Page 94 of Play The Game

“Do you want a drink, Mounty?” Ash murmurs in my ear, and I shiver at the warmth of his breath dancing down my neck.

I clear my throat. “Why not, I’ll have a whiskey.”

Ash jerks his head at Blaise and then he walks me over to one of the sitting areas. The plush lounge feels expensive and I’m instantly uncomfortable perched on it. What if I spill something on it and it’s worth thousands? Rich people are stupid.

“Stop frowning at everything,” Ash says, his fingers dancing along the slit in my dress. He murmurs happily when he finds my skin and then groans when he realizes I’m only wearing the dress.

“Are you trying to fucking kill me? The crowd here is a little less oblivious to public sex acts but I’m sure we could find a bathroom somewhere. I’ll even let the brat join in this time,” he snaps right as Blaise walks up with our drinks.

“How fucking kind of you. Here’s your bourbon, asshole, next time get your own,” he snarls and then drops down on my other side until I’m wedged between them both. I sip the whiskey quietly, trying not to get involved in their drama.

Everyone around us is wearing hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of clothing, and I don’t want to think about where the decimal point would land on the jewelry. The women all float around like this is the highlight of their year and the men all eye them predatorily. This party is the same as the ones in the Bay, just better dressed and less open. I’m positive there are drugs being used, crime being organized, and if there isn’t some dirty fucking going on secretly somewhere then I’ll be damned.

I let my gaze continue their path around the room when I spot Avery and the man with his arms around her waist, holding her against his chest.

My heart stops.

I scramble to grab Ash’s arm, tugging to get his attention, and he frowns when he sees my face.

“Who is that with Avery?” I croak, and he jerks to look in the same direction as I am.

“That’s Atticus. Fuck, Mounty, you scared me. I thought she was being fucking attacked by the look on your face,” he snaps, and I glance away from the horror in front of me.

“Blaise, go get her. Now. Go get her and meet us back at the room. Don’t be obvious about it, say I’m sick or something. Just get her,” I ramble, and Blaise nods, moving quickly away.

Ash’s face turns thunderous and I tug him off of our seat. I get us both moving out of the room as quickly as I can in these stupid fucking heels.

“What the fuck is going on, Mounty?” he growls, but I shake my head. We get to the elevator at the same time Blaise pulls an enraged Avery along behind him. When she looks up and sees me, she freezes.

“You don’t look sick, but you don’t look okay, what’s happened?” Avery says softly, tucking her arm into mine.

The elevator door opens and I pull her in, jabbing at our floor number violently as if that will make the thing move faster. As the doors slowly shut behind us I glance up and make eye contact with Atticus Crawford.

The Crow of Mounts Bay.

“I am not leaving this elevator until you tell me what the fuck is going on, Lips,” Avery says, and although her words are sure, her voice shakes.

She’s guessed what the problem is.

“I know Atticus. I know how he makes his money, I know why he wouldn’t let you intern with him, I know everything about the world he lives in, Avery, and I need to get you out of here.”

Avery’s eyes well up but she doesn’t let the tears fall as she gives me a curt nod, stalking down the hall the second the elevator doors open. Ash grabs my elbow and pulls me into his body sharply.

“Who the fuck is he, Lips? Tell me right now.”

“I’m not telling you before I tell her, now let me go. We need to get her out of here,” I snap back and jerk my arm away from him. He shouldn’t be arguing with me, he knows I always put her safety first.

Once we’re back in the hotel suite, I snatch my shoes off my feet and try to herd Avery toward our room. “You need to pack. We have to leave now; he saw me. He knows that I know.”

Avery nods but she stays put, her face calm and blank now she’s had a second to compose herself. “Who is he? I have to know.”

I glance back to find Blaise and Ash standing in front of the door like they’re waiting for someone to break it down. With the empire Atticus controls, he fucking could.

“He’s the Crow. He’s a member of the Twelve. He’s more powerful than any person in our world, except for the Jackal, but even they are equal. He’s the one I called the favor in with to keep Senior away from you because I knew he had ties in the upper class.”

Avery’s lip quivers just a little, but her eyes stay dry and unwavering on my face. “What does he do? Why are you so afraid of him? You said the Crow deals in information, why does that mean we have to leave?”

I open my mouth to answer her when my phone begins to buzz on the coffee table. Dread trickles down my spine and I move to answer it.