CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXKera woke up. She was still on Vig’s chest but they weren’t alone. She looked up and saw Erin, Leigh, and Annalisa standing by the couch, staring at her.“You better go,” Vig said, his eyes still closed. “They can stand there all day just staring. After a while it’ll start freaking you out.”Kera slid off Vig and stood. She stretched out her back and kissed Vig on the lips. “I’ll talk to you later.”“You will.”Kera followed Erin and the others outside. She stood on the porch as the others went down the stairs.“So what happens now?” Kera asked.Erin faced her, her expression grim. “Now? We sacrifice you to the gods.”Horrified, Kera stared at Erin until Erin burst out laughing. Leigh and Annalisa shook their heads and walked off.“I’m joking, you idiot. You’re one of us now. Good or bad.”“Why would you still want me to be one of you?”“You just are. Like with family, we don’t get a choice. But I saw you fight last night. Your skill is there.”“But I can’t—”“You need to know what you’re fighting for. Right?”“Why would you say that?”“Skuld only takes smart women. And smart women ask questions that they expect answers to. You need to know what you’re fighting for. And I’m going to take you to someone who can show you. You up for it? Or do you want to go back in there and snuggle up to your big Viking?”“Is it wrong if I say I want both?”“Actually . . . you wanting both makes me feel better about this.”Kera walked down the stairs and they headed off to where Erin had left the car.“You and Vig slept together in your clothes?”“I wasn’t in the mood for sex.”“Guys are always in the mood for sex.”“So what’s your point?”“That if he was willing to cuddle up to you all night and not make a move to at least get a blow job—must be love.”Kera stopped, Erin’s words stunning her.“Keep moving, Watson. We’ve gotta beat traffic.” 

After they had the SUV valet parked, the four women walked into the most beautiful office building Kera had ever seen. Lots of glass and steel and natural light from open skylights, and big looping staircases.“This place is amazing,” Kera said, unable to stop looking around. And, as her eyes scanned down one of the big staircases, she gasped. “Hey, isn’t that—”“Yeah. That’s him,” Erin replied. “And before you start asking is that her or is that him or is that the band I love? The answer is always going to be yes. Betty does not deal with no talents.”“That’s Betty . . . uh . . . ?”“Lieberman. Top Hollywood agent and most feared bitch in the world of media. She is loathed and feared like no other.”Erin walked up to the unbelievably gorgeous woman working the front desk. “Hi. Erin Amsel to see Betty Lieberman.”“I’ll let her assistant know you’re here.”“Why are we here to see Betty Lieberman?” Kera asked.“She’s the Seer,” Annalisa whispered.“Which Clan is she in again?”“With the name Lieberman?” Erin scoffed. “What do you think? She’s one of ours.”“Oh. And she has an office here?”Annalisa gazed at Kera. “This is Betty’s building. Betty’s company. All these people report to her.”“Wow,” Kera sighed, her gaze moving over the amazing architecture again. “Did the Crows get her all this?”“Not exactly.” Erin pushed her hands through her hair. “She was already a pretty well-known agent in her first life. She worked for one of the big agencies. Maybe CAA. I can never remember. Then she got killed, started her second life, and several of the Crows financially backed her opening her own agency. They’ve been repaid in full, several times over.”“How did she get killed?”“Husband killed her for the insurance money and because she’s kind of a bitch if you can’t keep a handle on her.”“No woman should be ‘kept a handle on.’ ”“You don’t know Betty,” Erin said on a laugh.“Did you give her the good news yet, Erin?” Annalisa suddenly asked.“No, I forgot.”“What good news?”“We heard from Paula before we left this morning. She wanted us to let you know that she needs you to sign some legal paperwork and she’s already done the research on taxes and nonprofits. Which is a really good thing because, apparently, you made a little more than two hundred from those studio people.”“Two hundred bucks? Oh . . . I guess that’s okay. To start.”“Two hundred thousand, sweetie.”Kera gaped at Erin. “You . . . you raised over two hundred thousand dollars? Seriously?”“Told you. Narcissists in a barrel.”“Uh-oh,” Leigh sighed out. “She’s going to throw up again.”“I’m not going to throw up again. I’m just a little . . . stunned.”“And that doesn’t include what you’ll get from the Crows.”“Wow. I just . . . wow.”“Just don’t throw up.”“Shut up, Leigh.”Brianna, holding a tablet in her hands, rushed over to their small group.“Miss Amsel?”“Oh. Yeah. Hi, Brianna.”“Hi. Hello. How are you?”Kera saw the redhead’s green eyes narrow. It was as if she’d locked on a potential victim.“I’m fine, Brianna. And how are you?”“Fine. Fine. Great! I’m wonderful. Um . . . yeah . . . I hate to do this, but I was wondering if we can reschedule your meeting with Miss Lieberman? She’s very busy today. I can’t tell you how many meetings she—”“We need to see her now.”“Well, you see . . .” Then, like a big rush, it poured out of her. “Miss Lieberman is, as I said, really busy today and she gave me strict orders not to interrupt her. For anything. And . . . um . . . I got your message from Miss Kelly about the meeting and I know Miss Lieberman says she wants those messages from Miss Kelly and Miss Wong, but then she said that she didn’t want any interruptions. Because she has such a busy day and it would just be easier if I could reschedule you guys . . . ?” She gave a bright, wide smile that was actually painful to look at it was so forced.“Sweetie,” Erin sighed out, “can we not do this every time I come here? We know how it’s going to end.”“It’s not a big deal,” Kera offered, “you can reschedule us, Brianna.”“No,” Erin said. “We need to see Betty today.”“I think you’re being unreasonable,” Kera told Erin.“And I think you’re being a pain in my ass. Why can’t you just do what I tell you to?”“When you’re being reasonable, I will.”“You know—” Erin began as Yardley King suddenly came around a corner with a small group of Crows behind her. She threw her arms open wide, cutting off the rest of Erin’s sentence.“You guys!” she said, and Erin winced at the high notes the superstar actor managed to hit as she smoothly slipped between the two women. “I’m so excited to see you!”“I just saw you yesterday,” Kera reminded her.Yardley hugged Kera, grinning as she pulled away. “Heard you had a rough night, gorgeous. Are you okay?”“I’m fine.”She put her arm around Kera’s shoulder, pulling her close. “So what are you guys doing here?”“Here to see Betty, but perky tits,” Erin said while pointing at poor Brianna, “is cock-blocking me and I don’t like it.”“No worries, Brianna. I’ll handle it with Betty.” She turned Kera around and pulled her toward the big glass elevators, the rest of the Crows behind her.They all got in the elevator while poor Brianna tried to stop them. But Yardley just smiled as the doors closed. “She’s going to run up the stairs now, trying to catch us.”“In those shoes?” Kera asked.“Sweetie, you’d be amazed what I can do in shoes higher than that. It’s a skill. Strippers can show you how to do it!” she added on an incredibly perky note.“Yes,” Kera replied, “that’s what I need. To wear shoes that strippers have to show me how to properly use.”“Such sarcasm.”Kera glanced at the Crows with Yardley. “You actually have an entourage?”“These ladies are my security. They protect me from the paparazzi. Very necessary in my business. Plus, they’re my best friends in the whole wide world!” she cheered, and the Crows with her joined in. There was also giggling.The doors opened on the top floor and together the group of Crows walked down the hall.As they approached, Kera could hear yelling from behind partially opened thick double doors.“Let me tell you something,” a gravelly voice snarled, “and you better hear me. You try and fuck me over on this goddamn contract, they’ll be finding pieces of you from here to goddamn Seattle. Understand me? I will crucify you, you goddamn whore. When I’m done, even your children will have to go into goddamn witness protection. Do you understand? Good!”At that point, Kera pulled away from Yardley and tried to head back to the first floor, but Yardley grabbed her arm with an iron grip and yanked her closer to the doors.“Don’t be a wuss, gorgeous.”“Wait!” Brianna yelled from behind them. “Please wait!”She ran around them so that she stood between the group and her boss’s door. She threw up her hand to stop them, panting heavily, proving that Yardley had been right. She’d run up five flights of stairs.“Just . . . just let me talk to her first,” she begged around deep breaths.Erin gestured for Brianna to go ahead.Blowing out a breath, the assistant walked until she just reached the doorway and in a strained, tight, barely-above-a-whisper voice said, “Uh, Betty . . . there’s someone to—”With a good amount of speed, the woman ducked as a half-filled water bottle flew past her. “I said no interruptions! And what are you doing, you little twat? You’re interrupting!”Nope. Kera had no reason to see this woman. No reason in the world. She didn’t care what the other women said. Firm in that belief, she turned to walk away, but Yardley wrapped her arm around Kera’s throat and pulled her into her chest to hold her there.“Betty, honey. It’s me,” she called out. “Yardley.”“Yardley? I thought you left.”Unable to lift her head, Kera heard the clip-clop of big shoes on the hardwood floor as Betty Lieberman moved much too close for Kera’s comfort. The clip-clop stopped, there was a pause, then squealing.“You guys!” Betty cheered. “What are you doing here?”“Do you have some time, Bets?” Erin asked. “We have someone you need to meet with.”“For you guys? Of course!” Then that sweet voice turned vicious and she snapped, “Why didn’t you tell me it was Erin? How I haven’t fired your idiot ass yet is beyond my understanding, Brianna!”“I’ll just leave these guys here,” Yardley said, finally releasing the chokehold she had on Kera and shoving her into the office.“I’ll see you guys later. Love you!”Kera rubbed her neck and watched the short, powerfully built woman in a black silk business skirt and pale pink blouse wave at Yardley until she entered the elevator. Then she spun on poor Brianna, who was only trying to hand back the water bottle that had been flung at her.“What part of ‘if Tessa or Chloe calls always put them through’ are you not understanding?” Betty demanded as she backed Brianna into the door. The size difference made it kind of hilarious. Brianna was like an Amazon. Tall and slim and beautiful. She looked like she should be on a runway somewhere, not desperately trying to find a way to calm down her insane boss. Even her designer glasses were adorable on her.“But you also said—”“Forget it!” Betty said, tossing her hand, which had Brianna rearing away from her so that the back of her head slammed against the hardwood door. “Just don’t even bother.”Betty snatched the bottled water from Brianna and walked into the office, her expression again calm. “Do you guys want something? Coffee? Tea? Soda?” She held up the bottle in her hands. “Water? Or are you hungry? We have Danish, bagels, anything you want. Just let me know.”“We’re fine,” Erin said, grabbing Kera by the back of the neck when she again tried to leave the office.Kera punched Erin’s hand off her neck and the redhead pushed her back.“Is this the new girl?” Betty asked, closing the doors of her office. She stopped before she closed them fully and barked, “No interruptions, Brianna!”“But what if it’s—”“No interruptions! Ever!”Betty slammed the doors and faced them.“What is wrong with you?” Erin asked Betty.“When Brianna got here,” Betty explained to Kera, taking her arm and leading her to the couch across the big office, “she was a beautiful, confident, up-and-coming future studio executive. But after three years with me and a healthy, six-figure yearly income, I’ve destroyed her will to live.” Betty gave a soft smile. “I’m really good at my job.”With a happy sigh, Betty pushed Kera onto the leather couch.“Why would you do that?” Kera asked.“Because she lets me. Erin can tell you, I abhor weakness. Even before I was a Crow.” Her head tilted to the side. “Are you weak, Kera?”“I don’t know,” Kera answered honestly.“She’s not,” Erin said. “She may not know, but I do.”“Why did you bring her to me?”“You know why, Betty. She needs to see, Seer.”“Is that what you want, new girl? To see?”“I don’t wanna see. I’m fine not seeing.”“Don’t worry. It won’t hurt.”“I don’t need to know my future or whatever. I can just let it happen.”“I don’t see the future. I see the past and present.”“If you show me my time in the Marines, I’m just going to miss it more.”Betty sat down on the ottoman in front of Kera. “I wish it was that easy.”“What do you mean?”“I can show you things . . . but only the gods choose what I can show. I don’t control it.”Kera cringed at that. “I don’t want to see my mother. You can’t show me my mother.”Annalisa, now sitting in one of the chairs, leaned forward. “That’s interesting. Let’s discuss that a little further.”“I swear to God,” Kera snarled out, “don’t make me come over there.”“Sorry,” Annalisa said, hands raised. “Habit.”“Erin’s right,” Betty noted with a smile. “You’re not weak.” She stretched out her arms. “So let’s see what the gods have to show you. Give me your hands, sweetie.”“I’d rather not.”Betty tossed her short black hair off her face with a twitch of her head and smirked. “First thing you’ve gotta learn . . . you can always trust a fellow Crow.” She winked at her. “Go on. Take my hands.”Kera looked down at the woman’s hands. She had a diamond-studded wedding band on her left ring finger and three other rings on her right hand that included diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. Not knowing much about jewelry, Kera would still guess the woman had about half-a-million dollars on her hands at the moment. What was it like to be so wealthy?Kera didn’t think she’d ever find out. She wasn’t really a ring person.“Come on,” Betty pushed. “I promise not to bite.”Kera let out a breath. “Fuck it,” she said before placing her hands in Betty’s.The older woman laughed softly. “Now, do you know how to meditate?”“Yeah. I do.”“Excellent. Then just close your eyes and begin deep breathing. I’ll handle everything else.”Kera did what she was told and, at the very least, her meditation helped her calm down a bit.She breathed in. She breathed out. Then she was off . . .