“She’s fine. We just came to take her home,” a stranger announced from behind me.
Glancing over my shoulder, I found an attractive man with a shadow of a beard and a pompadour hairstyle cocking a brow at me. His dark brown eyes danced with humor as if he was enjoying all this. Seems Ryker didn’t come alone to fetch me.
How the hell had he known I was even here?
Giving the new arrival a warning smirk and wink, I turned back to my large friend. Prepared to play the part of a lifetime, I grasped his arm, panic filling my voice. “I don’t know who they are. They keep trying to take me somewhere after I told them no. I need to get out of here. Please, will you help me?” I gave him wide desperate eyes, hoping he’d keep my daddy’s dogs off me.
“Go get your jacket and get out of here. I’ll keep them busy,” he answered, cracking his knuckles dramatically.
Standing on my tiptoes, I brushed a kiss on his cheek and took off, leaving my knight in black mesh to deal with tails. Rushing up to the bar, I waved over the girl who had taken the jacket, and she nodded, returning with my garment. “Too bad I was getting kind of attached.”
“Who knows, I might be back, and you’ll have another chance to get lucky,” I answered.
“With the jacket or you?” she teased.
I blew her a kiss, and I turned to leave. “You never know in this life.”
Using all my skills, I dodged people on my way to the back exit, knowing if they dealt with my bouncer buddy, they would be waiting at the front for me to leave. I whistled for a cab to stop and hopped in, heading back to the hotel to gather my things. If they found me once, they’d be able to do it again until I figured out where the fucking tracker was.
Back in the bedroom, I thought about changing for the party, but I just freshened up a little then checked out. The last time I’d been at the estate was when I was five, but I knew it the moment I saw it. Memories of the attack and losing my mother flooded back as I pulled up to the front door. Shaking my head clear, I handed my keys off to the valet and took a deep breath.
This was it, my last moments of being Astin Capaldi, the obedient honor student, andLuna Selene,the shadow who stole from the rich for no other purpose than I was good at it.
The Caprioni Estate was still in the city, but in the section of woods where it was built gave acres between us and the next home. The mansion itself was massive, made out of stone, three stories high with pillars and a tiled roof making it seem like a home out of its time compared to most found in our city. It had been in our family for generations, and one day it would be mine when my father passed.
I entered the front door and walked up the marble steps to a filigree-patterned wrought iron security gate with double doors. It had been added for security if the enemy breached the front doors. It was unlocked and open for the party but reminded you who owned the place with a large family monogram right over the doorway.
The murmur of people talking and the sound of a string quartet told me just how much I was going to stick out in this outfit. Honestly, that suited me just fine. They needed to know right away that I had ideas and plans for this family. I wasn’t going to be walked over or dismissed because of my gender, no matter what I wore.
Just as I was going to step into the grand salon where the party was being hosted, a hand grabbed my arm and yanked me back. It took everything in me not to react and take this dipshit down for daring to lay hands on me. After spending my whole life preparing for someone to come after me, it was a testament to my skill that I could hold back. My fingers itched to go for the knife I had tucked in my low back sheath, but I wasn’t sure this was the first impression I wanted to make.
“This is a closed party,” a deep voice growled. “I’m sorry you came all this way, but whoever your client is shouldn’t have asked you to come.”
I let out a huff of laughter.This prick thought I was a fucking escort.
Shifting, I looked at the man who dared to think I was a whore, let alone have such a tight grip on my arm. He was dressed in a suit, but all the men working for the family wore them. It was our dress code of sorts. The interesting thing was he didn’t wear a button-down shirt. Instead, it was a V-neck that showed off all his muscles and tattoos. A bird of some kind spread its wings around his throat and bled into words written across his chest I didn’t bother reading at this moment. There would be plenty of time later as he begged forgiveness for what he was doing to examine him closer. His head was buzzed, only leaving enough to show his hair was a dark blond color. The shaved hairstyle made his angular features stand out more prominently along with his dark blue eyes. His beard was trimmed short and only along his jawline, making it even more pronounced, or maybe it was because he was glowering at me so fiercely.
“I can assure you I amabsolutelysupposed to be at this party,” I said, my voice even and cold as ice. “One might even say thisismy party. Also, I believe it would be in your best interest to remove your hand from me if you plan on keeping it.”
This only seemed to make him even more upset. “Really, and who’s going to remove it if I don’t let go?”
“He’s right, you know, with a threat like that, you must have the means to back it up,” Daddy’s voice called out. “If not, then he has every right to remove you from this gathering.”
I really had to stop calling him Daddy in my head. If I didn’t, one of these times I was going to call him that out loud, which wouldn’t do either of us any good.
Taking my eyes off the rude man, I shifted them to my father. After fifteen years, there he was, dressed in an impeccable tan color suit with a light blue shirt and white tie. Daddy had always been fastidious about his appearance, and it seems he hadn’t changed. Everything about him screamed power and authority—the only thing that gave him away from his standoffish appearance was the pure delight in his eyes. He wasn’t going to give me away until I dealt with this situation.Ah, the first of many tests. Goodie.
Rolling my eyes at my father, I kicked out my right leg, dropping the man to his knees and spun around so I was behind him with my knife at his neck. “At this point, I’m irritated enough to just kill you,” I muttered to the man.
“Come, daughter, leave him be. I just had the carpets cleaned for the occasion, and I don’t want to call them out again.” Father chuckled, waving for me to follow him. “You know you’re three hours late, don’t you? Seems you gave Ryker quite the run around today as well.”
The man at my feet released me instantly when he heard Daddy utter the worddaughterbut didn’t move since I still had my knife on him.
“I always intended to be here,” I commented. “Do you blame me for just wanting to have a little fun first? It’smybirthday, after all.” Dropping my arm, I stepped back as he stood rubbing his neck unconsciously. “What’s your name?” I asked, cocking my head.
“Jace,” he answered simply, keeping his eyes lowered.
Jesus Christ, pull a knife on a guy, and he turns into a whipped puppy.