The party devolves into pandemonium. The band stops playing, and guests stream toward the doors, holding up the hotel security guards trying to enter.
Bella Lin pushes through the crowd to get to Katarina, with Garrett Lin a few steps behind. Lee lies in a pile of crushed roses, looking dazed.
Heath puts a comforting arm around Katarina. She ignores him, staring down at her brother with a mixture of fury and contempt.
Ellis Dean:No, I didn’t hear what she said. I was a little busy with mybroken fucking nosebleeding all over my custom Cavalli.
More shaky cellphone footage, zoomed in on Katarina’s face. She’s speaking to Lee, but her voice isn’t audible over the commotion.
Garrett Lin:I’ll never forget what she said to him.
Producer(Offscreen): What did she say?
Katarina turns to go. Heath and the Lins follow—until Bella notices the person who’s been filming. She strides closer to the camera. “Delete that, or you’ll be hearing from our lawyers.”
A muffled curse, the angle going wild as the person scrambles to turn off the recording. The final shot before the screen goes black shows the security guards hauling Lee to his feet. He stares after his sister with tears shining in his bloodshot eyes.
Garrett Lin:I don’t feel right repeating it. Given what happened next, though…I think you can probably guess the sentiment.
Chapter 54
Heath and I left the party before they could throw us out.
We were the only ones in the elevator car, but Heath crowded me the whole way down, asking if I was all right, examining my reddened palm, wanting to know what I’d been thinking when I slapped Ellis.
Rain obscured the view beyond the brightly lit awning outside the hotel. The temperature had fallen a good fifteen degrees, and goose bumps prickled my bare arms. Heath shrugged off his suit jacket and started to lay it over my shoulders.
“Stop,” I said.
“You’re shivering. I was only trying to—”
“You keep trying to take care of me, and I don’t need you to. So please, just stop.”
Heath slumped, letting the jacket sleeves drag on the sidewalk. “It’s been a long day. Maybe we should head back to our hotel and get some rest.”
“You go ahead.” I folded my arms—hugging myself against the chill. Shutting him out. “I need a minute.”
“What if your brother comes back?” he asked.
“Then I’ll handle it.”
Heath might have convinced himself his confrontation with Lee was solely for my benefit, but I knew better. I’d seen the rage contorting his face. While I’d spent the last ten years avoiding my brother at all costs, Heath had been lying in wait, hoping one day he’d have the chance to get his revenge.
“Fine,” Heath said. “Take all the time you need.”
He strode away from me so fast, I almost missed what he muttered next.
“You always do.”
I stared after Heath’s retreating form. He was headed straight for Central Park, hunched against the driving rain.
“Don’t tell me you two are fighting again.” Bella stood outside the gilded vestibule surrounding the lobby door. “You’ve got to cut this shit out, Kat.”
I whirled to face her. “How was I supposed to know my brother would—”
“I’m not just talking about tonight. I’m talking aboutallthe shit you and Heath have been up to the past few years. The fame whore photo ops, the flitting from coach to coach. The fighting and the fucking and the endlessdrama.You’re not reality TV stars, you’re world-class athletes. You’re the goddamn reigning world champions.”
Sheila’s words from years before echoed in my head:You’re a world champion. Act like it.But Bella’s voice held none of her mother’s harshness. She sounded sad, almost weary—which was so much worse.
