Page 5 of Eat. Prey. Love.
“I thought you said this was settled—or at least as much as we could.” She frowns again then growls under her breath. “Can I put you on speaker? Okay, get ready for the guys, too.”
“What I was sharing with the lovely Dolly is that our old nemesis is up to her bullshit again. The paper didn’t make the splash she thought it would—it only circled the drain around the kind of fools that would align with an abusive bint like her. There are severalnewdevelopments in the Rockland Bully Chronicles.”
Fitz lets out a tiger yowl and we all jump. “I’m getting tired of this cunt. Felix, you’ll back me up if I simply fucking rip her head off and piss down her filthy neck like I did Gregor, right?”
“I’d prefer to roast her slowly,” Aubrey grumbles.
“I favor the rack. It’s much more painful.” Renard smirks at us as we stare. “We’ll find one in Paris; after all, the Marquis was from there.”
Dolly gives them a grateful smile, but shakes her head. “You guys are sexy as hell threatening to kill her for me, but we have to handle this the boring way. We know she’s prone to spreading lies and bullshit through the social networks. Killing her won’t stop that shit from continuing and who knows what the publishers will do with her trash book if they have control. The ones letting her spew hate and false shit are obviously as psychotic as her.”
She’s got a point—if you agree to publish shit you know for a fact is a legally questionable hit piece in your catalog, you’re no better than a sleazy tabloid.
“What do we do then, Princess? Suggestions from the Country Counselor are appreciated.” Felix crosses his arms over his chest, looking contemplative.
“I’m not sending a Postman or Messenger this time. Because she’s managed to finagle a role at this new school through fuck only knows what…. Goliath, Monstro, and I will be arriving in Paris within the week. I’m handling this shit in person this time.”
We all look at one another in shock. Rufus told my angel Farley only leaves their hollar to go to court and even then, it’s brief and he’s heavily guarded. His prowess in the legal business for the McCoys is vastly compensated for and he’s never without protection because he’s so valuable.
“You’re… coming… to France?” Dolly squeaks. “Really?”
The badger sniffs into the phone. “Yes. I’m using the family plane and I’ll be bringing my nephew, your friend, their shit, and some other fucking lovers. Apparently, I’m also a goddamn babysitter.” I can practicallyhearhim rolling his eyes. “You should note that I don’t pull punches and I’m going to decimate that woman so thoroughly that she never recovers now. Making me come to that land of cheese-eating surrender monkeys is an offense that rivals spitting in my goddamn face.”
Renard looks wholly offended, but Aubrey clamps his hand over his mouth before he shoots back a retort. I wink at the pouting Frenchman, and Fitz just grins like a lunatic. I have averybad feeling about introducing Dolly’s crazy-ass motherfucker lawyer to my psycho mate.
They’re far too similar and that’s a time bomb waiting to go off.
“Okay, Farley. We’ll get settled when we arrive and if you can have Rufus text me the details as you travel, it will help a lot.” Her lips curve up and she laughs. “I don’tknowhow he convinced the triplets to close the store and take a sabbatical to study in Paris. He just told me they were coming and it was because their family is allowing them to travel around buying books for collections forthe semester. As for Giselle? I think Fitzy sweet talked someone in admissions.”
“I absolutely did. It didn’t take much because the Captain’s crew offered to come along to the school to attend to all the Igneous Iguana’s fucking specifications. Since Betsy refused to fly, they’re all now working for him and the ruffled Frenchman.” My mate grins, stacking his hands behind his head as he looks pleased with himself.
“Excellent. You’re going to need allies there, I fear. They aren’t all looking to kill you like at Apex, nor are they all celebrity kids like Cappie. This is a school full of the artsiest, most snooty fruitcakes you’ve ever met according to our sources. And of course, just like you, people have arranged to follow you so they can keep harassing you.”
Isn’t that just fucking great? Non-hot stalkers following our girl for people wehate—perfect.
Hey Jealousy
We all takea turn in the bathroom of the jet before it lands in Paris. The damn flight was long enough that I even slept in short bursts. I woke up with a different guy curled around me each time and that helped my mistrust for airplane technology dissipate. I was a little shaky when we hit the ground, but now that we’re descending the steps to the tarmac, I feelmuchbetter.
Good sex, food, and naps will do that, I suppose.
Pulling my sunglasses out of my bag, I squint at the two large SUVs here to pick us up. “Who sent these?”
Felix givesme a pleased expression, walking over to brush his lips on my temple. “Good question, Princess. This detail was arranged by your designer friend, Luc. He has alotof contacts here, obviously, and Fitz emailed him when we found out we had to go here.”
I blink, surprised they looked up my friend without me. “Luc? Is this his jet, then?”
“Oui,ma petite,” Renard says with a wink. “My fellow countryman was eager to help, especially when Fitzgerald mentioned his concerns about using anything tied to either of your families. He did not think we were being paranoid at all.”
Biting my lip, I feel tears sting my eyes. When I started at Apex over a year ago, I had almost no one in my corner but Mattie and Luc. Now I’ve got this whole army of boyfriends and besties who move heaven and earth to help me. They even risk the wrath of my parents and the other powerful Council fuckheads—something I wouldn’t have thought possible. It’s so humbling and it makes me feel all soft inside.
“Aw, Baby Girl, don’t get teary! You’re worth the risk every damn day and I know all your friends feel that way.” Fitz comes up and takes Jinx’s carrier off my shoulder, handing it to Chessie, then slings his arm over my shoulders. “Trust me… I’ve been tapping everyone we know to activate our little network. Even our prey friends have been running interference where they can.”
“I didn’t know you were this worried,” I whisper as I look up at him.
His eyes narrow and he growls a little. “Our father has killed people no one should be able to get away with murdering. Your mother is leading a council of dicks who have been hoodwinking our entire society for centuries. I put absolutelynothingpast them, even blowing up a plane.”
I’m about to respond when a sharp gasp, followed by a roar of disbelief makes us all whip around. My eyes land on Aubrey, half-shifted and blowing smoke out of his nostrils as he holds up his phone. I wiggle out of Fitz’s grasp, moving to his side and laying a hand on his arm. “Big guy, what’s going on?”