“I don’t mind talking about facts, what happened, what didn’t…” Ariella gathered up her things to carry them to the kitchen and set them up again on the island.“But I won’t get into the seedy stuff.”
“How good he was in bed?Penis size?Things like that?”
“Those for sure,” she said.“But I won’t be led into a conversation about the inappropriateness of it.The man’s not here to defend himself and I’m not rich enough to defend us if the Raiths come after me.”Which they would.“They’ve been looking for an excuse to tear me down for years.They’d have done it when Spence was alive if it didn’t mean tarnishing the Raith name.After he was gone, they asked me to sign a gag order.I wouldn’t.”
“Now he’s not around to be the one at fault, they can pin it all on you.”Roxie rubbed her arm as she sat on a stool.“I told you not to worry about money, didn’t I?If the Raiths want to fight—”
“We’ll take it to them,” Cam said, fixated on her.
“Well, would you look at that,” Roxie said, beaming.“Calm Cam Collier can get worked up into a lather.”
“Ariella did nothing wrong.”
“I’m on your side, Collier.Your name is now my sister’s name.Is the name of my future godchildren.We will not be hoisted on our own petard.You screw up their name, I screw up you.”Roxie sighed.“Although there was a brief second you were almost the one at the altar with Jane, but that’s a story for another time.”
How did that happen?Cam’s confusion matched hers.And there was that look again.
“You’re doing it again,” Cam said.
Roxie tried innocence.“I’m doing nothing.”
“You’re looking at me like that.”
“I’m not looking at you like anything.”Roxie sucked a breath through her teeth.“Questions.Questions.”She tossed her hair back.“Greg!I need questions!”
The Hatfield guy she’d met at Crimson entered at exactly that moment.“We’re doing this downstairs?”he asked.
“Yes, downstairs—”
“Downstairs?”Panic infused her as a couple of guys went down there with… stuff.“You can’t—no one—”
“It’s okay,” Cam said, pushing a plate across to her.“They’re doing it in the gym.That’s the easiest space to move shit around without getting in the way.”
Good, Cam approved.Roxie played at entitled, but always respected others’ autonomy.
“We’ll do questions with Hatfield today.We’ll go shopping—”
“Shopping?”
“Gets us out in the street for Roxiverse.Glam.On the spot stuff that couldn’t be further from on the spot.Then it’s off to Crimson for—”
“I don’t know if a night out is a good idea.”
“A night out is basically mandatory,” Roxie said and turned sly.“But as you and Cam know, leaving is at each partiers own discretion.”
“What does that mean?”
Cam pushed another plate to Roxie.“Means we can leave whenever we want.”
“Like you did the last time you were in Crimson together for all of four point five seconds, mm?”
“Why would we go to Crimson just to leave again?”
Cam’s motivation for last night aside.If they were together, there was no need to go to Crimson to meet up.
“It’s all in the edit,” Cam said.“You show up, move around the room.Appear to talk to one group or another.Drink in your hand.Dance.It only takes a few minutes to piece together what looks like a full night out.”
Roxie backed him up.“Mess your hair a little, rouge those cheeks with a tweak or two.The level of liquid in your glass goes up and down—could be vodka, tequila, maybe it’s water.Who knows?Who cares?The music switches before the track is finished.People move around.Mix it up.It’s opera, without the Italian… Although I can get you an Italian, if you want one.”
