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26
HADES
Holy.Fuck.
I spot Elsa the second I walk into the ballroom of the Plaza. She looksamazing. So amazing that I don’t realize I’ve just stepped on Vanya’s foot in her open-toed shoes until she winces and grabs my arm.
“Ouch!”
“Sorry,” I mutter, still not looking away from Elsa.
She’s talking to some older dude in a tux, along with a younger woman who’ddamn wellbetter be his wife, seeing as how Elsa is cracking up at whatever dumb joke he’s just made.
“I’m going to go make the rounds.” Vanya pats my arm before disentangling herself. “If you’re going to the bar, could you get me a red wine? Something expensive and old.”
I chuckle. “Such a trust fund brat.”
“Yup,” she grins before disappearing into the crowd.
I make my way to the bar, ignoring the suits who try and stop me for a chat. I order a whiskey and a glass of something red without getting specific. Please, it’s the Crown and Black gala at the Plaza.Allthe wine is old and expensive.
A dark figure leans against the bar next to me. I turn, and suddenly find myself eye-to-eye with Gavan Tsarenko.
“Of all the gin joints, hmm?” he muses, a tight smile on his chiseled face.
“Funny, I wouldn’t have pegged you for aCasablancafan.”
“I think it’s fairly safe to assume we don’t know a thing about one another, Hades.”
I give him a flat smile in return. “Well, maybe that’s for the best. If you’ll excuse me—”
“Interesting move, by the way.”
I shouldn’t be talking to this motherfucker, for about a million reasons. The Albanian Acquisition. The bullshit he pulled with buying Jayden Robinson’s warehouse. The fact that Donnie Petrakis’ and Jason Eliades’ sons were both jumped recently, and that Theo Petrakis hadRussianvodka fucking poured on him before he was lit on goddamn fire.
Clearly , the appropriate, diplomatic response to Gavan right now is to walk the fuck away before we get into a full-blown shoot-out in the middle of the fucking Plaza.
Unfortunately, diplomacy has always been just about my very weakest suit.
Smiling thinly, I turn back to him. “And what move is that?”
“Bringing Vanya Mirzoyan as your date tonight.”
“I think the really interesting move,Gavan,” I growl, “is lighting kids on fucking fire.”
His brow darkens. “Theo Petrakis. Yes. I heard about that.”
“Oh, I’msureyou fucking did.”
His jaw tightens. “You don’t honestly believe I’m capable of that, do you?”
“Honestly?” I shrug. “I do, actually.”
He snorts, shaking his head as he sips the Belvedere on the rocks the bartender’s just poured him.
“I’m insulted.”
“Well, maybe you could go strong arm another old-timer into selling you a warehouse you don’t need to make yourself feel better.”
