Nightshade spared him a passing glance and then she breezed past him and the shocked crowd who made a wide swath for Merc as he made his way through the foyer, across the hall to the smaller only half-full tea room. “Want me to kill him for you?”
Merc's casual question caught her off guard. Even after she’d basically torn him down, he wanted to protect her? “I've handled the situation I think.”
“I don't like the way he touched you.”
“I didn't either, but like I said I handled it. Have you seen my father?” She had no intention of escaping from one trap only to fall into another. She knew the longer she stayed in here with Merc the more in danger of slipping she would be.
“Caroline, you look absolutely stunning!” Celine rushed forward, beautiful in a pale blue high-waisted gown that swirled around her as she walked. Her short platinum hair was styled in a sleek bob that showed off her innocent pixie-like features to a degree that gave Nightshade a fresh dose of guilt for her planned escape. And to add alcohol to the fire, a fresh wave of servers poured into the room, trays laden with fresh champagne.
“What are you doing here?” She shouldn't have come, there was no way Nightshade could shield her from the painful memories. A server passed by, nearly hitting Celine. Nightshade yanked her out of the way just in time and glared at the man's back as he strolled on, completely unaware that he'd come within inches of unraveling her friend.
“This is your official welcome home party, of course I'd come. Plus, Aaron's lurking around in the shadows somewhere. I went to a lot of trouble getting into this dress and he's dang well going to see it on me before the night is over.” Celine patted at an invisible stray strand of hair and peered around. “Speaking of, have you seen him?”
Why was she acting so casual? Wasn't this traumatic? The other night she'd had a meltdown over one glass and now she was being swarmed by them. “Come on, let's get you to a quiet room, away from all these people.”
“What for?”
Nightshade glanced over her shoulder for Merc to chime in, but he wasn't paying them any attention. She turned in a huff. “Because, there's champagne here. I don't want to upset you.” She waited for the meltdown. And waited.
Celine gave a brilliant smile. “Bless your sweet heart. Listen, the restaurant caught me off guard, that's all. But I swear, I'm over it. “
“But, but, I don't understand,” she finished lamely.
“Seeing you acting so strong inspired me. I've been holding on to too many bad memories. If you can put them behind you, so can I.”
Nightshade pulled up short, stunned. “Inspired by me?”
“Of course, silly. If it weren't for you locked up with me in that cell, I would have lost my mind. And now, you’re being strong for both of us again,” Celine said.
The hired hand who'd held Celine and Caroline captive for two weeks while Nightshade and her father prepared the palace for their plans had completely ignored orders and nearly starved the girls to death. Of course, Mankel had killed him for it - and that was a death Nightshade didn't regret. “Well, okay, then I'm glad you’re here.”
“Merc, whoa.” Celine gave Merc two thumbs up.
He turned his attention from the crowd. “Damn things chafing the hell out of me.”
“Beauty is pain. Now, point me in the direction of Aaron. I haven't seen him all day.” Celine rubbed her hands together in anticipation and Nightshade laughed at her antics. No wonder she and Caroline had gotten along so well.
“Caroline Cotter!” A shrill voice called across the crowded room. Nightshade turned to see a tall, elegant looking brunette headed her way with a bevy of followers on her tail. “I'm so glad you’re safe. We were so worried about you.”
Nightshade got a gulp of air before she was enveloped in red sequins and smothering cleavage. Lights flashed in her periphery and then the woman stepped back, keeping her arm around Nightshade’s shoulders and smiling at the crowd closing in.
“Georgia, how do you know the victim?” A man dressed in a black suit and slicked back hair holding a small camera asked.
“We went to college together. We were best friends.”
Nightshade tried to politely extract herself from Georgia's grip, but she held surprisingly strong.
The man turned to her next. “Caroline, what was it like being held hostage in a Third World country?”
The hum of conversation completely died out and the collective group leaned in. Nightshade felt the chains of dread cinch around her throat. “Um, it was pretty boring actually.”
Low murmurs followed and she caught more than one disbelieving glance. Georgia squeezed her tight, “She's absolutely traumatized of course. I know all about it since my father is a close personal friend of Senator Cotter. She was kidnapped right out of her dressing room at her wedding along with another wedding attendee.”
The murmurs died down again under the weight of Georgia's words and everyone turned to Nightshade, waiting on her to fill in the rest. She wanted to shrink away, hide from the crowd. This was the absolute worst case scenario, with everyone's attention riveted on her.
“Come on now, we're all your friends, you can trust us,” Georgia prompted.
Nightshade cleared her throat. “Well, Georgia is correct. We were taken from the wedding and flown overseas. We were held at one location for a couple of weeks and then moved again, I assume so no one could track us. Thankfully it wasn't long after that, a brave group of US forces rescued us.”
