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“Yes. And Asher only came here because of Riley.”
“Asher isn’t sick, is he?” Vincent’s voice was tight.
“Listen,” I said, my eyes firmly on his. “It doesn’t matter if he’s sick or not. He’s right about Riley.”
He closed his eyes with a heavy sigh, pressing his fingers against his eyelids.
“I don’t… I can’t…” He rubbed his temples, sitting down on the chair as if his legs had suddenly become too weak.
“But—” I stopped when I saw a woman walking toward us.
“Hey, Vince,” she said. “Holland’s looking for you.”
Vincent shot me a quick look.
“Vincent, don’t tell anyone yet,” I whispered. His eyes narrowed, but he gave me a resigned nod.
“I know,” he said, before turning to look at Louise. “Lou, can you keep Diya company?”
The woman nodded.
“Hey, I’m Louise. We met at Tide and Table.”
“I remember. Nice seeing you again.”
I looked around once again, taking a sip of my wine. Every man here had the means and money to hide their twisted hobbies, to find dirty secrets of others, and to use them to their advantage.
It could be Jonah. It could be any one of these men.
“You look beautiful. Green is definitely your color,” Louise said.
“Thank you. You look just as beautiful.”
“Oh, here comes the VIP,” Louise said when Ellis joined us.
“I hope you’re enjoying the party, Doctor Sharma,” she said with a smile.
“I am, and the wine… delicious.”
“Everything has to be best for the best couple in town,” Louise said with a smile. “Do you know they were childhood sweethearts? How long have you known Holland now, Ellis?”
“As long as I can remember. Our parents are friends, and we grew up together,” Ellis smiled, her eyes shining with pride. “He’s my soulmate.”
“It really is a beautiful party. Happy anniversary, Ellis.”
“Thank you.”
She gave me a smile, nodding to a waitress passing by. The woman stopped, and offered a tray filled with Crostini, topped with goat cheese and fig jam.
“I’m going to go say hi to the others.” With a nod, Ellis swept off, in her flowing champagne-colored dress, smiling and greeting the women standing behind us.
“Where’s the restroom?” I asked with a wince. Louise chuckled.
“Just go through the main door, take a left, and you can’t miss it,” Louise said.
I walked toward the massive mansion, grabbing another glass of wine from the tray. I’m quite drunk was always a great excuse.
I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for… but I wanted to find something that linked Jonah to Riley.