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Elias didn’t nod or shake his head. He didn’t respond in any way, but like before, Bianca saw something in him that told her she was right. She was suddenly just as angry with him as he was with her.
“How could you do that to me!” she said, hitting his arm. “How could you let me worry like that?”
“I gave you every reason not to worry,” he said. “I even brought you in to ID her father.”
“But you didn’t tell me the truth.”
He sighed tiredly. “Do you remember when I asked you if you were going to be okay with not knowing certain things about what I do?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know it meant stuff that would affectme,” she replied, realizing the ridiculousness of what she was saying. He gave her a look, and she nodded, letting him have that one. “Okay, okay. But I still have to tell House his sister’s safe.”
“That’s exactly who youcan’ttell,” he said, looking like he wanted to strangle her. “Do you understand?”
Bianca stared at him, confused. “I don’t understand any of this.”
A laugh escaped him. “Good.” He looked around, addressing everyone again. “I’m trying to keep the Loring family out of this, but to do that, I’m going to need you to cooperate.”
“What does that mean?” Cassiel asked, a skeptical smirk on his face.
“Don’t talk to anyone, including lawyers. And let me know if any of the people I mentioned approach you,” Elias replied. “If anything feels off to you, tell me about it immediately.” He let a tiny, teasing smile appear. “And maybe all of us together can keep Bianca out of jail for more than a few days at a time.”
Abbe poured Elias a glass of champagne. “I seriously doubt it,” she said, handing the glass over.
Nine
After a glass of champagne and a change of topic to the ball, they all relaxed somewhat.
Cassiel seemed to take an interest in Elias, and at one point while Abbe and Bianca were distracted by making their final dress choices, Bianca caught Elias and Cassiel having a close conversation. She interjected herself, trying to overhear what they were discussing, only to be greeted by both of them wearing forced smiles as they abruptly ended their discussion.
“What’s going on?” she asked them suspiciously, sidling up to Elias.
He put a hand on the small of her lower back in a subtle show of possessive intimacy, and of course, Cassiel noticed the gesture and did not look pleased about it.
“Are you going to let me see your dress?” Elias asked, changing the subject.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Maybe. Maybe not. Are you going back to work?”
“Nope. I’m done for the day. You know, I just realized I’ve never taken you out for dinner,” he noticed.
“Do you even eat?” she asked him jokingly.
“Come to think about it, no, actually. They usually just put me back in my box at the end of the day,” he replied, joking with her.
As they said their goodbyes and Bianca got into Elias’ silver BMW, she was acutely aware of how closely Cassiel was watching them. She asked Elias what he had talked about with her brother, but he was evasive, keeping his eyes on the road and saying general things, like Cassiel was still worried about her safety and needed further reassurances. Bianca glanced behind them to see her car and driver following them back to her place. Apparently, her brother didn’t even trust her with an FBI agent.
He reached a hand across the center console, seeking her hand. He brought the back of it to his lips as he drove, rubbing the soft skin across his lips before kissing it.
As soon as they got inside the door, Elias dropped a façade she didn’t know he’d been wearing. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly and taking deep, shaky breaths.
“It came so close today,” he whispered so low she almost couldn’t hear him. “They almost brought you in.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, knowing all of this anxiety he was feeling was her fault. “I’m really not trying to—”
“I know,” he said, leaning back to look at her. “You had no idea about any of this. You just got in the wrong car.”
“But I’m glad I did,” she said, wondering if she should admit so much. “If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have met you.”
It seemed like he wanted to say more, but instead, he kissed her. The kiss went from tender to deep in moments, and Bianca felt a shift in him, like he’d decided something. He moved her a few steps away from the door, lifted her skirt, and backed her up against the wall. He moved her thong aside and gently ran his fingers up the seam of her, waiting for her to soften and warm before sliding a finger into her.
