Page 29 of Inside the Maelstrom: Part Two
“Hendrick, how do you feel?”
“Is it true you tried to overdose?”
“Is it true your wife is pregnant?”
“Are you having sexual relations with Otto Guyer?”
I curled my fists, but it was hard to follow my PR-mandated training and ignore the questions. The security was barely holding the photographers back as we made it to the Escalade. Evan put himself between us and the crowd, and I pushed Aviva in first, followed by Hendrick. Otto waved me in, but I noted the slight flush of embarrassment on his cheeks.
I fucking hated these vultures.
Evan slammed into the front passenger seat of the car, and I could see the tension vibrating through his body. We pulled out into traffic, and I slumped back against the leather interior, trying to decompress for the ride. It helped that Aviva was right there next to me, pressed tightly to my side.
“Aviva said yes,” I told the rest of the occupants of the car. The silence hung heavy for a moment, but then Hendrick whooped.
“Congrats. See, Viva? I told you he’d come around.” He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned forward to kiss her hard on the lips. “Matrimonial threeways, here we come.”
Otto shook his head, but if he felt left out, it didn’t show. He reached across, grabbing her hand. “I’m happy for you guys. Happy for us.”
I didn’t look at Evan up the front, because as far as the world was concerned, he was just my security. Whenever he and Aviva came out about their relationship would be up to them, but I didn’t blame them for wanting to wait until after we stepped back out of the spotlight.
My phone rang, and I looked down to see it was Tobias. I waved my hand at Evan, and he raised the privacy screen between the front of the limo and us. Answering the call, I put it on speaker, setting my phone down between the seats.
“Tobias.”
“Is everyone there?” he said without greeting, and he sounded a little out of breath, like he was hurrying.
“Yeah, we’re all here.”
“And does the lovely Aviva look like a blushing virginal bride?”
Good Girl snorted beside me, and I laughed. “She looks the picture of respectability. You’d never know that Hendrick fucked her in the shower an hour ago.”
“Just because we have client-attorney privilege doesn’t mean you have to tell me everything, Sampson.” He sounded somewhere between amused and annoyed. “Senator Kenley is already at the courthouse, and his lawyer is a retired District Attorney. Roger Waters Jr.—he’s a fucking shark.” Tobias muttered some more expletives under his breath, but eventually came back around to his reason for calling. “I’m sure I don’t need to say this to you, but when you get to the courthouse, everyone but Hendrick must keep their hands to themselves. Actually, you too, Hendrick. Don’t touch anyone but Aviva. Your father’s lawyers are just looking for the smallest thing to point out as an example that your marriage is fake. Let’s not give them anything, okay?”
Hendrick was solemn for once. “Of course, Tobias. I’m not an idiot. I won’t give that fucker anything to hold up to the court as a reason to take my choices away from me.”
There was a sigh from the other end of the phone. “I won’t let that happen, Hendrick. I will see you boys soon.”
I looked around the car, at the faces of the people I loved enough to kill for. “Today, we slay the beast.”
Chapter17
Aviva
The press outside our apartment were news hounds, mostly paps who were bored and bloggers who wanted soundbites. But the press who surrounded the courthouse were their own breed of reporter. They were in neat suits with proper mics, which they thrust into Hendrick’s face the second he got out of the car. Evan and the other security held them off, but it didn’t stop them from shouting intensely personal questions as we pushed our way up the courthouse steps.
“Hendrick, are you alleging physical or sexual abuse by your father?”
“Aviva, is it true that Hendrick paid you money to marry him? Sources say that you’re a gold-digger.”
Sampson curled his lip at that one. “I’d resist using socialites as sources.”
Finally, we pushed through the doors, and courthouse security kept the press from following us in. They’d be allowed seats in the galley, of course, but not until the hearing started. Though I highly doubted Senator Kenley would allow the hearing to be an open one. He’d be trying to keep this as quiet as possible.
Tobias met us in the foyer, with two slightly scared, but equally professionally attired men behind him. “Mr. Kenley, right this way. We have a private meeting room down the hall.”
We all trailed behind him, and security took up positions either side of the door. Evan walked in behind us, as he should. He was as much a part of this now as any of us, and it was probably expected he’d stay close to Sampson and Hendrick.
