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Before she could respond, a man approached angrily. “There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. It’s time to go.”
“But we just got here. My grandfather hasn’t arrived yet.”
“I said now!”
Kali jumped, slowly getting to her feet. “It was nice meeting you Linsey. I hope we can have lunch sometime.”
“My wife is too damn busy for lunch,” the man said, grabbing Kali’s arm pulling her deep into the surrounding crowd. Worried, I looked at Vicious, who was standing stiffly, his fist balled tight as he stared at the disappearing woman. “Who the fuck was that?”
“John Stevens. The bastard wormed his way into the Vanderveer Family. He manipulated and seduced Kaliope into marriage for her money. They’ve only been married for three years and in that time, Kaliope gave birth to four kids. A daughter, twin boys and the latest, a four-week-old baby. She shouldn’t have even been here tonight. There were complications with the last birth. She should be in bed resting. When her grandfather finds out, he’s going to lose his shit. And before you ask, I haven’t done anything yet because Kali asked me not to.”
“I saw the bruises. He’s beating her.”
“It’s worse than that.”
“Either you take care of him, or I will. I won’t tolerate that shit. She’s seemed like a sweet woman. She was afraid of him, Montana. I saw her face.”
“I know.” Montana muttered, his eyes never leaving the crowd she disappeared into.
The night wore on and though I was so ready to get the hell out of here, I found I was kind of enjoying myself. Vicious and the brothers all rallied around, never leaving me alone. They were a lively bunch for sure, and most of the dates they brought were cordial and respectful.
Well, all but Fury’s date.
His date was a whiney little bitch. I wanted to ask him why he brought her, of all people… Ms. Valentina Pisano. The daughter of one of the richest bankers in New York City. I’d had my run-ins with the woman before. She wasn’t nice. I didn’t even think she knew the meaning of the word. I knew for a fact my sister Davy hated her. Couldn’t stand the woman. It just boggled my mind. I knew Fury. I knew the man he truly was. But the man standing next to Valentina was someone different. Someone I didn’t want to know. He was harsh, standoffish, and mean. It was a side of him I never knew existed.
“Please Christian. It’s so boring over here. Let’s go mingle with my friends.”
“No,” Fury scowled, before taking another drink of his scotch. It was his fourth one of the night. At the rate he was drinking them, he was going to be drunk before the opening commencement.
“You promised me a good time.”
“Would you shut the fuck up?” Fury growled angrily. Valentina narrowed her eyes. “You dirty piece of shit. I should have known you’d never keep your word. You better check yourself, Christian, if you are going to be with me. I won’t lower myself to your standards. I have a huge following. People know me. So, either get with the program or I’m leaving.”
“Bye!” Montana smiled, raising his glass for another drink as several of the brothers snickered.
Valentina sneered. “Don’t know why I even bother with you. You are useless Christian. You will never change. You and your delinquent friends are nothing but scum and you’ve now associated yourself with a bitch who is persona non grata. She is a pariah and will soon leave town with her tail between her legs. Nothing more than a money-grubbing whore.”
Before Vicious could reach her, Fury had his hand around Valentina’s neck. Brothers moved quickly to block what was about to happen from view. “You are a fucking cunt. I only brought you because you’re an easy fuck. You think I give a damn about you and your socially inadequate friends? You need to grow the fuck up Valentina and if you ever utter one more word about Linsey, I will destroy you. I’m sure all your online, social app friends would just love to see the real you. Now, get the fuck away from me.”
The woman grabbed her throat, coughing. “I’m going to ruin you.”
“Bring it, bitch,” Storm said, as she stumbled away. Pushing my way between the men, I reached for Fury’s hand to let him know I stood with him. That I would always stand beside him, support him anyway possible. I may not understand these men and why they did the things they did, but I knew a good man when I saw one. And Fury was a good man.
“I need to get out of here,” he barely said.
“Then let’s go.”
“Linsey’s right Fury. We’ve stayed long enough. Malice will understand,” Vicious stated. “Let’s go say good night to the girls. You can sleep on the couch tonight.”
Fury smirked at that. “Thank you, brother.”
After saying our goodbyes, Vicious, Fury, and I headed for the entrance. I was so ready to get the hell out of this place. I knew the social season had only just begun and that I would be required to attend more parties in the future, but I didn’t care at the moment. Right now, I was going home. Right after, I made a stop in the lady’s room. With all the water I drank, I needed the pit stop. Seeing my destination ahead, I whispered, “I’ll meet you near the coatroom. I’ll be just a few minutes.”
“Okay baby,” Vicious said, leaning down to kiss my cheek.
Watching the two men walk ahead, I turned to enter the ladies’ bathroom. Like the rest of the Met, the place was immaculate and ornate. Hurrying to do my business, I was washing my hands when I heard the door open. Thinking nothing of it, I reached for a soft hand towel when something pricked the side of my neck. Looking up, I stared in disbelief at who was behind me before my world turned black.
Twenty-Six
