24
The Sweeting table was at the opposite side of the room, right on the perimeter. Lena was over there already, putting her purse by her place and removing her pashmina. Didn’t take long for her little sister to be whisked away by one of her cronies. Their little posse thought they were tight, though they wouldn’t know the meaning of keeping a secret.
Harlow chose to seat herself on the far side, keeping her back at the wall. The Sweeting parents were off schmoozing too, which meant she was alone at the table when Ryske and Rupert came over to join her.
With full entitlement, Ryske swung into the seat next to her.
Rupert approached her other side. “Would you like a drink?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, I would like a drink, Mr. Marlowe… Scotch. Neat.”
Rupert cleared his throat, d
