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"Sienna's going to be pissed when she see us with you," Liam points out, glancing at me. "She probably still thinks this is a chance at reconciliation.”
"She can think whatever the hell she wants," Tristan replies. "Nobody will come at us in there, not if they don't want to risk a public shootout. Guys, we all know what we're going up against, right?" His eyes linger on me, dark and intense.
“Of course,” I whisper, holding his gaze.
Tristan nods, satisfied."Alright. We'll see how this thing goes, then. If this works, we'll have gained an ally.”
"And if it doesn't?" I ask as we start getting up from the table.
Theo's the one who answers for him, his silver eyes gleaming. "Then we'll have put another target on our backs.”
The Diamond Lounge is hopping by the time we walk through the doors, and, as always, I'm taken aback by how swanky the place is. Everything gleams beautifully, the lights on the chandeliers sending off sparkles that glance off the polished hardwood floor. The sign above the door says that it's been around longer than I've been alive, and I can tell just by the look of it. The interior is jammed with opulent decor: red velvet on the walls and mirrors, chandeliers hanging from a high ceiling, and enough private rooms and alcoves that I bet nothing happens here that management doesn't know about.This was the place I snuck off to after I turned eighteen; as naive as I was, I thought it was the kind of place a normal rebellious debutante should have gone. It turns out, I was right—except I ended up becoming a debutante in the worst way imaginable. I'm hoping that at the very least I can still blend in.
Tristan called ahead, and the hostess quickly escorts us to a private alcove at the back that's separated from the rest of the room by a velvet drape. Theo and I sit side by side on a leather sofa, with Liam and Tristan across from us in armchairs. The hostess is gone a moment later, drawing the curtain and leaving us in privacy. I ignore the tightness in my chest, even as my hand finds the spot where I was concussed. I have to stay cool and composed, but the thought that Sienna somehow figured out our game, that she's going to walk in, guns blazing, with Lucas at her side, is enough to keep me sharp.
Like clockwork, the curtain is pulled back and a stunning woman in a slinky black dress glides into the room.She's not dressed for a business meeting, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised; she wears her obsession with Lucas on her sleeve, and likely sees this as her chance to reel him in under the pretense of making a deal. It makes me nervous, and not just because she's brought two heavyweight bodyguards with her. She's likely carrying, just like everyone else here.
"Hello, boys," she says as the curtain drops closed behind her. Her eyes light up with cunning as they drift from Tristan to the guys. "Theo. Liam. I would say this is a pleasant surprise, but..." She shrugs her shoulders. "Well, you know how it is. At any rate, long time no see. “
"Not long enough," I reply before I can stop myself, crossing my arms over my chest.
Sienna's eyes drift to me, and in that instant, all the air seems to go out of the room. Gone is the sultry tone that flowed from her lips like honey, replaced by a hard, dour glare. My eyes drift down to the hand at her side and the gun I know is concealed there. This was a bad idea. "What the fuck are you doing here?" she demands, taking a step towards me. "What thefuckareyoudoing here?”
Tristan springs to his feet, anger flashing across his face. "Don't you dare speak to her that way," he snaps.
“Tristan…” I begin.
Ignoring me, Sienna sets her sights on him. "Babe," she says, "you didn't tell me she would be here.”
Tristan's expression ices over, his simmering anger threatening to reach a boiling point. "How do you know what she looks like, Sienna?" he asks, his voice low and menacing. "As I recall, you've never seen her face. So how do you know?”
Realizing her mistake, Sienna fumbles for a moment, only to level me with a hard glare. "All right," she says, "you got me. Red-handed." She laughs, that same condescending chuckle I've quickly come to loathe—except there's something underneath it that makes me nervous: the same half-mad intonation that broke through when she was arguing with Lucas.
Fuck,I think, my breath catching in my chest. I shouldn’t have come with them. If justseeingme is enough to set her off, then having me involved in the negotiations is a recipe for disaster.
I’m getting ready to excuse myself, but it’s too late. "I suppose she's told you everything, yes?" Sienna goes on, taking a step toward Tristan. "Filling your head up with stories of how I tried to kill her? How she only made it out of her apartment by the skin of her teeth?"
Tristan's jaw visibly tenses. "You're not going to bait us, Sienna," he says. "You've pulled this shit a million times with me, and it's not going to work now.”
"Bait you?" Sienna asks, anger flashing across her pristine features. "Bait you? I'll tell you what, Tristan: I don't know what kind of lies she's been telling you, but I never tried to kill her. I know exactly what she's doing.”
"Is that right?" I demand, struggling to keep my temper in check. "What exactly do you think I'm doing?”
"She's trying to confuse you, Tristan." Sienna slinks forward another step. "She's trying to steal you away from me.”
"No," Tristan says, shaking his head. "No, that's not it.”
"You're not listening to me!" Sienna explodes, her eyes shooting daggers in my direction. At the edge of the nook, one of her bodyguards puts his hand on his sidearm; Liam puts a protective arm in front of me, and Theo looks ready to spring to his feet. "It was never supposed to be you and her, Tristan! It was supposed to be you andme!”
"Sienna, please." I get up, holding my hands up placatingly as I realize how close we are to a confrontation. "There are bigger things at stake here. Lucas—"
"I don't give afuckabout Lucas!" Sienna snarls, rounding on me, her eyes blazing. "How dare you tell me what the stakes are, you conniving little—"
"That's enough," Theo snaps, getting to his feet and whipping his gun from its holster. "Everyone take it easy before someone gets hurt.”
Sienna barks out a laugh. "You think you get to throw orders around, Emmerico? Last time I checked, you aren't even supposed to be back in London!”
"Guys," Liam says, exchanging a look with me. Things are rapidly getting out of hand. "We're here to talk about an alliance.”
