“Thank you,” I told Fletcher. “That means a lot, coming from you, especially tonight.”
He harrumphed, but his lips twitched up into a small smile.
“Just . . . be careful, darling,” Jo-Jo said.
Her eyes took on a cloudy look, like she was staring at something in the distance. Most Air elementals had a bit of precognition, and Jo-Jo was no exception, since the wind whispered to her of all the things that might come to pass.
I waited, wondering if Jo-Jo would say anything else, but her eyes quickly cleared. She smiled at me again before gathering up her makeup supplies, stuffing everything into a bag, and going downstairs, leaving me alone with Fletcher.
I turned away from the mirror to face him. “I know that you think this is a bad idea,” I began. “Me seeing Sebastian, spending so much time with him, going to the party tonight, all of it. But I know what I’m doing. If nothing else, this will finally give me a chance to search the library to see if I can find Vaughn’s file.”
Fletcher nodded. “I appreciate that. But be careful tonight, okay, Gin? I might not have magic like Jo-Jo does, but something about this whole situation still doesn’t sit right with me, and the deeper I dig, the less I find. One of my sources is supposed to contact me later on tonight. I’m hoping his information pans out and that we’ll finally at least know who hired us to kill Vaughn.”
“You’re still worried, even though the cops have no leads and the back half of the money for the job cleared?”
The money had shown up in one of Fletcher’s anonymous accounts three days after I’d killed Vaughn, right on schedule. Whoever the client was, it seemed like he’d been happy with services rendered, and Fletcher hadn’t heard a peep out of him since. No follow-up e-mails, no more ads in the newspaper asking about pork prices, nothing.
He nodded again. “Even though.”
I walked over and kissed his wrinkled cheek, careful not to smear the lipstick that Jo-Jo had applied to my lips.
“Don’t you worry,” I said. “I’m not going to turn into a pumpkin at midnight like Cinderella, and I’ll be back home before you know it.”
“I hope so.” Despite the smile on his face, that strange, troubled light flared in his eyes again. “I really hope so.”
17
As thoughtful as always, Sebastian had sent a car over to Fletcher’s house to pick me up. I stepped out onto the front porch to find that the vehicle had already pulled up the driveway and stopped in front of the house.
Instead of Porter, another giant was driving, one with broad shoulders, a shaved head, and skin that was a shade darker than his ebony eyes. He wore a formal tuxedo, which only added to his air of ultimate cool.
He bowed his head when I approached and gestured at the car. “Your chariot awaits.”
I raised my eyebrows, not sure if he was being serious.
The giant flashed me a slightly mischievous grin. “I always wanted to say that.”
I grinned back at him. “Me too, Mr. . . .”
“Xavier.”
I nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
I slid into the backseat. Xavier shut the door behind me and walked around the car to get into the front. I glanced over at the house. Fletcher was standing on the porch, his hands stuck in his pants pockets, watching me leave. I waved at him. He hesitated, then waved back at me. And that was the last I saw of him before Xavier threw the car into gear and steered down the driveway.
I hadn’t seen Xavier before, so I casually chatted him up as he drove, asking about his background and anything else he was willing to talk about. Fletcher always said that the staff knew all of the best, juiciest gossip about what really went on behind closed doors. Xavier was happy to tell me all about how he was Charlotte’s personal driver and took her back and forth to school every day.
“She’s a sweet kid,” he said. “It’s a shame what happened to her father.”
I shifted in the seat. “Yeah. A shame.”
“But driving Charlotte is only a part-time gig, so I’m getting ready to start working as a patrolman for the police department,” Xavier said. “I’m hoping to move up the ranks, but for now, I’m going to be patrolling in Northtown, mostly around this new nightclub that’s opening up there.”
I kept quiet, letting him talk.
“You should go check out the club sometime,” he said. “It’s supposed to be something else when it’s finished. Besides, I know how much Sebastian loves to party.”
I frowned. Sebastian hadn’t struck me as the party type. He didn’t smoke, and I hadn’t seen him have more than one drink at any given time. Plus, he’d seemed perfectly happy with our quiet, low-key dates so far. Maybe Xavier wasn’t the best source of information after all.
Either way, I didn’t get a chance to question him further, because we’d arrived at the estate. Xavier dropped me off at the front of the mansion, then drove the car around to the back.
Sebastian was waiting for me at the top of the steps outside the mansion. Like Xavier, he wore a classic tuxedo that fit him perfectly. The black jacket and pants showed off the sleek lines of his body, while the white shirt hinted at the hard muscles underneath. His black hair was slicked back in an artful style. His face split into a wide smile when he saw me, one that made his eyes light up like dark, polished gems.
He was the epitome of suave and sexy, but even more than that, the good, kind man underneath the suit made my heart speed up.
He sauntered down the steps and offered me his hand. “You look amazing,” he said in a husky voice. “Although seeing you like this makes me want to take you inside and peel that dress off you—slowly.”
I couldn’t help the blush that blossomed in my cheeks and the heat that thrummed through my body. So far, Sebastian and I hadn’t gone beyond kissing and some heavy petting, but I was no virgin, and neither was he. I could tell how much he wanted me whenever we were together, but he’d respected my wishes not to take that next step.
Tonight, though . . . I felt like anything could happen.
“Thanks,” I murmured back. “I might take you up on that later.”
He kept his eyes on mine as he raised my hand to his lips. The chaste kiss he brushed across my knuckles sent another hot spike of anticipation through me. “It’s a date, Gin.”
Yes, it was—and a promise of pleasure to come.
His lips lingered on my skin a moment before he straightened up and tucked my arm through his. “Are you ready for tonight?”