Jenna Black - Dark Descendant

I worked my way to the bar and ordered a glass of white wine, then found myself a convenient corner shadowed by a large potted plant where I could mingle by myself without drawing too much attention. Yes, I was playing the part of wallflower and wasn’t particularly bothered by the fact.

For the record, standing in a corner by yourself in a snooty country club watching the filthy rich strut around in their one-of-a-kind designer gowns and ostentatious jewelry is not my idea of a good time. The wine helped a bit, taking the edge off, but after I’d finished my first glass, I didn’t dare get another. I’m a bit of a lightweight when it comes to drinking, and I did have to drive home when the evening’s fun and games were done.

Steph and Blake, young and good-looking, were quite a striking pair in the midst of the decidedly older crowd. Steph flitted around like an anxious hummingbird, making sure she talked to everyone, smiling and vivacious. Blake stuck close to her and I was pleased to see that, while he made social when necessary, he spent most of his time scanning the crowd, alert for any threats. I’d checked the guest list against the list of known Olympians Anderson had given me, but just because I hadn’t identified any Olympians on the list didn’t necessarily mean none would show up. After all, Konstantin had made it abundantly clear that the Olympians had money to burn. Someone with that kind of money could probably find a way to get themselves on the guest list at the last minute. So, much as I didn’t like Blake, I had to reluctantly admit I was glad he was there.

The cocktail party was only an hour long, but it felt like an eternity. My feet were killing me, and I was bored out of my skull. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to the dinner and auction parts of the evening, but at least then I would be able to sit down.

When eight o’clock finally rolled around, I followed the herd into the sumptuously appointed dining room. Annoyingly, there were assigned seats, so I had to either wander around the tables looking for the place card with my name on it, or stand in line to ask the nice man by the doorway to check his alphabetized list. I chose to wander.

Steph knew how much I enjoyed these affairs. She also knew I didn’t like mingling with the sort of people who attended them. I made an educated guess that she would have been her usual considerate self and seated me at her table. I scanned the room, figuring that red dress of hers would stand out like a beacon, but I didn’t see her.

At first, I wasn’t even remotely concerned. She was, after all, in charge of this event, not a guest. I figured she was taking care of administrative details, or just talking to the stragglers who hadn’t come into the dining room yet. But as the seats at the tables filled up and I still saw no sign of her, a niggle of alarm ran through me.

I located the table that Steph and Blake were going to be sitting at—right at the front, of course—and I found my own place card directly opposite hers. But still no Steph. No Blake, either. Maybe that meant they’d slipped away for a quick make-out session, but I didn’t think so. Steph wasn’t what I would call a control freak, but she did put a lot of time and energy into these events, and she wouldn’t just wander away for a little me-time. Unless Blake used his nasty power on her, but that was a thought I could hardly bear to contemplate.

Telling myself I was being paranoid and overprotective, I slipped out of the dining room toward the bar and lounge. There were still a few people out there, ignoring the signals that dinner was nigh. But no Steph. I was going to start questioning the staff to see if they could tell me her last known location, but my cell rang, sending a shiver down my spine. True, the call could be completely innocuous, from anyone. But in my heart, I knew it was bad news.

My instinct was confirmed when I pulled out my cell phone and saw the caller ID: Alexis. What were the chances I would mysteriously lose sight of Steph, Alexis would call me moments later, and the two were not related? I prayed for a miracle as I reluctantly answered.

“What do you want?” I asked, my voice harsh with a fear I couldn’t hide.

Alexis laughed. “What’s the matter, Nikki? You sound tense.”

“I’m not in the mood to banter with you. What do you want?”

“Do exactly as I tell you, and I promise no harm will come to dear Stephanie.”

I swallowed a cry of anguish as he confirmed my worst fears. “You can’t hurt Steph!” I said. “My family and I are under Anderson’s protection.”

Alexis laughed again. “Is that how he told you it would work? Or just wishful thinking on your part?”

“He and Konstantin have a deal!” Oh, please, God, let that be true, let me not have been a complete dupe.

“A deal that doesn’t include Stephanie. She isn’t really your family, after all.”

“She’s my sister!”

“But adopted. Not related by blood. A technicality, perhaps, but one we mean to exploit. Because you chose to seek asylum with Anderson, we cannot touch you. But Stephanie is fair game.”

“Let her go, you bastard! She has nothing to do with this.”

“I’ll be happy to let her go. No one has to get hurt in this scenario. Come to me, renounce Anderson’s protection, and she’ll go her own merry way, none the worse for wear.”

What were the chances I could trust Alexis’s word? Slim and none. The problem was, I didn’t see that I had any alternative. Alexis had Steph, and that left me with precious few options.

“How do I know you really have Steph?” I asked. I knew deep down in my gut that he was telling the truth, at least about that. But stalling for time seemed like a better alternative than rolling over.

There was a little scuffling noise on the other end of the line. Then I heard Alexis’s voice in the background, saying “Let your sister know you’re all right.”

My entire body went tense as I braced myself for the impact of my sister’s terrified voice. But Steph is made of sterner stuff than that, and she was every bit as protective of me as I was of her.

I knew she was there, knew Alexis wasn’t lying, but she didn’t make a sound. My throat tightened as I understood what she was doing: keeping her mouth shut in hopes that by not giving Alexis proof that he had her, she would keep me from coming after her. My eyes teared up.

“I’m not going to let him hurt you,” I said, the words feeling hollow. Even I didn’t believe I could protect her from Alexis. Why should I expect her to be convinced?

Alexis didn’t like her show of defiance. I heard a harsh slap, and Steph’s involuntary gasp of shock and pain.

“You’d best learn to do as you’re told,” Alexis growled in the background.

Steph still didn’t say anything, though her gasp had already given her away. I cursed myself for asking Alexis for proof when I had believed him all along.

“I believe you!” I shouted into the phone, hoping my voice was loud enough for Alexis to hear.

There was a little more shuffling around, and his voice came back on the line. “You have thirty minutes to get to 28 Hillsboro Road in D.C. The door will be unlocked, so you just come right in. You come in, your sister goes out. If you don’t get here in thirty minutes, the party will start without you.”

I recognized the address from my list of Olympian properties. It was in Woodley Park and, if memory served, it was up for sale. I mentally calculated the distance and fought another jolt of terror. “That’s not enough time,” I told him. Maybe if I drove like a maniac and hit every light green, but…

“You’ll have to make it enough.”

“Please,” I said, hating to beg, but willing to do it for Steph’s sake. “It’ll take me ten minutes just to get my car. Give me forty minutes to get there.” I was already hurrying toward the exit. “I’m on my way now. Please don’t hurt her.”