Page 143 of Triggered By Love
“Mom came down with a stomach bug,” she replied. “They’re very sorry, but Dad ate the same salad and doesn’t want to come down with it at the show. Chase and Damon are coming in their place.”
“They cleared Secret Service that quickly?” Jason narrowed his eyes. Guess position and privilege greased the skids, but at the same time, caused security breaches. Not that he should be suspicious of her brothers, but she might not be the target.
“Chase holds a high-level security clearance,” Avery explained. “And Damon has done diplomatic work. They’re known entities.”
“We can ask them to back us up,” Finn said.
“Don’t worry. They’ll be watching out for anything unusual,” Avery said. “Chase doesn’t need weapons to kill.”
“Neither do I,” Jason and Finn said at the same time.
“Gee, I feel real safe.” Avery smiled and hugged Jason. “What’s with the grim face? Let’s go out there and have fun. It’s going to be an awesome show.”
“That’s the spirit!” Kerry clapped her hands and bounced up and down. “We’re overprepared. I can’t wait for the after-party.”
Jason wasn’t so confident, but then again, he’d covered every base. He picked up the printout of the model order. It listed names, outfit, and accessories, including the animal masks and crowns.
Beside his name was porcupine quill Mohawk.
“I hope you told Ivanna her help isn’t needed,” Jason said. “There’s no way we can allow her to bring those accessories backstage, especially since we haven’t had time to check them out.”
“But Jason, Ivanna came through,” Avery protested. “There’s no way I’m going to miss out on the big splash.”
“I thought I told you not to use the animal masks and crowns,” Jason yelled. “I’m not wearing a porcupine Mohawk.”
“Jason, please understand. It’s my show, and I have artistic discretion. Everything is all ready to go. Ivanna will be applying the feathers to Matt’s face.”
“No.” Jason felt like he was going to explode. “Didn’t they explain that Ivanna was in danger if the Leaches think she suspects them of the male models’ deaths? Their story of Blade being there to safeguard them doesn’t ring true.”
“My parents say the Leaches left town. They’re not going to the show after they heard about the bomb threat at The Garden.” Avery showed Jason a text message. “I don’t see any reason to worry since Secret Service will be there and the Leaches won’t.”
“The Leaches might not be the ones who ordered the hit,” Jason said. “And if they did, they’d be stupid to be there.”
“Everyone expects me to do the Shapeshifting Heroes. Some of my designs got leaked. Ivanna says she has it covered.”
“No,” Jason roared. “You told me last night it was overkill. You agreed to honor Brando as a classic hero.”
“No one put you in charge.” She pushed away from him. “I know we’re all on edge, but you’re going to have to trust me when it comes to fashion. I can’t be so white bread and bland. No one cares about old-fashioned retro classic. If I’m starting the shapeshifting trend, I have to do it now before everyone’s doing it.”
“Fine, then everyone’s doing it, but me.” He ran his hand over the crest of his hair. “No porcupine quills. You know how hard it is to get those suckers out? They’re barbed and can easily pierce muscles.”
“Oh, stop it. We’ll cut the tips so they won’t hurt as much,” Avery said. “They’re not poisonous.”
“I’ve heard barbed hypodermic needles penetrate easier.”
“No one is injecting you with anything.” Avery rolled her eyes, and the image clanged like warning bells in Jason’s mind.
Could the meth have been injected by porcupine quills? Did Larry Leach use a hypodermic needle or a quill? That might explain the quills stuck in Garm that Saul claimed to have removed.
“You look like you swallowed a porcupine.” Avery giggled, poking his belly, which he immediately tensed. “You’ll change your mind when you see everyone else made up.”
“Maybe you should sub me out.”
“You’re the one who wanted to push Trent out of the picture,” Avery said. “I can have Damon do it.”
“No, I’ll wear the quills,” Jason conceded. “I don’t trust Trent either.”
“You don’t trust anyone,” she declared.
