Operation Saving Daniel (Entangled Covet) by Nina Croft

a mask. And what was underneath wasn’t pleasant. She strolled across the room, and only a determined conscious effort kept Lissa from backing away. There was something not quite right about Sophia.
    The air crackled with energy. Lissa rubbed her arms as her skin prickled.
    Sophia came to a halt way too close. So close, the sweet, sickly scent of her perfume clogged Lissa’s nostrils and beneath that, something musky.
    “Daniel is mine,” Sophia said.
    “Of course he is.” Lissa tried to make her tone soothing. She really wished Julia had stayed.
    “Don’t patronize me,” Sophia snapped. “I’ve seen the way you stare at him. You want him.”
    “No, I don’t,” she lied.
    Sophia ignored the interruption. “Well, he’s already taken.” She waved her hand under Lissa’s nose, almost jabbing her in the face with the huge emerald ring. “And I’ve got this to prove it. So stay away.”
    She whirled in her high heels and stalked to the door. Lissa released her breath with a huge sigh of relief. A little premature, it turned out, because Sophie turned back to face her. Her dark eyes narrowed to slits.
    “You keep your hands away from Daniel, or I’ll rip them off.”
    She grabbed the door handle and wrenched open the door. Julia nearly fell into the room. She righted herself. “Finished already?”
    Sophia didn’t reply, just stalked off down the corridor. Lissa hurried across and watched until she disappeared around the corner, then she sagged back against the wall.
    Julia shut the door and came to stand beside her. “You okay?”
    “Not sure.”
    “Well, at least we don’t have to worry that we made a mistake. I think it’s official. Sophia is a bitch.”
    She wasn’t wrong there. A total bitch. “You were listening?”
    “Of course. I had my ear pressed to the door.”
    “She’s mentally deranged.”
    “Yup.”
    “And she’s bigger than me.”
    “We can’t let Daniel marry her.”
    Julia seemed to be missing the point here. “On the other hand we can’t let Sophia rip my hands off.”
    “It’s our duty to save him.”
    “You don’t really think she’ll rip my hands off, do you?”
    Julia considered the question. “I’m not sure it’s physically possible, but I suppose she could try.”
    “Thanks. You’re making me feel much better here.”
    Julia grinned. “Hey, what are friends for?”

Chapter Eight
    The birthday party was in full swing, spilling out of the house onto the terrace and around the pool.
    Lissa sipped her champagne. Her dress, another recent purchase, was purple, so dark it was almost black and made from thin silk that skimmed her body and slid across her skin as she moved. On her feet were three-inch sandals and her feet already hurt.
    All night, she tried to get Daniel alone, while being really unobvious about it. She’d sort of convinced herself that Sophia wouldn’t rip her hands off, but she wasn’t entirely convinced Sophia was stable.
    Unfortunately, the Evil One clung to him for the entire evening, leaning in close and occasionally reaching up to kiss his cheek, telling the world in no uncertain terms that he was hers. As each new person was introduced, she held out her hand displaying the garish ring like a dog holding out its paw.
    “She must have a bladder like an elephant,” Julia said. “She’s been swilling champagne all night and hasn’t even been to the bathroom.”
    “She’d have to let him go for that.”
    “I would hope so,” Julia said morosely. “The dancing will start soon. Maybe you’ll get a chance then.”
    “I doubt it. She’s not going to let him dance with anyone else.”
    “Well, we’ll have to make sure that someone else dances with her. I’ll put Dad up to it—she’ll have to accept or lose the perfect daughter-in-law vote.”
    “Good plan.”
    The band started playing around ten. They were situated on a raised dais close to the pool, and a dance area had been set up on the lawn. Luckily, there were chairs