Chapter 3 - The Shark in the Ballroom
Ten minutes after entering the golden cage, Vincent handed her a flute of sparkling champagne that she had absolutely no intention of sipping.
Then, the sea of wealthy guests parted cleanly down the middle.
Jimmy O’Connor walked toward them with deliberate, heavy strides. He was broad-shouldered, with a florid red face and a wide, slick smile that never once reached his cold, pale blue eyes. Trailing closely behind him were three massive men who looked like walking brick walls in cheap tuxedos.
Sadi’s stomach plummeted into a bottomless pit.
Instinctively, she tried to step half a pace backward into the shadows.
Vincent’s arm instantly tightened like a steel cable around her waist, pulling her flush back against his hard chest so forcefully she lost her breath. He didn't look down at Jimmy. He simply took a slow, unhurried sip of his bourbon.
“Vincent,” Jimmy boomed across the floor, opening his arms wide in a mock display of warmth. “Good to see you here tonight, my friend. Didn't take you for a charity gala kind of guy.”
“I’m not,” Vincent replied flatly.
He spoke quietly enough that Jimmy had to take two awkward steps closer just to hear him over the string quartet.
Jimmy’s eyes flicked sideways, locking onto Sadi standing right beside the most feared man in the city. The false warmth vanished from his red face in a microsecond, replaced by a sudden, sickly confusion.
“Well, well,” Jimmy muttered, his smile thinning into a dangerous line. “I see you brought a very pretty date, Vincent. Though she looks a little... out of her depth in a room like this, don't you think?”
Vincent didn't flinch. He slowly turned his head, looking down at Sadi with a gaze so dark, heavy, and intensely fierce that even Sadi forgot for a terrifying second that it was entirely an act.
“She is exactly where she belongs,” Vincent said, his voice dropping into a lethal, quiet register that made Jimmy’s bodyguards twitch toward their jackets. “And I would strongly suggest you never look at her twice again, Jimmy. Is that understood?”
Jimmy swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing violently. He forced a stiff, nervous laugh. “Right. Of course, Vincent. Just making polite conversation. Enjoy your evening.”
He turned on his heel and walked away briskly, his ego bruised and his plans completely derailed.
Sadi let out a long, ragged breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her knees felt like water beneath the silk hem.
“See?” Vincent murmured against her temple. “The wolves don't bite when a bigger predator is standing in the way.”
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“Thank you,” she whispered, staring up at him with wide, shining eyes. “You saved my brother’s life tonight.”
“The night isn’t over yet, Sadi,” Vincent replied, his dark eyes glittering with an unreadable emotion. “The wolves are still watching us from the dark.”
