Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
“I’m fine.” She felt like she’d been hit by a car, and her arms ached fiercely, but it was the truth. Plus, she got the feeling that he was just as off-center about the night as she was. Allied or not, his relationship with Carrigan was problematic at best. They obviously loved each other, and just as obviously had been close once, but Aiden had been genuinely surprised by the invitation to tonight’s charity dinner.
She’d have to be way more banged up to be the reason he skipped it.
Charlie squeezed his arm. “Everything will be fine.”
“I know.” He held the door open for her, and they checked their coats. Aiden stopped and grinned. “Bright eyes, you’ve outdone yourself.”
“This old thing?” Charlie smoothed her hands down the deep purple dress she’d chosen for tonight. Really, it was the only option, since it had long sleeves, which would cover her arm bandages. But she loved it all the same. The high neckline cut across her collarbone and created sharp points off her shoulders, and the back dipped all the way down to the base of her spine.
He circled her, his green eyes intense. “If we make it through the night without my dragging you to a room upstairs, it will be a goddamn miracle.”
She licked her lips. Under his gaze, her body flashed hot, as if he’d reached out and touched her. “How much time do we have?”
“There you are!”
Aiden’s expression shuttered. “Not enough, apparently.” He moved to her side and pressed his hand to the small of her bare back as they turned to face Carrigan.
She looked absolutely stunning. She wore a black dress with long sleeves, though hers left her shoulders bare. It hugged every curve and was just shy of being too short for respectable company, even with her black tights. Paired with her wild dark hair and berry lipstick and she was a showstopper.
Carrigan came in and gave Charlie’s cheek an air-kiss. She raised her eyebrows. “Look at us, practically twins.”
“Carrigan.”
She ignored the warning in Aiden’s tone and carefully looped her arm through Charlie’s. “Since we’re friends now, I think it’s best we pretend all of that nasty business with my calling you a gold-digging whore never happened.”
“How charitable.”
She laughed. “Yes, well, James had some strong words about the whole situation, as I’m sure you can imagine.”
“Aiden and I had the same…talk.” She glanced over her shoulder to find him a few steps back. He didn’t look particularly happy to be there, but even as she watched, his expression smoothed out and a practiced smile took the place of irritation. If Charlie hadn’t been paying such close attention, she would have missed the transition entirely.
Carrigan led the way to a circular table near the front of the room. “This is a plated dinner, so you don’t have to deal with any of the silent auction nonsense that we sometimes do.”
When Aiden mentioned that his sister was married to James Halloran, Charlie had pictured a life…well, a life more like she imagined Dmitri or Aiden had. Out of the spotlight and in the shadows.
Apparently, she couldn’t have been more wrong.
There were people in this room who populated both the local and national news cycles, and even a handful of major celebrities. She turned to Carrigan with renewed interest. “What is the money from this dinner going to?”
“Aiden didn’t tell you?” Some of the sharpness bled out of the way she held herself, and her smile turned downright soft. “This money goes to fund housing, education, and various needs of women and children who were victims of sex trafficking. If they don’t have a home to go back to, or don’t want to go back, we do our best to give them the tools they need to support themselves and have what passes for a well-adjusted life.”
Charlie considered her. “You do other things to combat sex trafficking, don’t you?” Illegal things.
“I could tell you, but…you know.” Carrigan raised a finger to her lips, her green eyes amused. “Don’t get it into your head that we’re superheroes or any of that bullshit. I just hate the fuckers who deal in the flesh trade, and I’ll do whatever it takes to see their businesses ground to dust.”
Sex trafficking was one of the biggest world trades, and modern times hadn’t slowed down the numbers any. It was also one of the most frustrating elements of working for law enforcement—as soon as they arrested one sex-trafficking cell, two more popped up, and the original cell often ended up maneuvering out of the charges. It was a lesson in insanity and frustration, made worse by the fact that innocent women and children were suffering as a result.
Charlie stopped next to the chair with her name on it. “Do you think we could talk frankly about it at some point?” She wanted to know what, exactly, Carrigan and James were doing, and what kind of difference they might be making without the red tape of the law holding them back. The possibilities sent a thrill of excitement through her.