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OCTAVIA
This night is not going how I expected it to. Starting with Lincoln not arriving with Maverick and Finley to pick us up. East is sitting tonight out. Advice from Chase apparently, and I’m not opposed to it. If he can stay free and clear of the Knights and all of their bullshit, then awesome. I’ve been second-guessing bringing Indi with me all freaking day.
But Maverick’s reassurance that he wouldn’t leave her side made me feel a little better since Finn and I have to play the happy couple tonight.
The Lincoln thing is driving me nuts. I haven’t heard from him all day. His father called him this morning and we haven’t seen him since. Finley showed me the message he got from him, telling him he wouldn’t be coming with us tonight, but that was literally all it said.
Goddamn Saint is frustrating as fuck.
I just want to know what the fuck is going on with him
As the town car pulls up to the same Saint mansion that we’d gone to for the charity ball, Indi lets out a low whistle. “Wow, these guys sure do love their swanky manors, huh?”
I laugh softly as Finley smiles at her.
“Better get used to it tonight, Pixie Spice. This place is full of pretentious bozos in fancy, shiny shit to try and hide who they really are. All of this is just a shiny exterior so no one looks too hard for the truth.”
“I just meant it looks nice,” she says, rolling her eyes.
I shake my head and lean forward. “You two need to play nice tonight. It’ll only take one of these assholes to hear you arguing to decide that they want to use it against us.”
Finn lifts my hand and kisses the inside of my wrist. “Relax, pretty girl. We aren’t going to let anything happen to her. Or to you. This is just another ridiculous event for the bigwigs from the city and the Knights to show everyone how rich they are. I doubt they’ll even try to speak to you tonight, but you not attending would have been a snub—especially since Chase helped us find you—and that is the last thing we want.”
The car rolls to a stop and the valet opens the door. The boys climb out first, then help Indi and I out. The steps are lined with spiral-cut trees decorated in twinkle lights, and people of all ages are ascending them into the mansion.
Music plays softly, servers walk around in their black shirt and tie uniforms, far less obscure than the ones they wore the last time I was here.
This all looks almost, dare I say, normal.
“I don’t know what you were so worried about,” Indi murmurs as she slides up beside me as we enter the main room. “This just looks like a stuffy party.”
Maybe she and Finn are right. Tonight is nothing more than a party for the rich and pretentious.
“Let’s get a drink, shall we?” Mav says, clapping his hands together before holding out his arm, which Indi takes, even if she does pull a face at him as she does.
Finn grips my hand tighter and leans in closer, “How long till you think they end up killing each other?”
“I give it about twenty minutes. We probably shouldn’t leave them alone too much.”
“You’re probably right,” he murmurs, the warmth of his breath sending a shiver down my spine. “If I didn’t tell you how stunning you look tonight, I should definitely be fired as one of your boyfriends.” He pulls back and smiles down at me, before glancing around the room.
A tall, waif-like blonde approaches us, resting bitch face in place.
“Fuck,” Finley mutters and entwines my fingers with his.
She stops in front of us, her gaze roaming over me, as if sizing me up.
Finley smiles tightly at her as he pulls me closer into his side. “Artemis, I’m surprised you bothered to come.”
She looks a little older than us, but I don’t recognise her. If she’s here though, and she knows Finn, she must have something to do with the Knights.
“I thought I’d come and meet the infamous Octavia Royal, considering all of the fuss that’s been made about her lately.”
I quirk a brow at her as her heated gaze sweeps over me again, and her mouth tugs up in the corners. “I guess I can see why you’ve been tripping over yourself.”
Finley chuckles as he kisses my hair. “Octavia, this is Artemis DuPoint. She sits on the Conclave, too.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say, offering her my hand, even though it feels awkward as shit.
