“How much does he owe?” I asked finally, shifting my gaze to Gage.

  “Two hundred,” he replied with a disgusted look. “Levi should have watched it closer.”

  I nodded and sighed. “I’ll handle it,” I said with finality.

  Gage looked relieved.

  “Are we sure that’s all he owes?” I asked Gage as I walked over to pick up the paperwork on the desk.

  “Yeah,” he replied. “Levi checked it all out.”

  I should have caught this before now. I knew it. Gage fucking knew it. This was on me. My head had been elsewhere. They didn’t know yet. I wasn’t ready for them to know. It wasn’t time. Too much was still undecided. If those stupid fuckers hadn’t been so damn greedy, it wouldn’t have had to come to an end so soon. Addicts were all the same. Why my father hadn’t let me handle that shit sooner, I didn’t know. His reason was weak. Deep down, he blamed himself.

  The door to the office opened, and Huck walked inside.

  “Made a decision yet?” he asked as he looked at me.

  I’d never been given that power. The decision had been made for me years ago.

  “I made the decision when I ordered the kill. This is just the next move,” I said.

  Huck smirked then as he put a cigarette between his lips.

  “When are you going to get her?” he asked.

  I didn’t look up from the paperwork in my hands when I replied, “She’s already here.”

  Fifteen

  Madeline

  The expensive dress, professionally styled hair, and red-soled heels didn’t give me a sense of belonging. Instead, I felt more like an imposter. Whenever I passed a mirror and caught a glimpse of my reflection, it startled me. I didn’t recognize the woman looking back at me.

  It was as if I had been dropped in the middle of a movie and expected to blend in without knowing the plot. Finding my place in the stables had been easy. It was comfortable. But this was a different world from Moses Mile. The elite of the horse racing world mingled with the wealth and power of those in high places.

  Here I stood, among them, wearing the silver dress Melanie had chosen for me, feeling like everyone who looked at me saw the girl from the wrong side of town. A glass of champagne in my right hand slightly trembled, and I had to will myself to relax.

  I could make it through this evening. It was important to the Houstons, and I owed them.

  “You still haven’t taken a drink,” Saxon said as he came to stand beside me. “Drink it, Maddy. It’ll calm your nerves. Then, you can go dance with me and appease my mother.”

  I glanced over at him and forced a smile. “Do I look nervous?” I asked him.

  “No,” he replied. “You look stunning. That’s all the people here will see.”

  I felt a blush warm my cheeks. I lifted the glass to my lips and drank slowly.

  “That’ll help,” he said with a grin.

  Seeing him in a tux, all clean-shaven and his hair smoothed and not in a messy disarray, had been shocking. He appeared older and intimidating—until he flashed his dimples at me.

  “I’m not sure what I am expected to do here,” I said honestly.

  Saxon shrugged. “Look beautiful—which you do—dance, and enjoy yourself. Drink the champagne, eat the food—although if they offer you the shrimp on that black shit, don’t take one. It’s disgusting, trust me.”

  I smiled and felt a laugh bubble inside my chest.

  Saxon raised his eyebrows. “I made that mistake once. Never again.”

  I gave him one nod. “Noted.”

  His gaze scanned the room, and I took another sip of my drink. I was fairly certain it was helping my nerves. Saxon had been right.

  “See that man talking to my dad?” he asked me.

  I looked over to where his father was standing with an older gentleman with a balding head and glasses. “Yes,” I replied.

  “That’s probably going to be our next president—if the people in this room have anything to do with it, which they normally do,” he said in a low whisper.

  I studied the man closer, wondering if Saxon was right. Could these people truly have the power to place a man in the most important political rank in the US? I wanted to ask him how they could do that, but as I was turning my gaze back to Saxon, they found someone else.

  The sight of Blaise Hughes in a tuxedo wasn’t exactly fair to the female population. His hair was pulled back tightly in a ponytail. There were no loose strands of hair that had broken free tonight. I’d never seen him without his cowboy hat. His jawline wasn’t freshly shaven though. It was a small defiance that didn’t surprise me. I doubted he wanted to be here. From the little I knew of him, he didn’t like to be near his father, and Saxon had pointed out Garrett Hughes to me earlier.

  It was then that his green eyes met mine. I didn’t like him. I was almost sure I hated him. However, my female parts weren’t on board with those feelings. At least not completely. Neither was my stomach. It felt weird, and I wasn’t sure why. Other than that he was possibly the hottest man in this room. Which was frustrating and incredibly shallow of me.

  His gaze traveled down my body slowly. Then, as if he was done and not at all impressed, he shifted his attention elsewhere. I didn’t allow myself to follow him as he moved through the crowd. Even if I wanted to.

  “I didn’t think Blaise would come to one of these events,” I said aloud before I could stop myself.

  Saxon lifted a glass to his lips, and a serious expression crossed his face. After he took a drink, he replied, “He’s expected.”

  And that was it. Nothing more.

  “Is Trev expected to?” I asked him.

  I hadn’t seen Trev in the twenty minutes we had been here.

  “He’s here. Somewhere. He’ll eventually show up.” Saxon then cut his eyes in my direction. “Want to go see the view from the balcony?”

  That sounded like an escape, and I was on board for one of those. I nodded my head, and Saxon waved his hand toward the entrance we had come in. I followed him as he made his way through the crowd, only stopping to take two more glasses of champagne while moving toward the glass doors that overlooked the city.

  He held the door open for me, then handed me another full glass. I finished the one I was already holding, then placed it on a high table as we walked over to stand away from the doors and the two other couples talking out here.

  “What exactly is this for?” I asked Saxon.

  Melanie had told me we were going to a charity event, but nothing more. She had been very focused on my hair, makeup, and clothing. I’d even been given a brief etiquette lesson on speaking, eating, and carrying myself tonight. The stress of it all had me missing my home, even more than I already had.

  “The gala?” he asked me, glancing back over his shoulder at the party going on inside.

  “Yes,” I replied.

  He smirked. “This one is to raise money for scholarships—locally, of course—given by the Horse Racing Commission to those who are underprivileged but show promise. Or something of that nature. You’ll realize that the events or galas are mostly a way for the powers that be to do business. Sure, they raise money, but it’s more than that.” He stopped talking then and took a drink. “I believe the next one is the annual masked ball, which raises money for the Red Cross. It’s one of the few I enjoy.”

  I hadn’t realized they did this often. I started to ask him how many they did when an arm wrapped around my shoulders.

  “Damn, you look smoking hot,” Trevor’s familiar voice said close to my ear.

  “And there he is,” Saxon said in an amused tone.

  “Were you looking for me?” Trev asked as his eyes met mine.

  Like Saxon, Trevor looked older in a tuxedo. More sophisticated.

  “I was curious if you, too, were made to attend these things,” I replied, not wanting to give him the wrong idea.

  A corner of his mouth lifted. “Unfortunately, it’s a must. How are you enjoying your first elitist private party?” he asked me, then took a drink of a darker liquid in a glass. It smelled like whiskey.

  I shrugged. “Surviving,” I replied.

  Trev let out a bark of laughter that caused the other people on the balcony to look over at us. Trev lifted his hand in a wave.

  “Where did you get the whiskey?” Saxon asked him.

  “The bar,” he replied.

  “They didn’t card you?” I asked.

  “Please, I’m a Hughes,” he replied, then took another drink.

  Saxon glanced back at the doors we had come out of. “How much longer before we can escape, do you think?”

  “We’ll have to survive the dinner first. Once the auction starts, we should be able to sneak out,” Trev replied. “How did you get out of bringing Declan?” he asked Saxon.

  Saxon shrugged. “I told her my mother expected me to escort Maddy.”

  I winced. I hadn’t realized that. This would only make my interactions with Declan even more difficult.

  “Ouch. You’re gonna pay for that one,” Trev told him.

  Saxon didn’t reply. I felt like apologizing, but then was it truly my fault? Instead, I stayed silent and took another drink. Glancing back toward the glass doors that were now standing open, I scanned the crowd until my eyes found Blaise. He was standing with a redhead. Even from here, she appeared elegant. The diamonds around her neck glittered under the lights.

  “Ready to go back inside?” Trev asked me, and I jerked my gaze off Blaise and his date before Trev realized who I had been looking at.

  “Should we?” I asked him.

  “Probably,” Saxon answered instead.

  “They’ll all move to the dining room soon. We’ll be seated at the same table. The Hughes and Houstons always are,” Trev told me.

  That eased some of my nerves. I hadn’t been sure where I was supposed to sit, and the thought of having to make conversation with these strangers was slightly terrifying. I knew nothing of their life or what they wanted to talk about.

  “Why didn’t you bring anyone?” Saxon asked Trev as we made our way back inside.

  Trev shrugged. “I didn’t want to be expected to entertain someone.”

  Melanie’s eyes found me as we walked inside, and she noted Trev standing beside me. The pleased smile on her face made it clear she was happy about it. This would only further her belief that Trev was interested in me romantically. I wished she could just accept we were friends.

  “You’ve made Mom’s night,” Saxon said in a whisper beside me.

  I didn’t have to ask him what he meant. I’d noticed it too.

  “Is Melanie still Team Traddy?” Trevor asked with a smile.

  “What the fuck is Team Traddy?” Saxon replied.

  I understood his meaning. A smile spread across my face, and I fought the urge to laugh.

  “Trevor, Maddy—Traddy. It’s called shipping. Jesus, do you not watch television?” Trevor asked him.

  Saxon frowned at him, as if he had just spoken a foreign language. “Apparently, we aren’t watching the same things,” he replied.

  This time, I did laugh. Maybe it was the second glass of champagne getting to me. I’d broken my rule of not drinking tonight simply because I needed the courage. I didn’t plan on making this a habit, but right now, I was glad I had done it. Laughing felt good.

  Trevor took my hand and placed it inside the crook of his arm. “Let’s make Melanie’s night even better,” he replied.

  I was led through the people all slowly making their way to the next room. Several of them spoke to Trevor, and he introduced me. I could feel the women studying me, as if they were looking for my flaws. The men appeared much nicer and welcoming.

  I knew I’d never remember any of their names, but I smiled politely. It wasn’t until Garrett Hughes stepped in front of us that my nerves returned. Although he was smiling at his son, I could see tension and disapproval in his stance. There was no doubt Garrett knew exactly who I was, and no amount of dressing me up could trick him.

  “Trevor,” he said, then turned his attention to me. “Madeline.” He said my name with a nod of his head. “I see my son was quick to make sure the loveliest lady here was on his arm. He is rather charismatic that way.”

  My tongue suddenly felt swollen, heavy, and stuck to the roof of my mouth. My nerves were not only back, but they also exploded inside me, to the point that I feared I might be trembling slightly. I wasn’t going to look around, but I felt eyes on me. Watching me, as if I were under a microscope. I didn’t like attention, and this was way beyond that.

  Somehow, I managed to smile. He had complimented me. I should thank him or something. My mouth, however, wasn’t working.

  “I’ve got excellent taste,” Trev replied, filling in the silence.

  His father looked over our heads toward someone else, and I could see a slight narrowing of his eyes before he looked back at us and smiled once again.

  “That you do,” he agreed. “Saxon,” he said then, looking over at Saxon, who had walked off to speak to someone else when Trev was introducing me to the senator and his wife. I hadn’t realized he’d joined us again. “Keep this son of mine in line, would you?” he said to him.

  Saxon nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

  Garrett chuckled, but the amusement didn’t meet his eyes. Those were cold and calculated. The similarities between him and his oldest son were easy to see. Whereas I saw very little between him and Trev. They shared the same color eyes, and that was where it ended.

  Sixteen

  The large round tables that filled the room were covered with black tablecloths and had ice sculptures of a different Greek god or goddess in the center of each one. The massive chandelier that hung from the ceiling caused the sculptures to glisten. This elaborate decorating must have cost a fortune.

  How were they raising any money when they were paying so much for the ambience?

  The table that we followed Garrett Hughes, Kenneth, and Melanie to sat close to the front of the stage. I hadn’t noticed the others walking with us because my complete attention was on the ice. However, when we reached the table, I realized there were assigned seats. How strange these people were. Why were they telling people where to sit? It seemed controlling, but then I wondered if that was the point.

  Trev led me to the seat that had a small rectangular piece of ice on a silver stand. My name was carved into the ice in an elegant script. I looked from the ice to Trev.

  He grinned at me and raised his eyebrows, as if to say, What did you expect?

  I started to pull out my chair, but Trev’s hand made it there before I did, and he pulled it out for me.

  I whispered, “Thank you,” and he gave me a slight bow that caused me to laugh.

  Once he pushed me in, I expected him to take one of the seats beside me and Sax to perhaps take the other. It made sense that they’d put the children together, so to speak. We weren’t here to do any business.

  However, Trev walked around the table and took a seat beside a girl I’d never met. She wasn’t one of the friends who had come to his parties. He spoke to her, and although I couldn’t hear what he said, it must have been charming because she smiled at him. I felt someone beside me and turned to see Blaise taking the seat to my right. My spine instantly stiffened, and I gripped my hands tightly in my lap. Not what I’d expected. Of all the people at this table, why had I been placed beside him?

  On the other side of me, I turned to see Garrett taking a seat. This was only getting worse. I wanted to sit beside Saxon, or Trev, or Melanie.

  Why had I been placed here? Between these two men?

  My eyes went to Saxon, who was sitting on the other side of the girl Trev was beside, and then on the other side of him was another girl I didn’t know.

  I looked down at my hands and managed to take several slow, calming breaths. I could get through this. I had to, for Melanie’s sake. Glancing up to see where she was located, I found her sitting beside Trev, and on her other side was Kenneth. I didn’t study the rest of the table. My thoughts were all over the place, and I started wondering if I could claim I’d come down with a migraine and escape this.

  I felt eyes on me and lifted mine to see Melanie watching me with a strange look on her face. She seemed confused and concerned. That didn’t help me calm down at all. Why did she look like that? I didn’t understand the way these people chose seating, and I hoped this made sense to her. From the look on her face, it didn’t appear to.

  Kenneth leaned in and whispered something to her, and I watched as she nodded and relaxed. I wished he’d say something to me to help me relax.

  “At least try and act like you belong here,” Blaise said in a low, deep voice.

  I turned to see his eyes on me, and the disapproval on his face was clear. Not that I cared. I hadn’t wanted to be seated beside him either. In fact, I would have rather been between his father and anyone else.

  “You’re so fucking tense,” he said.

  I took a deep breath and forced myself to smile in case one of the many people at the table was watching us.

  “Because I don’t want to be here,” I said through my teeth.

  He smirked then. “You’ll get used to it.”

  No, I wouldn’t. I didn’t intend to live in this world that long. I had plans. When I didn’t reply, he looked to the lady on his other side and said something. At least he was done with me. I opened my hands in my lap and attempted to straighten them and lay them flat instead of fisting them so tightly that my nails were biting into my skin painfully.

  “How are you liking Moses Mile?” Garrett asked me.

  I lifted my gaze to his and prayed I could speak without stumbling over my words. He was just a man. He wasn’t someone I had to impress or be accepted by. Just because he had a demeanor that made one feel as if they should cower before him didn’t mean I had to. Garrett Hughes was nothing to me.