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Zane nudged my foot with his. “Nah, don’t apologize. You’re right. I can’t imagine what Granny would say if she knew I’d made a mess like that. Noelle said it would be good to work on my local fanbase, so when those guys asked me to hang out…” He shook his head. “I should have cleared out once I saw how things were going down, though. That was my bad.” He twisted to face Landry. “And I should have listened to you. I’m sorry, Landry. I didn’t mean to get you into trouble, too.”
Landry squirmed in his seat and blinked at Zane like he’d been speaking in a foreign language; clearly, the idea of someone apologizing tohimfor causing trouble was beyond his comprehension since the shoe was so often on the other foot. “Yeah, well. Not my first rodeo. Won’t be my last. But listen to Big Daddy.” He tilted his head toward me. “He’s talking sense for once.”
“It’s under control,” Zane assured us. He tapped out a quick text and a moment later reported, “Noelle will be waiting for us in the lobby to get us upstairs as quickly as possible.”
“Good.” I sank back in my seat and stretched out, letting myself get comfortable. “Crisis averted, then, it sounds like.”
Landry pursed his lips, and then he and Zane exchanged a speaking glance.
“What?” I demanded. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“I thinkyoushould tellus,” Landry drawled. He looked pointedly at the seat between me and Rowe, and I realized that part of my “getting comfortable” had been grabbing Rowe’s hand and threading our fingers together like we’d done it a thousand times before. “Care to explain why you’re holding hands with the guy who’s been impersonating a guinea pig?”
A thousand responses flashed through my head, but in the end, I merely gripped Rowe’s hand more firmly when he tried to pull away. “No. Would you like to hear more of my thoughts on spoiled dilettantes who waste their lives and talents by getting into trouble so often that we have a lawyer on retainer?”
Landry folded his arms over his chest sullenly, closed his eyes, and pretended to sleep.
The silence as we rode through the streets of downtown Philadelphia was definitely not comfortable. When we arrived at Zane’s hotel, the four of us climbed out and dragged our way inside. I was too busy wondering how many rooms Kenji had reserved for Zane—and whether Rowe and I could snag one so that I could curl up with him for another few hours and maybe figure out what the fuck I needed to do about him—to notice at first that the lobby was excessively crowded for this hour of the morning.
And then the chaos began.
“Zee! Zee, look over here! Philadelphia Daily Inquisitor—”
“Zee? Celebrity News Online. Could you give us a sound bite—?”
“Mr. Barlo. Rumors are circulating that you’ve been on a drug-fueled rampage all over Philly. Are you pleading guilty?”
Zane’s eyes went wide. “Drugs? No way. I—”
I grabbed Rowe’s hand and pulled him behind me while also thrusting out a hand to block Zane from view. Landry stepped in front of Zane also, shielding him from the other direction as we moved in a group toward the bank of elevators.
Finally, several minutes too late, Zane’s PR manager arrived to whisk us upstairs.
“Zee, where the fuck have you been? I was so worried,” she hissed in a stage whisper. Then, to the clamoring reporters, she announced, “Mr. Barlo has no comment at this time. The Night Agency will be releasing a statement on his behalf later today. That’s Night with no K.”
But as soon as the elevator doors closed on our group, she turned to Zane with a grin. “Oh, my god, they bought it! Great job. And nice touch, bringing an entourage of hotties!” She squeezed Landry’s biceps appreciatively. “I’m Noelle, by the way.”
Landry, Rowe, and I exchanged a glance.Entourage?
“So,youI recognize,” she told Landry. “Cover ofVogue Hommeslast fall, right?”
Landry ignored her, but Noelle didn’t seem to mind. She turned to me. “And you are?”
“That’s Bash.” Zane stretched his neck like he was trying to ease stiff muscles.
“Bash, as in… Sebastian Dayne?” she asked breathlessly. “The investor?”
“Noelle,” Zane sighed, rubbing his eyes. “Later, okay? We’re all really tired.”
“Sure, sweetie.” Noelle keyed us into a huge modern suite, where a team of five people sat around a large glass dining table and sprawled along twin sofas in an eye-watering neon green.
I wondered what Rowe thought of the decor, but his face was closed off and gave nothing away.
“Zane, this room is for you.” She gestured to a door off the living area.
“Thank fuck,” Zane muttered. He gave me a one-armed hug. “Love you. Promise I’ll be more careful, ’kay? Thanks for coming to get me.”
I was still angry, still worried, but what could I do? I blew out a breath and nodded as Zane shuffled away.
