I was just about to ask what message Lisa would be delivering when Reed’s cell phone started ringing. He raised a finger to excuse himself and then went to answer it.
Suddenly nervous, I shifted from one foot to the other and glanced behind him. Harper and Molly were with Hudson beside the top table, where Jasper and his father were now standing. I couldn’t see Phoenix.
Some people had taken their seats or were at the bar, but the majority were congregated in groups around the room.
As Reed ended the call and put his phone away, his expression was determined.
“Your father and brother are on their way down,” he explained, lacing his fingers through mine. It felt amazing to be holding his hand again as I clutched him tightly.
“So?” I rasped as he drew me to his side and started making his way through the throngs of guests.
“So, it’s showtime, baby.”
EIGHTEEN
STORM
My heart was in my throat as I allowed Reed to lead me across the ballroom towards the opposite side of the dance floor.
Jasper and his father were standing in front of the top table, talking to two other men I didn’t recognize. They were in business dress, and so I assumed they were associates of the firm.
Phoenix had now joined Harper, Molly, and Hudson, and they were still standing in a separate group, their drinks resting on the top table just behind them.
Both Molly and Harper waved across the room as they spotted us, alerting the boys that we were there. Nix glanced over his shoulder, and Hudson just stood there wearing his signature bone-chilling scowl. Even dressed in a tux, he looked like he’d just finished dismembering a body. We’d been best friends at school, and he had always been so full of rage. I did one of my college psychology projects on him, and it had terrified the life out of me: like a powder keg of rage. He’d had a hard life and didn’t mesh well with others. And yet, there wasn’t a line he wouldn’t cross for his girlfriend. Hudson would burn the world down for Molly.
And Reed would do the same for you if you would let him.
Reed’s hands tightened around my fingers, drawing back my attention. We had to thread our way in and out of numerous guests who were standing around socialising: clearly oblivious to the shit storm that was approaching. From the way Reed batted off those who attempted to stop us for chit-chat and the determination on his face, he was going to confront Jasper. But about what?
My heart thrashed against my chest.
I attempted to slow him down, babbling about not making a scene, but he wasn’t listening. And then I realized, the time to tell him about Jasper spiking his drink was quickly slipping away.
“Stop, please. I have something to tell you,” I panted.
Thankfully, Reed slowed down and turned to face me. “What? Can’t it wait?”
“No, it can’t wait. Before you go and do whatever it is you guys have planned, Jasper is responsible for messing up your face. He told me so at dinner that day. He hired some thugs to do a number on you.”
His brow scrunched, almost like he was embarrassed. “I know.”
All my nerve endings jolted. “What do you mean you know?”
“I knew he’d sent those men to try and disable me, get me out of the game. To try and warn me off you. It isn’t rocket science,” Reed explained calmly, the words leaving his mouth in such a matter-of-fact way: like someone being paid to beat you up was an everyday occurrence.
I opened my mouth to tell him about the other threats, but decided to head straight to the drug part, something he clearly wasn’t aware of.
“Jasper spiked your drink, Reed,” I gritted out. The thought still infuriated me. “At least, he arranged for someone to spike your drink. The other night.”
He locked up instantly. We were in the middle of the dancefloor with people all around us. “What?”
“It’s true,” I began with a frantic nod of my head. “I don’t know exactly when. I think maybe when you were at the after-game party?”
I could see Reed attempting to comprehend what I was saying. “At the club? He roofied me?”
“Yes, I think so.”
I could see the cogs whirring in his head as he rubbed the back of his neck. “So that’s why I felt so shit? And that’s where I recognizeherfrom,” Reed muttered with a nod of his head towards the window.
