We gathered at Jax’s because he needed to know what little information we’d gathered. It had nothing to do with anything that was said in the car or the fact that I wanted to see him because not seeing him was hard. H-A-R-D.
And we waited for Luke to arrive because this affected him. The masquerade had to be canceled. It was a matter of urgency. Of a life. Because whoever that kingpin was after, this masquerade was about getting that person.
When Luke breezed in the door, he walked near Ransom, gave a sniff and cocked his head. “You smell like little-man-gay.”
He had a thousand names for Jordan. This was but one. I couldn’t tell if it was a play on a Jodie Foster movie title or had something to do with hemorrhoid cream. I didn’t much care.
Ransom gave Luke a weak smile. He’d had to endure Jordan practically humping his leg until I’d finally threatened Jordan with not working anymore so he would write our check. Ransom leaned into Luke and whispered, “You can help me wash it off later.”
Luke’s eyes rounded and his cheek tinted. “I sure can.”
I watched the two of them and my heart melted. Their relationship has really turned into something serious in the last few weeks. I was really happy for my brother and Ransom.
But we had more pressing issues at hand. “The masquerade ball is a ploy. The kingpin is going to make his move then.”
“Well, isn’t this just a bit of over-acted dramatics?” Luke rolled his eyes as he sat on the sofa and crossed one knee over the other then smoothed a hand down his pant leg. “Kingpin? Ploy? Make his move?” He threw in a shoulder shake in mocking. “Fancy talk coming from the girl version of Dog the Bounty Hunter.”
I sighed. He had all of the defense mechanisms out for show and tell. “Luke…”
“It’s gotta be Hailey they’re after.” Paige’s tone was sharp. Apparently she’s had enough for today. “This Kingpin didn’t show up until she did.”
“Show up isn’t really a fair assessment. I’ve been around.” And why was I defending myself? I wasn’t sure I liked her tone. I thought she was my friend. Did this have something to do with me not completing the mating the moment Jax and the council sprang the news on me?
“Maybe we should cancel the masquerade?” Jax looked at me like it was my call. The truth was, it wasn’t any of our calls. Not even Luke’s. He was the organizer, the person providing the venue, but the city council, some arm of the government or the governor himself was throwing this shindig. They were the financiers of this whole thing.
“Hell, no!” Luke was on his feet now. “I’m making more off this charity gala than I’ve made in the last three art sales.”
“I’ll double security,” Paige said with a sigh. She wasn’t happy about it.
“Maybe if you can provide a few more vampires, we can station them as servers in the room.” Luke was conceding some points. It was a good sign.
“And we can put a tracker on Hailey.” Ransom shot me a smile like he was doing me a favor.
“A tracker? Really?” It came out as a screech because my stress often came out through my voice.
“I’ll put it in a diamond necklace. You’ll never even know.” Jax smiled, kept his voice soft.
“You just told me.” And beside the point altogether. Although, diamonds…
He turned to me and took my hands in his. “If they’re after you and something happens because I can’t sense you or because I can’t get to you, I need to know I’ll be able to find you.” I blinked twice, and he tilted his head, reading thoughts he had no business reading. “I know you aren’t ready for the mating bond, and I’m trying to give you space, but I am ready, and I have honest feelings for you. Whether or not you feel the same, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Oh, no. He thought I didn’t care about him. That wasn’t the case at all. If I leaned in one inch, I could’ve kissed him. But first, I had to have my say. “I love that you want to protect me. I do. And I love that you’re all in right now. But this is all new to me. I need to work my head around everything.” Honestly, I was talking myself into doing whatever he wanted. “Vampire or not, you’re a good man and I appreciate it. I don’t need a diamond necklace.” Want, sure. Need, no.
“A ring then?”
I chuckled. There was a charm about this man that wasn’t fake or dishonest. And I liked it—and every other thing about him—enough I could smile. I could take the suffocating care a while longer. “If that’s your idea of a proposal, the answer is no. Just get me something I can wear under my costume.”
He took my hand, brought it to his lips, and softly kissed my knuckles. “I hate how little we know about what’s going to happen. And I hate that all I can do is be prepared to react to it instead of stopping it, but I will react. I promise.”
And I didn’t doubt the sincerity of his promise. I just didn’t know if I should be flattered or offended. I chose flattered and smiled. Feminism was fine. I liked it. But I like him, too, and for it to be insulting, he had to intend it that way. He didn’t. He meant it as caring.
It was a lot to digest.
I nodded and stood. It was time for a fast getaway. I needed to get away before I did something untoward, like professed my undying devotion to him. I was no way near ready to profess anything undying.
“Hailey?”
I waved a hand behind me. “I’ll talk to you all later.”
Right now, I had sorting to do. Mind sorting.
When I walked into my house a couple of minutes later, I pulled my cell from my pocket and dialed Cleo. She was an early riser and she was wise. World wise. And even if she didn’t have an answer, she would let me vent.
When she answered, I launched. It was verbal vomit but it got the facts out there. I told her everything including the meeting with the elders in Milan who informed me of the mating bond and the ramifications of denying it, and then all the long looks, romantic pauses, the sleeping with him and then the sleeping with him, and all the ways Jax was and wasn’t the answer to my romantic issues.
She mm-hmm-ed and uh-huh-ed at all the right spots and when I ran out of words, she said, “My, my. That is quite the quandary.”
“You’re telling me.” I wished I understood how to handle the problem without dragging everyone else into it, but at least Cleo didn’t have an iron in this fire. Her opinion would be unfettered by the threat of death if her advice was not to comply.
“Well, Hailey, if it was up to me, and I was the one in your shoes…” Here it was. She was about to tell me to run. To get the hell out of here before they forced me into vampiric servitude. “I would seal that bond at the first opportunity and then every single one after that. He’s beautiful, and you’re beautiful, and you’re obviously head over spiked heels for him.”
My jaw dropped. Out of everything I’d told her, that’s what she took away?
Well, hello fuzzy. She was right. It was just a matter of wrapping my head around it. Of changing my perspective. “You’re right,” I whispered. “I’m in love with Jax.”
“I usually am.” She chuckled. “And if you don’t snag me an invite to that masquerade ball, I will never speak to you again which means you will no longer have the benefit of my knowledge and intuition.” She wasn’t finished. “Which, by the way, is always spot on. So my being there and reading the room is an invaluable resource at your disposal to ferret out the kingpin.”
She was hard-selling what I would have eventually agreed to anyway, and I was ashamed I hadn’t thought of on my own. “Absolutely you’re invited.” And if anything went down, there would be enough vampires there to keep her safe. Hopefully enough to keep both of us safe, because I had a mating bond ritual to complete. And maybe, just maybe, the sooner, the better.