Diamonds In Her Veins

Chapter Twenty: I Surrender.

Chasity's POV

I sipped my sweet tea. Though it was my favorite, it didn't help me relax. Neither had the expensive-smelling bubble bath Channing had left in my suite. But then, it was going to take a lot more than a bath and a glass of tea to ease the tension that throbbed in my temples and back. It would likely be there until this blasted party had run its course.

Giving up on the bath, I sat my glass aside, stepped from the massive whirlpool tub, dried off and put on my undwear, night gown, robe. Someone on my father's staff had retrieved my robe from my Aunts house. I hugged the soft yellow terry cloth to my body, sighed and finally sank down into the chair by the vanity. There was a monitor there, and I flipped through the various camera angles until I located Channing.

He was in the art room talking to the twins. Channing had his arm crossed, leaning back in the chair. Both Aleanna and Ameri were listening intently to what Channing was saying, Ameri adding her thoughts every now and again. He obviously enjoyed being around the family. Which, of course, immediately brought to my mind the next question: Would he continue to enjoy it?

And I was back to the one thing I didn't want to think about tonight. The party. Yet, it was the very thing I couldn't get off my mind. Liam could be arrested and put in jail. Maybe that would end the threats.

And maybe Liam would just continue his reign of terror from behind bars. Even a life sentence in a maximum security prison might not even slow him down.

Of course, the party could make things worse. If Liam caught onto the fact that it was a setup, he might storm out and escalate his threats. But then, things couldn't get much more escalated than having shots fired at us.

Movement on the screen grabbed my attention. Channing got to his feet, and stretched. He smiled at the girls and kissed their foreheads before leaving. I couldn't help but smile. And dream. At the moment it was one heck of a pipe dream, but I let myself imagine what it would be like to witness a scene like that all the time. Channing hanging out like part of the family. Without the threat of Liam. With nothing but time for them to work out where all of this, between us, was going.

But personal stuff seemed trivial compared to death threats and murder attempted, and I longed for the day when I might take this relationship farher than confusion and kissing.

There was a knock at the door, and I automatically glanced at the monitor screen. Channing was no longer in the twins art room, so I figured he might be the one at my bathroom door.

"Come in," I offered. The door opened, and there he was. He wasn't smiling exactly, but he looked content. And rather rumpled. His hair was a little disheveled, and he had a hot-desperado, five-o' clock-shadow thing going on. Just looking at him caused the heat to roll through me, and my heart to skip a beat. Of course, thinking about him had the same effect.

"Is that paint on your shirt?" I asked, forcing myself not to think of the heat. Channing glanced down at the smeared blue paint stain on his white shirt.

"Yep. Talking with the twins when paint is around is a messy, challenging experience," He said with a laugh.

"You can't fool me-" because I need something to do with my hands, I got up and retrieved my tea. "-you enjoyed every minute of it. They're like your sisters." He smiled.

"I did. And technically they are more your sisters than mine." but the smile soon faded. And I knew why.

"You're worried about tomorrow night," I told him.

"You, too." I nodded.

"Hard not to worry when the stakes are this high." He didn't agree. Instead, Channing motioned toward the door.