We’re not out of the woods until her sister is dead and buried.
15
Noah
“Idon’t understand what we have to do ithere,” I complain as we slide out of the car and move along the red carpet toward the entrance of Vault.
“Because parties like this are the perfect places to gather secrets.” Claudia smiles, waving to the cameras that line either side of the carpet, snapping away at celebrities and their spoiled offspring. Stonehurst isthatkind of school. A long line of hopefuls from school who don’t have alumni connections wait at the door to the club, calling out to me and Gabe and Claws in the hope we’ll invite them to join our crew.
“Then why is Gabe with us? He can’t even keep his fly closed. No way is he good at secrets.”
“I’m here because you have the personality of a sledgehammer.” Gabe claps him on the shoulder. “This kind of work requires a little finesse.”
I punch Gabe in the shoulder. It’s meant to be a friendly tap, but I’ve been hanging out in the ring too much lately, and I send him sailing into velvet rope. Real fear flashes in Gabe’s eyes before he rights himself, smoothing down the lapels of his pinstriped suit and flashing me that shit-eating grin of his.
“I’m sorry, man.” I hold out my hand as the cameras snap merrily away. “Don’t know my own strength.”
Play it cool, Noah.
I’m on edge tonight. Jumpy, fueled by the knowledge of what we’ve come here to do. I’m liable to put someone through a wall instead of shaking their hands. Good thing Claudia clings to my arm, her sleek, don’t-fuck-with-me attitude keeping my simmering rage under wraps. For now.
After my uncouth display, I half-expect us to be turned around at the door, but of course we’re ushered right inside where a smug waiter takes our coats. We join the flow of eager college hopefuls and their parents as they swarm into the club. The stage has been dismantled to make way for round tables and some college displays.
The ceiling drips with strings of golden beads and crystal chandeliers, and everywhere I turn my head I see the glitter of gold and diamonds adorning blueblood necks and wrists and ears. A string band plays in the corner, their soporous music drowned out by the hum of networking and backhanded compliments.
“Who are all these people?” Claudia asks. “I see hardly anyone I recognize from school.”
“This party isn’t for us, it’s for our parents. It’s where the ultra-rich meet to grease the wheels of capitalism,” I murmur. My father has been dragging me to parties like this since I could walk – it’s in rooms like this that he makes the friends who’ve built his political career, and who he hopes will one day carry him to the White House. A waiter appears at our side, holding out a tray of drinks. I mean, we’ve obviously both under twenty-one, but who cares? The cops won’t be breaking up this party. I throw mine back as I search the crowd for my father. I see him in the corner, chatting to a hedge fund manager and a big-shot film producer, and Vincent Bloomberg.
“Who’s he’s talking to?” Claws asks.
“Members of the Eldritch Club. It’s one of those super-secret elite societies that control the world,” I explain. “Pretty much everyone in this room belongs to one of those, but the Eldritch Club is theworst. If I didn’t know better I’d assume they really did make human sacrifices to some cruel ancient god.”
We move deeper into the room, scanning the crowd for our intended target. A group of girls from cheerleading and their mothers stand around beside the Harvard display. I spy Daphne’s signature pink hair.
Target acquired.
We saunter on over, inserting ourselves into the group.
“Hi, Noah.” Brandy bats her eyelashes at me. Beside her, Daphne makes a disgusted face, probably out of loyalty to Cleo. “So good to see you. Isn’t it wonderful that your dad is helping those poor, innocent women start their new lives in America?”
“Oh, sure, Dad’s a saint,” I hiss through gritted teeth. Claudia digs her heel into my foot, reminding me in the most painful way possible that I need to pretend to like these people. “Are you ladies enjoying the party?”
“Yes, we—”
“Daphne, darling.” Her mother elbows her way into our conversation, the glint of a cougar in her eye as she sweeps her gaze over me. “You must introduce me to your friends.”
“Why don’t you just do it yourself, since you’re going to drool all over them anyway?”
“Daphne,please.” Her mother digs her talons into Daphne’s arm. “That’s no way to talk to your peers. No wonder Stanford turned you down. At this rate, I’ll have to beg Brandeis to take you, and I don’t know if we’ll ever live down the shame.”
“Fine,Mom.” Daphne glares at us, like it’s our fault she didn’t get into Stanford. “This is Noah Marlowe and Mackenzie Malloy.”
“Oh,Mackenzie,it’s so good to see you.” Mrs. Ballantyne forgets all about drooling over me as she latches on to the juiciest bit of gossip to have walked into the party. She leans in to kiss Claudia’s cheeks. “I used to be close to your parents, such a shame to hear they disappeared. Tell us, because we’re all justdyingto know, what have you been doing with yourself all these years?”
“I’ve been relaxing on a deserted island of the coast of Belize.” Claudia hugs my arm and flashes her Ice Queen glare. “Waiting for Noah Marlowe to come of age so I could snap him up.”
“And who is this delightful creature?” a very familiar British voice drawls. “Daphne, darling, where have you been hiding this ravishing woman?”
