Page 101 of Rising Queen (Blood Empire 1)

Chapter 26

Dean

The car ride here was... interesting. Harlow really has a thing for car tunes. She turned the radio to an all 90s station and was singing‘Wannabe’and‘Stop’by The Spice Girls from the top of her lungs.

It took everything in me to hold back the grin that kept threatening to take over my face. It was like a flashback to the past. That was the Harlow I knew and loved, once upon a time. It’s nice to see she's not fully gone.

When we get to the Embassy Hotel, where the event is being held, we pull up to the front entrance.

“Um, don't we need to park?” Harlow asks, looking out the window.

I chuckle. “Not at places like this; you do know what a valet is, right?”

She narrows her eyes at me in annoyance. “Of course, I do,” she sasses. “Just never been to a place that had them,” she mutters under her breath, then blows a bubble with the gum she's been chewing. “Come on, let's get this show on the road.”

We get out of the car as the valet greets us at the curb. “Good evening, Sir. Shall I park this for you?” the man asks.

“Dude, what are we in a 50s movie? No need to sound like some fancy British dude,” Harlow says, eyeing the man up like she already has reasons to be suspicious of the guy.

The guy looks at her warily, “Umm... I am British, Ma’am.”

“Oh, well, cool accent. Would be hotter if you were twenty years younger and naked,” she smiles sweetly. So, this is what we have to expect when we go out in public with her? God, this is gonna get embarrassing fast. I knew the woman spoke her mind, but this is a little much.

Harlow takes out her gum. “This has lost its flavor,” she says, looking around for a place to dispose of it.

The man holds his hand out for my keys, but before I get the chance to place them in his palm, Harlow smashes her chewed gum into his hand. The man's eyes go wide as he stares at her in horror.

“Here, get rid of this for me, will ya?” she asks, patting the guy on the back as she passes him and struts her way to the front door.

“I am so sorry about her,” I say, pulling out my handkerchief from my pocket. “Here, I’ll take that,” I say, grabbing the gum from his hand. She really has a“gives zero fucks”personality. “She’s not really the best at social situations. She spends most of her time at her club, Evolution, so she doesn't get out much.”Except when it's to find people to kill.

The man's eyes go wide again, and this time it’s in fear. He looks behind him at Harlow's retreating back, then to me. “Is that... Queenie?”

“So, you’ve heard of her,” I sigh.

“You know what, Sir, I'll take that,” he says, quickly taking the handkerchief. “And I'll be sure to get this cleaned and sent back to you as soon as possible. At the latest, you will have it before you leave for the evening.”

“That's okay. Just toss it,” I say. I mean, it was 50 bucks, but I'm not attached to it.

“Nonsense. And I'll take these too,” he says, taking the keys from my hand. “I'll take the utmost care of your vehicle, Sir. Have a good night,” he says, then rushes to get into the front seat of my car, starting it up, and takes off.

We just got here, and already I know this night is far from over.

WE’VE BEEN HERE FORabout an hour, and Harlow seems to be doing better, not too many rude comments. She's actually been really quiet, clearly concentrating on listening to everyone else's conversations. It doesn't seem like anyone has realized who she is yet, because no one looks ready to shit their pants.

“Oh, oh, look, there they are!” Harlow says with glee. In walk five men of various ages, all in tuxedos. As they make their way through the crowd, people around them wave and greet them.

“That's the Council of Dipshits,” Harlow says, rolling her eyes as the men walk in like they own the place.

“So how exactly do you know them? You don't really talk to us about much, other than Rosie and things currently going on in the club. We don't know all that much about the past eight years of your life,” I say, taking a bite of a pastry I just snagged from the table of desserts. We found a spot against the wall and have been standing here, eavesdropping on people who see us as invisible because they don't know who we are and don't feel the need to interact with us.

So far, I found out that one man is sleeping with his business partner, who is also of the male gender, and then later found out that the man's wife is also sleeping with that very same man.

I’ve also had the privilege of knowing that some stuffy, old lady thinks it’s appalling that gay people can get married now.What a fucking bitch.

But nothing even close to what we need.

“Well, you don't really have the right to know anything I don't want to tell you,” Harlow says and cocks a brow, bringing me back to our conversation.

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