In my ear, Wolfe was very quiet and very controlled. “Stay steady, Crowe.” Like he could read my mind. Like he knew I wanted to snap the snake’s neck right here, right now. But he was right. This wasn’t the time or the place.
Instead, I looked at Corvane and let the silence sit long enough to mean something. Then I said, in the same pleasant register he’d been using, “I appreciate you introducing yourself.”
He looked at me. For the first time, something shifted behind his eyes. It wasn’t fear, not yet, but the faint recalibration of a man who’d expected a different response.
“Every word you just said,” I continued, in the same even tone, “was heard by four people who are very good at their jobs.” I held his gaze. “But you’re wrong, we’ll never stop protecting Noah.” I picked up my glass and took a drink.
Corvane looked at me for a long moment. The pleasant expression was still there, but it had gone thin.
“Enjoy your evening,” he said. Then he walked away.
There was a beat of silence in my ear. Then Chance Kelly’s voice was there, flat and satisfied. “Got every word. We’re good.”
Gator was quieter. “I love this job.”
Hawk said nothing. I could picture his face.
Noah was looking at me. He’d been very still through all of it, hands loose on the table, and now he exhaled a slow breath, and his hands began to shake.
“Hey,” I said, reaching over and covering his hands with mine. “You’re okay. You’ve given your speech, we can leave if you want.”
“No, I won’t let him ruin this fundraiser. You heard that woman earlier. Me being here and telling my story is helping, so I’m staying.”
“Have I told you lately how brave I think you are?” I asked him.
“I’m really not. He terrifies me. I just—” He swallowed and closed his eyes before taking in a long, deep breath. “I can’t believe how brazen he is. We’re at a fundraiser to help trafficking victims, for fuck’s sake. Can you imagine if y’all hadn’t found me in time? One week, Jackson. That was the difference between me sitting here next to you tonight and—” He paused again. “And whatever that man had in store for me.”
“Shh, you’re safe. He won’t get his hands on you. Not as long as I’m alive.”
“That man is dangerous,” he said.
“And yet you slipped your security detail,” I said.
“I did.”
“We’re going to talk about that.”
“I know.”
I looked at the dance floor. At the room full of people who had no idea what had just happened at this table. I glanced over at Corvane and saw him motion for his wife to get up. At first, I thought they were going to dance, but then he said his goodbyes to the people at his table, like he was leaving. Hopefully, he at least made a huge donation. I smirked at the irony of the asshole giving a huge donation to try to look like part of the solution when the truth was he was the problem.
“Corvane is on the move,” Gator said.
“We’re on him,” Chance said. “We’ll stick with him until y’all are out of town in the morning.”
“I feel so bad for his wife,” Noah said.
“I know you do, baby boy.” I squeezed his hand. “You did what you could.”
He nodded, but his expression told me he wished he’d done more.
“Come dance with me,” I said.
“Really?”
“We’re at a gala,” I said. “There’s music. We’re dressed up.” I stood and held out my hand. “And you just gave a speech to this whole crowd while facing down the monster who thinks he owns you, and you didn’t even blink.”
He gave me a real smile. One that reached his eyes. “I did, didn’t I?”
