Page 51 of Slick

What the actual fuck?

I jerk upright, a growl building in my throat as I look around.

Watts, my bodyguard, is sitting opposite me, but I barely spare him a glance as I take in the figure at his side. She’s half his size, dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, and even with a black hood over her head, the scent of omega is unmistakable.

Especially since she’s my scent mate.

“Diana.”

She’s sitting as still as a statue, but at my raspy voice, her entire body jolts as if electrified. And then the cry that tears from her throat makes my hair stand on end. “Jake!”

I’ve been hurt a few times in my life, suffered heartbreak and disappointment like anyone else, but I’m honest enough to admit I’ve been pretty blessed. Apart from the rift with Kane, I’ve always felt in control of my decisions, confident that I can successfully navigate whatever life throws my way.

But hearing Diana call out my name from under afucking bagmakes my heart throb.

“Take that thing off her head, Watts!”

Part of having a charmed life – and the office of governor of this state – is that people jump when I bark at them. But my bodyguard barely flinches at my order, and my gaze snaps to the front of the van. There’s a tinted privacy screen built into the bulkhead, and my gut churns as it slides down to reveal Lily and her head of security, Marcus. He’s driving, but Lily has turned in her seat, so she is staring right at me. She’s as striking as ever with her gleaming blonde hair and pale blue eyes, but the longer I hold her gaze, the more it’s like looking at a reflection breaking apart on a dark lake.

“Are you alright, Jacob?”

She sounds genuinely concerned and I cock a disbelieving brow as I lift my wrists. "What the hell is this, Lily?"

“It’s an intervention.” Her voice is as cool as ever, although I think I can see a flicker of strain on her perfectly made-up face. “I warned you that Kane has never operated in your best interests. He’s barely back in your life a week and he’s trying to drag you down into the gutter with him.”

One thing politics has taught me is to not engage with the delusional, but the combination of alpha stink in the air and thethrobbing in my skull has me on a very short leash. “Are you saying you’ve kidnapped me for my own good?”

“Don’t exaggerate, darling.” The condescension in her eyes is almost as disgusting as the endearment on her lips, and I have to swallow back a growl. “This is a reset, like I said. Just a chance for us to reconnect without any negative influences.”

I blink at her, then turn to stare at Watts. The stink is definitely coming off him, and I realize his shirt is soaked through with nervous sweat. The last thing I remember was him following me into my office at home and pouring me a drink. I didn’t want it, because I was determined to have a clear head when I confronted Lily, but Watts was hovering, and I was distracted…

“Youdruggedme.” At my accusation, his gaze darts to the front seat and there’s no mistaking the yearning in his eyes as he stares at Lily. He looks like a lovesick puppy, and fury rips through me at his betrayal. What I’dliketo do is grab the gun under his jacket and shoot him, but with my hands cuffed, I settle for kicking his leg, hard enough to bruise my toes through the Italian leather. “Hey! Don’t look at her, fuckface. You worked forme!”

“Atmyrecommendation,” Lily replies, her voice tinged with disapproval. “If you had your way, you’d still be moping over that brute, Kane. God knows why you felt so strongly about him, especially since he’s the one who walked out on you, remember?”

“Believe me, you’ve driven that point home now,” I say grimly, glaring at Watts’ averted face. “But one of the very many differences between Kane and this clown here, is that he’s loyal. And when he finds out what you’ve done, Watts will be less than a smear on the road.”

The Judas twitches at the thought, but Lily just waves a dismissive hand. “Such threats are beneath you, Jacob.” In allthe time I’ve known her, she’s never called me Jake or Moore like my friends. It’s always been Jacob, or governor if she’s feeling frisky. Bile burns the back of my throat at the memory of those intimate moments, but Lily gives me a coy look through her lashes. “Trust me, darling, you’ll feel like your old self once you we get a proper moment to ourselves.”

I lean forward, trying to keep the rage from leaking into my voice. I have to control myself until I can control the situation. “Then pull over. We can get someone to collect Diana, while you and I go somewhere and talk.”

Longing flashes in her eyes, but she gives a quick shake of her head. “Don’t worry, Jacob. All the arrangements are in place. You just need to sit back and trust me.”

My mouth snaps shut, which is the only thing stopping the bile from pouring out of me. Now that the façade has cracked, I can’t believe the toxic shit that is bubbling to the surface.

How the fuck did I miss this level of delusion?

Even when I found out about Diana, some part of me still wanted to believe that Lily was misled. That she’d been tricked into using the slick factory’s products by her agent, or one of the goons that hang around the studio. But there’s no denying the evidence when it is sitting opposite me with a black hood over her head.

Next to Diana, Lily smells like fruit that’s been left to molder in a bowl. I don’t know if it’s because the blinkers have been torn off or because the real thing is sitting so close, but Lily’s scent is sickly sweet and so cloying I can feel it coating my senses in a sticky residue. I want to lean across the aisle and bury my face in Diana’s hair, and the fact I can’t – and don’t fuckingdeserveto - makes the blood throb painfully in my veins.

And the regret makes me vicious. “Why the hood, Lily? Is it to protect you, or to keep me from temptation?”

“We don’t need to talk about that, Jacob.”

She’s turned to face the windshield, but her long fingernails are drumming on the console, and I can hear the hard edge to her voice. I have to be careful, because there’s nothing Lily hates more than competition. Diana is definitely her weak spot, and I’ve seen what Lily does to things that undermine her. I’ve also heard the rumors about how she’s treated Rowan Vale over the years, and I decide that right after I beg Diana’s forgiveness, I need to apologize to him, too.

“Why won’t you look at her?” I know I shouldn’t be provoking her, but I can’t stand staring at that hood for a second longer. “Lily, her name is Diana. She was locked up, hurt, and used, just so you could smell like her. Aren’t you going to look her in the eye, at least?”

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