Bria stared at him, the hurt flashing in her eyes quickly flaring up into annoyance and then outright anger. Not that he noticed. She sniffed, turned her back to him, and stormed over to Owen and me. The sharp crack-crack-crack-crack of her stilettos against the marble floor rang out above the music.
Bria stopped a passing waiter, downed a glass of champagne, and grabbed another one before coming over to us. Owen got waylaid by one of his business associates, so then it was just my sister and me, drinks in hand, watching Deirdre smile, bat her lashes, and entertain the growing crowd around her and Finn.
“The more I see of that woman, the less I like her,” Bria muttered. “It’s like she and Finn are joined at the hip. It’s getting on my last nerve.”
I scoffed. “You think it’s getting on your last nerve? You’re not the one who has to be a dear and fetch her iced teas and grilled cheese sandwiches until the cows come home. She and Finn had a three-hour lunch at the Pork Pit earlier today, which meant three whole hours of listening to her laugh and talk and simper and make an ass of herself and Finn. My face still hurts from smiling at all her stupid jokes.”
Bria snorted her agreement, her gaze never leaving the necklace around Deirdre’s throat.
“Did you ever figure out where you had seen her rune before?”
“Not yet,” she said. “I haven’t had much time to work on it the last few days, and last night I was busy with all of Mallory’s old photos. Thank you for giving them to me. I’ve only gone through about half of them, but it’s been really great, seeing Mom’s face again.”
As soon as I’d left Mallory and Lorelei’s mansion yesterday, I dropped the photos off at the police station for Bria, knowing how much she would enjoy them. I’d look through them later. Right now, I needed to focus on Mama Dee, not get all misty-eyed and maudlin about my own mother and my dim memories of her.
“I’d almost forgotten what Mom looked like.” Bria’s voice rasped with emotion. “I just wish I had a picture of Annabella too.”
I linked my arm through hers. “You’ll never forget Mom or Annabella, because you see them every time you look in the mirror. You’re the spitting image of both of them.” I winked. “Only prettier.”
A wry smile curved her lips. “Thanks, Gin.” She drew in a breath. “But I need to talk to you about the photos—”
“Bria! Honey! There you are!” Deirdre’s voice boomed through the rotunda, and she sashayed over to us. “I was wondering where you’d run off to.”
“I doubt that,” Bria muttered.
Deirdre turned her dazzling smile to me. “And Gin, so nice to see you tonight. You look lovely. Red really is your color.”
I smiled back, my eyes as cold and hard as hers were warm and soft. “You have no idea.”
Some other people came up to us, insisted that they just had to introduce Deirdre to their friends, and whisked her away. Since Mama Dee was otherwise occupied, Finn finally deigned to wander over and grace Bria and me with his presence. Still, all the while, he looked across the rotunda and beamed at Deirdre, proud of her splashy success.
“She really is something, isn’t she?” he crowed.
“Mmm.” Bria and I made the same noncommittal noise in unison.
Finn crooked his eyebrow at our less-than-enthusiastic response.
“The exhibit is impressive,” Bria admitted. “Especially when it comes to the security.”
She tipped her champagne flute at a giant standing guard at the back of the room. And he wasn’t the only one. More guards were stationed throughout the rotunda, along with an equal number of cops, not to mention the security cameras mounted on the walls that swiveled around and around, recording everyone here tonight.
“Mama Dee didn’t spare any expense,” Finn said, his voice warm with pride. “She knows that the exhibit is a potential target, and after what happened at the bank’s party, she’s determined to make sure nothing jeopardizes it. She’s promised everyone that their jewels will be safe.”
Of course the exhibit would be a target. This much jewelry in one place . . . it was like offering candy to Ashland’s criminals. I thought of Rodrigo Santos and the thief’s expertise in breaking into places like Briartop. But I just didn’t see how he or anyone else could get past all the cops and security guards, much less snatch the jewels and actually make off with them. It would be suicide to even try. Still, something about the whole situation nagged at me, like an itch between my shoulder blades that I couldn’t quite reach.
Finn kept prattling on about Deirdre, all the hard work she’d put into the exhibit, and how much money tonight’s event and subsequent ticket sales would raise for her charity foundation. I tuned him out.
Deirdre was now talking to some society ladies, and she gestured for Finn to come join them. He headed over to her without so much as a backward glance at Bria or me, leaving my sister to glare at his back.
“Have you talked to him?” I asked. “About how much ignoring you like this hurts?”
“I’ve thought about it.”