Page 47 of Love At the Gates of Hell (The Seven Sinners Trilogy #1)

thirty-two

Gideon

“You look like you’re about to strangle yourself.”

“Extremely helpful, Lucas,” Gideon grumbled.

He was struggling with his bowtie, fingers fumbling with the fabric.

He frowned at his reflection in the mirror before he yanked at the black silk to start over, the two ends hanging around his shirt collar limply.

He didn’t know what his problem was. This wasn’t his first black-tie event, and he knew how to tie a goddamn bowtie.

There was just too much at stake, and for the first time in a long time, Gideon was doubting the efficacy of his plan.

There were too many variables. Too many unknowns.

He didn’t know how to account for magic he didn’t understand.

They had no idea who their wannabe demon was or what he looked like, and knowing they were going to likely be in the same room at the gala was annoying the shit out of him.

He didn’t like to go into a plan without knowing every single possibility.

Then there was Benny.

He’d never run a job with someone he was intimate with before.

It was an unspoken rule between the brothers. The risk was too great, the rewards too important. Of course, he’d never take a job to play bodyguard, either.

Yet here he was, breaking all his rules for Benny.

Luke hovering in the doorway of his bedroom with a dumb fucking smug smile on his face certainly didn’t help.

His younger brother was already dressed, fully leaning into his persona for the evening.

A burnout college kid with a part time job in catering.

No glasses, no slicked-back hair. He looked young like this.

Young enough for Gideon to remember he’d never see his brother grow old.

Gideon sighed in surrender, his palms resting against his dresser as he caught his brother’s eyes in the mirror. “Do you remember how to tie these things?”

“I remember Dad teaching us before your senior prom,” Luke replied as he stepped into the room.

Gideon turned toward him and watched as Luke narrowed his eyes on the bowtie, adjusting it so that one end was a bit longer than the other.

“You were sweating bullets because you were taking Jess March, and you didn’t want one of those pre-made ones from the rental place.

I think it was the first time I ever saw you really nervous.

Not like I didn’t get it. Jess was so cool. ”

“I was cool.”

Luke paused, his eyes flickering up as his brow raised. “Sure.”

Gideon ignored that, his chin pressed into his chest as he tried to watch Luke’s hand movements.

“Anyway, whatever happened to her?” Luke asked as he resumed, working one loop over the other, his long fingers making quick work of the task.

“I don’t know. She went to college? She’s probably married at this point. It’s not like I kept in touch with her after Dad—” He stopped himself. Neither of them needed to think about that. “You know we had other shit going on.”

Luke didn’t say anything for a moment as he tugged at both ends of the loop.

“There you go, Bond.”

He stepped back and clapped Gideon on the shoulder before settling in beside him, the two of them staring at their reflections in the mirror.

Luke in his white dress shirt and black slacks with matching black tie, his hair falling in his eyes.

Gideon in his tuxedo, freshly shaved, fidgeting with his cufflinks.

They had both been surprised when it turned out Luke still had a reflection.

But it wasn’t like either of them had any understanding of what was fact and what was fiction about something they’d only just learned existed.

He wondered what the eighteen-year-old version of himself would think if he could see them now, preparing for one of the biggest jobs they’d ever planned.

A heist with bigger stakes than any job they’d ever done before.

How the hell had they gotten to this point?

Vampires and witches and cursed fucking rubies.

Luke rolled his eyes. “Stop worrying.”

“I’m not worrying.”

“I can hear your heartbeat, dumbass.”

Gideon ignored that too, taking one final glance at himself in the mirror before ducking out into the hallway.

A little worrying had to be good, it kept him honest. But a part of him couldn’t shake what Benny said on the roof, about how her life might be up for the taking regardless of what they achieve tonight.

“Are you two bozos ready?”

Cleo was perched on the kitchen island, her heels tapping against the cabinets as she leaned back on the palms of her hands. She was dressed in the exact same outfit as Luke, her red hair tied back in a complicated looking braid. She raised her brows expectantly as they came into the kitchen.

“We’re ready,” Gideon nodded. “Where’s Benny?”

“Hold on—” And he could hear her voice came from the other end of the hallway, a frustrated edge to her voice and then a bang. “Whoops— I’m almost done!”

Gideon looked down at the watch on his wrist.

If they didn’t leave now, they’d fuck the whole plan. They had a twenty-minute window after the doors opened before they were too late to arrive. The viewing schedule for the gems was tight, and they needed as much leverage as possible. They couldn’t fall behind their schedule.

But when she finally appeared, Gideon’s heart seemed to plummet to his stomach.

He rubbed his hand against the tightness growing in his chest as Benny adjusted the skirt of her gown.

He had seen her in the dress the other day while Cleo helped with the tailoring and he had thought she looked good then.

But this? The red silk twirled around her bare legs, revealing a thigh high slit on the one side and there was a sleeve that seemed to slip off her shoulder on purpose.

That was going to distract him all night, he knew.

She looked up at him with an apprehensive smile, her chestnut curls smoothed out and hanging around her shoulders, her lips painted in a red that seemed to match her dress.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

“Am I late?”

He shook his head.

“We will be if we don’t go right now,” Luke said, amusement dripping from his tone.

“Right,” Gideon said. “You and Cleo take the Jeep, we’ll meet you there. Olivia, Imani, and Harker are already en route.”

“Let’s do it, brother.”