My eyes immediately dart in that direction, and I see an older man slap a younger man across the back. “You did a great job with this event.”
The younger man doesn’t smile. His mask is similar to mine, the top half of his face covered. Artur. The oldest of the three Krolik brothers. I study him from a distance. His stance, his broad shoulders, and sternly set mouth. He speaks with quiet authority. It’s hard to work out what type of person he is, because from here, he just looks like I’d expect any of these other assholes to.
“What are you plotting?” I whisper to myself as I lean against the bar, watching him. I’ve got all night. And I imagine that the first few hours are just going to involve a ton of people greeting and sucking up to him.
The new kid in town. A lot of money and a lot to live up to.
Those who knew andlikedhis uncle—not that I can imagine anyone genuinely liking that asshole—will want and expect Artur to be the same.
Those who had shit with his uncle won’t want Artur to be anything like Boris.
I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.
Glancing around, I overhear a horribly familiar voice. Someone I’ve dealt with in the past, although I wish I’d never met. He was hired to take out my oldest brother, and I intercepted the deal and renegotiated in our favor. He’s the leader of a well-known assassin family. Dimitri Smirnov.
There’s only really one reason you’d want to interact with a family of assassins.
Could Artur be planning to use them to attack us? I have to get closer and see what I can find out.
Pushing away from the bar, I head deeper into the crowd, closer to Artur.
“Oh my word, I’m so sorry,” she blurts out as she bumps into me, and I almost spill my champagne all over her.
I chuckle. “It’s okay, you wouldn’t get the brunt of it,” I tease, but when she looks up at me, the sight of her steals my breath away.
Even behind her red lace mask, I can see she’s beautiful. But notjustbeautiful. She’s otherworldly.
Her eyes are narrowed, her mouth pulled tight, and her shoulders tense.
“Are you okay?” I ask, gently reaching out to her and brushing my hand down her arm. “Did something happen?” My voice is tight now. She looks panicked. Scared.
“No, um, I’m okay. I just….” she glances over her shoulder nervously.
“Come on,” I slip my arm around her waist and guide her away from the crowded space to the side of the room. It’s quieter and calmer here.
“Hang out with me for a minute and clear your head,” I suggest. “These parties can definitely get overwhelming.”
She tilts her head to the side and lets her eyes wander over me. The slightest smile touches her lips. “I suppose you think this is a smooth move?”
“A what?”
“I’m not interested,” she says pointedly. “You and every other man in here can literally—”
A low laugh rumbles through me, interrupting her. “Darling, honestly—I mean, you’re gorgeous, anyone can see that. But this is the last place on earth I’d come to pick up a woman.”
“Is that so?” she asks, curiosity spiking. She looks less stressed now.
“Especially a masked ball. How would I know who is who? A person could really get themselves into trouble here.” I grin at her, and her lips curl up at the corners into a radiant smile. Fuck. She’s gorgeous. And I am flirting.
“A person reallycouldget into trouble here,” she agrees with a light giggle.Oh. She’s flirting, too.My eyes graze over her. The red dress, adorned with crystals, accentuates each perfect curve of her body. A slit that runs from the ground up her thigh, reaching her hip and teasing my imagination.
I clench my jaw, reminding myself that I’m here to gather intel, not to pick up strangers, no matter how much electricity I feel sparking between us. But the reminder is lost somewhere in the back of my mind when she licks her lips, and those gorgeous blue-green eyes, ocean-like and enticing, look right up at me. She has a feline quality. Elegant, mysterious, bold, and teasing.
“What’s your name?” I ask, knowing I should leave, knowing I came here for different reasons. But she’s captured me with that intense gaze. A thousand stories could be written in those eyes.
“Kat. And yours? I thoughteveryonekneweveryonehere? The who’s who of the city,” she huffs sarcastically, glancing around the room with a bitter expression.
“You aren’t enjoying the party, Kat?” I laugh.
