Free Vigil by V. J. Chambers Page B

one of the blonde’s ears.
    She giggled and swatted at him playfully.
    He got a supremely satisfied smile on his face, like he was the king of the world, and he could have whatever he wanted.
    I hated him.
    He was so self-involved and arrogant. Sure, he was attractive, but being attractive didn’t mean that he had the right to act like an asshole.
    He looked away from the blonde at Airenne and me.
    When he saw me, the smile faded from his face.
    I must have let my disapproval show somehow. Damn it. I hoped that I wouldn’t mess up Airenne’s chances to get a good interview.
    He got up from the couch.
    We were only a few feet away.
    Airenne moved smoothly to intercept him. She offered him her hand. “Hi, there Mr. Rutherford. I’m with Bold! magazine, and I was hoping to have just a few minutes of your time?”
    He shook hands with her. “Certainly. How could I resist a smile like that?”
    Airenne’s smile brightened. She tittered, looking pleased and embarrassed.
    He looked from her at me again.
    It was just a quick glance, and then he turned back to Airenne, but there was something about it I didn’t like. His look seemed to go under my clothes as if he knew what I’d look like out of my dress. I felt exposed and violated.
    “Maybe we could go somewhere quieter?” He offered her his arm.
    She took it. “Sure.”
    They strode away.
    * * *
    Airenne and Callum were gone for a while, so I stayed in place, sipping my champagne. I hoped her interview was everything she hoped for, considering she had quite a crush on him.
    For what it was worth, he seemed to have been polite to her. But something about that guy rubbed me the wrong way. I didn’t like him. I was glad that I hadn’t had to stick around and listen to him answer Airenne’s questions. It might have been too hard for me to not roll my eyes.
    After a while, I began looking around at the other guests. They were all prim and proper in their finery, standing with their shoulders back and their chins tilted. They looked like mannequins in a department store. Mannequins that could move, anyway. I began to feel a little bit out of place.
    Then one of Callum’s blondes caught my eye. On second glance, I realized something.
    I recognized her.
    I couldn’t believe it. I walked over to her. “Jewel? Is that you?”
    She did a double take. “Cecily.” She looked me up and down. “Haven’t you moved up in the world.”
    “I could say the same thing to you,” I said. “Callum Rutherford? You’ve been busy.”
    She leaned close, lowering her voice. “It’s a gig, actually. He’s paying me to be here. He pays pretty well, and it’s a nice change of pace from the club.”
    I drew back. Callum Rutherford bought his girlfriends? Callum Rutherford’s girlfriends were strippers ? “The other girl too?”
    She nodded, giving me a secretive smile.
    “Would you go on the record with that?” I said.
    “On the record?”
    “I’m a newspaper intern. This is a great story.”
    “Of course you’re working for a newspaper. That’s what you always wanted. Good for you.”
    I felt a little shy. I looked at my shoes. “Thanks.”
    “Hey,” she said, her voice softening. “I heard about Darlene. I’m real sorry. I know you two were close.”
    Oh. I hadn’t expected her to say that. It surprised me. Hit me hard. I felt my throat constrict and tears threaten. For some reason, talking to someone else that had known Darlene made it all seem too real.
    “She didn’t deserve that,” said Jewel.
    “No,” I managed, my voice strangled. I wiped at my eye.
    “Aw, shit,” she said. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”
    I squared my shoulders and pulled myself together. “No, it’s fine.” I took a deep breath. “So, about the story. Could I quote you if I went to press about Callum and his girls?”
    “No way,” she said. “I’m not messing this up. I don’t want the world to know. It’s a great gig.”
    I sighed, weighing my desire to see Callum