The ride home in the back of the Mercedes was a heavy, alcohol-soaked silence. Jason leaned back against the leather, his eyes closed, a smug, satisfied smirk playing on his lips. He looked like a king who had just conquered another kingdom. Beside him, I sat as still as a statue, the silk of my dress feeling like a cold shroud.
Vance drove with his usual clinical precision, his eyes fixed on the road, but I could feel his gaze in the rearview mirror every time we passed under a streetlight.
"You were perfect tonight, Sarah," Jason murmured, his voice thick with pride. He didn't open his eyes, but he reached out, his hand finding mine and squeezing it until the bones in my fingers ached. "The Sterlings were impressed. Even Vane couldn't find a flaw in you. You handled that 'accident' tal
