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“Let me try again. Have you talked to your mother?” she added when I didn’t answer.
I gulped. “Sort of.”
Bibi crossed her arms in front of her chest. “What did she do with it?”
“She didn’t—”
“Marissa.” Bibi was having none of my nonsense. “The building is surrounded by security. We’ve actually just expanded our team. No one would have been able to sneak into HQ, not even Suzanne Marlowe. And you’ve been quite vocal that you think the…what did Hannah call it?”
“The Dildo of Destiny.” It was the wrong time to chuckle but with a name like that…
Bibi nodded. “Yes, that was it. You’ve made it clear that you believe it’s affected your feelings for Bjorn. And your mother isn’t exactly the best influence under these circumstances.”
“My mother didn’t do anything.” I sighed. “That’s not exactly true either. I called her and asked her to take me over to HQ.”
Bibi’s eyebrows disappeared behind the baby bangs of her wig. “You brought your mother into HQ?”
I shook my head. “I asked her to wait in the parking lot while I went inside. I didn’t tell her what I was doing…and I had her take me out of town, where I deposited the Hudaknocker for safekeeping.”
Bibi brought her hand to her forehead and rubbed her brow. “So you’re telling me you took the Hudaknocker, an ancient, sacred shifter artifact, to an undisclosed location, and your mother is the only other person who knows where it is?”
“Yeah. That’s exactly what happened.” I’d apologize, but it seemed better to just own it. “It seemed like a much better idea before I started to execute it, but once I was in the thick of things, it was too late to back out.”
“We’ve managed to keep things quiet so far, but once the local packs realize the Hudaknocker is missing, they’ll want answers.”
“Hopefully, we’ll have it back where it belongs by the time they realize something is wrong.” That was a total pipe dream. “I just wanted to see what this episode would be like when I’m not under its influence.”
“I hope you’re luckier than you are strategic because you’re gonna need it.” Bibi pursed her lips and glared at me.
“Am I fired?”
“You probably should be. I should at least suspend production on this episode—”
“No.”
She quirked a perfect brow. “No? Please explain why we shouldn’t drop everything and bring the ancient, sacred relic back to the locked safe you took it from right now? Because this will come back to bite you in a very uncomfortable place if anyone finds out this is missing.”
It already had. Of course Bibi was pissed that I took the damn thing. The Hudaknocker had done more than influence my feelings for Bjorn. It had drained me of every last drop of common sense.
“Because I really want to have one night with Bjorn without feeling like the Hudaknocker has a spell on us. After the date, we can go find it. But please, I beg of you, one night. Even if it proves me wrong. I can’t promise myself to him unless I know it’s for real.”
She narrowed her eyes and didn’t answer right away. I mentally prepared myself to be moving out of Bibi’s boudoir by the end of the night. Mom did say she needed help—
No. I could never go back toThe Scoopnow that I knew how things should be.
I needed to do better. Starting immediately.
“One date,” she finally said. “And then we make sure the Hudaknocker is safe and sound, and you never lay another finger on it.”
“I promise.” I gave her a hug, not surprised but still disappointed that she didn’t reciprocate. “I won’t let you down.”
Again, I should’ve added, but I didn’t need to remind her of any more of my mistakes.
“Okay, then. Business as usual.” Bibi’s sharp tone said anything but. “Tonight is your second date with Bjorn and your first chance to make plans. What influenced your choice?”
“Bjorn and I have never done anything normal together.” My voice was still shaking. “Reality TV isn’t real. Even when we’re in front of the camera…we’ve got hair and makeup, a camera crew, and a team that can put together anything we dream up, no matter how big the budget. No, you’re not influencing the outcome, but to some extent, we’re all in character, even behind the scenes. It’s one of the reasons I want to read that fan fiction because I want to see how people actually see us.”
“That’s very insightful,” Bibi said, sounding more like her sparkly self. “What do you hope will happen on the date?”
