“Lunch?” Her eyebrows furrowed together, and she pulled her blanket tighter. “Aren’t you doing that interview tomorrow?”
“No. It’s been moved to another day. You can sleep in and go shopping even. I’ll be back at the hotel around two for our lunch together.”
“Where will you be before that?” She sounded relieved, eager even.
I added to my lie, “I’ll be at the gym, and then I’m meeting with Parson and Ethan. I’m sure Laura will be joining us as well.”
Felicia snorted. “Your lawyers. I don’t know why they sent two of them with us. One would’ve sufficed.”
“I’m sure the fact that Ethan has recently stopped leaving your room in the morning has nothing to do with your attitude?”#p#分页标题#e#
She froze, her gaze searching mine.
I lifted an eyebrow. “I might have been in prison for two years, but that’s made me more aware of my surroundings. I can recognize whose footsteps I’m hearing tiptoe past my bedroom door at six in the morning.”
She huffed out, rolling her eyes, “We stopped, okay? You don’t have to lecture me about it.”
I kept quiet. They had only recently stopped, and I was going to have a word with Parson in the morning. I had no doubt his associate would be heading back to their law firm within the next twenty-four hours, and I was hoping that I’d concoct a plan to send Felicia flying after him. I had other plans to remain in town—at least for a few more days, if not a few more weeks, if I could make that happen somehow.
No one knew Jordan lived here. No one would know. I saw the interest in her tonight. She wanted to get to know me. The feeling was mutual. I wanted to understand her more than I already did.
“Fine,” Felicia groaned. “I’ll stop seeing him altogether. Would that make you happy, brother mine?”
I still didn’t say a word.
She snapped out, “Whatever. Fine. Be mad at me. I don’t care. I’m going back to bed. I’m so glad you’re okay, you know? I worry about you. I’m your sister, and you’re not exactly not known. You’re goddamn famous. I wish you’d just accept that and stop this disappearing act you always do. I’m just concerned, is all. Is that a crime? For a sister to be scared someone might try to hurt her brother? Because some people want to kill you, Kian. They don’t love you or worship you like all those insipid females who write to you. There are quite a few threatening letters in your fan-mail pile. You just don’t want to accept that they’re there or that you’re not invincible, but you are. You’re weak. You can be hurt, too.”
She kept going, but I tuned her out. This was a nightly occurrence, and when she lost steam, she would begin crying. Then she would say she was hurting, too, that her life had been wrecked by the family and by me leaving her. She never got sympathy. Everyone paid attention to me. No one paid her attention.
And when she began faltering, I couldn’t stomach any more for the night.
I went to my room and shut the door, but I paused on my side and waited. She would either retire back to her room, sobbing, or she would raid the liquor cabinet in the main room.
When she slammed her door shut and I heard the lock click, I knew she must’ve stocked up earlier in the night. That was when I slipped out of the suite again, heading to my publicist’s door. I knocked once and stepped back. Laura was a light sleeper, and she never used anything to help her sleep. Her door opened within moments.
“Kian?” She looked at me in surprise.
“I lied to my sister. I don’t want her to go with us tomorrow. Can you spread the word that no one is to go to our suite or inform her that we’re doing the interview?”
“Oh.” She frowned, pressing a hand to her temple. She rubbed there. “Uh, what was the lie you told her? We need to make sure everyone knows the answers, if she asks questions.”
“I will be in the gym tomorrow morning, then a meeting with my lawyers. The interview was moved to another date.”
“Did you tell her what day?”
“It doesn’t matter. My sister will be flying home tomorrow evening anyway.” Even if she didn’t know it herself. “Thank you, Laura.”
“No problem.” Her hand fell from her forehead. “This is what I do, and I’ll let Parson know, too.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”#p#分页标题#e#
I went back to my suite and to my room but not to bed, not yet. From my window, I stared out over the city. Tomorrow was one more step in my plan.
I would see Jordan again.