Sweet Retribution (Rydeville High Elite #3)(58)

I know how to conduct myself, and I’ll be the epitome of the well-brought up young lady.

Unless I’m crossed.

And then my claws will come out.

“Holy fuck. You look magnificent.” He kisses my cheek. “That dress is … wow, and you look beautiful, but he’s going to blow a gasket when he sees you’re not wearing white.”

“I know. But I’m not walking down there in sheep’s clothing.”

He nods. “I get your point, but I’m not sure it’s wise.” Little beads of sweat form on his brow. “Keeping the elite away from you is one of our biggest challenges tonight, and you’ve just made that harder.

“Don’t.” I lift my hand. “Don’t ruin my mojo. I did this for me, Drew. To take back some control. And even if I’m punished for it, it will be worth it. No one will come near me, because I have you, Kai, Rick, Charlie, and Chad, and some of the others there, watching my every move, and I know how to protect myself.”

There is safety in numbers, and I managed to convince Father to let me invite a couple of the guys from the inner circle to the party. It’s not the done thing. Events in the dungeon are usually reserved for the higher-ranking elite, but Charlie supported my call, staying true to his word to give me whatever I wanted. I did a number on him with my whole dream wedding bullshit, and he fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

Of course, I couldn’t get Father to agree to let the girls attend. Sexist pig. I’m betting he only declined because he knows he can’t touch any of them. Not without causing a backlash within Rydeville, so he has no use for them.

But they are all here tonight anyway—the girls from our investigative crew. Working as part of the catering company staff. Xavier falsified paperwork and got them hired, much to my relief. I feel more secure knowing we have eyes and ears dotted around the room.

Drew steps closer. “It’s not too late to call it off. We can say you have food poisoning or make up some other excuse.”

I cup his face. “I’m not backing out of this. It’s too important. We have planned this well, and you and I are the only ones who stand a chance at getting into the back offices to snoop. Going it alone is too risky. We all agreed it takes two. One to snoop and one to take point guard.” I tweak his nose. “Stop worrying. I’ve got this.” I realize it’s the truth as the words leave my mouth, and a layer of anxiety flitters away.

I’m on edge, yes, but a lot of it is adrenaline. And I’d think there was something wrong if I wasn’t feeling antsy.

“It’s not you I’m worrying about,” Drew says, sighing. “It’s all those other fuckers.”

“You won’t let anything happen to me.”

He nods, breathing heavily. “Here.” He pulls a small plastic pouch from his inner jacket pocket. “I almost forgot about this.” He takes out a small egg-shaped thin silver object. “This part goes in your ear.” I take it from him, fitting it in easily. “And this part needs to be concealed somewhere on your upper torso so we can all hear you,” he adds, holding out a flat round silver disc.

I slip it in under my corset top, pressing it down, and it instantly adheres to my flesh. “At least these boobs are good for something,” I mutter.

“The ear bud is active, but you need to press the communication chip if you want to speak or you want others to hear the conversation you are in. It will feel warm against your skin when it’s active and cool when it’s not.”

“It’s warm,” I say, feeling a little heat spot on my boob.

“You activated it when you were putting it on.” Drew chuckles.

“What’s so funny?”

“Atticus is trying to give Kai a pep talk about how to conduct himself tonight except it hasn’t gone down too well.”

My lips tip up. “What did he do?”

“He punched him in the face.”

I grin. “That’s my man.”

“Thank you, baby.” Kai’s dulcet tone filters through my ear like warm chocolate.

“I can hear you!” I exclaim.

Kai quietly laughs. “At least we know it’s working.”

“I can’t believe you punched him. Or, actually, I can. He’s long overdue a punch or ten.”

“He’s overdue a lot more than that, and if you’d heard the shit he was spouting, you’d have wanted to punch his lights out too.”

Bile swims up my throat. “Is she there with you?”

“She’s over the far side of the room. I’m here with Chad, pretending to talk.”

I draw a long breath. Tonight is going to be challenging in more ways than one.

“We can do this, baby,” Kai says. “This brings us one step closer to our goal. Just keep thinking that. And I’ll keep her at arm’s length. I promise. I don’t want you distracted worrying about her. Trust me to handle her.”

Which is more than I can do for him. Tonight will be torture for Kai, and I can’t be selfish. “I’m fine. Do what you have to do. None of us can afford to lose sight of the end goal.”

“I love you, Abby.”

Drew smiles, not even attempting to hide that he’s listening.

“I love you, too, babe.”