My sister tilts her head, like she’s only just considering it. “For now, it has to be keeping Luscious away from Diana.”
“And Kane,” Dex adds, his jaw so white his molars must be ground halfway to dust. “That fucker needs to be put on a leash, especially while she’s in heat.”
The reminder turns the adrenaline in my gut to acid. As much as I loathe Luscious and want to see her and her boyfriend behind bars, I don’t want Diana hurt in the process. “She really likes him.” I hate to admit it, but she’s made her feelings about the alpha pretty obvious. “And are we really going to keep this from her? I mean, that’s why you’re sneaking out, right? So she won’t find out about the connection between Kane and Luscious?”
My sister just shrugs. “It’s for her own good.”
I scowl at her, even though she’s just being the protective alpha I’ve always needed her to be. But I swing my gaze to Dex, my helplessness bubbling into anger. “How many times did you use that excuse in the slick factory?”
He’s in my face a second later, moving too fast for even Kennedy to stop. Not that he touches me. He doesn’t need to; his glare is like a blowtorch. “You don’t know a fucking thing about my life or what it was like working in that shithole. And there’s nothing you can say that will make me hate my part in that place more than I already do. I let her down on the daily, and it fucking kills me.” He takes a step back, an ancient weariness in his eyes as he scrubs a hand over his messy head. “But things are different now, and I’m going to protect her with everything I have.”
“Fine, but I’m not staying behind.” Even though I can feel my sister’s gaze burning into me, I don’t look away from Dex. “Luscious has screwed me over, too. She signed me to a shitty contract when I was a teenager, and when I tried to get out of it, she got the cops involved. Some corrupt fuckers who work directly for the chief. They told me they’d bury me in the Ridgeport Penitentiary if I caused problems.” I shudder at the memory of the threats they made, at how I wouldn’t last a night in general pop with all the feral alphas tearing my ass to shreds. “Luscious deserves to be locked up, and I deserve to help put her there.”
“Shit,” Dex huffs. “Is there anyone in this city who isn’t being screwed over by someone else?”
“The governor,” I snort. “From what I hear, that guy doesn’t answer to anyone.”
“Which explains why he can publicly court a porn star,” Dex mutters, then pulls a face. “No offence, Rowan.”
“None taken. But you should know, he’s pretty committed to Luscious. I thought it was all just narcissistic delusion, but he’s even visited her on set a few times.”
Dex meets my eyes, his gaze like flint. “Then I guess he just goes down with the bitch.”
His tough stance is probably bravado, but I can tell he’s genuinely committed to the cause. He still has a lot to do to make up for his part in the slick factory, but I’m starting to believe that he’s all in when it comes to protecting Diana.
“Fine, but you need to stay here while Kennedy and I go.” His eyes flare with outrage, and I grab his arm. “Think about it. I know Luscious. I can use her name to get to him. And if that Kane jerk is hovering around, he won’t recognize me. That might buy us a few more minutes to get to the governor.”
It seems obvious to me, but Dex is already shaking his head. “What if she’s there? What if he tells Luscious you paid him a visit, and she decides to screw you over again? It could be the state pen, or worse.”
I catch Kennedy’s gaze, since this will affect her as much as me. When she gives me a small smile, I feel my heart swell to twice its size. There’s never been a single day when I didn’t know my sister had my back, through thick and thin. “I’m done either way. With both Luscious and with porn. I want to start over with something new.” Dex doesn’t look like he believes me, so I borrow one of my sister’s shrugs. “It’s been a long time coming.”
Dex blows out a breath, but when he glances back at the bedroom door, I can tell he’s going to go along with the plan. “You’ll update me as soon as you’re done?”
“Right away,” Kennedy assures him. “As soon as we know we’re not being followed, we’ll come straight back here. I have people watching both the Carrillos and this hotel, so you’ll always be in the loop.”
He nods and she takes him through the suite security details while I dig into my suitcase for an outfit. Crashing a political convention probably calls for something boring and businesslike, but when you’re a porn star, sometimes you just have to go big, right?
Kennedy snorts when she sees me slipping into my velvet suit, but Dex’s eyes nearly bug out of his head. I’m shirtless under the blood red jacket, the matching pants tight enough to put a hitch in my stride. I add a pair of black alligator shoes and dark shades, grinning at the look on Dex’s face. “You like?”
“I… something.”
“In case you didn’t know, Diana likes a little roleplay.” I nudge my suitcase towards him with the toe of my shoe. “Feel free to borrow any of my costumes.”
“Ah… yeah.” His cheeks redden as he looks at my collection, but then he grabs my arm. “Whatever it takes, we get those assholes out of Diana’s life, okay?”
“Okay.” I give his hand a pat, and then we leave the suite, Kennedy checking all the locks behind us. We use the service elevator again, and I’m careful not to brush up against the grimy walls. The car is where we left it, but despite the tightness of my pants, Kennedy steers me past it and we leave the garage on foot. Thankfully, there’s a cab waiting for us, and we circle the block a couple of times before heading down the street to the governor’s hotel. It gives us time to hatch a plan – or for me to add a little Rowan flair to the one my sister had already put together.
“Go do your thing,” she smirks as we exit the cab near the back door of the Richardson Hotel. Thekitchendoor, to be specific, and I saunter inside like I’ve got ‘cordon blue’ stamped on my ass.
“Hello all,” I trill, whipping off my shades and striking a pose. The lighting is shit, but I’ve always looked good against an industrial backdrop. “How are my delicious pastry people this fine morning?”
“Fucking hell! Is thatRowan Vale?”
I’m instantly swarmed by besotted kitchen staff, faces shining with adoration as they hover around me. I gush over the fit of their pristine white uniforms, dropping a few dirty jokes aboutthe size of their boning knives and how hungry I always get around a buffet of man meat. As expected, their laughter draws the head chef from his hidey-hole, the anger melting from his face when he claps eyes on me. He’s a monster of an alpha, but his scent is almost painfully sweet as he rakes his gaze over me. “Mr. Vale, you do us such an honor.” He takes my hand, kissing it like it’s a piece of delicate china. “Are you a guest of the hotel?”
“I’m actually having breakfast with the governor this morning.” I hook a finger in the front of his uniform, feeling his chest expand like a balloon at the contact. “I was hoping to slip in unnoticed, but the paparazzi are all over the place.”
“Ah, thepiranhas,” he scowls, fondling my hand like it’s a piece of overworked pastry. “We can get you past them, do not fear.”
