him my story, but it won't be far-fetched after working for Poppy.

“I don't know, Poppy. Maybe it's better not to mix business with pleasure. I'm sure you're going to hire him again to wait for you at the mansion. I wouldn't want to jeopardize his job with you.”

Poppy waves a dismissive hand at me. “I wouldn't worry about that. If you see him or not, it doesn't matter. If he wants to continue working for me, I won't say no. Several of our sisters have expressed an interest in him, but I've kept him for you. If you're not interested, I'll tell them he's fair game. You don't need to tell me now; you can wait until we conclude our business.”

The six men wait sightlessly at the end of the room while the rest of us eat chocolate cake and consume champagne. I've lost my appetite. I stab at the dessert, pushing bits of that around my plate to make it look like I've actually eaten something. All the while I glance over at Connell, who refuses to catch my eye, or anyone's gaze. Poppy signals for the plates to be cleared. When the men have finished, they disappear into another part of the restaurant.

Poppy rises to her feet, smiling at women full of pasta and pleasantly buzzed from alcohol. They're alert and waiting for the main event.

“As you can see,” Poppy starts, making a sweeping motion towards the audience, “it's only our sisters in this room, as it should be when we conduct business. The period for the challenge has ended. In that time, we asked Livi to obtain proof that she slept with Douglas Foxton and Kenzie needs to have proof that she was with Lochlan MacTavish. As you remember, we did not specify what that proof should be, only that it should be convincing. We're here now to know if they have completed their missions. Who will go first?”

“I will,” Livi says, scrambling to her feet before I have a chance to respond. Livi appears to be swaying as she addresses the audience. She must have consumed a little more alcohol than usual.

“As Poppy said, my ah...” She pauses a moment to think. “Let's say the objective was Douglas Foxton. I was able to meet the challenge.”

There's enthusiastic clapping until Poppy speaks. “What do you have as proof, sister?”

“I have a short video on my phone,” she says, pulling it from her handbag and presenting it as an offering. Poppy cradles the phone in both hands as Livi presses a button. They're huddled too tightly for me to see the screen; all I can hear are two people laughing and music.

“Yes, that will do,” Poppy says, handing it back to her. “Please download it and give a copy to Annabelle to place in our archives, so all of our sisters can view it.”

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