Beside her, Julia cackled.
Tommy tried to toss the table, but it was clear someone with foresight had affixed it to the floor, so he ended up looking like a toddler throwing a tantrum. The movement was still enough to send drinks and poker chips flying, and loud, angry voices filled the room as everyone scrambled to avoid getting soaked.
Tommy pointed at Stella. “I wasn’t offering, you fucking cunt.”
I went completely still, wondering if knocking him out would expose me as an interloper.
AJ’s voice cut through the room like a knife. “You’re starting to bore me now,Thomas. Why don’t you do everyone a favor and leave?”
I stepped in front of Stella, expecting the jockstrap to protest or throw a punch, but AJ’s words had a mollifying effect on him. Face red with frustrated anger, Tommy stormed out of the room without another word.
My gaze returned to AJ. This wasn’t his house. He shouldn’t have any authority here, and yet he did. Why? Because his family was the richest? Was that all it took to establish hierarchy amongst these bougie fucks? I hadn’t been able to find much dirt on him, so either his parents had buried his bodies deeper than most, or there weren’t any to find. Now that I knew Stella had a soft spot for him, I was even more curious about which it was.
I pulled her close, framing her face with my hands. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I’m fine. Tommy’s been a prick as long as I’ve known him, so this isn’t anything new.”
I kissed her forehead, knowing she’d probably hate it. “I think this is our cue to leave.”
“What about the game?” Feddy asked. “We owe you.”
I released Stella. “Let’s just agree to call it even.”
He studied me for a second before nodding.
We said our goodbyes, and on the way out, Feddy caught up to us.
“You’re him, aren’t you?” he said, his voice low.
Stella, horrible actress that she was, jerked her gaze up to me. I kept my features controlled. I’d known there was a risk of being recognized—word got around in this city, no matter how much you threatened people to keep their mouths shut.
“Who?” I asked.
Feddy took a surreptitious step closer, and I had to credit his discretion. “The man who throws the underground parties. My cousin Grant went to the last one.” His eyes slid to Stella. “With Blake.”
“No idea what you’re talking about,” I protested, making a mental note to send a few goons to teach Grant a lesson about the dangers of running his mouth.
Feddy’s eyes were bright with undeterred excitement. “When’s the next one?”
“The next what?”
“Come on,” he said. “I can hang.”
I made a show of looking him over. “Can you?”
He nodded emphatically. “Yes.”
“Good to know.” I placed my hand on Stella’s lower back and nudged her in the direction of the door. “Enjoy the rest of your night.”
Without a backward glance, we left.
“What are you playing at?” Stella asked outside. “You didn’t hand out a single invitation, and I just watched you turn down Feddy. Don’t fall for his buddy-buddy bullshit. He’snota good person. He hazed a kid so bad in prep school, they took their own life.”
Oh, I was well aware. “That’s not how it works. I don’t send out invitations until an hour before the party. And I just met these people; I’ll need a few more interactions before making up my mind. As much as I’d love to ruin them all, discretion is key.”
“Feddy can keep his mouth shut,” she interjected.
I shook my head. “No, he can’t. I guarantee he’s upstairs right now telling Julia all about my illicit work.”
