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Even though the opening wasn't supposed to start for ten more minutes, there were already about a dozen people present. Jax stood in the middle of the floor, giving an interview, Liam by her side. As soon as she spotted me, she ran over, leaving the reporter in midsentence. Jax flew at me, wrapping her arms around my neck in a fierce hug.
"Thank God you are okay."
"I’m fine. It’s all about you tonight." I hugged her back. I was overcome with pride, like an overprotective mama. She had worked so hard for this moment. No matter how many shows she had in the future, she would never forget this one. "I'm so proud of you. I love you."
DiAnn had stayed back as the rest of us went in. We wanted Jax's attention before we bombarded her with her surprise. I knew the moment that she entered, though. I could feel Jax’s shock, like an electrical current, as it coursed through her before our hug ended.
"Mom?"
"Surprise," I whispered, letting her go.
As much energy as Jax had put into my hug, she doubled it for her mom. Both Jax and DiAnn cried tears of joy at seeing each other. I took Gray's hand because I wanted to touch him and for the support. I stood gingerly on one foot.
"Good surprise. Thank you." Gray got all the credit for making it happen.
We turned to look at the paintings. I tried to stay out of the way of everyone. Between the cuts on my face and my almost broken foot, I didn't want the attention. Everyone made the rounds and sipped glasses of wine. I held a glass in my hand, too, so people would stop asking me if I needed a drink. I didn’t drink it, though, because of the pain pills.
The paintings looked amazing. The walls were all bright white, so the vibrant blues of each piece stood out. Already, sold stickers marked some of the pieces.
Jax had thoughtfully set out a chair for me in the back corner in case I needed rest. Gray and I spent most of our time there, letting people come to us. Even though I felt stronger, I appreciated Gray staying by my side. His hand was either holding mine or resting on my shoulder for support throughout the evening.
"You look much better than the last time I saw you. How are you feeling?" Liam asked.
"Loads better, thank you. How is Jax holding up?" I asked, tilting my wine glass towards Jax.
"She's a bundle of nerves. I thought I was going to have to handcuff her to get her here. She wanted to hide under the covers with you."
Even with the show about to close, people were still wandering in to congratulate Jax. She held up like a champ, always smiling. This moment was made for her, holding court, surrounded by her paintings, as critics and journalists raved about her work. She absolutely glowed tonight.
“I need to come clean about something,” Liam said, distracting me from my thoughts.
“Based on your tone, I don’t think I’m going to like this.”
“No, you won’t.” I didn’t like being in the chair, it forced me to look up at Liam. I stood, using Gray’s arm for support. Gray was turned away talking to someone else. Even though he was next to us, Liam and I had the illusion of privacy. Whatever he was about to say, I wanted to be face-to-face when he said it.
“Just say whatever it is.” Liam was taller than me, but I held myself upright to look him as closely in the eyes as I could.
“Ben was helping me with the investigation.”
“But, you arrested him. I saw you.”
“I can’t go into the reasons why, but it was for show.” Liam kept his eyes on me. I thought back to the day Jax and I went shopping. I had scoured all of the Chicago papers for an article on his arrest. There had been none.
“It wasn’t in the papers, but why?”
“I told you I can’t go into details.” Gray’s head snapped around at our tones. He excused himself from his conversation before planting himself firmly next to me. His arm snaked around my back, giving me even more support.
“You’re going into them, whether you like it or not,” Gray said. “You started this. Now talk.”
“Don’t threaten me.” Gray and Liam stood facing off, each full of anger. In a fight to the death, it would be a toss-up who would win in a showdown. Liam continued talking. “I know who you are so let’s not pretend to both be on the same side.”
Gray physically jerked at Liam’s comment. “I asked Ben to run a background check. To my surprise, he had one on file from years ago. He updates it regularly.”
“Then, you are wrong. You know we are on the same side. But, I wouldn’t stoop to your tactics.” I glanced around the room. To the others, we looked innocent, like friends chatting. Nobody else had noticed the tension in our corner.
“Back up. Why did you pretend to arrest Ben?” I asked.
“This is bigger than murder. I needed the players involved to relax their guard. What better way than for a murderer to be apprehended.”
“Even if it wasn’t true?” Gray asked.
I didn’t share my concerns with Liam. After all, he was a stranger, and the ‘players’ as he referred to them were my friends.
“Yes. I’m sorry about today.”
“Was Ben breaking in part of your plan, too?” I asked.
“He won’t admit that, Regan. It would be a crime.” Gray shifted his focus from me to Liam. “Ben didn’t know Regan would be there. No one knew she had hurt her foot last night and would be staying home today. Got more than you bargained for, Detective.” Gray snarled the last word.
“What about Jax? Is she a ploy in your game, too?” I asked.
“No! Jax is . . . special to me.”
“I’ll bet. We just happen to meet you at the Dark Horse? With Ben of all people?”
“It’s true.”
“What was Ben looking for today? Why did he break in?” The silence dragged on between us. Gray and I stared down Liam, but he didn’t budge. He never broke eye contact with me. He never wavered.
“He’s not going to tell us any more, Regan.”
“Look. I’m sorry how today went for you. I’m sure Ben was just as shocked when he opened the door and saw you there.” Liam blew out a breath and ran his hands through his hair. He seemed exasperated. At the end of his rope, so to speak. “You need to be careful. Jax told me about that little stunt you pulled at her apartment. This is serious.”
“Just the other day you were warning me about Ben, now you are warning me about my friends?”
“I was warning you about Ben so you’d be on alert all around. Someone was murdered, and you are sticking your nose into it like you’re Nancy Drew.” Liam grabbed my arm, shaking me slightly as he spoke.
Gray stepped between us, murder in his eyes.
“Don’t you ever touch her.” Gray jabbed a finger into Liam’s chest as he spoke. “This mess is because of you. You and Ben are trying to play by your own rules. Watch yourselves.”
“Is that a threat?”
“You know my history. Is it?” With that, Gray swooped down, picking me up in a basket carry. He walked through the crowd, telling Jax I’d had enough on the way to the door.
It was kinda hot.