This was Alina’s life: Dubai one day, Greece the next, then onto Monaco or St. Tropez or Ibiza.
I didn’t hate her. I had everything — everyone — I hadn’t known I’d wanted.
But I did wonder if she knew about Imperium Fratrum. If she knew the money that bought her such a beautiful life had come at the expense of hundreds or thousands of girls who’d been stolen from their own lives, every bit as beautiful to them.
I’d been consumed with Alina for the past week, had scrolled through thousands of pictures about her online, both on her own social media accounts and on the accounts of friends who’d tagged her.
But she’d been careful: her pictures only featured her or her fellow rich-kid friends, and while it was sometimes possible to identify her location (the Eiffel Tower in one photo, the sail-shaped tower of the Burj Khalifa in another) it was never specific enough to make me feel like we could run her down.
No street sign behind her, no hotel.
I wondered if she’d learned that from Dimitri. To be careful, to hide her exact location, to never ever show her father’s face or use her father’s name online.
I frowned at the screen.
Must be hard, being the daughter of an ultra-rich criminal in the age of social media.
“Time to get dressed, mouse.”
I jumped at the sound of Hawk’s voice, then took in his leather pants and the black T-shirt that somehow only made him look sexier for what it hid.
“What? Why?”
He bent to kiss me on the lips, swept my mouth with his tongue until I had to press my thighs together to stop the beat of hunger that pulsed there.
I was breathless when he pulled away.
“Your costume’s upstairs,” he said.
“My… costume?”
“It’s Halloween.”
“I thought we were staying in,” I said. “I bought all that candy for trick-or-treaters.”
“I told you, we don’t get trick-or-treaters out here. We’re going to the masquerade.”
“What masquerade?”
“The one in town,” he said.
I had only the faintest memories of the Blackwell Falls Harvest Masquerade: costumes and candy and games and music.
I hadn’t been since before my parents had died.
“I don’t know…” I looked at my screen. “I’m trying to find Alina. I think you should go without me.”
“No can do.” He dragged my chair away from the patio table. “You’ve been trying to find Alina for a week. We all have. We need to let off some steam.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. The Hawks “letting off steam” would worry anyone with an ounce of sense. “That’s actually not enticing.”
He laughed and pulled me to my feet. “It’ll be nice clean family fun. I promise.”
“Fine.” I reluctantly closed my computer. “What’s this costume you’ve lined up for me?”
“It’s on your bed. Now go get dressed. We leave in a half hour.”
He slapped my ass and followed me back into the house.
