“Next year,” Bee promises, hooking her hand around Copper’s elbow. “Nice jewellery.”
“Isn’t it?” I note that she’s wearing a similar design. “Did you get Noah settled?”
“Yep, he’s over at Thea’s with Jeanie and Shea, happy as a lark,” she assures me.
“So,” I ask, looking around at everyone, “how are we getting to this place?”
“Cars outside. I hired a limo.” Nickel grins at the look of surprise on everyone’s faces. “What?” He shrugs. “If we’re going to do this, let's do it properly. Besides, you ladies look too good not to be spoiled, even if we're working.”
Maggie slants her eyes at me as if to say, “I told you so,” then pats Nickel’s cheek. “You’re a good boy. Thank you.”
I bite back a chuckle and wrap my arm around Nickel’s. “Let’s get going. I’m guessing the rest have already left.”
“Half an hour ago,” Tinman replies, opening the clubhouse door for us to leave and securing it behind us.
A stretch limo is parked in the clubhouse driveway, and a driver holds open the door. Bee slips in, followed by Copper, then Maggie and Tinman. Nickel and I are last. It’s not the first time I’ve been in a limo, and it never gets old.
“Sadly, we’re working,” Bee says as we pull slowly out of the drive and onto the main road, “or we could have champagne.”
“Next year,” I tell her with a smile.
“Next year,” she agrees, reaching over to squeeze my hand.
“How long until we’re there?” Copper wants to know.
“About two hours,” Bee replies. “Gives us time to go over everything one more time. Nora, have you got your knockout juice?”
“Right here,” I reply, patting my cleavage where I’ve hidden the hypodermic needle and small syringe.
“Same,” she chuckles. “That’s the only problem with ball gowns—not much place to hide shit. And I miss my boots.”
By the time we reach the hotel and join the queue of waiting cars unloading their passengers, we’ve got a plan in place, and I feel confident.
We enter the plush hotel and are immediately ushered into a large ballroom. I’m aware of the looks we’re getting. Our men are vastly different from most of the men here tonight.
I tighten my grasp on Nickel’s arm when a woman looks at him greedily and narrow my eyes at her when she catches my gaze. She must see my anger because she goes a little pale and quickly averts her attention to her companion.
I never thought I’d be a possessive woman, but I guess I was wrong.
We follow Bee and Copper, halting at a large table near the front of the stage. It’s by far the largest in the room. I relax when I see the people surrounding it—most of the Crow MC.
We settle in after a flurry of greetings, hugs, and air kisses. The noise level rises exponentially, and we receive looks from a few snooty people—not that anyone at our table gives any indication that they care. I take a leaf from their book and decide not to either.
“I’m so far out of my comfort zone right now,” Nickel mutters in my ear as he seats me.
I pat his leg as he sits beside me and whisper, “Just pretend they're all naked with sticks up their arses. It’s what I do.”
He barks a laugh, and Copper looks at him with surprise. He looks just as uncomfortable until Nickel tells him what I said. Copper grins at me, offering me a fist bump thatI return.
Bee giggles and leans over the table towards me. “What they don’t know is that most of the people at this table can buy and sell them twice over, Nickel included.” She winks at me. “They’ve got money but no soul, and most of them are so busy trying to one-up each other that they miss out on the good things in life.”
“Like?” Onyx, one of Bee’s older brothers, asks.
“Family and friends who would die for you,” she promptly answers with a small smile.
“Exactly,” Molly agrees with a nod. “They don’t get it. But we do.” She lifts her glass in a toast. “To family and friends who would die for you.”
As one, we pick up our glasses. “To family and friends.”
