Did everyone have a damn key?
And was I really getting so used to seeing a weapon unholstered that I didn’t freak?
“The maid let us in,” my aunt stated quickly. She shoved my gawking parents toward the door. Or, at least tried, but my parents dug in their heels. “We’ll come back later…when you’re alone.” Her stunned mien was stuck on Ember.
Ember stayed mute, blinking sleepily.
My family had a very wrong impression. “No. No. It’s not what you guys think.” I’d had my fucking arm over Ember. No wonder they thought the worst. “She just slept in here because her bed’s lumpy.”
Mom was holding her throat. “You weren’t…”
Dad asked point blank, “You’re not having sex with a woman, are you?”
I gawked, even as Katie started snickering.
Ember stated slowly, “We are not sleeping together. I wouldn’t do anything with her if I was stuck on a deserted island with only her.” She paused, her eyebrows coming together. “And I’m bi, so that’s clearly saying something.”
I gaped at her now—because I didn’t know that.
“Same to you,” I muttered, agreeing wholeheartedly.
Dad straightened to his full height, staring at Ember. “I think you, and I need to have another chat, young lady.”
Ember’s face was priceless as she fully remembered who she had let that little bit of information slip in front of. She almost appeared to panic, glancing at me for help. I just shrugged, at least trying not to laugh at her. In the end, it was my mother who saved her when she asked, “Sweetie, that bruise is horrible. It looks like you were strangled.” Then I heard her gasp as I still stared at Ember, her face slowly shutting down, probably fully expecting me to rat her out. “You were choked, weren’t you? Who did it?” She sounded like she wanted to strangle whoever had strangled me.
Winking at Ember so my parents couldn’t see, I said, “It was Chrissy. The woman who attacked me.” I turned back toward my parents after seeing Ember not react at all. Like she was a block of cool nothing. She was fucking good at hiding her emotions when she tried hard enough. “Don’t worry. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Last night, I gave the same story to Katie when she saw the bruise, once I changed into my pajamas. I was going to keep Ember’s deal and not tell anyone. No reason to go back on it since I hadn’t gotten my interview from her yet. “Now. What are you doing in here?”
Mom still stared at my throat.
Dad cleared his. “We thought we’d take you on one of those day cruises. Your flight isn’t until later, so we reserved a spot for all of us. But we need to leave,” he glanced at his watch, “in a half hour to get there on time.”
“I changed my flight, so don’t worry about it anymore.” I sighed. I knew I wasn’t getting out of this. And honestly, it was better than being caught around here with them pestering each one of Lion Security’s group. “All right. Out you go. I need to get ready.”
Katie, Ember, and I started to climb out of bed.
My dad watched—probably to make sure we had clothes on—and nodded, before they left the room, telling us to meet them in the lobby.
I turned to Ember. “Spill it. I let you sleep.”
“Is the preacher really going to try to talk to me?” Ember asked slowly, holding up the black athletic shorts.
Katie was taking in her attire, trying—badly—to keep a grin off her face.
I nodded. “Probably. But you set yourself up for that one. Now give me what you have on Zoya.”
Ember cleared her throat, and her eyes gleamed with an unholy light. “You can’t say in your article how you got the information. I want to be anonymous in this.” She paused, letting the suspense build, then said quietly, “Zoya was married five months ago. Her husband only thought she was visiting old friends here in the States. None of the pictures ever showed her cheating, so apparently, he believed whatever lie she was telling him.” She grinned as I gawked. “Make sure you’re back for the party tonight. We’ll be having dinner at the Rock Restaurant. It’s supposed to be reserved privately for us like we normally do for dinner. You can get the first shots of Zoya and her husband’s happy reunion then. You see, her husband received a photo. One showing that she had been lying.” She yawned even as she grinned. “I stayed up most of the night making sure he did as I expected and hopped on a flight. My contact over there said he made it just fine.”
“Christ,” I hissed, starting to pace. Daniil wasn’t going to be happy with me on this one. “I sent that picture of him and Zoya kissing to my editor last night. I’m sure it’s in the paper today.”
Ember’s grin dropped instantly, and her face hardened. “I guess I can only be happy you waited this long, but I think it would be a good idea for you to follow up on this story, clearly explaining that Grigori didn’t know she was married. Which he didn’t. He already looks bad enough in the press. There’s no reason to hurt Lion Security or him by being branded a homewrecker, too.”
“Why didn’t you tell him?” I complained, knowing I was going to have to write this piece. My new—annoying—conscious telling me it was the right thing to do.
“Because I only found out a week ago. I didn’t expect them to…” She waved her hand at her mouth, her eyes like ice. “The only thing that stopped me from kicking her fucking ass then was the fact you had proof I could send to her husband. I’d been trying to figure that out anyway, and you provided.” She bowed her head. “Thank you ever so much.”
She waved with her free hand, still holding her pants up as she opened our doors, stepping into her room. “I want that bitch shown for what she really is—a lying, selfish gold-digging, cheater. No one fucks with my partner like that and gets away with it. Remember to be at dinner.” She slammed her door shut.
Katie and I both stared at her door.
