Part 13 (1/2)
”Come on, Val, please answer the f.u.c.king ph-”
”Hey,” she said, sounding tired.
Max cleared his throat, stifling a relieved sigh. She hadn't shut him out completely after all. ”Have you found Margaret yet?”
”No.”
”Are you still convinced Lucien's got her?”
”Yes.”
”Well, Abby and I just got an invitation to a Blue Serpent top-tier party. It's something fancier than the party I went to. The invitation says, 'Bring your sorrows and be cleansed.'”
”What the h.e.l.l does that mean?”
”I don't know. I'm not versed in cult-speak.”
”If you tell me where it is, I can stake it out, maybe sneak in and look for Margaret or clues to where Lucien's keeping her.”
”Why would you sneak in when we can just walk in with my invitation?”
”Max...”
”There's no way I can bring Abby. I'm not dragging her into this mess.”
”Who am I supposed to be then?”
”Be Abby. Everyone will be wearing masks. Just wear a wig, too, don't say anything, and you'll pa.s.s for her. From the head down, you look close enough. You're more athletic, and your b.r.e.a.s.t.s are fuller, and-”
Jesus, Max, shut up! Thank G.o.d Abby wasn't around to hear him drooling over his ex-girlfriend's body.
After a pause, Val said, ”I don't know if we should-”
”Do you want to find Margaret or not?” he snapped. ”Because I'm not giving you the address so you can run in there and get killed, or kill somebody yourself. We do this my way or not at all.”
She let out a defeated sigh. ”When?”
”Sat.u.r.day, ten o'clock. Wear a formal dress. I'll pick you up at your house. And don't bring a gun this time, for Christ's sake.”
He hung up before she could argue, then let his head drop into his hands. Another potentially disastrous plan kicked into motion. Why couldn't he just let it go? He groaned as he admitted the truth to himself-he couldn't pa.s.s up the opportunity to see her again. And it would probably get him killed.
Chapter Seventeen.
Val fluffed her blond wig as she sat in the pa.s.senger seat of Max's car, adjusting one of the fake blond curls so it covered the circular scar behind her ear. She swiped on some lipstick and took a moment to check her makeup in the vanity mirror. Why she even bothered with makeup was a legitimate question, given she'd be wearing a fox mask all night. But it seemed odd to don a gorgeous black satin gown with no effort to make the rest of her body look just as nice. Thank G.o.d for the mask, though. Her facial features didn't resemble Abby's at all. There'd be no way she could pa.s.s for Max's fiancee without the fox muzzle covering most of her face.
He'd only told her their destination after he picked her up. Per the GPS in Max's car, they were about ten minutes out from the Northwest Mountain Lodge, where something strange was certain to happen-hopefully not another s.e.x party. Pretending to be her ex-boyfriend's fiancee at an orgy would be beyond awkward. It was bad enough as it was. He looked impossibly handsome in his tuxedo and slicked-back hair, the textbook picture of a dark, smoking-hot millionaire. Though he finally got to see her looking good-by far the most put-together she'd ever been for him-he'd said nothing when he first saw her.
Instead, he stared at her for a long time, taking in every inch of her, the amber in his eyes popping like embers as the fire in him burned hotter and hotter, until she swore he was about to kiss her. She found herself leaning forward against her will, beckoning his lips to hers. But his gaze cut away, and he didn't look at her again or speak on their drive to the lodge. Maybe she'd read him wrong, projected her own wants and desires onto him. His whole body seemed tense, as if being in her presence caused him physical pain. Forcing herself to mentally and physically back off, she distracted herself with her phone as he drove. She wished she could keep him out of all this chaos, but there was no putting that horse back in the barn.
Max surprised Val by pulling into a gas station and parking his car away from the pumps. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a joint and a lighter. He lit the marijuana cigarette and took a long drag.
Val raised an eyebrow. ”Seriously?”
”I'm nervous. If I don't chill out before I get there, it'll look suspicious.”
He held the joint out, offering her a hit; she shook her head.
”You look nice,” she said, resisting the urge to lick her lips at the same time. He looked better than nice, but admitting she wanted to rip his clothes off with her teeth might be a bit awkward.
He shrugged. Max went to sw.a.n.ky charity events all the time. A tuxedo was probably like a second skin to him, nothing special. They sat in silence as Max stared out the window, lost in thought. It reminded her of when they'd been on the lam, trapped in a fleabag motel room for days while Max healed from the severe beating Sten had delivered. He'd stared out the window thinking G.o.d knows what for hours. Always his mind churned, a puzzle forever trying to solve itself. It drove him nuts sometimes, he'd told her.
After a couple of minutes where she snuck glances at his gorgeous face without being too obvious about it, he said, ”Carressa Industries wants to hire me back to the board.”
”No kidding. What made them acknowledge your existence again after all this time?”
”They want me to lead the company back to better-than-average returns-using my knowledge of the future. They don't know that's how it works, but that's what would happen.”
”You don't have to use your ability. You're still a whiz with numbers.”
He shook his head. ”There's too much randomness in the market. I'd need to perform.” He spat the last word. All he'd done his whole life was perform for other people.
”If you don't want to perform, why are you considering it?”
He sighed as if he wasn't sure of the answer himself. ”It's something to do. And charity work is worthwhile, but...”
”Boring?”
”Yeah.”
”What does Abby think?”
His gaze flicked back out the window. ”I haven't told her.”
Val wasn't sure what to make of that. It couldn't be good that he'd failed to mention a critical life decision to his fiancee. Maybe it had nothing to do with Val. She wasn't a major part of his life anymore.
”If you're asking my opinion, I think you should take the job, but do it without using your ability. Give yourself a real challenge.”
”Hmm,” was all he said. He took a final drag of his joint, then carefully extinguished it with his fingers and put it back in his pocket. He looked at her. ”Ready?”
”Whenever you are.”
He started his car and drove the final few miles to the Northwest Mountain Lodge. They pulled up to the posh country club twenty minutes late, a ploy to avoid any forced socializing that might expose Val's true ident.i.ty. She took a deep breath, slipped on her mask, and prayed these rich a.s.sholes weren't chatty. Then she nodded to Max, who looked s.e.xy and ridiculous in his wolf mask, and they opened their doors together.
A man in a servant's tuxedo and a blank white-faced mask took Val's hand and helped her out of the car. Suppressing the urge to recoil from his touch, she smiled politely, her mouth and eyes the only visible parts of her face. A moment later Max was at her side. He took her arm as another creepy-faced valet drove away with his car.
”You look nice, too,” he said to her, just above a whisper. Such simple words, yet they thrilled her to her core. Maybe he'd wanted to kiss her after all. She was glad he couldn't see her blus.h.i.+ng.