Quill
My mind was so cluttered with curiosity over Black’s absolute flirting after he told me not to, I didn’t even see two people take their seats at our table.
“Quill?” The sound of surprise and happiness caught my attention and I turned toward the most jovial person in the world.
“Teddy? What are you doing here?” I hadn’t seen him a lot lately. After his almost dying of anaphylactic shock two years ago and him now being one of Black’s former assassin’s husband, he was quite busy and rarely came into the café anymore.
“It’s such a long story,” he chuckled. “I volunteer at the hospital, and my brother in-law is a doctor there. Anyway, he had an invitation to come to this with his wife but their daughter is sick, so he asked me to come and, well,” he swept his hand over the room, “what an amazing reason to eat, drink, and be merry.”
Teddy Harris, now Darcy I supposed, truly was one of those people you couldn’t help but be happy around. He volunteered all over Haven Hart from abandoned babies to LGBTQA people. When he wasn’t volunteering, he was running his own cuddling company. Yes, he hugged and cuddled people for a living. Take all that, and add to it the fact that he’d happened to snag a vicious assassin and make him turn his life around, and I was fairly certain he was going to become a saint.
“Now, your turn,” Teddy urged me, but we were interrupted by Black and Riordan.
“I see you found my better half,” Riordan said as he slipped a drink in front of Teddy and sat beside him with one of his own. “It’s great to see you, Quill. Black, here, was just telling me how he managed to wrangle you in to coming tonight with him.”
Wrangled me? I thought for sure Black would tell Riordan what was happening and that this wasn’t a date, just a way to keep the Sterlings off my back. As I tried to figure out how to answer him, Black came to my rescue.
“It wasn’t easy. My date cancelled on me at the last minute. Fortunately, Quill was working right as the call came in and he took mercy on me.” He shot me a wink and after the brief explosion of warmth in my lower belly subsided, I realized of course he wouldn’t tell Riordan the truth. He didn’t work for him anymore.
“Oh yeah, it’s a real hardship getting all dolled up, being on the arm of a gorgeous man, and pretending to be anyone but me for a night.” I tried playing the part, but it was Teddy who saw right through me.
“Why would you want to be anyone else but you?” he asked, curls bobbing as he cocked his head in question.
“Not tonight, babe,” Riordan said. “No analyzing and trying to save souls tonight. Unless they’re one of the kids we are here for.”
I was glad when the conversation steered away from me. As Black and Riordan talked about some sort of new security system that some up and coming company was trying to sell, my eyes wandered the room. Aside from Teddy and Riordan, no one else was familiar. I wished the Sterlings would just arrive and Black could get on with the show, so maybe I could relax a little.
“Everything okay?” Teddy asked, and of course, he was watching me.
“It is. Thanks. How’s married life?” I knew asking him anything about his own wonderful life would get him away from interrogating me.
“Great! Riordan is loving his security work. That he’s home at a reasonable time is beneficial. We just bought a new place. And since he spent the last two years taking me all over the world showing me the places I wanted to see most, we have been thinking of adoption.” He spoke fast and was smiling so brightly, I thought one of the passing waiters would ask him to turn it down.
“Wow, babies. That’s… Well, I won’t lie, Teddy, that’s a nightmare for me, but yay for you.”
He laughed so loudly, it caught the attention of those around us… and that was when I saw him.
Bartholomew Sterling was an imposing man. He wasn’t broad and muscular like Black, but there was an air of superiority and power about him. He was tall, all sleek and shiny. His family was referred to as new money. After the death of Bartholomew’s father, he inherited a fortune. He moved himself and his family over to Haven Hart a few years ago and brilliantly began giving to charities and showing their faces at worthy events. He had made all the right investments, supposedly, and opened his own advertising agency that took off like a house on fire. At least, that was what I’d heard, but who knows? He never seemed to be working, he was always out schmoozing.
It was no secret the Sterlings were looking at taking over the city, but there was always a power that thrummed through Haven Hart like a pulse. No one knew who the Hart heir was, but that almost made it mean more. Like he didn’t have to be present to reap the rewards for his kindness, he just did. It was something the Sterling family would never understand, and because of that, they would always be second best.
I dated Ronnie for a year, on and off. It wasn’t really a great relationship. It was at first, but I didn’t fit the mold of what he wanted. Any time I met Bartholomew or Ronnie’s mother, it was never pleasant. Often times, Ronnie was called away to speak with his father and I’d hear the words of disdain.
I stopped my relationship with Ronnie more times than I could count, but it wasn’t over for Ronnie unless he said it was. And so, this brought us to tonight. Black’s master plan to show the Sterlings I was his and they needed to get their son under control… or else.
“You know the Sterlings?” Teddy asked, and that brought Black’s head up and over. He stared at the man as he slunk across the dance floor to his table.
“Um… some.”
“They are a family of philanthropists, I tell you. Angels. Just last month, they donated fifty thousand dollars to the neo-natal unit at Hart’s Hope Hospital.” Teddy was speaking like so many others did in this city. Oblivious to the evils that lurked behind the fake smiles and raven eyes.
“Money doesn’t make you a savior.” Black’s voice was ominous and when he grabbed my hand, I knew it was game time. “If you’ll excuse us, we’re going to go over and say hello to the angels of Haven Hart.”
“Oh, what a good idea!” Teddy began to stand, but Riordan stopped him.
“Not right now, Teddy. I don’t think this is our moment.”
It was obvious Riordan understood that whatever we were going to do, it wasn’t charming or sweet. Something in Riordan’s gaze must have clued Teddy in, because he sat back down and nodded.
“We’ll be right back, I’m sure.” I offered a smile I hoped appeased Teddy and followed Black’s lead as we made our way into the belly of the beast.