“Weddings are performances anyway. Everyone pretending they believe in forever.” He paused. “Sorry, that's cynical.”
“Or honest.”
Peter laughed. “Most people here are unbearable. You're actually tolerable.”
If only he knew.
Harrow moved again, toward the far side of the ballroom. I tracked him through the crowd, casual, just another guest. He stopped to talk to a woman in red. She touched his arm, laughed at something he said.
“Excuse me,” I said to Peter. “Need to find the facilities.”
“Through that corridor, second door on the left. Try not to get lost.”
I moved through the crowd. Harrow and the woman in red were still talking, but they looked close to finishing. She kissed his cheek, moved off. Harrow checked his phone, frowned, pocketed it.
A woman appeared beside me, wearing burgundy silk. “You look like you need something stronger than champagne.”
“I'm fine.”
“Everyone here says they're fine. It's a lie.” She gestured for the bartender, ordered something complicated. “Claire Montgomery. And before you ask, venture capital, which means I'm rich and bored.”
I didn't offer my name. She didn't seem to care.
“See that man over there?” She nodded toward someone in a grey suit talking to a blonde woman. “Cameron Drake. Prosecution service. Brilliant but corrupt. Takes bribes like other people take vitamins.”
My attention sharpened. “That's a serious accusation.”
“It's a fact. I know because I've paid them.” She said it casually, like discussing the weather. “Not personally. Through intermediaries. But everyone knows how it works. You want a case to go a certain way, you pay the right people.”
“You're very open about this.”
“I'm drunk and you're attractive and I don't care anymore.” She accepted her drink, took a sip. “If you want names, I can provide them. People who take money, people who provide favours, the whole ugly system. But it'll cost you.”
“What's the cost?”
“Dinner. Next week. Somewhere expensive.” Her smile turned predatory. “I like pretty men who look innocent.”
“I'll think about it.”
“You do that.” She moved off, leaving me with information I couldn't use directly and an invitation I'd never accept.
I pulled out my phone, typed the name in my notes. Cross-reference it later with Harrow's connections.
I was pocketing my phone when someone tapped crystal near the front of the room. The crowd quieted slightly, attention shifting.
Viktor stood at the centre table, grinning like he'd won something. “Before we continue the celebration, I have a surprise.” He gestured toward someone sitting beside him. “Hehates speeches. Everyone knows this. But is my wedding, so he does not get a choice. Come. Say something nice.”
Laughter rippled through the crowd. A man stood slowly, reluctantly, looking like he'd rather face down a firing squad.
Massive. That was my first coherent thought.
Not just tall but built like walls were built, solid and immovable. Midnight blue suit fitted across shoulders. Black mask covering just enough to hide identity but not the sharp line of his jaw or the way he carried himself.
Controlled. Deliberate. Dangerous.
And completely magnetic.
He moved to stand beside Viktor with the grace of someone who knew exactly how much space his body occupied. Picked up a glass. Stared at it like it had personally offended him.
