CHAPTER 24
About five minutes after Nick had asked her to be his party date in the least romantic way possible, so that there was no mistake that this was completely nonpersonal, Jane received a call from Missy at the Armory, saying Jane needed a briefing and a fitting. Vetting and briefing and fitting. That was Nick’s very interesting world.
Missy also mentioned that Jane was supposed to “look like herself,” so did she have any formal clothes in her closet that she wanted to wear? “Hell, yeah,” was Jane’s reply, thinking about that gorgeous Vera Wang from Ally’s sample pile. Missy seemed surprised by the answer, but then quickly suggested that she come to Ally and Cecily’s apartment to vet the outfit (yes, there was that word again) and do the briefing rather than having Jane return to the Armory. Apparently, Rothgar was serious about trying to keep civilians out. Jane wasn’t particularly disappointed that she wouldn’t get to see the Hudson Kings Batcave again, but it was more than a little curious that Missy was so willing to step foot in Ally’s territory. On purpose. Like she specifically wanted to. Maybe she was spoiling for a confrontation, and with Ally blacklisted, there was no other way to engineer one.
The next day, Jane arrived at Ally and Cecily’s with the Vera Wang dress she’d schlepped back on the R train from Nick’s in a plastic garment bag. Missy wasn’t there yet.
However, Ally had assembled for consideration six possible pairs of shoes and three different sets of costume jewelry. There were two evening coats and something entirely too furry called a capelet, which Jane wanted to feed more than wear.
The doorbell rang. Ally shot Cecily an annoyed look. “How do they do it? Not one of them has to be buzzed in from downstairs. Do they all pick the locks?”
Cecily grinned and went to open the door. Missy stood on the threshold, holding the handle of a massive rolling suitcase in one hand and a binder in the other. She did not automatically enter the apartment, even when Cecily gave her a pretty obvious signal by opening the door wide.
Ally glanced up. She looked at Missy. Missy looked at Allison. “Hi,” Missy said awkwardly. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here.”
Jane suddenly remembered that Missy and Ally used to live here together when their brothers were members of the Hudson Kings. That was years ago . . . and Missy hadn’t been back since?
“Hi,” Ally said stiffly. “Come on in.”
Missy trudged over the threshold and went into the living room, where she saw the explosion of glamour that had been perpetrated on the couch and coffee table. She looked at the Vera Wang hanging on the door to the kitchen. Then she looked at Ally. “This your work?” she asked.
Cecily bit her lip. Jane raised an eyebrow.
Ally shrugged. “You don’t have to use it. Obviously.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. The women looked at each other. Missy looked at her suitcase. And then she said, “No, you nailed it. All you’re missing is an evening bag.”
Ally blinked and looked down. “You’re totally right. I didn’t give her an evening bag.”
The corner of Missy’s mouth quirked up in an almost shy smile.
Cecily released the breath she’d been holding. And then Missy and Ally proceeded to very formally discuss which complete look Jane should use for the consulate party with Nick.
Cecily gestured for Jane to follow her into the kitchen. “This is the closest to a hug I’ve ever seen them do. I want to give them a minute without staring at them.”
“They aren’t even close to hugging right now,” Jane said.
“My point exactly.”
Jane laughed.
“Do you have any questions?” Cecily asked.
“Why did Nick ask me?” Jane immediately asked.
“He’s got a crush on you.”
Jane flushed and looked out the window. “Did he say that?”
“Of course not,” Cecily asked. “But you’re also a perfect choice. Fresh meat, never been used on a mission, but already trusted by the Hudson Kings.”
“You ever done a job like this? With Shane?”
“Yes.” Cecily turned a little pink. “It ended well.”
Jane smiled. “You guys are adorable. You set a date yet?”
“Not yet. I’m looking forward to us moving in together, though. We’ll probably do that sooner rather than later.”
“Oh, god. The search for an apartment in New York City has broken up more than one couple. Get married first.”
“Well, actually, Shane’s going to move in here.” Cecily looked a little uncomfortable.
“What about Ally?” Jane asked, wincing. She remembered Rothgar’s comment about not subsidizing Ally’s rent anymore.
Cecily frowned. “I know. It sucks. But she has to move either way. It’s a lot of money for one person, and if Rothgar isn’t paying . . . anyway, I think she’s happy it’s me and Shane.” Jane’s friend shifted her weight to the opposite side and said in a whisper, “She wouldn’t come out and say it, but I think she’s relieved that if she has to go, someone her brother knows will still be at this address. In case.”
“In case of what?” Jane asked. “He’s dead.”
“I know that’s what she thinks she thinks. But some part of her still can’t bear it, Jane.” Cecily shook her head. “I don’t know what to think. It’s weird for me to try and imagine Ally as ever being part of the Hudson Kings.”
Especially given how much Ally wants to hate them, Jane thought.
“Did you see the photo on the bookcase of Ally, Missy, Apollo, and Graham?” Cecily asked. “I thought it was prom because the girls look so young, but it was only taken three years ago, right before the guys disappeared. Ally told me stories about doing missions with Missy. It sounded like Rothgar was always careful about what he let them do. Sometimes it doesn’t take much. Sometimes you just need someone to walk in front of another person at the right time or spill a wine glass or whatever.”
Cecily paused and cocked her head. “But you don’t even have to do anything except hang out with Nick, drink expensive cocktails, and eat expensive food. You’re just adding color.” She added, a little wickedly, “And camouflage. I think Nick would attract too much attention if he went as a single male. Don’t you?”
Jane looked at Cecily with narrowed eyes. “Don’t fish.”
“Isn’t that what this is all about? Fish?” she asked innocently.
Jane stuck out her tongue at her friend. “Who does he date, anyway? Normally.”
“Nobody.” Cecily searched her memory. “I mean, what I know, he used to go out and party with the finance boys on Wall Street. Money, models, and mayhem. But I haven’t known him that long.”
Ugh. “I haven’t seen that side of him,” Jane said.
“Sounds like he’s pulled back from that scene. Nobody ever used to talk about Nick getting serious with anyone. Maybe it’s not his style.” Cecily paused and smiled. “Or wasn’t. I don’t know the timing. I wonder if it stopped after he got himself into trouble with Sokolov.”
Sokolov. Jane bit her lip and looked out the window.
“Until now,” Cecily added. “Jane, I think he really likes you.”
Or maybe he just likes the idea of me. Although she wasn’t exactly sure what that idea might be. “You going to tell me about this Sokolov? I’ve heard him mentioned before.”
Cecily gave her a sorry look. “You know I won’t talk about anything like that. Details. People. Missions. Ally is Ally, and she’s a little mouthier because she’s obviously so conflicted, but Shane’s asked me to keep what I learn to myself.”
“And I guess Ally just got booted for not doing that,” Jane observed.
“Yeah, that was not expected. I think she’s still in shock,” Cecily said.
“I think Rothgar and Ally need to get a hotel room and fuck each other’s brains out for a couple of hours,” Jane said blithely.
Cecily shushed her and then stood there in shock. “Do not say that out loud to anybody.”
“What? It’s so obvious to me.”
“Please, Jane. Leave it. It’s too . . .” Cecily couldn’t even find the word. She probably meant something like “fraught.”
Jane let it go, reminding herself that all the animal attraction in the world didn’t necessarily make a relationship functional or even desirable.
“Hey, Jane, c’mere!” Missy yelled.
Jane and Cecily rejoined the other two, and they all clustered around the outfit styled on the living room sofa. “Try it all on,” Allison said.
“Yeah, let’s see how it works,” Missy said.
Jane stripped down in front of them all, while Cecily went to fetch a floor mirror, and Ally and Missy helped her into the dress. “This is odd,” Missy said, a funny look on her face as she looked around. “My close friends are all guys now.” She glanced sideways at Ally and then busied herself cataloguing Jane’s outfit in the binder, with a comment about how she was doing it so she wouldn’t accidentally duplicate the look on another mission.
Ally zipped up the dress, and then Jane looked at herself in the mirror Cecily had rolled in, and then she turned around. The women drew in a collective breath as Jane modeled the black and gold metallic Vera Wang. At least from her perspective, the deep vee stayed just this side of appropriate courtesy of a black translucent netted edge, and the fit and flare of the silhouette accentuated her curves in the best possible way.
“Wow,” Jane breathed more than said. She was not a small woman, and sometimes she had to do a little work to get her body to show off to what she felt was its best advantage, but somehow this dress made her voluptuousness look 100 percent like an asset.
“Hell, yeah.” Ally handed over a pair of black high heels with bows on the back. Missy helped her into Ally’s black satin trench coat with oversize rhinestone buttons, and then rummaged in her suitcase and drew out a plain black evening clutch with a single decorative bow that beautifully echoed the shoe bows.
Ally and Missy seemed to forget that they were on the outs as they analyzed the jewelry and finally fastened the winners around Jane’s neck, hands, and ears. It was almost like they were rediscovering the natural partnership they’d once had, before pain and loss drove them apart.
And Jane, basking in her reflection, seeing herself in a beautiful outfit, looking sexy and self-confident, wondered what Nick would see.
She was going on this mission because she wanted to be with him, even in a make-believe world. She looked like a girl going on a date with a man who cared about her. She looked like a girl going on a date with a man who thought she hung the moon. And she was willing to live out the fantasy just for pure enjoyment, even if her speeding heartbeat longed for more. She had to make peace with the fact that wishing couldn’t make it so, and that it was fine to eat whatever candy Nick offered tonight, even if she felt a little sick when she woke up tomorrow.
Sitting in the bathroom while Ally did her hair and makeup gave her the perfect opportunity to think. It was just as well. Jane had promised Nana she’d find her way. That she wouldn’t fall for another man who didn’t care for her heart. Hell, Jane had promised herself.
When Jane and Ally came out after makeup, the apartment was crowded with extremely large, superhot Hudson Kings men. Shane had his arm around Cecily’s shoulders; he gave a nod in Jane’s direction as if to say he approved of her look.
Nick stopped in the middle of a sentence of whatever conversation he was having with Flynn about the jagged piece of metal in his hand. He just stood there on the carpet runner, staring at Jane, his fingers playing with a money clip from his pocket. He looked so handsome in his tuxedo that Jane thought this must all be some elaborate joke, because it couldn’t be reality.
Nick finally walked over and said something, but it was under his breath. She couldn’t quite figure it out, though it sounded like he said, “My star.”
Jane cleared her throat. “Mr. Dawes, sir?”
Something flickered in his eyes. “Nick,” he said quietly.
“Nick,” she said. “Are you . . . is this . . . will this suit?”
“It will suit, Jane.” Still with the money clip, end over end, his eyes glued on her.
“It’s go time,” Missy said, ushering everybody back out the door, once more rolling her suitcase, which she’d repacked, and clutching her binder. She stopped in the open doorway and adjusted an earpiece Jane hadn’t noticed she was wearing. “Hey, Roth, we’re leaving Cecily’s. Romeo’s picking up Law as we speak.”
Cecily and Ally were in the hall with Shane.
“Give us a sec,” Nick said, shutting Ally’s door on everybody until it was just Jane and Nick standing in the apartment. “I was just thinking,” he said. “I messed up with Sokolov because I lost my way. I didn’t have my eyes open. Or maybe I did, but I just could never tell the stars apart in the sky. The one star I was looking for. Started to get to me that I never would. Seemed like a lost cause. And I think I was giving up. I was giving up on a promise, and that’s where I made my mistake. And the crazy thing is that without the mistake, I wouldn’t have needed a fish sitter. But now I can see it in the sky. My star. Hell, Jane, there’s a lot going through my head right now. I’m putting all the pieces together, and—”
The door opened before Jane ever got a word in. Missy. “You really gotta get down here. We’re out of time.”
Jane looked at Nick. “I’m not sure I understand what you’re—”
“Now, guys,” Missy said.
Worst. Timing. Ever.
“Just as well,” Nick muttered to Jane. “I sound like a goddamn lunatic. Just . . . never mind.”
Never mind? Jane’s heart beat madly, her body responding to the simplest things: even Nick’s hand on the small of her back, steering her out the door. Oh, god, is this for real? Because it feels so real. Like nothing I’ve had before. It makes everything, everyone, in my past pale in comparison—look so small and so silly.
Nick Dawes, please be for real. If you are going to make me run toward you, you’d better not run away.