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His body slumped, but he quickly fought against it, not wanting me to think I’d won, though there was no hiding the fear that had flashed across his eyes as I listed all the things I’d do to him.
All thelegalthings I would do to him.
Because I could.
I had the means, the money, and the contacts.
And while Dad reminded me the other day that riding out, chasing this asshole down, and beating the crap out of him so he thought twice next time was the club way of doing things, I had power too.
Mine was just different, but I could still use it to make a point.
This time it wasn’t about taking the life of someone trying to hurt the woman I cared about. This was about making them wish I just fucking had.
“Good.” I patted him on the chest, and his entire body flinched as he stepped away from the door so I could pull it open. “I’m glad we had this talk, and hopefully, we don’t have to have it again.” I stepped out, turning around to look back at him, only to find the door slammed straight in my face.
Dramatic.
His way of getting in the last dig, I guess.
But I’d laid it out, and while I could still see the vengeful glint in his eye, hopefully, he might think twice before forcing my hand.
Rip was waiting at the elevator down the hall. I stepped up beside him and pressed the button for the charity ball level, not saying anything.
My brother managed to keep quiet for seven seconds before he groaned loudly and slapped my shoulder. “So?”
“So, I made my point.”
“And now?”
“And now, I go and enjoy the company of my fiancée, my best friend, and my family, and hope that man is smarter than he fucking looks.”
CASSIDY
“Did that lady really just pay ninety-seventhousanddollars for a date with Reed?” I whispered under my breath, joining the rest of the room in applause.
Drake smiled, though it was a warm smile, as he watched Reed step off the stage and embrace the older woman who was possibly in her eighties. “Yeah, but not for the reason you’re thinking,” he explained, but I was quickly picking up on that with the way her eyes seemed to sparkle under the stage lights as she hugged him. As though they were filled with tears.
There was a story there.
Had anyone told me a month ago I’d be floating around a room of the rich, the wealthy, and the famous, chatting about school and sharing stories about the strange things people had come into the store to buy flowers for, I’d have told them they were crazy.
I didn’t belong in a room like this.
Mixing with people out of my league.
And yet, with Drake’s arm around my waist and my body tucked into his side, I didn’t feel out of place. I felt more at home than I ever had.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Reed announced from the stage. “Our next item up for auction is a fresh, hot pizza from Romano’s Pizza Place in Boston, Massachusetts.”
My mouth dropped open, and I spun around, my eyes wide as I stared at Drake’s smug face.
“How… when… wh—”
He raised his hand while holding my tear-filled gaze. “One hundredthousanddollars.”
Laughter and cheers seemed to spread throughout the ballroom, people obviously enthusiastic about the amount of money being dropped on such a small item. There was no way they understood why it had me staring at the bidder—my supposed fiancé—with a wide grin.
“Thank you, Drake Shaw,” Reed said with a chuckle.
