Chapter Eighteen
Three dumbfounded, rumbly bears stared at me, but I wasn’t backing down.
“I’m not asking your permission to testify,” I clarified.
I couldn’t lie, defying them made my heart feel heavy.
Being here with Brad had given me a false sense of security.
For the first time since my family lost their home, I felt like I could be myself, even if I was figuring out who that was now.
This bear was willing to watch the performance unfold from his front row seat.
I’d been fighting these bad guys much longer than Sawtooth Security had been in the picture and I wasn’t about to back down because they thought it was a bad idea. Synamon Honey never met a bad idea she didn’t fall head over paws in love with.
Barrett cleared his throat. “We can’t, in good faith, advise you to do this. It completely blows your cover.”
I gave my eyes a theatrical roll. This was the most important stage I’d ever perform on.
“If Bellamy is right, my cover is already blown. And if I’m right—whoever he’s watching is working with my ex.
If I don’t show up, not only do they get everything they want, but it sets precedent all over the state.
Including Sawtooth Forest. No shifter is safe. ”
That made them uncomfortable. Good. If I’d learned anything at city hall, it was most people and shifters didn’t fully care about some of the most important issues affecting their lives until they literally hit home. That was when it became real.
“Your help would be appreciated,” I continued. “But I will be testifying, with or without your blessing.”
Brad looked like he wanted to shift. The bear wasn’t comfortable with rules, and maybe he was good at masking that when he was in the office, but after spending every moment of every day with him, I could feel the tension.
“How will you explain that you’re Synamon? Will you lose your job at city hall?” he asked.
I sighed, trying to ignore the grief I felt for the end of that life.
There were parts of that job I actually loved.
“If I get this right, my work as Ellie will be done. I’ve realized I’m more powerful as Synamon anyway.
Ellie was underestimated and ignored. As Synamon, I can make real money and raise awareness for these issues. ”
“Maybe Ellie didn't get ignored as much as you thought,” Bellamy said.
“Then there’s even more reason for me to testify.
Listen, it sounds like the Centerfold Slasher thing was a fluke.
He was after Velvet.” Those words were hard to say.
I couldn’t believe she was gone. She deserved so much better than that.
“Not me. But those guys in suits with their slicked back hair and their Botox are way more dangerous.”
“Your fans might not like it if you change your routine and suddenly have an agenda,” Barrett warned.
“My fans will follow me anywhere.” My gaze landed on Brad, and I winked.
“She testifies,” Brad said with a growl. “I’ll protect her. I won’t let her out of my sight. Keep working on the research. We figure out who deep-faked Jen and what these guys are covering up. If they were willing to abduct Synamon to keep her quiet, I can guarantee it goes deep.”
Barrett groaned. “When’s the trial?”
“The end of the month.”
“We’ll need access to your files. Whatever evidence you have. Hopefully we’ll be able to put the missing piece together before the trial and stop these guys dead in their tracks,” Bellamy said.
“And if we can prove they’re also behind the break in and attempted abduction, you won’t have to worry about them ever again,” Barrett added.
I furrowed my brow. “If you log into my work files, they’ll know I’m alive.” It took a lot of effort to swallow. As brave as I tried to be, giving up the Ellie facade and outing myself as Synamon was terrifying. But absolutely the right thing to do.
And Barrett’s concerns about my fans were absolutely valid but not for the reasons he thought. Synamon Honey was a rebellion, a celebration of being wild. No one watched my videos because they wanted to think about their problems.
Would my fans still trust me when they found out I’d also been basic, beige, rule following Ellie?
“As long as I have the passwords, I can get in undetected,” Bellamy insisted.
Barrett rose from his seat. “We’ll be in touch, and we’ll be with you every step of the way. We aren’t out of the woods yet—we have a credible lead, but we haven’t solved this case. Now’s not the time to let your guard down.”
“Keep performing as Synamon,” Bellamy said as he followed his boss to the door. “There’s a spike in forum activity after every video.”
“Any requests?” I waggled my brows.
A flush spread above his beard. “You’re the expert.”
And with that, they left.
I leaned back on the couch and let out a sigh of relief. I meant what I said—I'd show up in that courthouse whether I had their blessing or not, but it would be much easier to do with these bears fighting for me and not against me.
I still wasn’t used to having people on my team. Besides Jen, who could be in danger...
“You were fucking amazing.” Brad prowled over to me, every bit a bear in his human form.
I braced myself for contact. I was pretty sure he was about to take me into his arms, and I craved that delicious heat, that scent, another one of those amazing kisses that I spent way too much time thinking about. ..
But he didn’t. Like there was this weird, awkward tension between us that stopped him.
So I took matters into my own hands, like I was in front of the camera, grabbed his face, and kissed him.
Our mouths crashed together, tongues tangling, heat fusing us together like we were one. Brad gripped my back, his hands scorching even through my T-shirt, and pressed me against his body.
He was hard and feral and fucking delicious. And he might have been as hungry for me as I was for him.
I pulled away from him, unsure what planet I was even on. “So you know that streak.”
He cocked a brow. “Babe, I barely know my name right now.”
I laughed, because same, bear, same.
“The streak where neither of us have been with anyone we care about—I say we obliterate it.” I was having a hard time keeping my lips away from his long enough to get my proposal out. “And then, maybe I can perform as Synamon, with your scent all over me.”
“I like this idea,” he growled, nipping my bottom lip. “But I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep my hands off you while you perform.”
“Oh yeah?” Sweet moon, I was so turned on. “Then, maybe I have a suggestion.”
Heat spiked and I had no idea if Brad was even capable of doing anything other than acting on pure instinct. “I perform first and you decide when I’m done.”
“How?” The word was a growl.
“When you can’t take it anymore.”
Brad swallowed, and everything was moving in slow motion. “Are you gonna perform like that?”
I cocked a brow.
“You look gorgeous, but you’re not in character.”
For a moment, I considered turning on the camera just like this, feeling more naked than in my lingerie with just a little lip gloss and mascara. Letting the whole world see me in a way they could recognize at the coffee shop.
“No.” Maybe someday I would, but not today. “The makeup is part of the fantasy.”
Brad nodded and released me from his hot grip.
I practically stumbled into the bathroom. I let out a long exhale, clinging to the edge of the vanity for support as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. So much had changed since the last time I put on this makeup.
The last time I’d cosplayed as Synamon, I had no plans of putting the identity of Ellie into the grave.
Taking down my ex was a pipe dream.
Velvet Ransom was still alive.
And I had yet to kiss Brad.
But it was more than that. The last time I hit record and played with my viewers in front of the camera, someone shattered my sense of safety.
And tonight, I was taking that power back.
With shaking hands, I applied my makeup. With my old set up, no one would’ve noticed a couple of wobbly lines, but with this new equipment, there was no place to hide my flaws.
My viewers didn’t want perfect. They wanted real. They wanted me. And tonight, that was exactly what they were gonna get.