*Riding South spoilers below*
Trapped inside Tenney House and at the mercy of his father, Camilla and South are forced to face their greatest fears in order to bring down the Gentleman's Network--an organization that trades in secrets.
But in order...
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When South Tenney proposed to me, he'd said this moment was only one page in our story. That despite the fact that his father was forcing us to get married, the love we shared was real.
Unfortunately for us, our real love came with real problems. And right now, I was real angry. Not just with South, although his stubborn protector attitude wasn't helping, but with everyone.
Anger percolated underneath every word and every fake smile I put on after Rico escorted me to my seat. Even though he wasn't sitting with us, I could feel him watching me. I knew it was his job to make sure I didn't run out—which made me even more frustrated with the situation.
Music was playing. Champagne was being sipped, and oysters passed. Vibrant sprays of tropical flowers sat cheerily in the middle of each table. On its face, this engagement party looked idyllic.
I curled my fingers around my white napkin, strangling it, as I listened to Ji Woo, Nora, and my mother discuss the chosen venue for the coming nuptials. The Eisenhower House, which was once served as the summer White House for President Eisenhower.
It was beautiful but not my vibe at all. It was just another stuffy mansion, and I already had my fill of that at Tenney House.
"Dad was able to pull some strings and get South and Camilla the date they wanted in August," Nora explained to my mother in her matter-of-fact tone while squeezing lemon onto an oyster. "He has connections all around town, you know."
The turn of her lips and the cut of her eyes insinuated that I should take that as a warning.
My dad shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and my eyes found his. Willing him to read my mind like I always thought he could when I was a kid. But dad didn't meet my gaze.
It was then that I realized my father wasn't going to tell the Pentagon about what he saw all those years ago. He was going to take the cowardly path, and I couldn't understand why. Admiral Tenney had his promotion withheld. He was being forced into retirement. His whole naval career gone—and he wasn't going to do anything about it. He was going to take the contracting job Les offered him next month and keep his mouth shut.
My stranglehold on the napkin tightened—anger threatening to crack the mask I was wearing. I didn't have South's hand to hold, I hadn't found my lollipop, and my real feelings about all of this were threatening to boil over.
I wasn't going to blame my anger on my period. Knowing that my sister could be alive had stoked this insatiable desire to find out the truth. I had to see if I'd spent the last two months grieving for a sister who was still breathing or if my parents had held a wake for a daughter in vain.
