Spencer looked surprised. Then, he broke into a smile. “I’ve been wanting to ask you for a long time, but with everything going on…” He trailed off, swallowing. “Well, I… It’s just…”
“I’d like it if you asked me out.”
He laughed, relief shining in his dark eyes. “Want to do something after this?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re not very good at this, are you?”
“I haven’t been on a date since my last year of college. Don’t ask me how. I think I naturally wear Girl Repellant.”
“I figured you’d have gone on plenty of dates with girls from the gym.”
“Surprisingly, no.”
Amy’s smile made his eyes light up. “Well, your Girl Repellant isn’t working on me.”
“I know we have a job here and everything.” Spencer waved at their general surroundings. “But don’t you think this is a perfect place for…”
“For what?” Amy demanded when he trailed off.
Spencer didn’t say it. He simply bent his head and kissed her.
It would have been a perfect first kiss if Amy hadn’t burst into a big smile. Finally, she melted her lips to his. A buzzing sensation filled her body. She hadn’t felt like this in a long time. Here she was, in a beautiful dress, kissing a beautiful man. It was the perfect moment of respite she needed before the clamoring crowd quieted, signaling that something had caught their attention.
All eyes were on the dais as two men dressed in black strode up and stood on either side of the podium. Bodyguards. Victor came last, smiling thinly and waving to the applauding crowd. Amy imagined what she would write in an article.
Victor Corbinelli enraptured the room. His imposing stance behind the podium commanded the attention of his guests.
The applause continued until Victor held up a hand. “Thank you all for coming here tonight. I am fortunate to have the presence of my own father, Victor Corbinelli II, with us, as well as my esteemed grandfather. They have long been a part of the business I run, and I am indebted to them forever for the path they have paved for me.”
Amy was struck to see a hint of humanness in Victor as he spoke. Her gaze drifted to a pair standing at the bottom of the dais, an elegant, dark-haired woman with her arm around a teenage boy. Victor’s wife and son, no doubt. Amy’s heart cracked.
Victor babbled about art and an auction and all the ways he planned to improve the city in the coming quarter. Amy stopped listening until his steely eyes scanned the crowd and found hers. She stilled but refused to look away. Victor held her gaze as he raised a glass with a wide smile that made her skin crawl. “Enjoy the evening, everyone. This night is for you.”
The threat in his voice was obvious to her. She turned to Spencer. “I need to use the ladies’ room and send a message to Stacy.”
He nodded. “I’ll wait in the foyer for you.”
Amy wove through a crowd teeming with chatter after Victor’s departure from the podium. Dancing resumed, and several people surged toward the Titan to shake his hand and make a desperate connection. How many people had come here with their futures hinging on one favorable word from the billionaire? Amy shook her head, unable to fathom it.
She pushed into the ladies’ room and found herself alone. She washed her hands, then texted Stacy as her mind swarmed around Victor and Spencer. She wished they didn’t have the Titan to deal with so she could go back to kissing her personal-trainer-turned-bodyguard. Was it wise to get involved with him like this? She shoved the thought away. She had far more important things to focus on.
Amy had hardly sent it when a hard hand gripped her elbow and jerked her toward a door she had not seen before. She started, eyes flaring at the sight of the man who’d grabbed her. “Hey! Let go of me!”
He slapped a hand over her mouth. In a thick European accent, he snarled, “You’re coming with me.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Miles waved them off as Rowan pulled the armored van through the gates of the Thorn estate. The groundskeeper wore a broad smile, a promise that he would ensure the safety of Stacy’s home while they were away. Magic shimmered over the gate as soon as it was closed, a sign her home would be well protected.
Stacy allowed herself a deep breath. It felt strange leaving her home. She’d developed a deeper attachment toward it since the previous werewolf attack. It not only felt like the place she lived but a part of her. She marveled at Rowan’s ability to leave the grounds at all since he’d been connected to this place through magic for decades.
Miles soon became a blur among the mist and the gathering shadows of night. Slowly, the gate and the house vanished, obscured by magic and the natural elements. Where there should have been a drive leading to the house was now only a dirt path. An illusion, so no one would suspect the great house sitting beyond the trees.
The dense foliage on either side of the road formed something like a tunnel as Rowan drove through the countryside. Only a slice of sky was visible above, dark and peppered with stars. The nearly full moon had not yet risen above the trees. Soon, Stacy thought. We’ll have light to work by.
“Attack” didn’t seem like the right word, but that was what they planned to do, right? Stacy recalled the destroyed furniture and décor in her home, the stink of werewolf permeating the grounds, and it hardened her resolve.
Her phone flashed with a message. She snatched it, hoping for a confirmation from Amy. Her friend had sent:
V spared no expense. I think a bracelet from one of these old ladies would pay my salary for a whole year.
Normally, the comment would have made Stacy chuckle, but she felt a punch of guilt in her chest instead. Growing up, Stacy hadn’t been aware of her wealth or that others lived differently than she did. That changed as she became an adult, especially as a lawyer when she’d seen and often represented desperate people in court.
She had every comfort she could want. Yet so many others…
She shook her head. It wasn’t right. Use your resources, time, and money for something good, she thought. Use it to take down Victor Corbinelli and pave a path to help the people he oppresses. There would be no galas on her end while others were starving in the streets.
See this through. Stacy banished the small doubts creeping in. Victor had abused the courts time and time again. She planned to see the courts abuse him in return.
It’s not abuse, she reminded herself. It’s justice, and his time to be served is long overdue.
Stacy recalled her early cases against Lenny Dolos and how she had considered him nothing but an annoying rival, a pain in her ass. He had been so much more, though. A puppet for a master billionaire who stomped on anyone he pleased.
The quiet around her deepened, only the rumble of the van on the road filling her ears. Rowan and Kiera rode in silence. Another message came through from Amy, confirmation that Victor was at the event. Stacy shot off a reply, then shared the information with her companions.
It wasn’t until then that Stacy realized Kiera had been holding up a knife, allowing it to reflect the dim light coming through the window. She seemed to be admiring it. Sigils along the blade emanated a soft, green glow. A smile spread her lips. “Good. I’ve been looking forward to trashing his home.”
