“Whatever happens from this moment on, I want you to know that I love you,” he breathes, and I instantly know he’s referring to the party.
I nod, looking into his eyes. “I love you too,” I say, my voice soft. “I always will.”He kisses me again quickly before checking the time.
“It’s four thirty, we should get ready if we want to be there by six.”
I nod and we walk into the elevator, taking it up to our floor and parting ways, me entering my apartment and Dylan entering his.
I get in the shower, the hot water calming me slightly, but not much. I dry my hair and curl it, applying eye makeup quickly.
I walk to my closet and pull out the cream colored dress I got. The fabric on it is layered so it almost looks like there are flowers on it, and the top part from the neckline up of it is sheer fabric. I do like it, I’ll admit. Even if I’m wearing it to a party that scares the living shit out of me, it’s very pretty and fits me well.
Dylan knocks at my door at five and I grab my keys, swiping on lipgloss one last time and pulling on black pumps before opening the door.
He wears a black blazer and slacks, a white dress shirt under his jacket. He looks so handsome and classic, his look so simple but so perfect for him. His eyes dilate at me as he looks me up and down.
“Don’t you just look lovely,” he says, his eyes trailing back up my body to my eyes.
I half smile at him, shutting the door behind me. “I could say the same to you.”
He smiles crookedly and offers me his arm as Leah emerges from Dylan’s apartment in a dark blue dress.
We compliment each other before entering the elevator.
Dylan and I take deep breaths the entire car ride to Crane, my nerves skyrocketing as we pull into the lot.
He offers me his hand and I take it when we get out of the car.
I squeeze his hand as we walk in to Crane, facing all that lies ahead on this fateful night.
Chapter Sixty Nine
The ballroom is as beautiful as I dreamed it.
Large, crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and the floor is a shiny black marble. Banquet tables line the sides with arrangements of food on them ranging from crème puffs to roasted chicken. Circular tables are positioned throughout, with a few people sitting and talking at them. A classical jazz band plays mildly in front of a large open area, no doubt the dance floor. The place is quite busy, with women in large jewels and silky dresses and men in posh suits. They fill the room with chatter and laughter.
If I wasn’t terrified of this party, I would definitely enjoy it.
“Nice, huh?”
I look up at Dylan who has caught me marveling at the extravagancy of the place. I nod, looking back at the ballroom.
“They’re all like this,” he tells me. “It gets boring after a while.”“Snob,” Leah snorts from next to me. “This is incredible.”
Dylan shrugs at her comment.
I look up and sure enough, an upper level looks over the greater ballroom. Just like in my dream.
I swallow.
“Let’s sit,” Dylan says, noticing my shift in mood and removing his hand from mine, pressing it to my lower back to guide me instead.
Leah follows us as Dylan gestures for me to sit at a table in the corner, out of the spotlight. I’m glad he chose this spot, it will help us stay hidden and slightly out of sight if we are being sought after.
“You two stay here, I’m going to try to find Oliver and Ed,” Dylan says, and Leah and I nod, accepting glasses of white wine from a waiter.
Dylan turns and disappears into the crowd, leaving Leah and I to ourselves.
“What do you make of all this?” I ask her, leaning back in my seat.
“It’s a show, that’s what it is,” she replies, setting her glass down on the white tablecloth. “It’s obviously covering up the fact that Alec is scheming.”I nod. “I agree.”
“As do I.”
I snap up to see Abigail standing above me, in the same red dress from my dream. She looks incredible, her hair curled to perfection and her lips cherry red. She holds a glass of wine poised in her hand as she sits beside me, smiling slightly.
I nod to her. “Abigail.”
“Evening, Katie,” she says. She looks past me at Leah. “And...?”
“Leah,” Leah introduces herself. “Dylan’s—”
“Sister,” Abigail finishes. “I’ve heard about you.”
I shift uncomfortably and Leah furrows her brow.
She looks between Abigail and I before realization leaks into her green eyes. I’m grateful that Leah is observant enough that I don’t have to explain things.
“What do you want?” I ask Abigail in the most friendly way I can.
Abigail clucks her tongue. “Still don’t trust me, eh?”
“You haven’t given me a reason to.”
“I haven’t given you a reason not to.”
I swallow the rest of my wine.
Abigail watches me carefully as I set the now empty glass on the table.
“Fine,” she says. “What if I told you I know who the insider is.”
I start. “Who is it?”
Abigail smirks, leaning back so I can see past her out into the ballroom.
“Think about it,” she says as we both survey the crowd. “Who seems innocent?”I recognize multiple coworkers as well as Crane himself dancing with his wife. Lana and Rachel pick at the dessert table and Phil stares longingly at the chocolate fountain.
“All of them,” I answer.
“Who would have access to phone lines and other information? Who is the eyes and ears of the office?”It hits me just as my eyes land on her.
Arms crossed over her chest as she sits at a table across the dance floor, a black dress adorning her. Dark hair up in a twisted chignon, red lips set in a frown as her electrifying blue eyes stare directly at us.
“Caitlin,” I breathe.
“Also known as Alec’s mistress,” Abigail says.
“Mistress?” I look back to her.
“He’s married, but his wife has no idea about what he does. He knows she’d be against it.” Abigail crosses her legs, taking a delicate sip of wine. “Besides, his wife travels a lot, so she hasn’t an idea what the hell he does.”I shake my head. “She’s the last person I would suspect.”
“I told you,” Abigail says, picking at her nails. She looks back at me. “I know why you’re wary of me, and I don’t blame you. If our roles were reversed, I would feel the same. But I hope you can now trust me a bit more now than you did, because I think we could make a good team.”I’m astonished at Abigail’s hopeful tone, and taken aback by her request.
She continues, seeing my reaction. “I know I tarnished Dylan a good deal when we were young, but we’ve both changed since then. I won’t go after him, I’m not into that anymore.” She sighs. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, and I believe rehab helped me deal with those a bit better than I had been dealing with them. I’m sorry if you had a bad view of me, I used to view myself the same way.”Abigail’s narrative is touching and I suddenly find myself sympathizing with her. I sigh, my fingers playing with the stem of my glass.
“I don’t know if I can fully trust you, Abigail, but I trust you enough to be part of this alliance,” I finally say.
She smiles. “Thank you, Katie,” she says, her hand touching my shoulder lightly. “You’re the closest thing I’ve had to a friend in years.”I never took into consideration the things Abigail has been through and how they might have affected her, and I now see what Hollywood and fame has changed her.
I surprise us both by pulling her into a hug lightly, the smell of her perfume floral and sweet.
We pull away shortly, Abigail smiling at me.
I smile back, hoping that I really can trust Abigail, and praying it won’t come back to bite me in the end.
Abigail looks over her shoulder quickly.
“I’d better get going, Alec is arriving soon,” she tells me. “I kno
w the full details of the plan, by the way. William informed me.”I nod. “Alright.”
“I’ll touch base soon.” She smiles again before sauntering off, leaving her wine glass on the table.
“So that’s Abigail,” Leah says.
“That’s Abigail,” I repeat, nodding.
“Katie, you’re quite an amazing person, you know,” Leah says and I look at her, confused.
“How?”
“You’re trusting, but you’re still careful. You sympathize with people quite remarkably. I would have never been able to forgive Abigail so quickly, had I been you.”“I didn’t exactly forgive her, but I think she could be helpful,” I point out.
Leah nods. “True.”
I feel a hand on my shoulder and look up to see Dylan.
“Oliver’s here with Sarah, I just talked to them,” he tells me. “And Ed’s on his way.”“I spoke to Abigail,” I say.
He furrows his brow. “Abigail.”
I nod.
He looks out at the crowd. “Let’s dance, Katie.”
I nod again and excuse myself from Leah, who has begun talking to Lana.
Dylan guides me to the dancefloor, a slow jazz song being played by the band.
He places a hand on my lower back, the other intertwining with my hand, and I place my free hand on his shoulder.
He leads in the dance, guiding me around the floor.
“What did Abigail say to you?” He asks quietly.
I look up at him before telling him all Abigail said to me, my voice hushed, wary of Caitlin sitting in the same place as before.
“Caitlin?” Dylan asks, astonished, when I finish.
“I know,” I say. “Who would have guessed?”
“I’ve never seen her at meetings, or anything, at all,” Dylan says. “It’s so strange.”I sigh. “Strange is one way to put it.”
Dylan chews on his lip. “So now we’re just supposed to trust Abigail?”
“No, but she did give me vital information. Why would she tell me that if she wasn’t on the same side as we are?”He sighs. “Alright, but we need to be careful,” he says.
I nod, looking down.
His arm tightens around me, pulling me toward him so we’re pressed together. “Alec’s not here yet, so why don’t we have some fun?”I crack a smile. “Well, I’ve already had a glass of wine.”
“Without me?”
“Damn straight.”
Dylan laughs and dips me, giggles emitting from me as he straightens me back up before twirling me, pulling me back into his arms. We both laugh as a piano solo starts in the jazzy song.
“You’re quite the dancer,” I say as he twirls me again.
“As are you,” he replies, smirking widely.
I replace my arm to his shoulder, resting my head on his chest and shutting my eyes. I hear his heart beat against his chest steadily and the sound calms my nerves a bit as his strong arms continue to rest around me.
“Katie,” Dylan says and I look up at him, opening my eyes.
His hand moves from my lower back around me to stroke my cheek softly. “I love you,” he whispers.
I smile up at him. “And I love you,” I reply.
He leans down, and just as he’s about to kiss me, a voice interrupts.
“Wilson. If I may?”
We pull apart to face Mr. Crane who wears a small smirk.
“Of course,” Dylan says, although I can tell he’d like nothing more than to tell Crane to piss off.
I smirk at Dylan as he walks back to the table Leah is sitting at, letting Mr. Crane place his hand on my back.
A new song begins and I smile at Mr. Crane.
“Are you enjoying the party?” He asks me.
“Yes, it’s very nice,” I reply.
“It’d better be, it cost a fortune,” he says. “Not me, of course. I didn’t pay a dime.” His expression hardens. “It makes me wonder how much money Lyone has sucked from corporations such as myself.”I purse my lips. “It’s a surprising amount, that’s for sure.”
“Is the plan proceeding accordingly?” He asks me.
“So far,” I answer. “We’ll see, though.”
“Thank you for helping me, Miss Harris,” Mr. Crane says. “If all comes out alright, you shall be receiving a small pay raise in the new year, along with Wilson and Roberts.”I smile. “Thank you, Mr. Crane,” I say. “But that isn’t necessary.”“Of course it is,” Crane says. “I insist.” He smiles.
The song ends shortly, and as soon as it does, Dylan arms replace themselves back around me, pulling me to him quickly.
I laugh at him as he watches Mr. Crane walk away.
“Jealous?” I ask him, raising an eyebrow.
“No, just making sure he wasn’t making any moves.”
“He’s like fifty five with a wife and kids, Dylan,” I say.
“That hasn’t stopped half of Hollywood.”
We laugh as Dylan spins me around again, a playful glint in his eye.
The rest of the song plays out with Dylan twirling and dipping me, our quiet laughs filling the air. It was a perfect moment in a disastrous night, looking back on it.
We return to our seats to find Lana, Leah, and Abigail roaring with laughter at something, empty wine glasses placed in front of them.
“Slow down on the booze, ladies,” Dylan says, slumping into a seat next to me.
“Looks like someone needs to quicken up on the booze,” Leah says, lifting her glass to Dylan and they all burst into laughter again.
Dylan rolls his eyes at her.
Suddenly, Abigail straightens up, her lips falling into a frown.
“He’s here,” she says, her voice on edge.
I don’t have to think twice to know who it is.
I slowly turn around and look to the door to find Alec already looking straight at me, James standing behind him.
Chapter Seventy
I expect Alec to walk over here and wreak havoc among our small group, but instead he turns his scarred face away from me and walks straight over to where Mr. Crane is sitting with his wife. James follows him, breaking my gaze as well.
Abigail stands abruptly. She nods to us before walking to Alec and James, her black heels clicking on the marble.
Dylan's hand rests on my thigh, his fingers nervously digging into my flesh. He takes out his phone.
"I need to check in with George, William and Ethan," he explains quietly as his thumbs fly across the screen of the phone. "They should be at Ivory by now."
He Looked Back Page 45
