Sure enough, paps were outside the studio. Inside there were bright lights, and that was about all I could see. Again, I didn’t wait for Wes. I didn’t want him to ask me if I was okay.

The first few drops of rain hit me on the way inside.

Esme, what are you doing here at the studio? Can’t trust your pack with your sister? Enjoying finding a pack willing to go all the way in public? Will we finally see the ice queen on fire? We want more sexy shots.

The questions burrowed under my skin.

Can’t trust your pack with your sister?

Can’t trust your pack?

Can’t trust?

I pushed past them and through the door, heaving in a breath. The atmosphere was hushed but lively. The lights were facing away from the windows, and things were illuminated, but none of the pack were in sight. They were in one of the private tattooing rooms. I saw them on a small monitor where they were talking and laughing.

Jasmine stood there. I hadn’t seen Eva’s manager since the night of the party, but she grinned when she saw me. “Hey, Esme. We weren’t expecting you.”

“Is it a problem? I wasn’t expecting to come, but my plans changed.”

“Not a problem at all.”

The small image showed the five guys standing and leaning casually in the room, but Eva wasn’t there. “Where’s Eva?”

“In the office,” Jasmine said. “She got a call from Brian.”

Eva’s agent. When he called, it was important, even more than a screen test like this one. Hell, it was probably about this.

Jasmin looked at me. “Do you want to listen in? They were just asked about you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, here.” She took the earpiece out of her ear and held it out to me. I put it in. It took a second for me to focus on what they were saying. Ben was the one talking right now.

“Oh, that was totally by chance. We keep her around cause she gets the job done, but…” He shrugged and the rest of them laughed.

The interviewer cleared his throat. “So there was never any chance of making that situation permanent?”

Kade snorted with laughter. “No. Absolutely not.”

The earth fell ten feet beneath me, and there was nothing I could do to stop the rest of it from crumbling.

“No,” Avery smiled with a shrug. “She’s a friend, nothing more than that. We’re definitely going to reward her though. She did a lot to make all of this happen.” He gestured at the lights and the cameras. “We at least owe her one for that.”

“Too bad,” the interviewer said. “Audiences go nuts over a love story.”

“The audience will have to go without,” Luke said. “This has been, and always will be, only about the tattoos.”