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I had no idea what that meant, but I couldn’t believe he had come in here and risked being filmed even though they couldn’t air the footage because he wouldn’t sign a waiver. But he was still putting himself next to me, taking the chance of the crew and Erika finding out that I was more than just his client.
Daisy looked at him, seething but hiding behind her tears. “Kendall, your boyfriend doesn’t need to come rescue you. I was just purging my heart to you. I’ve done nothing wrong—unless you count needing my sister as a punishable offense.”
She hadn’t waited more than a second to out us.
I shouldn’t have been surprised.
But I was.
“That’s your boyfriend?” Erika asked. “But I thought you were single?”
“She told you that?” Daisy inquired, shaking her head. “No, honey, Kendall lied to you, then.”
Dominick grabbed me by the arm, gaining my attention. “You’re coming with me.”
My heart was beating out of my chest.
My body was numb and so incredibly heavy.
I didn’t want to get in any more trouble with production. I’d already been fined once for leaving. I didn’t know what would happen a second time. But more conversation and having those words aired could be detrimental in so many ways.
I wasn’t willing to take that chance.
“You know I love you more than anything,” I said to my sister.
“You say that now, but does that excuse what you’ve done to me?” Her voice was turning sharp. “How you’ve treated me?”
Dominick positioned himself between Daisy and me. “We’re leaving.”
“If you’ve done nothing wrong, then why do you need your man to put out your fires?” Daisy asked. “For someone who’s so innocent, you surely look guilty from where I’m standing.”
“Don’t respond,” he whispered even though the camera and microphones the crew were holding caught every word.
“I get it; you just prefer to do your dirty work behind the scenes. That’s it, isn’t it, sister?” She moved to Dominick’s side to get a view of me.
“We’re out of here,” Dominick said, his hand on my back, guiding me to the door.
A production assistant moved in front of us, stopping me from taking another step. “We need to speak to you. She can’t just leave.”
“I’m her lawyer, and she’s getting verbally assaulted. I would like you to show me where in her contract it states that she can’t leave for her own safety and comfort.”
“Assaulted,” Daisy gasped from behind us. “That’s what you’re calling my tears? I’m the one who’s being assaulted here.”
Dominick glared at the production assistant and said, “Move out of our way.”
The assistant looked at the cameraman. “Shane is going to blow his lid over this.”
“Tell Shane he can fucking call me,” Dominick snapped.
My brain was spiraling.
I couldn’t even begin to process what Daisy had tried to start tonight, the way she had spun things, that Dominick had flown into the ladies’ room, breaking every one of his personal rules. And then there was the show, the way Shane was going to react, and the phone call I was most definitely going to get later.
“I can’t believe you’re going to let your boyfriend control you,” Daisy said. “Our parents raised us better than that. Don’t you have a voice, or did he take that away from you too?”
I went to turn around, to say something, anything that would just make her stop.
But Dominick cut me off and said, “Don’t. We’re leaving. Trust me, it’s not worth it.”
With his hand still on my back, he led me out of the restroom, the cameras following us through the VIP section and down the small staircase, all the way out to his car. The light was so blinding that I used my hand as a visor, trying to block some as it came in through the tinted glass of his window.
“Are you all right?” he asked the second we were away from them, speeding out of the parking lot, toward the road.
“I don’t know.”
Once he shifted, his hand went to my thigh. “I saw her the second she came in, and I warned her.” He shook his head. “I fucking warned her, Kendall, and she didn’t listen. I saw her go into the restroom after you, and I tried to get there as fast as I could.” His fingers moved to the back of my head. “Jesus, baby, I’m so fucking sorry she did that in front of the cameras.”
“Me too.”
The emotion was moving into my throat, the reality of what had happened finally sinking in. I couldn’t halt the tears that were falling. I couldn’t make my chin stop quivering.
This hurt.
“My sister,” I whispered. “My goddamn fucking sister. I don’t understand why she did this.”
“She’s losing everything, and she’s desperate to get it back.”
And her attempt was going to play out on TV, and it would slap even harder when I saw it on the screen.
Before that happened, I would have to deal with the ramifications of tonight, the Celebrity Alert that was probably going to be released, either announcing my relationship or how awful I’d treated my sister.
I hated this.
And I hated that she had caused this.
He looked at me when he reached the red light. “Tell me what I can do to make you feel better.”
My heart was pounding, aching. My body still trembling. “You’re already doing it.” I wrapped my fingers around his. “You protected me; that’s all I could ever ask for.”
