He strode toward the car and opened the door. As he sat, she said, “You clean up good, Fisher.”
“Not as good as you.” He gave her a heated look as he buckled his seatbelt.
She pulled out and drove east.
“Are you going to tell me whose party we’re going to? Where it is?”
“Nope. There’s something I want to show you, and if I give you too many details, you might change your mind.”
“Instead, you’re holding me hostage in your car.”
“If that’s the way you choose to see it...however, I think it counts as consent since you willingly got into my car without the details.”
“I’ll keep that in mind next time you consent to something. I’m allowed to stretch that consent to suit what I want.”
The low rumble of his voice and the promise of his words sent a shiver down her spine.Next time. There was definitely a crack in his resolve to stay mad at her.
She headed north again, taking nearly the same route she did last night, winding north into the quiet suburbs. Not that Ezra’s studio was in a noisy suburb. It just felt busier than these wealthy suburbs with their huge trees and few street lights. It was so dark and quiet here.
“You’re making me nervous here. Where are we going?”
She glanced at him. “You act like I just turned down an alley surrounded by abandoned buildings. No serial killer lair, I promise. It’s a fancy holiday party. That’s all.”
He continued to scan the houses as they drove. As she neared the house, it was like pulling up on a winter wonderland. Lights were bright enough to see down the block. Decorations all the way down the driveway.
“That’s where you’re taking me?” he asked.
“Yep.”
The circular drive in front of the house was full of cars, so people were parking on the street. London followed suit.
Enough people were being dropped off that parking wasn’t intense—not like in the city. And since the snow from last week had mostly melted, the sidewalks were clear and dry. She found a spot about a block away, not that she could tell because blocks out here were not city blocks.
“Ready?” she asked as she turned off the ignition.
“Are you going to tell me why we’re here?”
She smiled. “To have some excellent champagne, mingle among the upper crust, see how the worse half lives. It’ll be interesting. Trust me.”
“Those are dangerous words. They could get me in a lot of trouble.”
“Not tonight. I promise.”
They got out of the car and Ezra put his arm around her as they walked toward the house. At the door, they followed a small group and London glanced around to see if anyone was checking names against a list. Nothing. The Moores must’ve had more of an open-door policy than some of their friends. She slipped her coat off and found a line of coat racks in a closet, no one checking anything.It’s probably good that Nikki isn’t here. This would be easy pickings.
London picked up two flutes from a passing waiter and handed one to Ezra.
Two steps into the living room, Ezra froze. “What the fuck,” he whispered and pulled her back.
Startled, she looked up at him. “What?”
“You brought me to the fucking house you plan to steal from?”
She smiled and patted his chest. “Nope. Take a look. A close look atyourhandiwork.” She raised her brows, hoping he’d get it, and sipped her expensive champagne.
“Why are we here?”
She slipped her arm into the crook of his elbow and led him into the room. “I wanted you to see it. To know how well it turned out. And I want you to look around this room and these people and know that we don’t feel an ounce of guilt about any of it.”