Black silk that clings to every curve, a neckline that's just shy of scandalous, a slit up the thigh that will make movement easy if things go sideways.
"You look dangerous," Talia says, fastening the clasp at my neck. "And fucking hot." She's already dressed in a deep emerald gown that complements her rich olive skin tone, compliments of her Delano ancestry. "That's good. You need to look like someone they want to fuck but not fuck with. That's a woman's superpower in this place."
"I just hope I'm not dressing for my own funeral,” I quip.
"No more talk of death. My brother doesn't die, he destroys. You're dressing for war. There's a difference." She pulls a large item out of her oversized Birkin handbag. "Your mother owned some stunning pieces, but I brought you some things I think you should wear instead, compliments of John the jeweler."
Talia reveals a two-drawer velvet jewelry case. The first drawer houses a pair of tasteful diamond clip-on earrings that are actually recording devices. "These will capture everything within a fifteen-foot radius."
“Really? Wow."
Then she opens the second drawer and reveals a dramatic Y-shaped diamond-and-emerald necklace. A single teardrop-shaped emerald falls between my cleavage.
“Is this real?" I ask.
"This was a last-minute job for John, so he had to use lab-grown stones, but the metal is genuine platinum."
"I don't understand how you even thought of creating something like this."
“I’ve had to spy on a few clients in my day. Delanos fight dirty, so John is my guy who can make sophisticated hybrid pieces of stones and tech.”
“Impressive.”
“Honestly, it's something a kid could do if he ordered the right stuff from Amazon and had a week to figure it out, but I’m glad you like them. I know they weren’t part of your outfit plan, but you can wear your Mom’s jewelry at your next gala.” Talia smiles. “One not so dangerous.”
“Thank you.” I take another moment to admire the piece in the mirror. It's gorgeous, especially with the dress.
"The necklace has a panic button. Press the clasp three times fast, and both Blake and I get an alert. And these—" She holds up black stilettos. "Are mine tonight. I wish I could have had some made for you, but it was too short notice. The left heel has a blade. Twist counterclockwise and pull. The right has a GPS tracker that can't be disabled without destroying the shoe itself.”
“Wow, I once joked to myself that you and your brother were like superheroes, but now I realize that was no exaggeration. You came prepared."
"I've been preparing for a clusterfuck like this since I was sixteen and realized my family was built on blood money and lies." Talia's expression hardens. "I just never thought I'd be doing it side-by-side with Blake.”
“Why not? He’s probably the best person to have by your side when shit hits the fan.”
“Puh-lease,” she uses an exaggerated tone. “He’s left me alone in Wintervale three times, you know.” She counts them down on her fingers. “First, he went to college. Then he went to work for Silas. And finally, he did some defiant shit against Silas and had to leave town, leaving me alone yet again."
"But he came back, Talia. He always came back.”
“Not for me."
“Your brother adores you.”
"He might, but I'm not the reason why he came home, and I'm definitely not the reason why he's staying." She studies me in the mirror, and there's something like approval in her eyes. "You're good for him, Peyton. You challenge him in a way no other woman would dare to. You make him want things out of life. He’s staying because you’re here. Period.”
"He's good for me too," I admit. "He doesn't want or need a female prop on his arm, and he doesn’t see me as an obedient political ally. He simply sees me."
"That's just how Delano men love: intensely, possessively, with the kind of devotion that would be romantic if it wasn't fucking terrifying."
“I didn’t mean love.”
“But it’s love nonetheless.” She adjusts my necklace, checks the fit. “I know it when I see it. My father was the same way with my mother. Right up until the family business killed him, and she drank herself to death trying to forget."
The casual way she delivers this information is almost worse than the content, like tragedy is just another Wintervale family trait, inherited along with money and moral corruption.
"I thought your mother left you all. Left Wintervale. I didn’t realize it was because of grief.”
"She did leave us, and then she died. That woman knew how to do abandonment so right she did it twice.”
