Something about the way he said it sent a shiver down my spine.
I nodded, my mouth suddenly dry, and Edison nodded to Rhodes who’d been standing behind our chairs for the entire meal.
“I’ll see you outside in a few minutes,” he said, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss to my forehead.
Standing, my gaze swept the room as the people sitting in the crowd laughed uproariously at whatever Liam was saying. None of them paid attention to my leaving, not even bothering to turn and look as I slipped through the large double doors and into the quiet lobby.
“What is he going to do?” I asked Rhodes, forgetting all about the fact that I was supposed to be ignoring him still.
Rhodes shrugged. “Probably nothing good, kid. Have you ever heard the phrase: when the cat’s away, the rats will play? Well, our cat has finally had enough.”
Understanding dawned on me as Rhodes held the door to the restroom open.
I turned to him before going in. “Is he going to kill someone?”
Rhodes snorted and shrugged. “Probably not? Edi’s in a pretty good mood tonight, so they’ll most likely get to keep their lives. But the ones who decided to take advantage of him being so distracted over the past couple of weeks are definitely going to learn their lesson the hard way.”
Then he put his hands on my shoulders and wheeled me around so that I was facing the doorway of the bathroom again and gave me a little shove. “Go inside and collect yourself. You’re going to be the wife of a mobster, Perrie, that was the agreement you signed. If you’re going to look like a scared kitten every time Edison maims someone, the rest of your life is going to be like one long scary movie.”
Rhodes let the door swing shut and I was alone in the fancy bathroom, staring at my own shocked face in the mirror.
“Get it together,” I told her as I turned on the sink and let cold water run over my fingers. “You knew exactly what you were in for when you agreed to be his wife.”
Back at the estate it was too easy to forget that my future husband was the leader of one of the most notorious groups in the city. I’d reasoned with myself that he was a hands off sort of leader who rarely needed to get his hands dirty. Pure denial on my part, I realized now as I stared at my wide-eyed reflection.
My future was always going to be intertwined with this sort of life. Whether I married Pack Ricci or Edison.
But seeing it so plainly in front of my face was going to take some getting used to.
A few minutes later Rhodes knocked on the door. “Perrie, we’re ready to head into the ballroom now.”
“Already?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
I couldn’t have been in the bathroom for more than five minutes. Could Edison really have finished his business that quickly?
Looking in the mirror again, I schooled my face into what I hoped was cool indifference and opened the door.
Rhodes looked me up and down, some unsaid emotion behind his dark eyes before he finally stepped aside to let me pass. “Good girl.”
The praise slipped warmly over my shoulders like I was sinking into a freshly drawn bath and it made my spine straighten just a degree more as I swept past him and found Edison waiting for me in the lobby.
As my eyes scraped over him, there was no immediate sign that he’d done anything remotely violent while I was gone. In fact, he looked just as dapper as when I left him, not a strand of his black hair out of place.
Then he turned and I saw the bloody wet wipe he was using to clean his hands.
Breathe, I told myself, keeping my face neutral as he held a now-clean hand out to me. This is what you signed up for.
My lips pulled up into what I hoped was a charming smile and I put my hand in his, ignoring the spot of red that I saw on the cuff of his shirt. “Did they finish their speeches already?”
The sound of a pained moan coming from the slightly ajar banquet hall doors met my ears as Edison tugged me towards the ballroom that was across the lobby.
“They did, but I’m afraid some of them won’t be joining us for the second portion of our evening, pet.” Edison’s own smile was slow and dangerous as he tucked my hand into the crook of his elbow and leaned in close to my ear. “They didn’t know what was coming to them, disrespecting me and my future wife like that.”
His words should have terrified me, but instead a shudder of pure need shot through me like a bolt of lightning and the smell of strawberries welled up between us.
A growl that I’d never heard before rumbled out of Edison and his eyes seemed to turn into molten gold as he stared down at me.
“You two have another hour and a half before we can leave, so unless you’re planning on taking her to the floor in front of the entire clan then you better get your shit together,” Rhodes’ dry voice came from behind us, making us both jump.
Letting go of his arm, I hurriedly dug through the little beaded clutch I was carrying for my descenting spray. I quickly doused myself in it, trying to get rid of my scent before my inner omega got the better of me and I jumped the mobster that was making my insides tingle with his scary ass words.
Then I turned and sprayed Edison, ignoring his raised eyebrows as I got rid of any trace of his delicious vanilla scent.
Finally, without thinking, I sprayed Rhodes down too before dropping the glass vial back into my clutch and standing up straight again.
“What?” I asked as they both stared at me with equally thoughtful expressions.
“Nothing.” Edison gently tucked my hand back into his arm.
My face flushed a little bit as tiny little whispers asking me why I’d also sprayed Rhodes down invaded my brain.
But I shoved them down, fixing my face into a pleasant smile. Finally, I faced the closed double doors of the ballroom and nodded at the waiting employees. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Yes ma’am,” the two men chimed in unison, amusement evident in their voices.
Rolling my eyes, I stepped into part two of what was shaping up to be the longest night of my life.
Eleven
