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“No, Remington.” She cuts me off with her hand, motioning for me to save my excuses. “We’re not going to discuss this now.”
“Are we ever?” I challenge, leaning against the wall and crossing my arms over my chest. When she looks up at me, her eyes are fierce, lit up with anger.
“I told you, I don’t know what to believe. All I know is that people who get involved with your family often end up dying young or living to regret it.” She bites her lip, like maybe she’s said too much, and then decides to drive it home. “I think Claire may already live to regret it, and it’s not too soon for her to die young.”
It’s my turn to narrow my eyes on her, suspicion stiffening my shoulders. “What is that supposed to mean? I don’t let anyone get close to me; you know that better than anyone.”
“Sure,” Elaine shrugs. “And yet, here you are and there she is.”
“It sounds like you’re the one making a threat, Elaine.” I take a step toward her so that I can see her eyes on mine more clearly, try to decipher if she’s hiding anything. “There’s still time for her to die young?”
Elaine opens her mouth and lets it snap shut quickly after. A smile finds its way to her face but it doesn’t make it to her eyes. I look up to see Rhea turning the corner, staring at her phone. She seems to sense our eyes on her or the shift in energy, because she glances up to look between us questioningly. When she says nothing, Elaine fills the silence. “You look great.”
“Oh?” Brushing the backs of her knuckles over her black skirt, Rhea laughs. “Claire asked to borrow a dress, so I figured I should match her energy.” She spins quickly, flipping her hair over her shoulder and languishing in Elaine’s applause.
She’s a little overdressed for the night, considering she looks like she is auditioning to work alongside Vanna White.
“Claire asked to borrow a dress… for tonight?”
“Yes.” Rhea shrugs. “I think she wants to look good for Wes. They hit it off back home, you know? He walked us home from the club and almost kissed her on the doorstep under the stars.” She sighs and then makes a gagging sound. “It was perfect and disgusting. That’s why I invited him tonight. I think seeing a familiar face will be good for her. And the fact that he’s here at the same
time as her? It’s like kismet.”
“He… kissed her?”
That is information I wasn’t aware of—information that sets my blood boiling as I imagine his lips on hers, his tongue in her mouth, tasting what belongs to me.
He’d told me he had plans for her before I came along, but I hadn’t realized what he meant. I didn’t realize that she knew him prior to him taking her captive; The betrayal feels all the more disgusting than if he’d just snatched her off the street.
“I said almost.” Rhea corrects me.
“Would have done more than that, if the stars aligned.” I didn’t even hear the door open, but when I turn, Wes is standing behind me, a smug little smirk tipping his lips up. “Of course, Claire’s not that kind of girl, right Remy? She’s a good girl.”
Dimitri makes a big show of entering the house at that exact moment, stealing all the attention before either Elaine or Rhea can ruminate too long on what that was supposed to mean. “Oh,” he stops short, his eyes sliding from Wes to me to Rhea. “It’s Friday, right?”
“Yes.” Rhea says, fixing him with an appreciative once-over. She doesn’t bother veiling the interest in her voice, and I get the distinct impression that she didn’t notice him the other day at the funeral. Good. “Who are you?”
“Dimitri,” he says, extending a hand to her.
I haven’t kept them from knowing one another on purpose. It just sort of happened that way. This is the first I’ve seen my sister since moving to Costa Rica, and he’s been busy attending to other matters since she’s been here. But now I know I should have made an effort to keep them apart. Dimitri looks at my sister like a puppy who just found the one he wants to go home with.
Rhea draws everyone’s attention. She always has, and Dimitri is no exception. I just can’t tell if she’s simply being cordial or if she’s interested in him, too.
“I’m sorry, Dimitri,” I tell him. “I forgot myself this week.”
“No poker then?” He guesses, pulling an excuse for his presence out of thin air.
I’d laugh at that if my nerves weren’t so raw right now. I trusted him enough not to have made him rehearse a reason for being here, but maybe that’s a mistake. He really expects Rhea to believe I have friends over on Fridays to play poker?
Elaine stifles a laugh, but Rhea’s too busy ogling my new right-hand man to notice it, or to notice the look of irritation I shoot back at my housekeeper.
“I have guests.” I explain, tipping my head toward the table that is set for four. “We’re just about to sit down to dinner. Elaine, do we have enough for another guest?”
“Of course,” Elaine smiles surreptitiously, not falling for our act. Of course, she already knows I do not host weekly poker nights. “Is Michael coming, too?”
As if on cue, I hear the front door open again. Michael stamps his feet, gathering our attention and then rounds the corner. “Sorry I’m late.” He says, grinning cheekily.
Rhea lifts an eyebrow, turning her gaze on me. And then something seems to click in her mind. “Aren’t you the ones who were with Wes earlier?”
