Underground

49

The rest of the night was a blur. Joel introduced me to important people, Duchess would pull me away to meet someone else and Joel would be right next to me. Lena apparently left and I was definitely happy about that. By the time dinner was served my feet were sore as well as the lower half of my body. All the while Joel had a small smirk on his face. We sat at the same table with Jonathan and the others along with Tommy, Mitchie and Devlin. "Here comes Valentine," Devlin grumbled.

We all glanced over our shoulders to see Valentine walk in and pull Elizabeth up for a dance. Eric didn't seem too happy about that. "I hate that man so much," Cherine frowned.

"Don't we all," Carter growled.

Joel stayed quiet not really contributing much to the conversation. It gave me a chance to really look at him. The scar over his left eye was probably my favorite thing about him aside from his tattoos. In a way it reflected who he was. Everyone sees him as a coldhearted Assassin but I see a man who could make me laugh and lust after him with only a few words. In the middle of my staring his hand slid over my thigh and squeezed hard but in a gentle gesture. When I snapped out of my daydream, Joel was staring at me. "Had your fill?" He asked.

"No."

The corners of his mouth tilted, "There's something more you need, ma'am?"
I sent him a mental picture of what I needed and he growled at me causing Jonathan to look at him with a frown. A hand squeezed my shoulder and all eyes at the table looked behind me as I looked up at Valentine. "You won't mind if I steal the woman of the evening, would you?" He asked Joel.
Unlike with the other guests, Joel didn't even bother to smile at him. "I mind a lot," he answered in a clipped tone.

Valentine seemed unbothered as he let out a chuckle, "It's just a dance. She will be right back." He didn't wait for an answer as he pulled me to my feet and towards the dance floor. He waved to the musicians and started waltzing with me in his arms. People tore away from conversations to have their chance on the dance floor as well. I looked up suspiciously at Valentine. Why was he so insistent on me dancing with—
"I must sincerely thank you for killing Krash," he whispered. "What he knew about the Underground would have destroyed everything we built. Decades and centuries of research and training all gone."

Here goes. "He told me some things," Valentine paused. "Things that I'm sure you wouldn't want people to know."

Valentine stopped moving and we were the only two people on the floor not dancing. I felt Joel and Eric's eyes on us. "Are you threatening me, Ryder?" He asked calmly. I tried to pull away and his grip tightened around me and I watched Jonathan and Carter move closer from the corner of my eye. I raised my chin and gave a sharp nod.

He chuckled, "You kill one man and think you are ready to take on anyone? You have spirit and that's what an Assassin needs."

"You forgot loyalty and honor. You're words not mine," I sneered at him.
Valentine chuckled, "Oh sweetheart. There are secrets about the Mason family that's a lot worse than anything you dig up on me. Trust."

I straightened my back. "If I find out that anything Krash said was true, I will personally be the one to put you down," I yanked my arm from him. "Not Eric, not Joel. Me." Valentine's face hardened up and I turned away from him, walking back to Joel's side. Joel wrapped an arm around my waist while glaring at Valentine. They stayed like that for a minute before Valentine nodded at him and walked away. Joel looked down at me and I saw pride in his eyes the made my heart swell. "You just openly declared war on him," he said to me.

"That means Tommy needs to hack into that laptop faster," I frowned at him. "Valentine mentioned your family having secrets."

Joel tensed up next to me and I bought my hand up to rub his chest. "Every family has secrets, Justine," he sighed. "Since you are my mate that makes you family. Makes it important that you know my secrets."
Family.
I grabbed Joel's hand, entwining our fingers. To say that I was lost for words was an understatement. The only family I've ever known was in New York. Guilt of even thinking of establishing a new one ate at me when I thought of my siblings. "I have an idea what one of those secrets are," I said softly.

Joel raised an eyebrow, "Do you?"

"Yes," I squeezed his hand. "If I show you, will you tell me what I want to know?"
Joel didn't answer me but I saw something pass his face that made me worry. It was a look of fear..