Slick (The Grayverse #1)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

It seems that during the ride from the Carrillos’ territory to the hotel, my sister and Dex decided they’re going to ambush the governor of our state. They’ve already decided on the time and place and want me to stay with Diana while they sneak off like a pair of ninjas. I’d laugh at the insanity of their plan if it was hatched by anyone else, but I have complete faith in my sister’s ability to engineer chaos. And the little I’ve learned of Dex suggests he’s not exactly a lightweight when it comes to spitting danger in the eye.

Is it really left up to me to be the prudent one?

“You can’t just march into the governor’s office and accuse him of supporting slick factories,” I splutter, almost shuddering at the thought. Jacob Moore isn’t just the most powerful man in the state, he’s the son of one of the country’s wealthiest packs, a graduate of ivy league colleges, and a darling of the press. The word ‘untouchable’ might as well have been created for him, which means even getting an audience with the guy is going to be nearly impossible. Which explains the need for an ambush, I guess.

“We’re not meeting him in his office,” Kennedy tells me. “He’s in a hotel down the street. There’s a political convention in town and he’s the keynote speaker.” She gives me one of her typical bullets-bend-for-me shrugs. “We’re going to confront him at breakfast.”

“We’re just going to see if he knows his girlfriend is one of the Carrillos’ top customers,” Dex says as he shoves his phone into his pocket. “Maybe the threat of exposing her will get him to fall in line with our demands.”

Somehow, I don’t think it will be that easy, but there’s no denying that this plan could be good for me. I’ve been trying to get out of Luscious’ clutches for years, and if she goes down for this, my contract with Sultry Studios will be null and void. I can tell that Kennedy has already come to the same conclusion by the determined gleam in her eye. “And what are our demands?”

My sister tilts her head, like she’s only just considering it. “For now, it has to be keeping Luscious away from Diana.”

“And Kane,” Dex adds, his jaw so white his molars must be ground halfway to dust. “That fucker needs to be put on a leash, especially while she’s in heat.”

The reminder turns the adrenaline in my gut to acid. As much as I loathe Luscious and want to see her and her boyfriend behind bars, I don’t want Diana hurt in the process. “She really likes him.” I hate to admit it, but she’s made her feelings about the alpha pretty obvious. “And are we really going to keep this from her? I mean, that’s why you’re sneaking out, right? So she won’t find out about the connection between Kane and Luscious?”

My sister just shrugs. “It’s for her own good.”

I scowl at her, even though she’s just being the protective alpha I’ve always needed her to be. But I swing my gaze to Dex, my helplessness bubbling into anger. “How many times did you use that excuse in the slick factory?”

He’s in my face a second later, moving too fast for even Kennedy to stop. Not that he touches me. He doesn’t need to; his glare is like a blowtorch. “You don’t know a fucking thing about my life or what it was like working in that shithole. And there’s nothing you can say that will make me hate my part in that place more than I already do. I let her down on the daily, and it fucking kills me.” He takes a step back, an ancient weariness in his eyes as he scrubs a hand over his messy head. “But things are different now, and I’m going to protect her with everything I have.”

“Fine, but I’m not staying behind.” Even though I can feel my sister’s gaze burning into me, I don’t look away from Dex. “Luscious has screwed me over, too. She signed me to a shitty contract when I was a teenager, and when I tried to get out of it, she got the cops involved. Some corrupt fuckers who work directly for the chief. They told me they’d bury me in the Ridgeport Penitentiary if I caused problems.” I shudder at the memory of the threats they made, at how I wouldn’t last a night in general pop with all the feral alphas tearing my ass to shreds. “Luscious deserves to be locked up, and I deserve to help put her there.”

“Shit,” Dex huffs. “Is there anyone in this city who isn’t being screwed over by someone else?”

“The governor,” I snort. “From what I hear, that guy doesn’t answer to anyone.”

“Which explains why he can publicly court a porn star,” Dex mutters, then pulls a face. “No offence, Rowan.”

“None taken. But you should know, he’s pretty committed to Luscious. I thought it was all just narcissistic delusion, but he’s even visited her on set a few times.”

Dex meets my eyes, his gaze like flint. “Then I guess he just goes down with the bitch.”

His tough stance is probably bravado, but I can tell he’s genuinely committed to the cause. He still has a lot to do to make up for his part in the slick factory, but I’m starting to believe that he’s all in when it comes to protecting Diana.

“Fine, but you need to stay here while Kennedy and I go.” His eyes flare with outrage, and I grab his arm. “Think about it. I know Luscious. I can use her name to get to him. And if that Kane jerk is hovering around, he won’t recognize me. That might buy us a few more minutes to get to the governor.”

It seems obvious to me, but Dex is already shaking his head. “What if she’s there? What if he tells Luscious you paid him a visit, and she decides to screw you over again? It could be the state pen, or worse.”

I catch Kennedy’s gaze, since this will affect her as much as me. When she gives me a small smile, I feel my heart swell to twice its size. There’s never been a single day when I didn’t know my sister had my back, through thick and thin. “I’m done either way. With both Luscious and with porn. I want to start over with something new.” Dex doesn’t look like he believes me, so I borrow one of my sister’s shrugs. “It’s been a long time coming.”

Dex blows out a breath, but when he glances back at the bedroom door, I can tell he’s going to go along with the plan. “You’ll update me as soon as you’re done?”

“Right away,” Kennedy assures him. “As soon as we know we’re not being followed, we’ll come straight back here. I have people watching both the Carrillos and this hotel, so you’ll always be in the loop.”

He nods and she takes him through the suite security details while I dig into my suitcase for an outfit. Crashing a political convention probably calls for something boring and businesslike, but when you’re a porn star, sometimes you just have to go big, right?

Kennedy snorts when she sees me slipping into my velvet suit, but Dex’s eyes nearly bug out of his head. I’m shirtless under the blood red jacket, the matching pants tight enough to put a hitch in my stride. I add a pair of black alligator shoes and dark shades, grinning at the look on Dex’s face. “You like?”

“I… something.”

“In case you didn’t know, Diana likes a little roleplay.” I nudge my suitcase towards him with the toe of my shoe. “Feel free to borrow any of my costumes.”

“Ah… yeah.” His cheeks redden as he looks at my collection, but then he grabs my arm. “Whatever it takes, we get those assholes out of Diana’s life, okay?”

“Okay.” I give his hand a pat, and then we leave the suite, Kennedy checking all the locks behind us. We use the service elevator again, and I’m careful not to brush up against the grimy walls. The car is where we left it, but despite the tightness of my pants, Kennedy steers me past it and we leave the garage on foot. Thankfully, there’s a cab waiting for us, and we circle the block a couple of times before heading down the street to the governor’s hotel. It gives us time to hatch a plan – or for me to add a little Rowan flair to the one my sister had already put together.

“Go do your thing,” she smirks as we exit the cab near the back door of the Richardson Hotel. The kitchen door, to be specific, and I saunter inside like I’ve got ‘cordon blue’ stamped on my ass.

“Hello all,” I trill, whipping off my shades and striking a pose. The lighting is shit, but I’ve always looked good against an industrial backdrop. “How are my delicious pastry people this fine morning?”

“Fucking hell! Is that Rowan Vale? ”

I’m instantly swarmed by besotted kitchen staff, faces shining with adoration as they hover around me. I gush over the fit of their pristine white uniforms, dropping a few dirty jokes about the size of their boning knives and how hungry I always get around a buffet of man meat. As expected, their laughter draws the head chef from his hidey-hole, the anger melting from his face when he claps eyes on me. He’s a monster of an alpha, but his scent is almost painfully sweet as he rakes his gaze over me. “Mr. Vale, you do us such an honor.” He takes my hand, kissing it like it’s a piece of delicate china. “Are you a guest of the hotel?”

“I’m actually having breakfast with the governor this morning.” I hook a finger in the front of his uniform, feeling his chest expand like a balloon at the contact. “I was hoping to slip in unnoticed, but the paparazzi are all over the place.”

“Ah, the piranhas ,” he scowls, fondling my hand like it’s a piece of overworked pastry. “We can get you past them, do not fear.”

He jerks his head at one of his staff, shooting off something in rapid-fire French. “Franz will take you up via the staff entrance. No one will see you, I promise it.”

I give him my most genuine smile, because it’s hard to resist a man who smells like molasses. “You are the answer to my prayers, Chef.”

“Please, call me Matteo.” He clicks his fingers and one of his staff brings forward a menu. “I have created a dessert in your honor. See? The Sweet Rowan. It’s a berry and chocolate mousse tart and is praised for melting in your mouth.”

Under normal circumstances, I’d probably burst out laughing, but he’s so eager to please, I don’t have the heart. “Thank you, Matteo. I’m so touched. Will you send a dozen up to the governor’s room?”

“Of course.” He beams at me, then clicks his fingers again, and another kitchenhand brings forward a pen as the chef whips off his hat. “Please, will you sign this for me?”

“I have a better idea,” I tell him, sticking my finger in a pot of molten chocolate and liberally coating my lips. Bending down - with just the right amount of ass wiggle for the rest of the room - I smack a chocolatey kiss on the front of his hat. “With love, from Rowan Vale,” I coo, swiping my tongue over my lips in my signature move.

The little show earns me a hearty round of applause, the head chef clutching his burly chest as he gives me a crisp bow. “The governor is a very lucky man. Mr. Vale.”

That’s definitely harder to smile through, but Kennedy is quick to step forward and hustle me away. Franz leads us to the elevators, his eyes so adoring I can’t resist kissing his cheek as he swipes us through to the club rooms.

He stares after me with a slack mouth, but I don’t need any further help to crash the governor’s breakfast. I’m still licking chocolate off my lips as I approach the lone man sitting at a table big enough for a football team. He has a few breakfast plates in front of him, but the majority of the mahogany table is taken up with paperwork. There’s an intimidating scowl on his face as he studies a document, his pen poised like he’s either going to sign the thing or stab it.

“Morning, Governor.”

His head snaps up, deep blue eyes darting from me to Kennedy, and then over to his bodyguards at the door. “This is a private area…”

“Don’t make a fuss,” I tell him as I slide into a spare chair and hook one of his breakfast plates in my direction. It’s definitely not a Sweet Rowan, and I pout at the remains of his egg white omelet. “I’m not here to assassinate you, or anything.”

He jerks away from me, and Kennedy shakes her head at the two bodyguards. I’m pretty sure she’s armed under her jacket, but at the very least, she probably has her pissy face on. “What do you want, Mr. Vale?”

“Glad you recognize me,” I lie, picking up his coffee and taking a sip. Ugh. It’s as bitter and boring as he is. “That will cut down on pointless chitchat.”

He studies me for a moment, his gaze raking over my red velvet suit before he sits back in his chair, his expensive pen rolling between his fingers. “Glad you’re self-aware enough to know you’re wasting my time.”

I wave a dismissive hand at him. “I’m just here to deliver a message. Well, it’s really a message for you to pass along to your goon friends.” I lean closer, narrowing my eyes at his stupidly handsome face. I’m pretty, but this guy looks like a cross between a Greek statue and a mafia prince. Which reminds me… “The Carrillos need to stay the fuck away from Diana, or I will tell the whole world that you’re their little bitch.”

Watching a powerful alpha swell with fury is quite fascinating, especially when they smell like firecrackers and five-hundred-dollar whiskey. His scent envelopes me like a crushing hug, and I’m surprised that actual blue fire doesn’t spit from his pretty eyes. “What the fuck did you say?”

“You’re in cahoots with the Carrillos and their sick shithole of a slick factory.” I take Diana’s crumpled jumpsuit from a sealed bag and toss it on the table in front of him. I was pissed when Kennedy told me she’d dug it out of the trash can in my bathroom, but I figure it works pretty well as ‘Exhibit A’. I tap a finger on The Serenity Center logo on the breast pocket. “This is proof that your buddies have been holding omegas as slaves and milking them for their slick.”

He lifts a hand like he’s about to snatch up the jumpsuit, but freezes, his nostrils flaring. “Why does this smell like Lily?”

“As if you don’t know,” I sneer. “But we know, and if you don’t do what I say, I’ll go straight to the press with every last sordid detail.”

“You little shit,” one of the bodyguard mutters behind me, but the governor swipes his hand in his direction, cutting him off. He reaches forward to touch the jumpsuit, but I jerk it back, rolling it into a tight ball in my lap. “No touching, asshole. In fact, you and Luscious will never touch Diana again, got it?”

I rise to my feet, but the governor moves so fast I’m pinned to the chair before I can blink. There’s some kind of scuffle behind me, but I can’t look away from the alpha looming over me. He has one hand on the chair-back and the other on the table, so he’s not technically touching me, but the weight of his dominance is terrifying. He must see the fear in my face, because he jerks back a few inches and nods towards my chair. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mr. Vale, but if you sit down, I’ll fix it.”

“By pushing another omega around?” I sneer, shoving hard against his chest. “You and Luscious fucking deserve each other!”

His brow crinkles in a good imitation of confusion, but my heart is beating so hard my head is spinning. I shoot a glance over my shoulder, relieved to see one of the bodyguards out cold, and the other down on his knees with my sister’s gun against his head. “Alright, Ro?” she asks, her teeth clenched tight.

“Fine,” I mutter, smoothing down the lapel of my jacket. I shove my shades back on my face, and tucking Diana’s jumpsuit under my arm, retreat to my sister’s side. We’re almost at the door when I remember the other part of the message. “The same applies to your feral pet Kane. If he tries to track Diana down, Kennedy will shoot him, and then I’ll release every sordid detail to the press.”