AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let me put it on you.” He carefully pulls it out of the box and stands behind me, draping the necklace over me.
I take the earrings out and put them into my ears as he watches. Our eyes meet in the mirror as he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me back to him. I melt in his hold, obsessed with the contrast between us. His dark hair, blue eyes, and black suit versus my blonde hair, brown eyes, and white suit.
“I love you, Liv.” His eyes stay on me. “We had this necklace designed for you. This knot represents you.” His fingers run from my neck down the center of my chest to where the knot hangs against my sternum. “Each of the diamonds represents one of us. You hold us together.”
“We didn’t realize it until you were gone,” Grant says as he enters the room with Lake and steps up beside us.
“They’re speaking for themselves, Livvy. I always knew how important you were to me, and I never fucking forgot.” Nolan pulls me from Sawyer’s arms and kisses me. “You look beautiful,” he tells me after he’s done feasting on my lips.
“You all look disturbingly handsome.” I step back from the four of them and take them all in. They all have such distinct looks, equally attractive but different. Lake with his deep bronze skin, black hair, and broody dark eyes plus all the muscle and tattoos is incredible, especially dressed in all black. Grant looks devastating with his perfectly styled blonde hair and sharp green eyes; he was made to wear suits. Then there’s pretty boy Sawyer who has never looked anything other than perfect. Finally, Nolan and his edgy vibe, his tattoos sneak onto the back of his hands, and one creeps past his collar. He’s the only one to deviate from the look the other three have going on by not wearing a tie.
Lake walks around me with a slight frown. “You won’t be able to carry wearing that.”
“She’ll be with one of us all night. Plus, the other security will be there,” Grant says.
“Volkov and crew will be in attendance, too,” Nolan adds.
“Tripp won’t get his hands on her. We’ve gone through everything a hundred times, playing out each possible scenario,” Sawyer says. “There’s not a possibility we haven’t prepared for.”
Lake looks grim, like he doesn’t fully believe that. I grab both of his hands entwining our fingers and look into his eyes. “I promise I’m going to be careful. The last thing I want to do is get in Tripp’s web again. I’m not reckless, and I’ve come too far to start now.”
He nods with a clenched jaw before pulling me to him and leaning his forehead against mine. “I will burn the world down before he ever lays a hand on you again,” he whispers. Then he pulls back and puts his mercenary face on. “Let’s go over everything one more time.”
By the time we talk through every scenario and each response we should have, the limo is downstairs waiting for us. I catch our reflection in the widows of the lobby of our building. We look powerful. I’m flanked on both sides by my guys. I now seamlessly fit into their unit, walking together stride for stride to finally take down my tormentor.
The driver holds the door open for us, and I slide in first. They file in behind me. Nolan looks around at everyone and shakes his head a bit. He grabs the bottle of champagne and pops the top offering me a glass first.
I gladly accept it. My fingers shake a bit as I take my first sip. The bubbles hit my tongue, and I relax a fraction. We have a bit of drive to get to the venue. No one talks, we all just sit in a tense silence, some of us sipping a glass of champagne, others looking out the window as the city goes by.
All too soon we’re in front of the hotel. Sawyer tells the driver not to worry about opening the door for us as he gets out first. There’s some media already taking photos beyond the velvet ropes lining the stairs.
“Grant! Who are you with tonight?” a young female reporter yells.
He looks at her with a devastating smile and a wink, “Julia, you know I never tell.”
“Will you tell me what you think of your business partner being under investigation for fraud and money laundering?” she asks pointedly.
That makes him stop and look back at her. She raises an eyebrow and holds her recording device out toward him. He looks at me and nudges me to go on with the other guys. Nolan reaches out and links our hands. He gives not one fuck about people seeing me on Grant’s arm and then holding his hand.
“Do you know what that was about?” I lean toward him not wanting anyone else to hear.
“No clue. He has a lot of business partners though. It’s not one of us.”
We walk into the ballroom and look around. I know all three of the guys are checking to make sure all the security is in place and that nothing is out of order. I, on the other hand, am scanning the crowd looking for Tripp. I look all over the room but he’s not here yet, perfectly to plan. We don’t want him to see me before he’s on stage to give his speech.
I smile when I make eye contact with Lilith, and she motions for me to come over. She is standing with her husband, a tall blond man, and a short brunette with beautiful curly brown hair. I look over at Lake and indicate that I want to go say hello. He makes eye contact with her husband, and they have an entire silent conversation before Lake gives me a nod. She watches the exchange closely and then rolls her eyes mockingly.
“They’re so ridiculous.” She hugs me in greeting. “Let me introduce you to everyone.” She points at the big guy. “This is my cousin Levi Marsh and my best friend Ivy Marsh. That guy over there with red hair is my friend Griff Potter. His wife’s name is Claire.” She gestures to a couple at the bar holding hands.
We make small talk for a while. Eventually Grant joins us with Griff and his wife. Then the rest of my guys migrate over. Each of them makes sure to casually touch me in some way. I can’t figure out if it’s to reassure me or to claim me, either way it’s subtle enough that I doubt anyone notices.
“It’s time for us to go.” Grant leads me away from the group and out a side door. We walk down an empty corridor and into a small conference room.
“What was that reporter talking about?” I ask.
“She was mistaken. There was word around town that I was working with a shady investor, but I actually met with him before our trip to Costa Rica. Sawyer and I both got bad vibes from him, so I didn’t move forward. That was the day Tripp confronted us.”
He sits down in one of the chairs and pulls me onto his lap. With a wicked smile, he slides his hand inside my jacket, caressing the bottom curve of my breast. “You know, I never thought suits were sexy until I walked into Sawyer’s room and saw this.” He rolls my nipple between his fingers. “What should we do while we wait for our cue?”
