Page 114 of Dubious Match
“Harm?” Gwen asks. “How am I doing that?”
“How? The promotion of an organization, however seemingly harmless, when they are clearly involved in shady activities is the epitome of harm,” I murmur. “For example, why do you think that Emilia can’t be within twenty feet of me?”
“I… she can’t?” Gwen moves to turn, and I grab her hand.
“Don’t be obvious,” I say softly. “I already worry about going out alone.”
“What?” she hisses. “They can’t be as dangerous as you’re insinuating. I’ve known these women for most of my life.”
“Do they try to run your life?” I ask. “Does your mother tell you to dress modestly, not be emotionally messy, and work a ‘normal’ job?”
“No, and I wear high necklines because I work with a lot of men. I want my words to be listened to, instead of being spokento in a way that shows they’re only looking at my chest. My mom really likes that I’m working at something I’m passionate about.”
So they only want to control everyone else. Wonderful.
“I can assure you that they’re staring at your tits anyway,” I sigh. I dressed for Remy and to feel pretty, not for anyone else. I think people don’t understand the nuances of what you put on your body. “All I’m saying is that blindly following anyone without an understanding of what their end goal is can be harmful. Do you promote their events in your newspaper?”
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “There’s an events coordinator who is in charge of that. I report on news in the area, community news specifically.”
“Does sex trafficking of omegas count as community news?” I ask. “Until you look into that, I don’t think you have any business speaking to the women who are running this charity event. Poof, be gone.”
I’m not usually this acerbic, but I can feel how angry I’m getting. God, I really just told a twenty-something year old to be gone like a bad smell.
“You’re…serious,” Gwen says, shaking her head.
“As a heart attack, or even the beating I received a few weeks ago thanks to Emilia’s motorcycle club friends,” I growl.
Remy’s hand moves to my back, his thumb rubbing against my bare skin. He makes no move to break the conversation going on around me, the cover being the reason why I can speak to Gwen.
“I assume that if I did some digging at the hospital I’d be able to find out if this is true or not?” she asks.
I’m really glad I went to the hospital now.
“Since I was there with guards at my door, it should be fairly easy to get that information. Though, getting them to tell you my name may be more difficult,” I murmur.
“Understood,” she says. “You seem well now? If it was so bad, you’d still have bruises, wouldn’t you?”
“Gwen, you’re an omega. I think you need to learn about how healing can accelerate for omegas under certain circumstances,” I say. “I had broken ribs, and my face was a mess. I did a video with bruises on Omega’s Link to counter some of the things Emilia was saying about me. This isn’t the place to tell you about all the things I’ve uncovered about ROWS, but if you need a source, message The Little Rabbit on Omega’s Link.”
“Hollis?” Remy asks, and I turn to face him with a professional smile on my lips.
It won’t work on him because he knows me well enough and can feel my emotions through the bond, but no one else will be able to tell how fucking angry I am. I’m so tired of people sticking their heads under the sand and willing to ignore the ugly reality we live in.
“Yes.” My gaze scans his face to see what I missed.
“Ready to go?” he asks.
“I am,” I reply, my smile becoming more real. Focusing on Rowan, Aria, and Drew, I add, “It was really great to meet you all. If I can help with anything down the road, please don't hesitate to ask. Even if it’s for a silent auction. I could put together a gift certificate for Cupid’s Call.”
“Thank you so much,” Rowan says with a smile. “We definitely will.”
When I turn away with Remy, Gwen is nowhere to be seen. He links his fingers in mine as we walk, and he waits until we’re in the hallway headed to get our coats before addressing the elephant in the room.
“Who was the girl?” he asks. “You’re practically vibrating, you’re so pissed off.”
“She came over to introduce herself as the daughter of a ROWS member,” I grumble. “Gwen is in the dark about whatthey’re about, but it infuriates me. I may need to fuck this out, Remy.”
He almost stumbles as he processes my words.
