Still, I’m worried that a key part of our non-attendance tonight involved us thumbing our nose at Cillian’s fiancée’s family by coming to their club instead– even if we are accompanied, as always, by Rose’s bodyguard. Well, not in the bathroom but he’s in the club somewhere, most likely near the door waiting for us to finish up in here.
The Hunters are rich. Crazy rich. They’re very traditional, not to mention paranoid. But?—
I catch a glimpse of movement behind me in the mirror, turning when I can’t see what caused it. But there’s nothing. I look back in the mirror and see a shadowy figure staring at me from the far corner of the room. I turn because it sort of reminds me of Vittoria, then huff out a breath when I see there’s no one there. She’s at her engagement dinner, not hanging around here. I knew I shouldn’t have drunk that bottle of Stox earlier. It’s been all over the news recently; apparently, it’s causing people to hallucinate more than usual. It’s a craft beer brewed rather ironically by monks living in a monastery on the edge of the Highlands. I check the mirror again, and the figure is back, but disappears before I can work out who it actually is. I shiver, cursing the Stox and wishing we were anywhere but here.
‘Maybe we should go home?’ I mutter when I notice the woman beside me staring at my reflection. I give her a half-smile but she frowns, shaking her head and muttering as she pushes away from the sink and heads for the door.
‘Absolutely not!’ Rose insists. ‘We’ve got the whole night to ourselves, avoiding the most boring dinner party in the world where I’d have to pretend to like that bitch who’s got her claws into my brother. So, no.’ She turns to face me and gives me a hug, our skin clammy where we touch. I push her away and smile. Even if I’d rather be anywhere else, I certainly don’t regret the company. It’s worth the risk of being caught. I suppress thoughts of facing her brother’s wrath.
I frown at her, then pull the thin straps of the sequinned dress I’m wearing back into place and attempt to tug the hem down. I knew I shouldn’t have let Rose persuade me to borrow it from her. It’s way more revealing than anything I own– including most of my underwear. Something that doesn’t seem to concern Rose, ever. Well, they do say that opposites attract.
The dress is cut much lower at the front than anything in my wardrobe and I notice my necklace has twisted around. I flip it back so that the stone is nestled in my cleavage, which one of Rose’s push-up bras has significantly enhanced this evening. It’s warm to my touch, flickering in the light that briefly illuminates the dingy bathroom when another three women squeeze inside.
My mum gave me it years ago, a family heirloom, she’d told me– a plain gold oval with the central deep red heart-shaped stone garnet– a constant reminder of her love for me. I brush away the pang. Almost four years have passed, and I still think about my parents every single day. I squeeze the necklace briefly in my fingers and— What was that? I peer into the corner of the room and there’s a door with four empty screw-holes where a sign presumably used to be. It’s ajar, the opening deep in shadow, but I’m sure there was movement inside just a second ago.
‘We’re safe, don’t worry,’ Rose assures me. ‘The Rialis own this place and I’m sure thelovelyVittoria isn’t going to let anything happen to us. My brother would not be happy, and she wouldn’t do anything to jeopardise her chances of him fucking her. Or marrying her. She’s very keen on that. It’s the closest she’s going to get to being queen. Can you imagine what their kids will be like?’
Queen? I sigh at Rose’s hyperbole. She often exaggerates when she’s been drinking. My cheeks heat at the image of Cillian that flashes into my mind. I can certainly picture him as a king. He’s older than us, thirty to our twenty-two, and he’s been the subject of almost every single one of my fantasies since the day I laid eyes on him when Rose and I were first-year law students.
Now we’ve graduated, and in the autumn we’ll start our professional training, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t shake my ridiculous crush. Is it still a crush when you’re carrying so much guilt that you can barely utter his name? At least it’s been an easy secret to keep. After all, what would a man like Cillian ever see in a girl like me? He’s made that very clear.
God, I was so stupid… I really thought… My cheeks heat even after all this time. Ever since that day after my parents’ funeral, when he made it clear that he was choosing Vittoria and not me, I’ve avoided him whenever possible. But he’d been so kind when they died and I’d thought… I’d thought he cared. That I wasn’t imagining things. Cillian’s such a mess of contradictions, though. Like the first time I went to a party at Cernunnos, their house, and he kissed me then left me alone in his room, feeling awkward and confused. And I know he told other guys to stay away from me, but I don’t even know why– it’s not like he wants me.
All he’s ever seen me as is Rose’s naïve friend. I’ve heard Vittoria talk about me behind my back, her vindictive nature coming through. She’s definitely not a girl’s girl. Now, when I’m around him, I struggle to work out how to actually speak, never mind what to say. It’s ridiculous. I shiver and consciously stop rubbing my thighs together.
Rose smirks at me. ‘Come on, let’s go to the VIP section.’ She grabs my hand and leads me around the dancefloor to where two broad security guards, dressed in all black, smile at her and lift the red velvet cord to allow us to pass into the exclusive area.
‘I thought you and Vittoria hated each other?’ I whisper as we take the only two empty spaces at the bar, either side of a barely dressed blonde who downs a shot then picks up a large glass of red wine and slides out from between us.
‘We do, but she’s not going to risk anything happening to me in one of her family’s clubs.’
‘She won’t even be here tonight, will she? I mean, it’s their engagement dinner so presumably they will be going… somewhere afterwards?’
Rose pats me on the shoulder. ‘I’m pretty sure I can guess what their plans are afterwards, but we’re safe here. Look, Sean’s right there.’
Everything about this club just feels off. It’s gritty but not in a fun way. The bouncers barely glanced at our ID, and I wonder if the dusting of white powder on the edge of the bar in front of me might be worth a small fortune.
‘I thought you said her family was crazy?’ I say, strongly suspecting that in this case, crazy actually means criminal.
‘Oh, they are. You know how totally fucked up my family is, but Vittoria’s? They’re next level. Like “mess with us and you die” crazy. Losing Chris…’ She trails off. Four years ago, there had been a string of unexpected deaths, and we tried not to remind each other about them. My parents. Vittoria’s younger brother, Christopher Riali. And Matt Muir– Rose’s boyfriend and Chris’s best friend. I never really knew what had happened, too lost in my own grief to really care as much as I should have. Something I regret now. But Rose refuses to talk about any of it. Her way of dealing with emotion is to pretend it simply doesn’t exist.
‘But this is business. Family business. They won’t jeopardise that,’ she says, attracting the barman’s attention rather expertly for someone who has drunk as much as she has tonight. Not that I’m judging or anything. I’ve had more than I usually do, but I’d like to think I’m pacing myself. ‘Rose,’ I say wearily when she orders a couple of shots and two bottles of Stox.
‘Oh, come on, Niamh. Take a walk on the wild side for once.’
We turn in our seats, leaning back against the bar and observing the various other occupants of the VIP section. Most of the men are in expensive suits, which reminds me of something she said.
‘Their marriage is… what… business? But?—’
‘Oh, come on,’ she scoffs, making a face at me. ‘You don’t actually believe they’re in love, do you?’
‘I can’t say I’ve given it much thought.’Liar. I’ve given it a lot of thought. ‘But why would they be together if they don’t love each other? It’s been years.’
The look of pity Rose gives me makes me wonder if I’ve hidden my crush as well as I thought. She can’t possibly know, though… can she? I swallow my shot and take a long draught of the Stox. This will definitely be the last alcohol I drink tonight.
‘Cillian is young to… to be in sole charge of all our business interests,’ she says, her gaze on a group of three guys in the far corner who are glancing over at us occasionally, too. I groan inwardly. ‘And it’s not been easy for the Rialis since Chris’s death. Vittoria can’t inherit his businesses. Mostly misogynistic crap, but that’s Vincenzo and his associates for you. And Vittoria is furious. Marrying Cillian is the only way to have any say in the future of everything her family has worked for.’
Rose grins as something brushes against my legs. I freeze, slowly looking down into a pair of sparkling black eyes, which disappear as soon as I see them. Bloody Stox. We should really go home soon.
