Sebastian opens his mouth to speak. “In your bed—”
“No. Stevie’s right here.” She walks into the dining room and gives me a quick hug, then rounds the corner of the table and sits across from Sebastian. “I had to let myself in and find my way around this insanely large house all by myself.”
“Glad you were able to find your way around. I’ll ask Aunt Mae to give you a tour,” River offers.
Stevie sips from the wineglass in front of her. “That would be helpful. Thanks, Batman.”
Sebastian spits his water out, spraying drops across the table. “River? A superhero?”
“What? I could be a superhero,” River says, like he’s offended by his cousin’s response.
“I mean, he’s a tech billionaire”—Stevie’s eyes dart to Sebastian—“and you’re the assistant. The shoe fits.”
“I’m not Robin.”
The door to the kitchen swings open before Stevie has a chance to rebuttal. Mae comes barreling into the dining room. “A family dinner and I wasn’t invited.”
“This isn’t a family dinner,” Sebastian corrects his aunt, before shooting a glare at Stevie.
River lifts from his chair and pulls one for her to sit in. “Join us.”
Mae shuffles excitedly and takes a seat. “This is great.”
Then he returns to his seat by my side.
“Okay, who’s thirsty?” Ben calls out, emerging from the kitchen, with a bottle of red wine in hand. When he finds Aunt Mae seated with us, he adds, “It’s a full table tonight at the Thompson Manor.”
Mae’s rosy cheeks beam with happiness. “It is.”
Ben adds a place setting for Mae, then pours each of us a glass of red wine before he goes over what’s on the menu tonight.
“So, how did the project go last night?” Mae’s focus bounces between River and Sebastian.They must have mentioned to her about my sister knowing. That’s why she feels comfortable bringing it up.
Unsure if everyone is aware I’ve told Stevie or not, I stay silent, letting the guys take the lead.
River brings his napkin and places it on his lap. “Well, it didn’t goexactlyaccording to plan, but we were effective and finished in record time.”
“That’s great to hear.” She raises her glass in the air, proposing a cheer.
We all raise our drinks for a quick toast. It should feel unnatural to be toasting about the man we murdered, but this is becoming my new normal and I’m ready to embrace it.
Sebastian clears his throat and leans back with a smirk on his face. “Oh, and Aunt Mae, guess who ended up surprising us at the last minute and pulling out the knife I gave her?”
Her fork suspended midair while her eyebrows raised with curiosity. “And who would that be?”
River turns his head toward me, a prideful expression on his face, while I watch the color drains from Stevie’s face.
“Lux?” Her pupils dilate.
And suddenly the tips of my ears burn with being put on the spot. I push the food around on my plate, avoiding the stares from everyone at the table, because this does seem strange to be proud of. “Yeah, it was me.”
“Oh, Lux,” Mae gasps. “How are you feeling? Are you all right?”
“I feel better now.” I shrug. “He deserved what he got, and I’m glad I was the one to do it.”
“Well, all right,” Mae replies with slight disbelief. “River must have been shocked,” she adds, glancing over at River.
“I didn’t know he gave her a weapon,” River says, shooting Sebastian a glare.
