“Well, this won’t do,” the strange man says as he picks up her name card. He grasps Teagan’s hand, and they walk to the other side of the table. He must find his card because he smirks over at Teagan and swaps her card with whoever was supposed to sit next to him before pulling her new seat out for her.
He glances up at us from across the table. “Mind putting this one there?” he asks Lee while handing the card out to him.
Lee stands and grabs the card, his eyebrows narrow as he reads the name. Lee introduces himself to the stranger before nodding at me. “This is my wife, Capri.”
Teagan’s friend shakes my husband’s hand with a grin. “Quinn Gibson. Pleasure to meet you both.”
Teagan stays quiet and refuses to meet my eyes. I don’t blame her, not after the secret I kept. However, I am surprised to see her trusting this strange man so quickly. Teagan has never been one for making rash decisions. Both Lee and Quinn sit back in their seats before the muted conversations start up again around us.
“Babe, did you see this?” Lee hands me the card that Quinn gave him. My eyes widen when I read it.
Josh Marshall.
“What the hell is he doing here?” I hiss at Lee. “Do you think Teagan and Lexi know?”
Lee takes the card from me and puts it in the empty spot. “I have no idea. But I have a feeling this is going to end in bloodshed. Let’s make sure to lock our doors once this dinner is over.”
I stifle a giggle and remind myself that whatever happens between my friends, I still have the most fantastic man on my team. “Hey,” I whisper to Lee. “I love you. And I’m so sorry about earlier. I don’t know what came over me when I saw you standing there, safe and laughing. I’m just mortified.”
Lee brushes a kiss against my cheek. “And I love you. Always, my darling. The slap was just a little extra zest that our marriage was missing. Let’s agree to save that for the bedroom next time, yeah?”
If I didn’t love the man enough already, then he goes and says things like that. Things that make me swoon over him even more. I grab his thigh from under the table and give him a playful squeeze. “I can’t wait to have you all to myself later.”
Lexi takes her seat next to Lee before he can respond. “I’m starving. I hope they serve this crap quickly,” Lexi says as she glares over at Teagan and Quinn. “I can’t wait to be back in my room and far away fromher. Not too thrilled to be next to this one, though.” She nods at Lochlan, who flashes her a lopsided grin.
“Lexi!” I berate her, giving Lochlan a quick apology for her rudeness. “You don’t get to play the victim here! What happened to trying to fix things with Teagan?”
Her smile is nothing short of pure evil. “I’ve decided I don’t want to fix things.”
Before I can question her further, the color drains from her face. I shift my gaze to where she’s looking, and my eyes stop on Josh. He’s standing in the doorway, hands balled tightly into fists at his sides as he stares across the room at Teagan and Quinn. They’re laughing at some shared whisper between the two of them. I’m not sure Teagan knows that he’s here or if she’s playing up the fact that she’s happy to spite him and Lexi.
I grab Lee’s hand and squeeze hard in anticipation of the full-blown war we’re all about to experience. Someone taps their knife on a glass to silence us.
“Mr. Marshall. Please find your seat so we can get started,” Henry commands loudly over the now silent dining room.
Teagan’s head snaps up at the mention of Josh’s name. She pales as her jaw drops open. It’s clear she had no idea he was coming, either. Quinn looks back and forth between them before placing his hand over Teagan’s. I can’t tell if he’s being protective or staking his claim. Josh’s eyes blaze with fury as he watches them, then he stomps to his seat, throwing it back angrily and sitting down with a loud scoff.
“Mr. Pierce will be joining us momentarily,” Henry continues, flashing Josh a look of annoyance after he finally settles in his chair.
As if summoned, the doors on the opposite side of the room open with a flourish. “Hello, my dearest friends, I’m so honored to have you here in my home.”
Pierce isn’t exactly what I was expecting. He’s all smiles as he waves at the lot of us. I guess I didn’t expect the writer of my all-time favorite thriller novels to be this buoyant and approachable. I expected him to be creepier, I think. More serial killerish? Especially after subjecting the lot of us to cruel and unusual mind games before being allowed to sit at this table with him. I guess heisgiving off a bit of Patrick Bateman vibes with that megawatt smile and those subtle, crazy eyes he seems to have going on.
We’re all waiting with bated breath as he makes his way to the head of the table. Henry hands him a glass of red wine just as the rest of us are served plates of appetizers from the kitchen staff. It’s almost like a dance, how each staff member balances the silver trays and places one in front of each of us without making a sound.
“Please, eat! Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. We can all get to know each other over the next few days. Trust me, you all will get very much acquainted soon. So eat, my friends!” Pierce insists with a sly grin. He looks to be in his mid-forties. His dark hair is combed back neatly and complements his closely trimmed beard well. He has a distinguished look with sharp features and stunning blue eyes that don’t seem to miss a thing. Something about him looks familiar, but I can’t quite place it.
The room erupts with the sounds of utensils as we all dive into the first course. Henry announces that it’s a traditional Scottish summer salad, consisting of fresh greens picked straight from the garden, juicy tomatoes, and crunchy cucumbers, topped with feta cheese and served over roasted potatoes with thyme. It’s absolutely delicious, and I make a mental note to write down the recipe later if Henry is willing to share it.
Josh finishes his plate in record time before turning to me. “When did this happen?” he asks under his breath while glaring over at Teagan and Quinn.
I take another sip of the red wine and nearly choke on it when I notice Mr. Pierce looking right at me. “Mrs. Kim, isn’t it?” he asks me. The rest of the table turns eerily quiet.
Clearing my throat, I nod. “Yes, Mr. Pierce. You can call me Capri, though. Thank you for inviting us to your beautiful home.” My cheeks redden as he narrows his eyes at me, almost as if he’s enjoying a secret laugh to himself.
“Then I guess you can call me Atlas, since we’re to be good friends after this week is over,” he says with a teasing tone before turning to the rest of the guests. “Let’s all say our preferred names. No more of all this formality!” Atlas nods at the person to his left. “You can start.”
We all go around the table, saying our names and professions.
