Irene Barclay ran from her wedding- that's the only information the world had, but he knew there was more. Xavier Luca knew that as cold and as empty as her heart was, she would not leave everything behind. Not now. Not when her last act in his pres...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
|
"My turn?" Alexei asks, fixing his tie as Dimitri checks his gun for bullets under the table. He eyes Alexei carefully before giving him a cautious nod and then turning to me.
"Promise me you won't try to lose him in the crowd?" He asks with a serious expression and I sigh, placing my clutch onto the little cocktail table. He steps a little closer, pushing the gun back into the halter at the side of his pants. "Don't be stupid, now. You've got an army at your disposal." He glances at Alexei at my side. "And him. Don't run off and get yourself killed." He ends with a sideways grin and I sigh.
"I can protect myself." I retort lightly.
"Oh, I know. It's whoever you're fighting that I'm scared for." He replies and Alexei nods while refocussing his gaze on the floor.
"Just keep them safe, Dimitri," I comment, glancing behind him to where Amara is busy talking to Xavier with a large smile on her face. He furrows his brow when our eyes meet and I nod. "They're more important right now." His eyes darken for a brisk moment and I know by now that he wants to object, but he just sighs instead. His fingers pull at the ends of his blazer to straighten it before he turns around and walks away, gently placing a hand on Amara's back as he stops at their table.
"I don't know the whole plan, do I?" Alexei asks and I tilt my head to see him.
"No, you don't," I answer dryly and his lips twitch into a grin.
"Well, at least I'm not tied up this time." He takes a sip from his drink and smiles. "I'll take what I can get." He adds and I scoff at the playful manner he talks in before turning around to face the crowd.
My eyes scan over the faces carefully, noticing a few familiar names that I've met before and others that I can't place. The chief of police is standing at the far end of the hall, talking to a waitress and his officers seem to scatter close to him as if to keep him surrounded. The head adviser is huddled over the snack table with a few more parliament members, all of which have made it their duty to come over and talk to me one by one. The rest of the guests are all either dancing or drinking, no one really seeming to be of any importance. This should seem like a good thing, but it means that either the person I'm looking for isn't here at all or isn't here yet.
