Knox looked us over with faint amusement. “Enjoying yourselves?” he asked mildly.
I chewed and swallowed, gesturing at him with the fork tines. “I’m going to try every single food they have, and gain twenty pounds in a single sitting.”
Gage smirked.
“I like the music,” Jez said. “There was an old man who used to play violin near the Flat Iron building sometimes. Do you remember him, Tony? He used to play things like this.”
“Yeah.” An odd kind of nostalgia tugged at me. “I do remember him. I wonder if he’s still around?”
“We could go look for him sometime,” Gage said. “If you wanted.”
Across the table, Heath tensed. His eyes widened for a moment at something behind me, before his face went cold and stony.
“Oh,hellno,” he said, and I had a moment’s panic that he was angry for some reason about what Gage had said. Then he added stiffly, “You might have mentioned that thefucking Vozzinaswere invited to this party, Knox.”
Knox followed his gaze, and despite myself, I craned around to look as well. Next to me, Jez went very still. I couldn’t tellwho they were looking at, since there were a bunch of people in a group.
“I wasn’t provided with a full guest list,” Knox said, bringing his attention back to Heath. “It isn’t a huge surprise, though. Is that the omega? Lorenzo’s new mate?”
“That’s Adrian,” Jez said tightly.
“Paolo,” Heath growled. “His real name is Paolo Vozzina.”
A cold feeling spread through my stomach. “The guy who kidnapped you and tried to kill Knox ishere? Should we leave? Or, I dunno... call the police or something?”
Knox raised an eyebrow. “He’s hardly going to attack us in the middle of a major society event. Let’s just say, I’ve already put legal wheels in motion when it comes to the Vozzinas.”
“You have?” Jez asked, her gaze flickering between Knox and the mystery omega behind me.
“I have,” he confirmed. “But the process has to happen in a somewhat roundabout way.”
Gage frowned. “Or else Jez’ll get dragged into the mess. Right.”
Heath had been gripping the edge of the table in such a way that suggested it might crack beneath the strain at any moment. At that, he pushed his chair away and stood up.
“I need some air,” he said.
On the stage, the emcee tapped her mic and began talking about the awards that would be handed out tonight to various businessmen, including Knox.
“Heath—” Knox began.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to wring his scrawny neck,” Heath said in a low monotone. “But I’m also not sitting here while that little snake and his alpha sugar daddy simper to the crowd.”
With that, he spun and stalked off.
I started to stand up as well. “I can go after him—”
But Jez raised a hand. “It’s okay, Tony. I’ll go. You’re enjoying this. So, keep enjoying it. I’ll talk to him.”
“You sure, kitten?” Gage asked.
Jez nodded. “Yes. Believe it or not, we don’t do too badly together, when it’s just him and me.”
“I don’t see any sign of Lorenzo,” Knox told her. “I don’t think he’s here... and even if he was, I sincerely doubt either he or Paolo would recognize you in that dress unless they got within scenting range. Even so, stay aware of your surroundings.”
“Right,” Jez said, tapping the side of her nose. “Remind the street kid to watch out for danger in unfamiliar surroundings. Got it.”
She headed after Heath, and I sank back into my chair.
