“Yes, Ma’am. The car is waiting for you right outside.”
Lifting the skirt of my dress, I follow Arman’s lead and do my best to talk myself up. The amount of skin I’m showing tonight is a bit out of my comfort zone, though I can’t deny that I do feel especially beautiful. Catching my reflection in the car mirror, my mother’s words ring in my head.Beauty and a sharp mind are weapons that can be wielded just as lethally as a gun.I hope she was right, but even if she wasn’t, I had a gun tucked in my garter that I had no problems using.
_______
“Do you want more water?” Azula extends her arm, holding a water bottle in front of my face.
“If I drink any more, I’ll probably end up peeing myself.”
“Well, that’s one way to make this speech memorable.” She snickers as we glance back at the security cameras, taking in all the guests that have started arriving.
At least, I hope she’s keeping track of the other guests. My attention had remained fixated on only one man this entire time. “Declan’s been here for fifteen minutes and he’s already flirted with three girls here.”
I could only hope his distracted nature tonight meant hewasn’t going to try to poison me again. I suppose to him, getting rid of your enemy comes second to getting your dick wet. Or maybe he thought he could get away with both.
“Hmm, that’s interesting.” Azula grabs my attention, but when I turn, instead of seeing her stare at the screens, she’s looking right at me.
“What is?” I ask, placing my hands on my hips.
“The fact that you’re more worried about Declan talking to other women, and not the fact that he’s been plotting to kill you.” She smirks.
“Obviously, I am concerned about what he might have in store for me tonight. I just wanted to point out how blase he’s acting right now. It’s insulting. He’s not taking me seriously as a threat.” I click my tongue in irritation at Declan and the fact that I sound like a petulant child.
Azula raises an eyebrow. “Oh, is that what it is? Because for a moment there…you sounded almost jealous that you don’t have Declan’s full attention.”
Is she insane? “Jealous?! Are you serious right now? He tried to kill me.”
All I get is a shrug. “Don’t act like many of the bosses downstairs didn’t get their wives by either kidnapping them or threatening to kill their families. Plus, he’s super hot, and it seemed like you two connected in the garden. It wouldn’t be entirely out of the question that he changes his mind. Decide to go from your killer to a stalker after your own heart.”
Bingo. Now her fantasies made sense. “You’re reading dark romances again, aren’t you? Are we still into the masked men? Or are they stalkers now?”
“My current read features both. He wears a Jason Voorhees mask, secretly pays her bills, and fucks her brains out. Mask on. A girl can dream.” Azula lets out a dreamy sigh and laughsat whatever expression is on my face. “Hey, don’t knock it ‘till you try it.”
“I’m not here to kink shame. Whatever gets you going. I just don’t think your romance fantasy applies here.” I point between myself and the image of Declan on the screen.
The tall blonde model he’s talking to is an absolute bombshell and buying whatever he’s selling as she tilts her head back in laughter. No way anything he said was that funny. I’d been around him long enough to know. He gives her a soft smile that reveals a hint of a dimple, and excuses himself before heading in our direction.
“We should clear out. Looks like Aidan and Declan are on their way here.” I gather the train of my dress, exiting the security room with Azula in tow as we walk closer to the back of the stage.
Moving the curtain toward the side, I take in the hundreds of people filing in toward their seats at the dining tables, and my throat begins to tighten. Public speaking was never something I particularly enjoyed doing, though I’ve never felt anxiety quite like this. Giving a presentation in class pales in comparison to convincing some of the cruelest and lethal killers in the world to respect you. My fingers release the curtain and move to the gold necklace around my neck. A reminder that my parents were here with me in spirit, and that they raised me to be strong. They raised me to overcome every obstacle in my way. And that was exactly what I would do tonight. I just wish they would be able to see me do it.
The creaking sound of the stage door opening grabs my attention, bringing me back to the current moment. Aidan walks in first, his hands casually tucked into his pockets matching his tousled hair and the ‘too cool for school’ smirk he was rocking. He flashes me a wink, before stiffening as he takes in Azula. She waves at him, revealing her elongated and sharpenednails that practically look like claws. Knowing her, she probably could stab someone’s eyes out with those if she wanted.
Declan enters a moment later, eyes widening as he nearly stumbles on the flat ground in front of him. He manages to save himself but his eyes remain trained on my body, namely my decently exposed cleavage. A subtle red blush starts to form on his cheeks as he clears his throat and swallows. Hard.
“Zahra, you look incredible. No one will be able to take their eyes off you.” His voice comes out hoarse, like he was in desperate need of a drink. Azula hands him a bottle of water, which he chugs in a matter of seconds.
“Well, I figured everyone would be fixated on me regardless. May as well give them something to look at.” I attempt to sound lighthearted, but at this moment, all I can feel is a tightness in my stomach as Declan continues to look at me. A tightness combined with a slight heat. Maybe I should wrap one of the curtains around me….
One of the stage managers walks over toward us, frantically whispering into their headset while feverishly checking off the to-do list on their clipboard. “Declan, we're ready for you. The rest of you can also follow me.”
The Irishman shoots me a thumbs-up before being dragged through the curtains. Azula, Aidan, and I move into the wings as Declan introduces himself and begins his speech.
“On behalf of the McAlister and Ahzimi families, we would like to thank you all for being in attendance today. Though our families have experienced insurmountable tragedies in the last two months, I can speak for myself when I say I know that Naser Ahzimi would be so incredibly grateful for your generosity and commitment in continuing to attend his annual charity gala. Through your kind donations, we have raised over three million dollars to support mental health services foryouth of color in our city. As a token of my appreciation for all the Ahzimi’s have done to support our city, my family vows to match any donations made today.” Declan pauses to take a breath.
And my ridiculous heart flutters. He can’t be serious, can he? This has to all be a part of some long game he was playing to get closer to me before he drove a knife in my back…right?
I turn to Aidan, who leans over to me. “It was both of our ideas. There’s not a lot of good we can do in the world. But this was one thing we could do.”
