Page 54 of Traded

If I have to sit in the same car as them, none of us will make it to the Furnace unscathed.

Shoving my untouched plate away, I yank my laptop bag from the couch and follow him without a word.

Carter at least waits until we’re in the elevator. “That was unfair. Everyone’s trying to be considerate.”

“Yeah, well.” I study the glossy gold interior. Who decided the penthouse needed a gold elevator? It’s ridiculous. “There’s a lot of that going around. If I have an attitude, blame Liam’s stupid bedroom ban.”

I hate sleeping alone.Hateit. It feels like I haven’t slept in days. I eye my reflection in the gold, almost expecting to see cracks in my own face.

“It’s not forever,” Carter reminds me. “We all agreed to it, Rosie.”

Even him. Which is another reason for my irritation. “You might have. I didn’t actually get a say.”

The doors slide open, and I stalk through the garage towards Carter’s truck. My voice raises. “Everyone gets a say in this new fancy pack, except for me. Got it.”

He jogs to catch up with me. “You know it’s not like that.”

“Isn’t it?” I slam the door behind me without another word.

He gives me alookthrough the window that I ignore before getting into his own seat. “I’m going to cancel team dinner tonight. We have too much going on.”

Iloveteam dinners. “You want to pack up my nest too, since you’re taking all of my favorite things away? Throw the coffee machine out of the window? Why don’t we cancel the teddy bear toss while we’re at it? Hell, cross Thanksgiving and Christmas off too.”

“Fine.” Fucker has the gall to sound amused. Carter accelerates onto the freeway. “I won’t cancel. But you know we can’t tell them, Ro. Can you do it?”

I mull it over. “Can Lauren leave for the night?”

Carter almost looks at me before he remembers his eyes-on-the-road routine. His hands flex on the wheel. “She’ll be an invited guest. Liam suggested it. Nobody will suspect, since she’s your new…”

He coughs. Possibly aware that my expression is creeping closer to committing alpha-cide with every word. “Anyway. Think about it.”

“I’m not canceling.” It’s the only thing I’m looking forward to in this whole cursed season. “I can suck it up for one night. If I can do it at work in front of everyone, I can do it at home. As long as she keeps her distance.”

I hope. The expression on his face says he’s not sure either.

When he parks up, he switches off the engine and we sit in silence. I watch as he pulls his arm back and rotates his shoulder, hissing between his teeth. He fishes a blister pack from his pocket, snaps two tablets free, and swallows them dry.

“Jesus.” I swallow back the worry, aiming for more lightheartedness and failing miserably. “Do I need to be worried?”

He rolls his eyes at me. “It’s all approved and above board. Don’t worry about me.”

I always worry about him. We split at the coffee cart, Carter heading to an interview briefing with Ness while I head to the studio. I have hours of unused footage in my phone, and I want to make some shorts for each of the team in the build-up to the Midwest Swing.

It takes her less than an hour to hunt me down. Slipping my headphones back, I fight not to scowl. “You found me.”

Lauren slides her laptop down beside mine. At least she brought coffee. “Thought we could go through the schedule for this week. I need to work a few posts in. The sooner we get the strategy nailed down, the better we can plan.”

Ah, yes. The strategy that’s above my paygrade.

Thanks, Dick. For nothing.

Fucker doesn’t even know how much he’s blown up my life. I’m sure he’d probably be delighted.

I tap the keyboard and sit back, letting her scroll through.

“These are excellent.” Lauren leans back. “The team responds well to you. It’s hard to catch true culture with planned filming.”

I shrug, watching Ryker copy Benji’s stretches on the screen. Ethan joins in, the two of them acting out every move with exaggerated motions as a clueless Benji bends over to touch his toes. Ryker flashes a grin to the camera, both of them blowing kisses.