“You have?!” I blurt, instantly lowering my foot to the ground. Leaning forward, I glare at him. “So, what, it’s good enough to share them but not me?” I shoot daggers from my eyes as hurt slays me on the inside. Crossing my arms, I glare out the window at the dark landscape as it flashes by.
“Stop being so fucking sensitive.” Ares grips my chin, forcing my face to his. “None of them meant anything.You do.”
That helps a little. But only marginally. Now my head is filled with images of him fucking other women, and I’m consumed with jealous anger and frustration. I open my mouth to rip him a new one before clamping my lips shut again. I swore to myself I wouldn’t pressure him, and if I spew the thoughts currently in my head, it will come across like that.
WhenAres joins us, I want it to be his decision and his alone.
“You all have serious issues.” Baz smooths a hand down the front of his expensive suit jacket. Like his brother, he’s wearing a designer tux, and he looks hot. His rep on campus is no surprise, and I doubt he had to work hard for it. He only has to smile at a girl, and she drops her panties for him.
“Fuck you,” Jase and Ares say in unison. “Mind your own business,” Jase adds. His eyes narrow to slits as he eyeballs his brother. “What we do doesn’t concern you.”
Baz opens his mouth to retaliate, but Bree gets there first. “We’re here,” she says, looking out the other window as the car turns into a long, wide driveway. “It’s time to put our game faces on.”
* * *
Jase helps me into my silver faux fur coat before we emerge from where the limo is parked at the front of the extravagant Carter mansion. It’s a sweeping two-story redbrick building set on acres and acres of landscaped grounds. Stone steps lead up to the entrance, facing an ornate fountain. Partygoers are lined up on the steps and in front of the grand double doors, talking and laughing, and everyone appears to be in good spirits.
It’s hard to feel in the mood when I know Chad is being caged and tortured somewhere on the property. The desire to rampage is riding me hard, but I remind myself we have a plan, and we need to stick to it. Baz and Jase personally put the screws on Cleo’s guard, and whatever shit they are blackmailing him with must be good as he readily agreed to our demands.
“What if the guy double-crosses us?” I ask, licking my lips and squeezing my thighs when Ares climbs out of the limo behind Bree and Baz. Ares looks edible, and I’m salivating for a taste.
There was an almighty argument when Ares showed up in the kitchen wearing biker boots, jeans, a black shirt, and his battered leather jacket. He looked hot as fuck—like always—but Baz and Jase forced him into one of Jase’s suits, saying he would stick out like a sore thumb if he didn’t present at the party suitably attired.
I had to sweet-talk Ares into wearing it and I’m so glad I did. The fitted black suit hugs his ripped body in all the right places. It’s a little snug across the shoulders and biceps as Ares is a bit broader and more bulked up than Jase, but it only draws attention to his best assets. His dark hair is slicked back, and the scruff on his chin and cheeks has been trimmed to a stylish layer of stubble. With his piercings and the ink creeping up the side of his neck and out from under the cuffs on his hands, he is garnering more than his fair share of admiring glances.
Jase snaps his fingers in my face, pinning me with an amused expression. “You haven’t heard a word I’ve said, have you?”
“Nope.” I grin at him as I pull Ares in close, lacing my fingers in his, while snuggling into Jase’s side. Fuck what anyone thinks looking at us. “Can’t help a girl for zoning out in the face of such hotness.” I waggle my brows, and Jase chuckles.
“I was telling you we took the guy’s fiancée as insurance,” Jase explains. “He’ll toe the line.”
Nausea swims up my throat. “I hate that. We’re no better than Carter.”
“We didn’t exactly have a lot of time to plan this,” Ares says, looking equally uncomfortable.
“And she won’t come to any harm.” Jase looks around before pressing his mouth to my ear. “Even if he crosses us, we won’t hurt the woman. We aren’t like him.”
“Okay.” My tongue darts out, wetting my lips as I glance over at the large house. A shiver works its way through me, and I cling tighter to Jase, siphoning some of his warmth. “Are Rhett and that bitch here?”
“They won’t be here,” Baz says. “Knight has thrown this party the past three years, and the rents always make themselves scarce.”
“Cleo is at the building,” Jase says, showing me his phone. The screen displays an image of the underground of the building with several red dots. Some are moving, some are stationary.
“Are those people?”
“Yes. Our contact has helped us to identify every heat signature.” He points at a dot in the middle of the structure. “That’s Chad.” He drags the tip of his finger along the map. “And that’s our route to get him.” His cell pings, and an incoming message lights up the screen. His eyes scan over the text. “It’s break time.” Jase looks up and grins. “That gives us about an hour for the sleep sedative to work.”
The plan is for our contact to drug everyone but Chad. Then he’ll log into the security system and let Bree’s guy hack in. When we’re a few minutes away, he’ll disable all the cameras, wall-mounted keypads, and alarms so we can get in and out undetected. Our biggest issue is getting to the building at the far perimeter of the vast property. We intend to steal a few four-wheelers and hopefully use the cover of the forest that surrounds the vast estate on all sides to conceal our movements.
Baz is going to create a diversion at the house to distract the guards Carter has manning the house tonight. Hopefully, we can slip away unnoticed. It’s not without risk, but it’s the best our collective brains could come up with at such short notice.
“Come on,” Baz says. “Let’s not hang around outside and draw attention. We’ll join the party and mingle.”
Baz leads us up the steps, past the line, gesturing at the man at the door who is checking names off a clipboard. There’s no doubt the children of the Lust & Envy Luminary are known to all in our circles, which is why we are ushered inside with no issue.
Laughter, loud music, and a potent floral scent greets us when we step into the capacious entryway. Marble floors run the length of the space. Exquisite side tables housing enormous vases filled with flowers and antique lamps are dotted around the perimeter of the room. Ornate chandeliers hang overhead, raining glistening light down upon us. A sweeping staircase extends from one side of the hallway in a curve that leads to the upper level. Giant gold-framed and silver-framed mirrors compete with expensive paintings on the walls. Wide corridors exit both sides of the space, and the walls are adorned in a rich gold-patterned wallpaper and painted wood panels.
It’s a mix of old and new that meshes well. I’m guessing an interior designer worked on the house because I can’t see that depraved bitch having such good taste.
