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Jedrik snorts. “You and Kyle.”
Andrik sighs. “I swear there’s something we’re missing.”
Verity lets out a giant yawn and practically sways on her feet. “Well, whatever it is, it can wait.” I wrap her in my arms and deposit her on her side of the bed, tucking her under the covers. “Our omega has another elimination tomorrow, and she needs to be well-rested.”
That sobers the alphas and they all say goodnight as I climb in beside her, tucking her into my embrace so she’ll sleep better. She’s snoring within minutes.
Elimination days are always rough. The crew members are flying around everywhere, rushing to get things set up, ensuring Heat Paradise runs smoothly. Considering the eliminations are typically filmed live.
In the midst of it all is Karen Heinz with a new red pen and clipboard in hand. If her timetable is even slightly off, she immediately jumps into barking orders to fix it. I’ll give the beta credit, though, for running an ultra tight ship.
Verity is with Rosey in hair and makeup which gives me a moment to study everyone on the set. Most of the time, they forget I’m here and say and do whatever they want. So, who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky and catch somebody slipping up one of these days.
The sleazeball cameraman, Mark Pruno, swaggers his way up to Karen and leans into her side. “I tried searching for it, but couldn’t find it anywhere we were. The study is taped off now, too. I had to sneak past the tape. Apparently, it’s where Chad was ki—“
“Shh,” Karen snaps, cutting him off. Interesting. I wonder what they were looking for. Could they possibly be talking about the crushed pen the twins found in the office? Maybe that’s why she’s suddenly using a new color. If so, why were they in the study?
I continue my perusal around the room. Mrs. Violet stops in front of a mirror on the wall and uses a stick of concealer to cover the dark circles under her eyes. Her phone must buzz because she brings it to her ear.
“Hello,” she trills in that tone of hers. I can barely make out a muffled voice on the other end, but not what they’re saying. Whatever it is has her frowning. “Let’s not get hasty—“ She stops, nodding her head like they can actually see her. “If there’s another, you’ll come early then? Is that the best decision?” There’s a pause. “Understood.” When she’s finished, she glances up, notices me staring, and shoots me a dirty look. Guess she’s not over the fact I’m not their killer.
Chef LeBlanc enters and pulls my attention as he places a tray of hors d’oeuvres on a table meant for the alphas and Verity. Although, it usually gets eaten by the crew. And me. He leans over, glancing left and right to see if anyone is watching before producing a bag from his pocket. He sprinkles, what looks like seasoning, over the top and smirks before disappearing the way he came.
I must be getting paranoid with everything happening and reading into things too much, right?
A man in a dark green suit catches my eye because he’s the only one not moving or doing anything. Mr. Emerald watches the scene with a critical eye, though I suppose that’s because he’s here to remedy any issues that arise around the manor. Typically, I don’t see him around much, but he’s told Verity on several occasions he’s only a rope tug away if she needs anything.
Ver waltzes out from hair and makeup and spots me, sticking her hand up to wave. She’s stunning in a sequin gown that complements her eyes and a fuchsia flower behind her ear that makes her dark hair stand out. When she reaches me, she doesn’t hesitate to lean in and give me a one armed hug. I want nothing more than to wrap her in my embrace and shower her in kisses, but it’s the best we can do in front of the cameras. For now.
When she backs away, I motion for her to give me a little twirl. When she does, the light catches the sequins making her shine on the outside as brightly as she does within.
My breath catches in my throat, but when she finishes, I manage to whistle low under my breath. “Rosey sure knows how to design.”
Verity blushes. “Is that your way of telling me I’m pretty, Ry?”
I can’t help but chuckle and wiggle my eyebrows at her. “No, it’s my way of saying you’re delectable, Ver Bear. Good enough to eat—“
She immediately places a finger to my mouth to shush me, but I seriously can’t help but compliment her every time I have an opportunity. Especially when it causes her face to light up.
“Places everyone!” Karen hollers, snapping us to attention.
“That’s my cue,” she says, already taking a step in the direction of the set.
“Knock ’em dead.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I wince. “Okay, maybe not literally.”
“Too soon, Ry, too soon,” she scolds before shuffling to her place next to Mrs. Violet.
This is usually the week things start slowing down. When the show reaches ten alphas, they vote them off one by one instead of five at a time, so I’m not sure what their plan is for Chad. If they’ll cover up his death like Matthew’s or not. And normally, they’d do another round of individual interviews, but apparently, that’s not happening tonight. They’re heading straight into the elimination. I slide into the shadows in Verity’s line of sight to watch in case she needs to see me because I know it comforts her.
Mrs. Violet begins her usual introduction and then delves straight into the nitty gritty. I’m curious how she’ll play off another death.
“By now, most of you have likely seen the episode where Chad Abbott was removed from the show for using his alpha bark on Verity—something that is strictly against our policy here. Due to his own negligence, he is no longer a competing alpha, which means no one will be eliminated tonight. All nine remaining alphas will move on to next week. I’ll still call their names in the order they are on the leaderboards, so let’s begin with Andrik and Jedrik Hart, our top two.” She claps along with the sound bite they play and says, “No surprise there.”
Both Andrik and Jedrik step down from the risers and walk toward a waiting Verity. She grins from ear to ear when they plant kisses on either side of her cheeks simultaneously. I wish I could take a picture from my angle and savor it for longer. There aren’t many things I want to see more in this world than her smile.
Her happiness means more to me than anything else. I know she was reluctant about this entire experience, but I truly believe, other than the murders, this has been the best thing for her.
The twins return to their spots after Verity ties the fourth knot in their cords. Considering they both had their knots in her this week... I’m sure there’s a dirty joke in here somewhere.
