Jesus.Four words that never failed to kill a mood.“Shep, don’t be a buzzkill. We’re having a good night.”
“We need to talk about the realities of your situation.”
“Mysituation,” I scoffed, and rolled my neck, the soft cracks releasing all my tension. “I love how some asshole pinning an incident on me is nowmysituation.”
“But you were there.”
My eyes flew open. “Let it go.”
“Can’t do that.”
“You could. You just won’t. We both know why.”
Shep worked his jaw and looked away as he twisted the stem of the flute between his fingers. “He demanded I bring you to him.”
I sputtered out a laugh, but Shep didn’t crack a smile.
“Wait, you’re serious?”
He nodded, still not looking at me.
The fucking audacity. I respected the hell out of King and would do anything for him, but his request to Shep pissed me off. All this talk about how I needed to be here for the wedding and all the required events so that we could maintain a good relationship with my family, andthiswas when he wanted me brought out to see him? He couldn’t just call instead?
Then again, Shep wasn’t exactly forcing my ass on a private plane right now.
“You told him no,” I said, not bothering to hide the surprise in my voice. Shep never said no to King’s orders, ever.
He lifted a shoulder, continuing to stare out at the manicured hedges that enclosed my corner of the palace. When he didn’t deny my remark, I felt my jaw drop and set my drink aside.
“Hold on. King gave you a demand and you said ‘fuck off with that’? Holy shit.”
“I didn’t tell him to fuck off,” he said, rolling his eyes, but the gist of that conversation was clear:Shep had defied an order.
“Why?” The word was out of my mouth before I could stop it. “Why aren’t we halfway to New York by now?”
“You have duties.”
“And?”
“And Alessio’s looking into it. We don’t have a clear idea of who sent the video and why yet.”
“But King doesn’t believe me, does he? Shep?”
He finally met my eyes, but they were unreadable, like he had an impenetrable wall up behind them no one could get past.
“Well, nice to know our illustrious leader has such faith in me.”
“It’s not that?—”
“Then what is it?” I leaned my head back on the edge of the tub. “From where I’m sitting, it seems he thinks I’m a liability. And if that’s the case?—”
“He just wants to hear from you that what he’s seeing isn’tactuallywhat he’s seeing. The fact you won’t pick up a phone and talk to him about it doesn’t look good, Theo.”
“And justify what this lunatic, whoever he is, did? Why would I do that?”
“To get King off your back.”
I lifted my head and aimed a sultry smile Shep’s way. “Last time I checked, it was you on my back, not King.”
