But what is so important? Why wasn’t the marriage enough to make her back off?
Talking to myself doesn’t have the desired effect, and I lean up, the sharp corners of the paper ball pressing into my palm.
“We could go talk to her,” I say to my reflection and my eyes widen as if those words came from someone else.
I could.
I could confront her, find out what she has to say and if it’s even worth Killian’s time. She’s probably just desperate to get back into his life with weak apologies and claims of love, right?
Right.
I unfurl the paper ball, checking the address once more before I fish my phone out of one of the pockets in my dress. I need to get there and back without anyone seeing me. It’s probably best no one even knows about Blair. Especially since Dante is also here somewhere. Maybe Archer could take me? No, he’d tell Killian immediately, and he’d take over, and that guard said he was leaving.
I need to go to Blair. I need to tell her to stay the fuck away from Killian and our family.
My trembling fingers make scrolling through my phone apps more difficult than I would like. Still, I manage to locate the Uber app and type in the address, arranging the pick-up location to be around the corner. I don’t need an overzealous guard tackling my Uber driver, thinking they’re a threat. The app cheerily dings a confirmation that I’ll be picked up in ten minutes, and my heart leaps up into my throat.
I’ve got this.It’s time to set Blair straight once and for all.
37
CARA
Tart zesty lemon tickles my nose from the car air freshener as the Uber carries me swiftly through the night, further from friends but closer to Blair and, hopefully, the end of all this. My family is united with Killian’s. We’ve won that battle. Blair, while nothing more than an incessant annoyance, is next, and the closer I get to the parking lot she listed as her meeting place, the harder my heart pounds in my chest.
It’s fine. I’ll walk up to her, tell her Killian wants nothing to do with her, and I’ll make sure she gets the message since everything Killian has said to her face hasn’t been enough.
I repeat this over and over as the driver takes a sharp turn and pulls into the small parking lot tucked next to a small bistro. It’s currently closed, but the streetlights cast an eerie glow over the wooden sign. It catches my eye, and my stomach churns when the car pulls to a stop.
“Five stars if it’s not too much trouble, doll,” the driver states, and I draw my gaze away from the sign to focus on him. His wiry grey mustache dances slightly on his upper lip from a good-natured smirk peeking out beneath.
“Easily,” I smile tightly, struggling to focus on him when all I want to do is get out there and face Blair. Suddenly a text alert blares through my phone, and I flinch. It’s a text from Sadie asking where I am.
“You alright, darlin’?” the driver asks, his slim brows dipping down as he eyes me. “Seem a bit jumpy, is all.”
“I’m okay,” I force a dazzling smile, “just tired. You know how it is.”
He accepts my explanation with a quirk of his brow before he turns back in his seat, the moment over.
“Thanks!” I call as I open the door.
“You got a lift back?” he asks as my hand lingers on the door handle. I catch sight of him glancing out his window to the deserted parking lot and eerie darkness. “It doesn’t seem safe for a lady like you to wander here alone.”
“I don’t, actually,” I reply, and something twists sharply in my stomach. “Would it be alright if you waited here?”
“No bother,” he replies, catching my gaze in the rearview, “I’ll have to charge you a little extra to make up for not being on other calls, though.”
“That’s fine.” He sounds like he’s teasing that last part, but it slips from my mind as I slide from the car, straighten up, and slam the door closed. I toss my phone into my pocket.
Money for an Uber isn’t a concern for me, but my steps across the parking lot are stronger now that I know he’s there waiting for me. In my hurry to sneak out of the club and confront Blair, I’d been overconfident in my abilities, and I hadn’t toldanyonewhere I was going. That fire had died on the drive over, and now I’m relieved to have someone with me, even if it is a stranger.
I spot Blair a moment later, dressed in a long tan coat and leaning against one of the streetlights. The sight of her surges heat through my veins, and my heart beats faster as my cheeks flare. Sheinfuriatesme in ways I have no kind words for, and the heat of that anger wraps around me like a cloak so strong I scarcely notice the chill of the night air against my bare legs and arms.
“Blair!” I bark out her name like a threat and she jumps from the lamppost, whirling to lay her wide eyes on me. She frowns immediately then glances behind me, probably hoping to see Killian not far behind.
“Cara, what are you doing here?” she sighs sweetly and my palm itches fiercely. I want to slap the sweetness right out of her.
“He’s not here,” I state tightly as my hands curl into tight fists. She quirks a brow at me and I can see her working out why I’m here and he’s not.