Chapter Thirty
In the blink of an eye, dinner was finished. The menu turned out to be fantastic and more in line with the Shaw name. The fish, steak, and chicken dishes were all from one of the finest chefs in the area. I was pleased, since they were the initial meals I’d voted on. Brenda and the team at Shaw International had kept everything in line with my initial vision, including the emerald accents. The guests seemed to enjoy themselves as they raved about the event.
From a distance, I watched Mickey work with the two new girls. It was bittersweet to see someone else do my job. But they were Navarro’s people. Why is Mickey working with him? It was too coincidental for it to be nothing. Did Joe find anything out about Mickey and her secret rendezvous? I wasn’t sure.
None of it made sense.
The captain of the police department and his wife, along with a few other prominent members of the department, sat at our table. Conversation flowed easily, especially with Kurt receiving most of the attention. He handled the questions with grace and poise, making the people feel like they knew him more than they actually did.
I leaned in to Garrick while everyone else was engaged in other conversations. “Were Kourtney and your mom not able to make it?” Their names had been on the original guest list.
“No, Kourtney’s kids are sick. Mom is helping her since Hugh is out of town for work.”
“Oh, no. Poor Savannah and Derrick. We should send them a little get-well bouquet. Balloons make everyone happier.”
Garrick brought my hand to his lips. “They would love that.” The song changed, and he stood. “I think my name is on your dance card.”
I laid my napkin down on the table. “I believe it’s on all the lines, if I’m not mistaken.”
“It is. May I have this dance?”
“Absolutely.”
Garrick turned to the table. “If you’ll excuse us.”
He led me out onto the empty dance floor. “Garrick, no one is dancing.”
He winked and pulled me to him. “This way there will be no mistake who you belong to.”
The possessive words sent a shiver down my spine. I loved belonging to him. That giddy feeling danced in my stomach, and I stared up into his eyes and saw only admiration. The beginning lines of “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran filled the room.
Garrick brought me into his arms, and slowly we made our way across the floor, completely lost in each other. I followed his lead easily.
“I didn’t know you sang.” He kissed my lower jaw. “When did you start singing?”
“It was something Kurt and I did for fun after we turned eighteen. We would go to karaoke night and sing different songs.”
We circled a few more times as the song described people falling in love in mysterious ways. What I felt for Garrick was strong, and it scared me.
What if… No. No what-ifs. Focus on the now. What I feel.
“I’m falling for you, Knoah.”
Did I hear right? Did he say what I think he said? The giddiness came full force. “Really?”
He searched my eyes. “Yes. Undoubtedly.”
I smiled, feeling the remaining walls around my guarded heart fall. “Me, too. Undoubtedly.”
For a brief moment, he closed his eyes. The breath he blew out was soft and full of relief. “Thank goodness.”
It still amazed me that as controlled as Garrick seemed to be, at the center he was vulnerable like me. Though it had been a short time, my heart was ready to take the next step. I was ready to put myself out there. “You know how you wanted people to know I’m yours?”
“Yes.”
“I want to be yours in every way.”
We stopped, and he looked at me, heat building behind his eyes. “Are you sure?”
I reached up and kissed his lips. “Yes, I want this if you do.”
“Without a doubt.”
Garrick pulled me closer, and I laughed with happiness. We began to dance again, but he held me as close as possible. I felt cherished. And the desire came back full force. Tonight Garrick would be inside me, claiming me as his. If only we could leave early.
He pressed his lips to my forehead. “I will treasure this gift you’re giving me.”
“I know you will.”
Regardless how this relationship ended up, Garrick would understand what I was giving him tonight—he would respect it. And if he didn’t…Well, I would cross that path when I had to.
No what-ifs. Focus on how you feel in the here and now.
The song came to an end. “Let’s mingle a bit. I might be able to leave early after making the rounds.”
“Do you want me to go back to the table?”
“No, I want you by my side.”
Another song started. Hand in hand, he led me off the dance floor. I noticed people staring at us as we passed by. A camera flashed in the distance. What had they seen while we danced? I hoped they’d seen two people falling for each other. Inside, I felt changed—alive and free.
Beside me, Garrick tensed.
“Garrick. Knoah. It’s good to see you.”
On Garrick’s right was Hastings, and I stiffened. With a swagger, he took a few more steps until he stood in front of us. Security remained at a distance. I noticed when Garrick was by my side, people were allowed to approach more freely.
Extending his hand, Garrick greeted Hastings with ease, though his grip on my hip told a different story. Two older people joined us from behind Hastings. From the resemblance, they had to be his parents.
Garrick greeted everyone, defusing the situation. “Good to see you, Hastings. And you as well, Evelyn, Ricardo. This is my girlfriend, Knoah. Knoah—”
The woman cut Garrick off and reached her hand out to me. “I’m Hastings’ mother, Evelyn. It’s wonderful to meet you.”
She was gorgeous with her long blond hair and slim figure. We were almost the same height—close, but not quite.
“It’s nice to meet you, too.” I held out my hand. The woman seemed absolutely delighted to meet me, which seemed a little over the top. But I would imagine being a mobster’s wife, everything was over the top at times. How close had Garrick been with Hastings’ parents when he was younger? “You have a beautiful voice. Have you been singing for long?”
“Thank you. I haven’t sung much since college. But Kurt and I used to sing karaoke all the time together.”
I gave a swift pull, and she released my hand. “That’s very sweet. And it seems our Garrick has found such a sweet girlfriend.”
Our Garrick? By his tight facial expression, this wasn’t a feeling my boyfriend shared. Or was it a mask? I couldn’t tell.
“Thank you. He’s a good man.” I looked up at him, and his features instantly softened when our eyes connected. “I’m a lucky girl.”
“I’m the lucky one.”
I squeezed his hand, and we turned our focus back to Evelyn and Ricardo. They were looking at us with… Is that… love? How close were they to Garrick? Or how close did they think they were? It was odd, to say the least. Behind them, Hastings cleared his throat, and the uneasy feeling increased. While his parents seemed okay, this whole situation put me on edge.
Hell, this was the mob. Of course they would put me on edge. I gave three little squeezes to Garrick’s hand, hoping he’d understand that I wanted away from these people.
Without missing a beat, Garrick said, “As always, it was a pleasure. I’m glad you could make it. I need to say a few more goodbyes before we leave.”
“You’re leaving so soon?” The woman seemed unduly disappointed.
“I wish I could stay longer, but business calls.”
Is that what we were calling it? Well, it was better than “I’m leaving to have sex with my girlfriend.” And it effectively took me out of the equation with them, which I liked.
Evelyn extended her hand again to me. This time she engulfed it with her hands. “It was so wonderful meeting you.”
“And you as well.”
We left with a general goodbye and headed to find Brenda. Once we found her, Garrick leaned in to whisper something in her ear. She nodded and said, “I’ll handle it. No problem. The event has gone off well. You were right.”
They spoke a few more words I was unable to hear. At the end, they nodded to each other, and I politely smiled without a clue about what they were saying. “Are you ready?”
“I am. I need to say goodbye to Kurt first.”
We migrated across the room. Garrick was a man on a mission, giving only polite nods when people attempted to stop him. At the door, Kurt stood talking with Joe.
“You leaving, squirt?”
“I am. Are you staying?”
He pulled at his bow tie again, this time completely undoing it. “Nah, I’m going to go and get out of this monkey suit. Your dad wore me out.”
I chuckled. “No one will play him anymore.”
He gave me a hug. “Can we have coffee tomorrow and talk?”
“Yeah, why don’t you come to Garrick’s apartment? It’s in the building where I use to work.”
Kurt’s eyes swung to Garrick for a second before returning to mine. More questions, no doubt. “Okay, sounds good. I’ll text you in the morning for a time.”
“Sounds good.” I hugged him again. “Thanks for being there for me.”
“I always will be. That will never change.”
Kurt left while Garrick discussed something with Joe. I glanced around the room. The man who had challenged us to sing caught my attention. He stood off to one side of the room, blatantly staring. Behind him, Hastings and his parents watched him. I shivered, unease leaving me shaken. Garrick touched my elbow, refocusing my attention. “I got us a hotel room.”
He got a room? My face fell. “Was I a foregone conclusion?”
Touching his thumb to my cheek, he shook his head. “Never, Knoah. You’ll never be that to me. I made the arrangements after our dance. If you’ve changed—”
With his words, the heaviness left me. “I haven’t. I want to go.”
Garrick nodded to Joe, who spoke into his radio. “Let’s go, sweetheart.”
“I’m ready.”
And I was. We exited the side door onto the inlaid marble floor. Hotel guests moseyed about the foyer, taking in the ostentatious arrangements. It was beautiful. At the mahogany-framed elevators, Joe pushed the button and a bellman walked up. “Mr. Shaw, is there anything we can get you?”
“Will you have strawberries and your finest champagne sent up?”
“Yes, I’ll get right on it, sir.”
“Thank you.”
The elevator doors opened and we entered. Of course, we headed to the top floor. I leaned my head against his chest, wishing we were alone. “You tired, sweetheart?”
“Not really. I’m glad the function is over.” I almost mentioned Hastings and his family but figured we should wait until we were somewhere… not so open. There were cameras in elevators. I knew my thoughts were extreme, but my what-ifs reemerged, and I felt as though someone was watching us.
The doors opened and we walked down the hallway. Garrick asked, “Has everything been taken care of?”
“Yes, we have people staged in the room. Food will be ordered at proper intervals. We’ll have stationed guards, as well. The cameras on this floor and the service elevator have been disabled. Well, technically, they’re on a loop until we’re out of here.”
Wait, what? “What’s going on?”
Garrick squeezed my hand. “I’ll explain in the car.”
Car? I pulled him to a stop, needing a little more. “Is everything okay? Are we in danger?”
“We’re fine. I’ll explain. Give me just a few minutes.”
“Okay.” I looked over my shoulder, waiting for someone to pop out of the woodwork. Tonight I had conversed with the mob. People who killed other people. And somehow, I had become a target.
We came to a side hallway and Joe used a key to call the service elevator. When the doors closed, it felt like we were in hiding. As we descended to the garage, my thoughts churned with what could possibly go wrong.