Sitting up, I caught my wide eyes in the mirror. “This is the charity ball?” The idea of the murderous creature who had swung his ax and chopped up my happiness being here seemed... impossible.
This was a place full of smiles and laughs and, at worse, snobby rich people. He belonged among all of them as much as I did—which is to say, not at all.
Flooding with unease, I twisted to squint at Jacob doubtfully.
I found him staring right back at me.
He was relaxed—a sleeping lion. An animal that could jump up and tear someone to pieces. He was a hunter, but what was he hunting?
Swallowing, I said, “Jacob, are you sure this guy is going to be here?”
His shrug did not ease my nerves. “It's impossible to say. That's why we're looking.”
“It just doesn't seem like the kind of place a murderer would go.”
The two of them chuckled. Kite spoke first, teeth glinting in the bright lights we drove past. “Marina, think about what you just said.”
I already was. “There's a difference between you two and him,” I said sternly.
Jacob said, “Maybe. Don't assume you've seen every angle someone has to offer you. One day, they'll twist and expose another part of who they are. That side might shock you.”
It was cryptic advice. I longed to tear it apart and find the chunks of relevance. I wanted to understand Jacob and Kite more. If they had other facets, what were they?
I already knew the shadowed web they both hid from the public, what else could secret hitmen have in their closets?
The passenger door opened, a man in a white vest offering me a hand. I took it, letting the valet help me out of the car. He reached for my jacket, so I gave it up, but I clung to my purse, refusing to let it out of my sight.
Kite handed one of the men his keys. His hands flexed, veins taut. I got the impression he wasn't comfortable with someone else driving his Mercedes.
We all stood on the walkway, watching the car roll into the distance. “This way, please,” another man in a matching vest said. He waved us toward a set of glass doors. I could see the crowd milling inside.
Was my family's killer really in there?
“Well,” Kite whispered, tickling my left ear. “Let's go and have some fun.” His face was full of mischief, a hand gliding down to coil on my elbow. If I didn't start walking because of him, Jacob picked up the slack. That dark-haired man had his palm on the middle of my back, urging me into the building.
The three of us entered, and with two handsome men at my hips, I felt like some sort of ambassador—someone important that needed guarding.
Their hands were on me, their nearness suffocating me with their lovely scents. It would have been wonderful if I wasn't genuinely terrified of what was on their minds.
Jacob had laid it out so bluntly, pulling the curtain aside and saying, “This is what we want from you. Take us both, or you'll get nothing.”
Knowing that they wanted to sleep with me—fuck me—simultaneously... it was making my knees shake as I moved. I needed to focus.
Ignoring how Kite's fingers felt on my skin was a challenge, but I had to do it. And pretending Jacob and I hadn't kissed mere hours ago and he'd clearly wished for more? That was difficult to shove out of my head.
But I forced myself.
Because I had a murderer to find.
“It'll be easier if we split up,” I said. “I'll go over there, see if I recognize him in the crowd.”
Kite glanced down at me, then shared a look with Jacob. Something went unsaid, but they both released me.
The air between us was a canyon, it surprised me how much I noticed the distance. Had I gotten used to them being this close to me, somehow?
“Alright,” Kite said, adjusting his vest. It fit him tightly, enhanced the shape of his strong shoulders. “I'll wander around. Find me if anything happens, Marina. Got it?”
“Got it.” Sliding forward, I went to start scouting.
A hand closed on my wrist.
Jacob held me back, his grip light, but his stare as good as a vice. “If you need help, I'm here as well.”
The way my heart swam, I imagined it would get lost in the depths of my budding desire. Standing there, faced by both of their concerned expressions, I wished being angry was easier.
Being angry was simple.
Dwelling on their hunger for me was not.
I touched his arm, pulling away gently but firmly. “Relax. I'll be fine. I'm going to do what you guys said, I won't cause any trouble.”
They nodded, smiling as I turned away.
It was good they believed me. It was better for all of us to think I was tamed.
I had no plans to avoid that damn monster. If I saw him, if his face appeared in the crowd?
I would cause all the trouble in the world.
****
An hour.
That was how long I spent wandering the building. It was a lovely place, all white marble and golden lamps and colorful art on the walls. Outside there were gardens, lit as if by fireflies on strings of tiny lights. There was food, and drink, and fuzzy music. It was an event built to solidify good moods.