“I’ll say it,” Scarlett says. “If she wanted to stay with him, it’s because he’s treating her well, and if that’s the case, he would have let her contact you, Violet.”
Bingo.
“I know.” My shoulders sag and I pace some more. “But I can hope that not every day for the past seven years has been a nightmare for her. That she hasn’t been suffering all this time.”
“Of course you can,” Natasha agrees. “We all hope that for her. But, I do think you should at least get your nails done, get a pedicure to help you relax, even if it’s just a little, and eat something. You don’t want to go into this thing tonight off your game.”
I take a long, deep breath and then nod because she’s right.
I need to be strong tonight. I need to be at my very best because something in my gut tells me that this isn’t going to be as simple as whisking Rose away from Lincoln when they arrive. Nothing about this has been easy, so why would it start now?
So, I make myself a plate of food and then plop down in a pedicure chair next to Scarlett. Someone immediately fills the basin with warm water, and I try to relax.
But the truth is, I haven’treallyrelaxed in years. Certainly not since we found out my sister is alive and that she’s coming to this event tonight.
“You have to breathe,” Scarlett says, her voice soft and full of so much kindness it almost brings tears to my eyes. “Todayis going to be the hardest of the past seven years because of the anticipation and all of thewhat-ifsgoing through your brain. But this is also the day that you have to hold it together. If you lose your shit, you could put yourself and Mateo in danger.”
My gaze whips to hers, and she nods gravely.
“The guys said thateveryfamily head will be here tonight, which means that it could get dicey. If you’re not patient and steady, something bad could happen. I’m not saying itwill, but our men need us all to be solid tonight so they can focus on their jobs. They’re not just looking for Rose, they’re keeping an eye on everyone else, making sure they mind their manners.”
I take all of that in and close my eyes. “I feel so selfish.”
“You shouldn’t,” Natasha says as she puts more cheese on my plate. “Ofcourseyou’re focused on your sister. That’s your priority. And it’s everyone else’s, too, but the guys have a lot on the line tonight. They have us.”
“And the whole city,” Lulu reminds us. “This is their turf, and they’ve invitedeveryonehere.”
Wow.
It’s so much more than I even considered.
“And they did it all for me and my sister. It’s too much.”
“They did it for family,” Natasha reminds me with a smile. “Because you’re their family, and that now extends to Rose. This was a great plan. As far as I know, they don’t have any active wars going on with anyone who’s coming. Just Damien, and he absolutely won’t be there.”
“At least there’s that,” I mutter, and eat a grape.
Many hours later, after I finally relaxed a bit, was talked into that facial, ate some more, and had my hair and makeup done, I’m in the bedroom that Lulu assigned to me to get dressed. Each of us girls got a room to ourselves for putting the finishing touches on anything and getting ready.
I don’t even know what my dress looks like. When I told Mateo that I needed to go shopping, he asked me to let him handle it. I was happy to do that since I don’t know the first thing about buying a formal gown.
When I open the closet, I gasp, and my hand goes right to my chest.
Holy shit.
The dress hangs in the back of the otherwise empty closet. It’s obviously been pressed and is ready to go for tonight.
And I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life.
Slowly, I walk through the closet—this is aguest room?—and reach out to touch the shimmery silver fabric. This has to be silk, and when I walk through the ballroom tonight, it’ll practically glow.
I don’t have any underwear on, and it’s a good thing, because when I put the dress on, the front cuts down between my cleavage to the middle of my abdomen, and the back?
Well, there is no back.
Tiny spaghetti straps hold it up on my shoulders, and it fits me like a goddamn glove. No wonder the stylist said she’d been instructed to put my hair up.
Because when I turn in front of the full-length mirror, my entire tattoo is on full display.
