Page 69 of Secret Heart
“Yes.”
“How are you feeling looking ahead to the next season on the circuit?”
“Confident,” I answer easily enough. “Ready to keep proving how much I’m capable of.”
The urge to mess with my hat makes my fingers tingle, but I push it down, clasping them on my crossed knees instead. Marsha looks over some of her notecards, glances up at me, and then taps them on her knee.
“And these rumors about a pack…” she trails off.
My focus flits to Lance where he stands just behind the cameras, his arms crossed. His expression is dark, angry. It’s not a look I’ve seen often from him, not outside of someone trying to get too close to me and blowing past all kinds of boundaries. My stomach clenches. He raises an eyebrow and then shrugs, leaving the choice of how much I say up to me.
“Knot Weekly first broke the story last Friday,” Marsha offers. “Since then, it’s been the most-searched topic all weekend.”
I blow out a breath and nod. “The rumors are true.”
Marsha’s quiet tapping pauses, a look of shock flashing across her face before her professionalism kicks back in.
Making sure my voice is full of warmth so people watching the clip this will inevitably become don’t think I’m unhappy, I say, “When I returned home, I reconnected with two people who mean the world to me. We filed to register last week.”
Marsha raises an eyebrow even as she smiles. “And your daughter?”
Now my smile is even brighter despite the lingering worry over bringing her into the spotlight. “My daughter,” I say. “She means everything to me, too. I can’t describe the happiness I feel knowing I have her and my partners.”
“That’s fantastic,” Marsha says with what seems to be genuine warmth. Then she looks toward the cameras. There’s movement, and someone yells, “Cut!”
Marsha reaches across the space, holding out her hand, and I shake it easily. “Thank you so much for your time,” she says. “We appreciate it.”
I ease my hat from my head and slowly stand. “Of course.”
Then, without missing a beat, I cross the small set to Lance. He’s still irate, his eyes dark with a storm of emotion. He hands me my phone, and I quickly double-check that nothing has come through on it. There aren’t any calls or texts from Emily and Beau, and some of nervousness fades. I frown as I see the new social media app notifications. When did those get put on my phone? I haven’t had access to my own social media in nearly two years.
“I added them,” he says without waiting for me to say anything. “You don’t have to keep the notifications on or open them at all, but I wanted them to be on your phone from now on.”
After adjusting the settings, I slip my phone into my back pocket.
“We need to talk,” Lance says, almost whispering the words. “Now.”
My stomach twists, but I don’t say a word as I follow him into the green room we’d used to get me prepped for the photoshoot earlier today. Once the door is closed, Lance leans against it, that miasma of anger radiating off of him nearly as effectively as an Alpha’s volatile scent.
“What’s wrong?”
I don’t bother sitting. Instead, I prop a hip on the small vanity against the wall.
“I figured out who’s responsible for you not getting those messages from Emily,” he says without preamble.
Dread blends with anticipation. I set my hat on the vanity beside me so I don’t pick at the seams.
“You did?”
He gives a curt nod. “I’ve removed them from your team, and the agency’s working on the paperwork today to have him fired entirely.”
“Thank you.” The words are choked.
His mouth tightens.
“I don’t want you to go anywhere alone until you’re on that plane back to Creek Falls,” he says. “I’m very concerned he might retaliate.”
“Done,” I agree easily.
