Page 44 of Devoted

“So, you found out who Mick really is. The other guys too?”

“Tony and Xavier. The three of them have done jobs together before. None of them have records, but I think it’s because they’ve never been caught. I get the impression they’ll do certain jobs for enough money and won’t lose sleep at night, but it’s not like they have evil tattooed on their bodies.”

“That’s not not evil.”

“Funny, that’s how I describe my parents.” From what I know about Kase’s family, he isn’t kidding.

Roman hired a team, like we thought. That wasn’t why Kase called and kept calling. “Why’d you blow up my phone with missed calls?”

“Yeah… Checked out a couple popular media gossip sites. Penni’s on them.”

“What the fuck for?” Did Roman go public, and how’s he spinning the story?

Kase’s tone is heavy, almost apologetic. “Basically, they’re saying the daughter of former child actress Brittany Cowles left her rich husband and ran off with the bodyguard. Something about how very un-Basic Bitch it is.”

That son of a bitch. That’s how he’s spinning it, how he’s discrediting Penelope. That motherfucker. Why so public?

Kase might not have wanted to tell me, but I can hear the restraint in his voice. There’s more. As if that isn’t bad enough. “And?”

“It’s pretty insulting of Penni. They allude to a failed competition. They’re insinuating that she parted ways with Juan Pablo because they were having an affair and she moved on with you.”

“Fuck.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. I feel fucking awful for Penelope, but I can’t ignore the relief wiping out the adrenaline spike I experienced when Kase first told me. I haven’t been dragged into the spotlight. The situation could be worse for us. I hate Penelope’s image getting splashed around, but as long as it’s just her, we’re safe. The more my face is flashed around, the higher the likelihood someone will recognize me, increasing the chances we can be found.

It’s still a possibility if even one picture of me was leaked. “Maybe we should boost security around here.”

“I’ll make arrangements. You’ll want to alarm all possible entrances, maybe set up wildlife cameras in a wider radius than what you have. I’ll get it all arranged with Jacobi and be out there.”

“I appreciate it, man.”

“I’d rather do this work than my normal job. Trust me.”

“But you’re not getting paid.”

“Pro bono cleans my conscience. It can go from muddy to murky.”

“Then I won’t offer to pay you back.” My smile from my joke fades as soon as I disconnect the call.

London’s probably filling Penelope in on all the grim details. I need to assess the damage. I steel myself and go online.

Penelope

The energyof my hike invigorates me. I wander around the front yard instead of sitting on the top step of the porch.

When London answers, I grin. “Hey!”

“Oh, Penni. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

My vibrant mood is obliterated. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh. Didn’t Kase get a hold of you?”

“No? Unless Cannon’s talking to him now. We’ve been hiking, and our signal was bad.”

“It’s the news, Penni. It had to be Roman who gave the media a story about you leaving him for your bodyguard.”

London’s so distraught, but I can’t find the source. Sure, the story sucks, but there’re worse things the gossip rags could be saying about me. They could’ve dragged Mother into it more than they did. “Is that all? I left Roman for a man closer to my age?”

I’m more worried about Basic Bitch Nutrition. Roman could be using the media to flush me out since closing the studio didn’t work. Mother gave me a place to stay. She supported me. He’ll figure out we are closer than before and target her reputation.

---