I turn slowly to her, letting Keira search my face, like she's trying to peel back layers. Like she's already halfway to the truth and just needs one more piece.
"You should be careful," I say, meaning it as a warning.
"Maybe I'm tired of being careful."
Then she turns, heading toward the scattered blocks on the floor with Hale in her arms.
She's onto me.
If she hasn't figured it out yet, she will soon.
I need to be ready for it.
But watching them settle on the floor together, my son leaning into my woman like she's the only safe place in the world, I realize I don't want to play this game anymore.
I don't want to hide.
I want her to know.
THIRTY-ONE
TRISTAN
Dinner is served at seven sharp.
I'm stationed just outside the dining room, trying to listen to their conversation. Calder is in a generous mood tonight, playing the gracious host for an audience of one.
Keira sits across from him in a dress she didn't choose.
Every second of it grates against my skull.
Halfway through the main course, Calder sets down his wine glass.
"We're hosting a dinner party in two days. Some very important associates will be attending."
Through the gap in the door, I watch Keira's spine go rigid. "I see."
"You'll need to be very attentive. These men appreciate a certain level of hospitality."
"Of course."
"And you'll wear the red dress. The one with the low back."
She drains the rest of her wine. "Yes, Ewan."
"Good girl."
The words ooze out of him like something rotten.
Bile rises in my throat.
He doesn't say it the way I would—like a reward she earned. He says it the way you'd praise a dog for not making a mess. Dismissive, like her compliance is expected and her voice is an inconvenience he tolerates.
Calder doesn't notice how she seems to wither at this news. He's already moved on, checking his phone, mentally calculating whatever deal he's about to make on the backs of broken people. She could disappear entirely, and he wouldn't look up from his glass.
My molars grind together so hard I'm surprised they don't crack.
Two days until she puts on that dress and walks into a room full of men who will strip her with their eyes before the first course arrives. Two days until she has to smile through jokes that make her stomach turn, let their gazes crawl over her like she's something to be appraised and purchased.
