I keep my head down and weave through the crowd, ignoring the guys calling after me as I hurry around the back of the stage and around the outer edges of the ballroom where a back hall lay, leading back to the restrooms. I burst into the women’s bathroom and thankfully it is empty as I shut the door and move to stand in front of the full-length mirror, clutching the edges of the counter as I stare at my tear-stained face and glistening eyes in the mirror. Not even a second later, a knock sounds on the door before Nina is slipping in. She shuts the door quickly and flips the lock right before someone else begins pounding on the door. “Let me in, Moore! I need to see her!” Silas calls through the door, pounding on it again and Nina snarls loud enough that there is no way he didn’t hear her. “For once in your life, King, this doesn’t involve you!” She snaps and then adds, “Honey and I need to talk alone, she will be returned to you in a moment.”
I raised my brows at her, the emotion still clogging my throat and I was unsure what she meant about that backhanded comment to Silas and why they have resorted to using each other's last names like they really were arch enemies or something. Just because she had been fine around Gabe during our shopping trip a few days ago doesn’t mean she is cool with any of the Red’s, especially Silas King. “I am not a possession.” I decide to point out as I work to push down all the touchy-feely emotions that came with the dam that Silas decided to break a little while ago during his speech. “Also, I am not really sure I have anything to say to you at the moment.” I add, but it is a lie and I know she can tell the moment the words slip past my lips when her brows raise back at me and she crosses her arms over her ample chest.
“Silas King seems to believe you belong to him, which is something you failed to mention. He’s who you decided to dress up for tonight.” It wasn’t a question, more like a statement and I narrowed my eyes at her cattiness. “I’m sorry that my life happens to be none of your business. It seems you like to keep secrets of your own now too, Nina. The identity of whoever is helping you is one thing to keep from me, but you didn’t even mention who Lucas Castillo really was.” It’s a low blow on my part, but I feel anger rising in me that she has the audacity to try and make me feel bad for keeping secrets. I also wasn’t sure if it was wise to be talking about this right now in a bathroom inside town hall around all these vultures, but my filter went out the window the moment she decided to barge in here and try and bulldoze over me. Her jaw clenches at my caustic tone.
“What good would confessing that Lucas and his parents were the ones running for the council seat do for you? The outcome would still have been the same. They have been petitioning to run for the council for years now. Despite what you might be thinking about me right now, I have your best interests at heart, Honey. There are just some things that you are better off not knowing.” She says drily and my temper flares at this. I manage to hold my tongue and I say nothing as I turn back to the mirror. I reach over and pull a paper towel from the dispenser and run it under some water in the sink to clean up some of the smeared makeup on my face from my cry fest on stage earlier. Thanks a lot, Silas. I know I am not being fair. It has been a long time since Nina considered me her best friend. In all fairness, her secrets were hers to keep and I couldn’t fault her for that. I was angrier at the tone she decided to take with me on the whole Silas situation. I was defensive because what I was feeling right now for him was very real and I wasn’t sure how to even start dealing with all that.
“If you want to keep your secrets, that is fine, Nina. I won’t fault you for that. But do not come at me like that again. Who I have in my life is no concern of yours and if you can’t support that, I suggest you leave. If I want to have Silas King in my life, I will. If you think that is a mistake, then it is still my mistake to make. If you still consider yourself my friend, you should respect that. After all, you can’t help who you fall in love with, right?” My voice cracks at the end of this and I brave a glance at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes flash with confusion for a moment before flickering immediately with realization and then surprise.
Of course, Nina wouldn’t know about Silas and I and what had led us to this point. She really only knew half of our story. I cut off contact with everyone in Crimson Valley after I left and the Reds had kept me so busy before that I never even reached out to my best friend and told her I had lost my virginity to Silas King while simultaneously falling in love with him.
“Oh, Honey…” I see it in her eyes when she connects the dots. The deep-rooted anger and betrayal I have felt all the years because of it. It had been one thing that the boys had betrayed our friendship by going against me and doing what they did on the commands from their parents. It was a completely different thing for Silas to get involved with me like that and then rip it all away. It didn’t matter that the past has now been altered with new information I am learning now in the future. He had still taken the one thing from me that I could never get back and then still turned around and put a knife in my back despite what we had felt for each other. Even my love for him hadn’t been enough for him to have the courage to stand up to his parents and tell them off. To refuse to be their puppet and do their bidding.
“It doesn’t matter now.” I sigh as I toss the makeup-stained paper towel in the trash by the counter and turn to her, crossing my arms over my chest as we stare each other down. “We can’t talk about this here, anyway. Whatever you came in here to say to me, it needs to wait.” I give her a pointed look and she nods. It wasn’t safe to talk about these things here and she knew that. “I think I need to go find your fiancé and congratulate him and introduce myself to his family.” I sigh as I push off the counter. I go to move past her, but she stops me before I can flick the lock open, putting a smooth hand on my shoulder and giving it a gentle, but firm squeeze.
“I’m sorry I kept so many things from you, Honey… I really have done everything I’ve done to keep you safe. I promise.” She murmurs in a low tone to me and I give her a small sad smile. “Nina, I understand that you think you’re keeping me safe, but don’t you think that I am incredibly tired of being left alone in the dark, stumbling along, lost, and just trying to survive?”. I just give her a brief nod before I flick the lock and step out into the hall. I ran right into Silas, as predicted, and I am not even surprised. I just give a very audible, tired sigh as I look up at him, and then over his shoulder at the other three idiots standing behind him. “Do men really not know the definition of privacy?” I quip as I bring my eyes back to Silas. The concern in his eyes from a few moments ago is replaced by amusement at this but I am not really sure what part of my question was amusing to him.
“We thought you were running off again and you weren’t going to let us explain our actions, again.” He adds, as if that is an everyday occurrence and I roll my eyes. Nina steps out of the bathroom then to join us and she curls her lip at Silas as she sweeps by. I briefly see her exchange a glance with Hawk as she passes and moves down the hall, but she doesn’t stop to talk to him. My confusion is quickly pushed out of my mind when Silas opens his big mouth again and interrupts my train of thought. “You aren’t leaving yet, are you?” He asks and I shake my head to clear it.
“No. I need to go speak with Lucas and his parents. I am a sitting council member. It is my duty and all.” I grumble at that, though I was looking forward to a conversation with the handsome man again. He was intelligent and fun to talk to, even I could admit that. I go to move past him, trying to ignore the heat shooting straight to parts of my body that shouldn’t be on fire right now in his presence, but he stops me with a gentle hand at my elbow. “You’re on a first name basis with the Castillo heir?” His voice sounds suspicious and he curls his lip. Ah, he must have noticed the way I reacted up on the stage earlier when Lucas had joined his family on the stage. I raise a brow at him. “Sure. He is Nina’s fiancé. Plus, I am allowed to have male friends, Silas.” I remind him, my tone firm. I would not have another freak out on his part like he had with Des all t
hose years ago.
“Yeah. They are it.” He jabs his thumb over his shoulder at Hawk, Kass, and Gabe who all look entirely too amused as they hang back and watch us like we were some reality television shows, and I scowl at them. There was no heat behind it though because I was only slightly amused by Silas’ alpha male posturing at the moment. It got my mind off of the other bullshit in my life right now. Plus, it made my feelings for him even more real and in his own twisted way, it showed how much he cared. “Regardless, I need to go introduce myself. My title demands it.” I sneer the word ‘title’ like it left a bad taste in my mouth. I push past the alpha asshole and begin to move down the hall and I feel them move as one unit to follow me.
“Fine. We will introduce ourselves, too.” Silas agrees as he catches up to me to walk by my side and we re-enter the ballroom. I pause and glance around, looking for the Castillo’s, before I glance back over at him. “You haven’t already? Didn’t you four know who was running before it was announced tonight too?” I press because I was curious. I had meant what I had thought earlier. If I found out the boys had lied to me about knowing who the family running was, I would be livid that they had kept such a monumental secret from me. Especially when they had been all about mending bridges and shit lately.
“Of course not. Just because we are our families’ heirs, doesn’t mean our parents let us be privy to information like that.” Kass scoffs from behind Silas and I, answering my question and also reassuring me that they were still on my side. We still had a long way to go with trust and this made it easier when I knew they weren’t deliberately keeping things from me. I spot Lucas a moment later off in the corner near the entrance to the ballroom, Nina, and his parents by his side. Emiliano and Maya are talking to some elite families I hardly recognized so I begin to push my way through the crowd, the boys coming around me on all sides to act as a barricade of sorts.
I was like a queen, walking with her four knights.
The thought sends a shiver down my spine as I come up to the Castillo’s. When Emiliano and Maya notice me standing there with the boys, they immediately stop their conversation with the other family and turn to me with radiant smiles on their faces. They were beautiful people and I could definitely see where Lucas got his good looks from. Emiliano is dressed in a sharp cream tuxedo with a white undershirt and ruby red tie and his wife wore a slim fitting cream colored sequined mermaid gown with a generous sweetheart neckline, her coffee dark hair coiled tightly atop of her head to look like a crown of braids, with tiny white baby’s breath woven into her hair. She was absolutely stunning standing beside her very masculine husband. Smiling brightly at them, I extend my hand.
“Mr. and Mrs. Castillo. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Honey Locke.” Mr. Castillo shakes my hand first before his wife follows suit. “Miss Locke, the pleasure is ours. We have heard so many great things about you from our darling Nina. I am so looking forward to speaking with you, in a more private setting.” I can’t say that I am surprised by his words. It is custom for council members and even elite members to meet privately with one another. Something feels off, though. I open my mouth to speak to Mrs. Castillo before she beats me to it. “Miss Locke, I would like to ask you a question, in private for a moment, if that is acceptable to you? I’m sure the boys will be able to fend for themselves and get to know one another while us women speak for a moment.” Her gentle smile is so kind and reassuring that it catches me off guard.
I take a glance at Silas, on my right, and he nods subtly and I glance to my left at Hawk who gives me his confident smile. I turn my attention back to Mrs. Castillo and nod. She grabs my arm and places it on hers to escort me to a small room off the main entrance of the ballroom. She shuts the door once we’re inside and smiles at me softly before starting. “First, I would like to offer my condolences. I adored your mother and I miss her dearly. Secondly, I know you must have a million questions about my family, but please know that the only thing that I can freely offer up to you is that we have been on your side since before you were even born. The Castillo’s are indebted to the Locke’s. We always have been and always will be. We will, forever, be your ally if you let us. Our loyalty belongs to you.” She bows her head subtly and looks up at me and continues. “The other thing I can offer you at this time, is that not everything you see, is reality. Miss Locke, we are playing an exceedingly long and elaborate game. We have been for generations. Your parents’ quick exit from the game was a very unfortunate set back. We are putting new things into motion and we would beg you to be patient with us.” My mind is reeling. What the fuck is going on?
She looks at me expectantly and I must still not have my filter and everything from tonight is beginning to catch up to me. “I.. I don’t understand. You were close to my mother? You’re loyal to my family? Why have I never heard of your family before meeting your son?” She smiles sympathetically, “Honey, the last time I saw you, you were only a week old. Your mother was at your cabin by the lake. She was recovering from delivering you. Your father was working and I stayed with her and helped her with you. We had a good many laughs over the course of the few days I stayed with her. Your mother was a saint and I miss her so much.” I feel my eyes begin to water and I can tell she’s sincere.
She lays her hand on my cheek, cupping it gently. “Honey, my family is the secret keeper to your family. We are your sentries. I was appointed to be your confidant and advisor, should we ever end up in this situation.” I gasp softly and the rest of the dam breaks. Tears freely flow from me and she pulls me into a tight embrace before whispering, “Honey, I have loved you since I first met you and I would be honored to help you bring them down.” All I can manage is a weak nod of my head against her shoulder. She rubs her hand soothingly along my back and then releases me. “Here, let’s get you fixed back up.” She pulls out her clutch and takes a handkerchief and dries my tears and takes some powder to help conceal my tear-stained cheeks. She then grabs some blush and reapplies it. “There, all better.” She smiles reassuringly at me. “Ready to get back into the fray? I am afraid that our job isn’t finished just yet for today.” I straighten back up and smile confidently at her and offer her my arm this time to escort her back. “Thank you, Maya. I am really looking forward to getting to know you.”
Walking back out, I first notice the slight smile and look of amusement on Silas’ face. It warms my heart and for a split second, it feels as if everything is lining up in my favor. The men are all standing in a rough circle and when Silas sees me he makes motion for Mr. Castillo and himself to open the circle and make way for Maya and I. The kings making way for their queens. How appropriate. I smile softly at him and we rejoin the ranks. Mr. Castillo smiles at his wife before turning his attention to me. “I trust we will be seeing much more of one another, yes, Miss Locke?” I look to Maya and she nods and grins at me. I smile, “Yes, Mr. Castillo, I suspect we will.” Silas slides his arm around me and says, “Excuse us, if you will, I owe Miss Locke a dance before the feast begins.”
I follow his lead to the dance floor and everything feels heavy but lighter at the same time. It feels like I am less alone in this. Hope begins to blossom in me. I look up at Silas and smile and lean into him more. We reached the designated area for dancing and the classical quartet in the back reached the end of their current song and began moving into the next piece as Silas grabbed my hand and spun me swiftly and brought us back together with a dazzling smile. He held me close as the cello began with it’s warm and rich tones and just as the violin joined in he began our dance. We moved confidently together. We were flawless, he led and I followed. It was like water flowing calmly down the river.
Everything in this moment was perfect. As the music picked up the piano started, soft and beautiful. A perfect compliment to the cello and violin. Silas turned me as the music started to build and as the music hit even deeper, lower, more powerful notes, he dipped me. Time stopped. I looked up at him, head tipped back from the dip, neck exposed, and watche
d him breathe me in. He slowly looked up every inch of my torso all the way to my eyes. A shiver went all the way up my spine at the look he gave me. His eyes were the deepest blue I had ever seen. Practically black. Like the darkest depths of the sea. My breathing was coming out in small pants from dancing. My knee was up around his thigh and his hand slid up my thigh as I righted myself back up to him.
Our entire bodies were touching. The air began to feel thick and heavy. He smirked at me and we began dancing again. I needed to cut some of this tension before I could no longer breathe. I refused to suffocate in the arms of Silas King while dancing, of all things. Laying my head under his chin, I whispered, “So tell me, Silas, how exactly does our dear Gabriel know you enjoy silk?” I smirk as I feel him tense against me. He exhales a slow breath but does not falter in our dance. “I once made the mistake of opening up to my soon to be ex-brother, about a fantasy I’ve had about you since you returned and I saw you at the mixer that first night.” His voice is low and gravelly and it does things to me.
I physically shudder against him and I know he felt it. I can practically feel the smirk as he continues, “Should I tell you about this fantasy of mine, my little Honey?” I pull my head back and look at him, bewildered. It has been a decade since he called me his little Honey, and that’s when I know, I’m in too deep. Those same dark waters that fill his eyes are pulling me under and I am going to drown in this man before I can even tell him that I love him.
Whiskey & Honey: Crimes of Crimson Valley: Book One Page 24