Her laugh bubbles up, soft and throaty."You're ridiculous."
"Strategic," I remind her, enjoying her amusement more than I should.
We approach the main entrance, where a stern-faced security guard checks our names against the guest list.
Inside, MacTavish's home is a cathedral to wealth.
Soaring ceilings, priceless art, and enough rare antiques to fill a museum.
Duncan himself appears almost immediately, materializing from a cluster of tech executives with the predatory timing that's made him a fortune.
"Abernathy," he booms, clapping me on the shoulder with aristocratic familiarity."And Ms.Peters.What a delight."His accent thickens dramatically for effect."I wasn't certain you'd brave the lion's den."
"Lions are just cats with volume control issues," Karina replies smoothly."And I've always been fond of cats."
Duncan's bushy eyebrows rise."Sharp tongue.No wonder you've kept her around despite the...unpleasantness."
I feel Karina stiffen beside me but before either of us can respond, a commotion near the bar pulls Duncan's attention.
"Ah," he says, eyes glittering."Speaking of unpleasantness.Look who's returned from his Nordic sabbatical."
I follow his gaze, and the bottom drops out of my stomach.
Standing by the bar, champagne flute in hand and looking inappropriately relaxed for someone who committed felony embezzlement, is my brother Richard.
Beside him, a willowy blonde decked in what appears to be hand-knitted couture nods enthusiastically at whatever he's saying.
"Did you know?"Karina whispers, her fingers digging into my arm.
"No," I answer honestly, anger rising like bile."But I'm about to find out what the hell he's doing here."
Richard hasn't noticed us yet.
He's laughing, gesturing with his free hand, the picture of carefree privilege.
The blonde—presumably Anka the knitter—gazes at him adoringly, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she's attached herself to a corporate criminal.
My blood pressure spikes.
After everything he's done…
The embezzlement.The chaos he left behind.
The pain he caused Karina—he has the audacity to show up at our primary competitor's gathering, looking like he doesn't have a care in the world.
And that's when his eyes meet mine across the crowded room.
His smile freezes for a split second before transforming into something calculated and smug.
He raises his champagne glass in a mock toast.
"Callum," Karina murmurs, her voice tight with tension."This is a trap."
I nod grimly."And we just walked straight into it."
15
THE KILT HITS THE FAN
