I’ve been outed.
My body goes kind of numb and I nod my head a bunch of times. I should have expected this.
Micah’s arms tighten around me, grounding me so I don’t get lost spiraling inside my head and slowly the numbness fades.
“I thought you’d be freaking out about this,” Micah says. “But you feel... calm.”
A few months back, this would have been my worst nightmare. The Herald knows exactly where I am and what I’m doing. But Micah’s right, it doesn’t feel like my world is ending.
Mostly because my horizons have shifted. I’m not alone anymore. I have the guys to support me, and that makes all the difference.
“The thing is,” I tell them, taking in their anxious expressions. “He’s greedy but he also has strong self-preservation instincts. He’ll know he can’t tell anyone the worst bits of what I did for him withoutouting himself as a fraud. People are just going to think I had a bit of a weird upbringing.”
Iri nods slowly, stepping closer until he’s cupping my cheek and searching my face for any hint of uncertainty. “So, we continue with the plan.”
“Yep. We’ve caught his attention already which means Step One is going swimmingly. Now all we need to do is make sure our locations are splashed all over the internet again somewhere he’s bound to approach you.”
“Except you won’t be alone,” Iri continues smoothly, like he’s plucking the thoughts directly from my head. “And he’ll have a delightful surprise about who’s with you.”
Chapter 38
Dorian
Over the next couple of days, Sin spends most of her time cooped up, working on adjusting her gadgets for our next gig.
We’re all keyed up and antsy. Excited about the gig, sure. But we’re also on edge, hyper aware that the gig is only a small part of what we’re hoping will go down over the next few days.
Sin’s in the zone, back to being focused and barely eating or sleeping unless one of us actively puts something into her hand or lures her away with a kiss.
I’m also pretty sure she also needs the time by herself to process.
Despite how confident she was when the latest video from Cedar Orlog went live, she’s made some big decisions this past week, and she needs space to get her head around it all.
It also seems that Jules’ plan to involve Sin in our interviews is paying off, and it feels like there are fresh stories coming out about the five of us every few minutes. Iri’s also been on his phone even more than usual as he hurries to organize things in case Orlog follows the breadcrumbs Sin has been laying out.
Thank fuck we all have a bunch more PR stuff to deal with to distract us, which also means we can’t hover over her too much. Cal’s protective instincts seem to be in their highest gear and he has growled at more than one paparazzo when they get too close, or yell questions at Sin on the way from the car to the stadium.
None of us like the threat of Orlog hanging over us. None of us like Sin’s idea to use herself to try to lure him out either.
In fact, Sin seems to be the calmest of all of us.
I guess it’s part of her taking control. While the rest of us look helplessly on, she’s facing her demons, experiencing the thing that’s given her nightmares for years and recognizing it’s not so scary after all.
“It’s like I’ve been stuck in this black bubble of fear for years. Now it’s popped, and I can see the world outside and I’ve realized it was all just air. I’m a grown ass woman, and I have been for a long time. He can’tmakeme do anything, not anymore,” she told me as we cuddled together in bed last night.
Then she gave me one of those smiles that transformed her entire face and made my breath catch.
Part of me can’t fucking wait for this tour to be over. I want more time with Sin, with the five of us all together.
“You have us now,” I told her. “Support. We’re not gonna let anything happen to you.”
I just hope we can live up to that promise.
WE GET THE CALL ONthe day of the gig.
“I thought trailing this guy would be interesting. But he’s not tried to brainwash anyoneonce. He mostly sits around in his underwear. I’m bored and I miss my dogs.” Elara—Sin’s friend—is supposed to be calling with an update on Cedar Orlog’s location, but instead she’s spent the past two minutes complaining.
“Elara. Focus,” Sin says. “Hopefully, you’ll be done soon and you can go home.”
