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“I’m glad to hear it,” she replies, although she couldn’t give any less of a shit and sounds deflated that there’s not more to report. “I’m calling for another reason. I’m sure you remember that the Collingsbrook Ball is coming up.”
The Collingsbrooks are an old aristocratic family. Each year, they hold a ball at their country manor and anyone who is anyone in high society attends. With everything else happening—tracking the Killers Club, Bram’s kidnapping, and Rose falling under our protection—it’s slipped my mind.
“Sebastian? Hello?” Mum squawks. “Are you still there?”
Would now be a good time to blow my brains out with the gun hidden in my waistband? I roll my eyes. Every time I speak to her, I digress to acting like a sulky teenager. “Yeah, I’m still here.”
“So, you’re coming this weekend, aren’t you?” she says. “It’s a masquerade this year, remember?”
As much as I hate the occasion, I have to go. These big events help me nurture all the connections I’ve been building.
“Yes,” I reply through gritted teeth, “I’ll be there.”
“I have someone there I want you to meet,” she says excitedly.
“Actually, I’m bringing a date,” I blurt out.
I’m met with deadly silence, and Freddie’s gaze burns into me. Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.
“You are?” she asks sharply. “Who? Is it someone I know?”
“No, you don’t know her,” I say hastily. “You can meet her then.”
“What’s her name?” Mum asks, likely already drafting a text to the disappointed mother of the unlucky lady she’s tried to sell me off to.
“Rose,” I say before I change my mind. Freddie slams the car door closed behind him. “Look, I have to go. I have a meeting. I’ll speak to you soon, okay?”
“You shouldn’t have promised she’d go,” Freddie says bluntly as I get into the car.
A member of our security team strolls by on the other side of the street and nods in our direction. Cameras are watching Spencer’s house, and Callen is monitoring the footage from home. We can’t miss anything.
“She doesn’t have to go. I just said it to get my mum off my back,” I reply, trying to act like it’s nothing when we both know it isn’t. “But we can’t keep Rose locked inside forever. You’re the one who thought it was a good idea for me to start dating and stop my parents from playing matchmaker.”
Freddie’s fists clench. That was before he knew who I was dating. All bets are off now.
“It’s too dangerous for Rose,” he says. “What if the Killers Club sees her there?”
“At the Collingsbrook Ball?” I laugh wryly. “I know everyone who goes to those parties. She’ll be safe. They have more security than we can offer, and the paparazzi aren’t allowed on the grounds. It’s a masquerade ball, so no one will even see her face.”
“But you’ll be working,” Freddie says, clutching at straws. “Spencer will be going, won’t he? You need to watch him.”
“I can do both,” I insist. I soften my voice, “Rose isn’t a Duke. She’s got a life, friends, and a job. You can’t expect her to drop everything for us. She’s not a prisoner. She can make her own choices.”
We both know he’s annoyed about more than her attending a party.
“We’ll talk about it later,” Freddie says. “In the meantime, I want at least one of us with Spencer at all times on top of our standard security. You’re on watch today. Callen will do it tomorrow. I’ll join you at night to double down on patrols. That’s when the Killers Club is more likely to act.”
Having a private security firm helping us is great, but they’re not the Dukes. When the Killers Club returns to finish what they’ve started, we must be ready.
“Where are you going now?” I ask. “Back to the house?”
“Shopping,” he replies. “Rose can’t live in your clothes forever.”
I get out, and the car roars past. Rose might not want to come to the ball, but we can’t keep her locked away. If we do, she’ll end up hating us. No man can clip her wings. A woman like Rose needs to fly.
CHAPTER15
IVY
