Page 224 of On A Manhunt: Complete Series

SILAS

I knew country club parties. I could read this crowd because I grew up with it.

My father had thrived in this fake, gilded, and exclusive world.

About a hundred people mingled and chatted with wine and whiskey in hand.

A string quartet played Bach from a discreet corner.

Waiters in stiff uniforms circled with trays of bacon wrapped scallops and filet on toast tips.

My brothers and I shunned this kind of formal misery.

Even in a laid-back town like Hunter Valley, there were still pockets of stuck-up elite.

Money didn’t keep anyone from being an asshole.

Like our father being a dick and needing to be the center of attention in a crowd he’d specifically selected.

We didn’t need a therapist to pull that out of our subconscious thoughts.

If it weren’t for my need to be by Eve’s side–my wife’s side–I’d turn around and leave. Stop at the bar downtown and kick back. Have a few drinks. Play some pool. Fuck my woman over a desk in the back office again.

She had reason to hate this crowd, starting with the couple standing with her and Douglas. Eve’s parents. No question.

There was a resemblance between Eve and her mother. The same coloring. The eyes. But Mrs. Hunter was all veneer. Shiny and bright on the outside. I had to wonder if she was vicious and conniving or just dumb on the inside.

The answer would soon become obvious.

I spotted Eve immediately. She didn’t want to be here. From across the room, I saw. Could read her misery. Feel it, even.

Yet she practically sparkled with the way the sequins caught the light.

Her outfit was modest but sexy-as-fuck. Unlike in the cam room where her curves were flaunted, her pant…

outfit showed off every curve I knew by heart but revealed barely any skin.

In a sea of plain and boring, she was stunning.

It was clear her mother hated it by the pruned-up look on her face and the way she stared.

“Sorry I’m late. You look perfect,” I commented, cutting off anything the woman might say.

I’d never seen Eve wear much makeup or have her hair styled.

She could polish herself up well, like dinner with the Hyports, but I knew what she looked like with her hair tangled in only my shirt.

I was eager to muss her up later if she’d let me.

Smear that lipstick and see it coating my dick.

But not yet. She could only be here for one purpose, to finally be done with her ex and deal with her father once and for all. Good, because I was here to help. She’d stood by me. It was time for me to stand by her. To show her that I’d always be at her side. I’d always support her. Love her.

She reached across her body and set her hand on top of mine. Squeezed. I felt the desperation and I was going to take it all away.

As for Vance Hunter, who loomed tall and broody, he was truly an asshole through and through.

And desperate. With his always perfect timing, Bradley had shared the damning information I’d been waiting for and I’d gone through it on the flight.

It had been illuminating and made me really fucking furious.

“Father, Mother,” Eve said. She cleared her throat and lifted her chin. “This is Silas James, my husband.”

“Ma’am,” I said, tipping my head to Mrs. Hunter first before offering my hand to Eve’s father. I didn’t like them, not at all, but good manners were ingrained. I wasn’t going to stoop to their level. Yet.

Vance Hunter eyed me as we shook. “I’ve heard quite a bit about you.”

“Is that so?” I asked, pulling Eve in closer. The sequins poked into my palm, but I felt her heat. This close, I breathed in her soft scent.

“Silas James?” Her mother’s voice was full of surprise. She knew me. Knew of me. “You didn’t tell me, Evelyn, that your husband is Silas James,” she murmured, patting Eve on the arm and eyeing me in a calculated way. I was sure she was thinking good job. A billionaire!

“That’s right, I didn’t,” Eve commented.

Which meant her father learned it from Douglas. I’d tossed my full name at him in the coffee shop intentionally to see if he’d look into me. He’d taken the bait.

“You two should come for dinner this week,” Mrs. Hunter added.

Eve stared at her mother. “Cheney’s tie matches the dress you wanted me to wear tonight and now you want me to bring Silas to dinner?”

“Well, I–” she sputtered, but her husband cut her off.

“This marriage is a sham,” her father said.

“Don’t be so hasty, dear. I mean, he’s a James.” Obviously, Mrs. Hunter had switched allegiance when she learned about the size of my bank account. To her, money was money.

“Mother,” Eve scolded. She grabbed my bicep, looked up at me with embarrassed and apologetic eyes.

“Your father’s right, Evelyn. Your marriage is a sham.” Douglas waved down a waiter and handed off his empty scotch glass as if owned the place. His suit was crisp, his hair was slicked back. He looked like a fucking douche. And he was wearing a velvet tie. What the fuck?

I eyed Eve’s father. “I think you’re the last one to cast stones, aren’t you, Mr. Hunter? I’d say keeping up the facade of your wealth is a sham.”

Eve didn’t say anything, just looked between us. I offered Eve a reassuring smile. “I had Bradley look into some things. I should have told you, but I take care of what’s mine.”

I half expected her to jam her high heel into the top of my foot, but she only nodded.

With that, I met her father’s narrowed gaze. He knew what was coming and probably had his ass cheeks squeezed tight waiting for me to say it. “Having Douglas here find out about your gambling debts was a big mistake on your part.”

Eve’s mother gasped and stared up at her husband in horror.

She didn’t know. That was what I figured. She was a money-grubbing bitch, but she only wanted what was financially best for her daughter. Above all else.

Vance Hunter? He was worse.

The man clenched his jaw and a vein throbbed in his temple.

“What’s Silas talking about?” Eve asked him.

When he didn’t respond, I did. “You want to tell your daughter you sold her to Cheney Douglas or do you want me to?”