And I very carefully spit my wine into my water glass whenever Camden isn’t looking, feeling extremely thankful I ordered white instead of red.
By the time everyone is finishing dessert, I shift into drunk-Yara mode. My voice starts to slur slightly. I sway in my chair. And in one particularly distasteful moment, I actually lean against Camden’s arm as I whisper in his ear, “This wine is going straight to my head.”
When my wine glass is only a quarter-full, Camden makes his move. Just as the servers are coming around with steaming pots of coffee, he wraps his clammy hand around mine and murmurs,“How would you like to get out of here? Go someplace more private?”
“Get out of here?” I ask with a hint of a slur. “To go where?”
He tugs on my hand. “A surprise. Come with me, and I’ll show you.”
I let him pull me up, intentionally wobbling a little when I get to my feet. Before we leave the table, I snag my wine glass and say, “It’s so delicious. It’ll be okay if I bring it with me, don’t you think?”
“Of course,” he replies indulgently. “You can have as much wine as you want.”
It’s a good thing my hair is covering my ears. Because I’m sure they’re the color of lobster.
Camden hurries me through the banquet hall, past the Blade and Arrow table, and out one of the side doors. We exit into an empty room with a stage at one end and a bar at the other. The overhead lights gleam on the polished floor, and our footsteps echo as we walk across it. He hauls me closer to him and says, “This is where the live music will be later. If you’re awake for that.”
“Awake?” My forehead scrunches in confusion. “Why wouldn’t I be awake?”
“Oh, Yara.” He chuckles, but it’s not a friendly sound. “You’re drunk. I’m taking you someplace quiet for a little nap.”
“A nap?” Although I desperately want to punch him in the face, then the balls, I lean heavily against him. “I thought you were going to show me something?”
Then I’ll show you something,I silently add.I’ll show you that I’m not some helpless woman you can take advantage of.
“I am,” Camden replies. “It’s a nice surprise. You’ll see.”
Just as we’re about to leave the music hall, his phone rings. “Shit,” he mutters. “It’s my dad. I have to get this.” Then he leadsme over to the stage and sits me on the edge of it. “Stay,” he orders. “I’ll only be a minute.”
I bob my head at him obediently. “Okay.”
Once I’m alone—well, not really alone, Camden is fifteen feet away with his back to me, the phone to his ear—I quickly send Ace another text.
Everything’s under control. Mission underway and on the move. I’ll text once I have final location.
Only a few seconds go by before his response comes in.
Roger. Be careful. I’ve got your six.
Despite the sobering situation, I allow myself a quick smile. Even though I’m acting on my own right now—impulsively, I may add—I know I’ve got Ace and the rest of the B and A guys at my back. It’s one of the things I miss most about my old team, and it feels good to have some semblance of it back?—
Out in the hallway, there’s a tremendous crash.
Metal clatters into the ground, echoing loudly.
Glass shatters.
Someone shouts, “Watch out!”
Another voice curses.
As the cacophony of sounds reverberates through my head, my heart leaps to my throat. My lungs seize.
Waves of hot and cold wash over my body, prickling my skin with goosebumps and sweat.
The logical part of my brain insists,It’s nothing. Just an accident. Nothing to worry about.
But that voice is immediately swallowed by the panic racing through me.
