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32
Ash
I wasn’t exactly kiddingabout a good orgasm giving me a steadier hand. I actually do feel more relaxed after sex, and I figured this could only help. But seeing Julian walk into the room makes me tense up immediately, so all that relaxing sex almost goes flying right out the window. Just because one asshole shows up at the party.
I almost snort under my breath. I should have known.
Julian is a fucking dick, and it takes all my self-control not to walk over there and punch him right in the fucking face. Of course I’m tense.
Luckily, I’m good enough with my hands that it won’t matter. I can still do what I need to do.
Julian doesn’t see us at first, so we stand there and watch him for a bit.
We have a good vantage point of the rest of the room, so we can see him as he puts on his game face, in this case, that smug, fake charming smile, and starts to schmooze his way through the crowd.
He’s shaking hands and talking to people, but only the really important ones. He can’t afford to piss anyone off here, but it’s clear he’s really only interested in rubbing elbows with the people who can get him somewhere. Which, to be fair, is almost everyone in this mansion right now.
He laughs at jokes that probably aren’t funny, sucking up to anyone he comes across that seems like they fall into the right category for him. It’s kind of disgusting to watch, actually. The way he’s kissing asses and pretending to be this smooth as fuck gentleman or whatever.
It’s amateur hour because you can’t pretend to have charm when you don’t have any to spare, and I find myself hoping that everyone can see through him. They probably can’t though. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about rich people, it’s that they love having smoke blown up their asses.
Even if it’s not real. Even if it’s from someone they can’t stand. The fact that they’re in a position where they matter that much gets them off something big. It’s a power thing, most likely, and it’s fucking gross.
But Julian fits right into that whole scene, playing the game as best he can to try to climb that ladder.
Which makes it even clearer how fake he is when he turns and finally spots us. I can see it when his features change. That charming grin slips right off his face, and a look of disgust takes over, his lip curling into a sneer when he sees River. This is the real Julian. An ugly, petty murderer, who doesn’t deserve anyone’s fucking time.
We don’t move from our spot, and he comes over to us instead. As he gets closer, it’s clear he’s fuming, pissed off that we would dare to be in the same place he is.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he demands, his eyes snapping with disdain and anger. “Did you forget what I said to you the last time? I’ve been fucking lenient, not going after you for whenshetried to steal Hannah away at the wedding.” He jerks his head at River. “You don’t belong here.”
“First of all,” River snaps. “Hannah is—was—a person. You can’t steal people, and she didn’t want to be with you in the first place. I don’t blame her for that. Second, we were invited, so we have just as much right to be here as you do. You might think you’re the only one who knows people, but you’re not that fucking special. We didn’t say anything to you, so maybe you should go about your business.”
It’s clear to hear the anger and hatred burning in her voice as she confronts Julian, but it’s also clear that she’s holding herself back a little because of the plan. Otherwise she might have already clawed his eyes out for daring to talk about her sister that way. I want to have her back, to stand right beside her as she faces down this fucker.
But I can’t.
I have a job to do.
Allowing my brothers to be the ones who stand behind and beside her, I shift around to one side a little. Julian is so fucking focused on staring down River, almost foaming at the mouth with his anger, that he doesn’t even notice when my sticky fingers find their way into his pocket and take his phone.
I turn my back a little, one ear cocked to listen to River dressing him down while the rest of my focus is on the phone in my hand. We got a little device from our hacker friend that I plug into his phone. It’s designed to basically allow us to tap into his phone, so we can hear his calls and things like that.
It runs a program that downloads the software onto his phone, and I tap my foot a little as I stare at the screen, willing it to hurry the fuck up.
“You have a lot of nerve,” Julian is saying, practically spitting the words at River.
River snorts right in his face, and I smile with pride. “You’re one to talk,” she shoots back.
The program finishes downloading, and I unplug the device, pushing it back into my pocket before sliding Julian’s phone back into his, just as subtly as I took it out.
He never moves or notices, so focused on the anger and hatred coming from River. Going both ways, really.
I step away from Julian and sneeze into my hands, not loud enough to draw attention, but enough to give River the signal that I’m done with what I had to do.
She glances my way and something shifts in her eyes, so I know she got the signal. Finally, she lets herself say to Julian what I know she’s been dying to say this whole time.
“You know, it’s surprising you’re actually here at all tonight,” she says, her tone still angry. “Considering the word on the street is that your business isn’t going so well these days.”
