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Sully pockets the card. “Around the time Ms. Evans was accepted to grad schools, her brother Brayden was accepted to undergrad at NYU. The deposit for his first semester came from Ms. Evan’s bank account. It wiped out her savings.”
I put two and two together. “She’s paying her brother’s college tuition. That’s why she took this job.” That sounds like Madison. Working hard to provide for the ones she loves. I understand that sort of drive.
I’d sacrifice everything for my family, my pack, too.
“That’s what it looks like.”
“Any connection to … anyone I should know about?” We both know I mean the Adalwulfs.
“Not that I can find.” He hesitates. “But she’s smart. Hungry. And she’s on the inside. Perfectly positioned to be a spy.”
The perfect target for someone like the Adalwulfs to try to flip. If they could get her to flip.
“She doesn’t live on much,” Sully continues. “Everything’s going to her brother’s tuition.”
“All right,” I tell him. “Keep digging. I want to know everything about her.” I need to know.
Sully nods. We re-enter the ballroom, where he fades into the shadows, while I head to the bar. I’ve barely gotten my drink before the vultures descend. Guest after guest, some human and some wolf, queuing up to greet me. To kiss the ring.
I force myself to shake hands and tolerate bullshit small talk. I owe it to Ruby. The minutes blend into hours, and I keep going, letting the voices and names and faces blend into one. I do my duty, acting like the perfect host. Just like my parents did before me. It doesn’t matter that I want to be somewhere else. With someone else. My course was set, my legacy written in stone before I was born.
No use longing for what I can’t have.
No matter how many hands I shake, Madison’s scent still clings to my fingertips. I can still feel the graceful sway of her body as she danced in my arms. Her lips, warm and soft against mine.
It will have to be enough.
ChapterSixteen
Madi
I spend the whole weekend trying to wipe my memory of our kiss. The way Blackthroat bent me back, his lips devouring mine. The way he growled when I teetered off balance. The way I clung to him.
It was the best kiss of my life.
The biggest mistake.
And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want it to happen again.
What does this mean for our working relationship? We didn’t just blur the lines, we blew past them like they didn’t exist. Where do we go from here?
There’s a pile of packages waiting on my stoop Saturday morning when Aubrey and I walk back from getting coffee. One of the coveted BFFB gift bags and a gift basket full of blister treatment products.
“What’s this one?” Aubrey holds up a square box wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine.
I tear it open. It’s a pair of designer shoes, cute but with a sensible low heel.
“No note?” Aubrey demands.
“No, but they can only be from Brick.”
“Oh, is itBricknow?” Aubrey waggles her brows. I’ve already given her the entire scoop on what happened last night. “He definitely wants you.”
“Maybe, but he pushed me out of that elevator and told me to go.”
“So he wants you but knows it would be crossing a line.”
“Yeah.”
