King of Sloth (Kings of Sin #4) by Ana Huang

Despite her words, her voice faded into a whisper toward the end. The night had taken its toll, and it was a testament to her fatigue that she didn’t argue again when I kissed her goodbye on the forehead.

“We’ll see each other again soon,” I said fiercely. “I promise.”

I wished we had more time together, but Pen’s health came before anything else.

Rhea and I took her into the bedroom, where she instantly crashed. I hoped she slept through the night. Otherwise, tomorrow would be rough.

I smoothed back her hair, my throat clogged with emotion. Another visit finished too soon. Our time together never lasted as long as I would’ve liked, but at least I saw her. It was the best I could’ve asked for given our circumstances.

“It’s good she got to see you for a bit tonight,” Rhea said after we returned to the living room. “Mr. and Mrs. Kensington didn’t spend a lot of time with her before they went out.”

Of course they hadn’t. My father and stepmother considered Pen’s condition an embarrassment and kept her away from the public as much as possible.

“Thank you for letting me know about tonight,” I said. Rhea had called last week and told me they would be in London. George and Caroline had dinner and show reservations tonight, which gave me a large enough window to see Pen. “I appreciate—”

“…absolutely terrible.” A familiar voice outside the door stopped us in our tracks and made my stomach plunge. “Honestly, George, I’ve never had a more abysmal lobster.”

Rhea and I stared at each other, her huge eyes mirroring mine. “They’re not supposed to be back for another two hours.”

Her mouth trembled. “If they see you…”

We’d be done for. Rhea loved Pen like a mother. If she were fired, they would both be devastated, and if I couldn’t see Pen anymore…

Do something. CEOs and celebrities paid me exorbitant amounts of money to guide them through rough patches, but a strange disassociation rooted my feet to the floor. It was like I was watching an actor play me in the hotel room while the real me spiraled down a tunnel of unwanted memories.

Dating you is like dating a block of ice…I don’t know if you even like me…

Can you blame him for what he did?

If you actually cared that much, you’d cry or show some emotion.

Don’t embarrass us, Sloane.

If you walk out that door, there’s no coming back.

Pressure pushed against the backs of my eyes, desperate for a way out. As always, it found none.

A key whirred against the suite’s card reader.

Move! a voice inside my head screamed. Are you stupid?

You’re going to get caught.

The soft click of the door unlocking finally snapped me out of my trance and into crisis-management mode.

I didn’t think. I simply grabbed my bloodied heels from the entryway, scanned the living room for any traces I might’ve left behind and, satisfied there were none, ducked behind the floor-to-ceiling drapes.

The door opened, revealing a glimpse of gray hair before I fully ensconced myself behind thick red velvet. My palms curled, slick with sweat.

I hadn’t planned on running into my family today. I wasn’t mentally prepared for that, and though I wasn’t a particularly religious person, I prayed with everything I had that they were too tired to do anything except go straight to sleep.

“We should’ve stuck with our regular spot.” Caroline’s clipped tone echoed in rhythm with her heels. “This is what happens when you give so-called rising stars a chance, George. They’re rarely up to par.”

“You’re right.” My father’s deep, familiar voice rumbled through me like thunder on a Friday night when I was tucked in bed with a book and a flashlight. Equal parts comforting and ominous, it chipped at the wall I’d erected long ago until a sliver of nostalgia escaped.

It’d been years since I heard his voice in person.

“Next time, we’ll go to the club,” he said. “Rhea, order room service for us. We barely ate anything at the restaurant.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And why are the drapes open?” Caroline’s voice grew louder. “You know they must be closed immediately at sunset. Lord knows who could be looking in right now.”

No one because you’re on the twelfth floor and not facing any other buildings.

My snarky mental reply didn’t prevent the taste of copper from filling my mouth when my stepmother’s footsteps stopped in front of me. I stood frozen, staring at the swath of velvet that was the only thing separating me from disaster.

Don’t look behind the drapes. Don’t look behind—

She grasped the curtains with one hand. I pressed my back against the window, but she was centimeters from my face and I had nowhere else to go.

Thud. Thud. THUD.

The ominous drum of my heartbeat intensified with each passing second. I was already devising multiple plans and backup plans for what I would say, what I would do, and who I would hire to help if Caroline found me and shipped Pen off to some remote location where I couldn’t see her.

Caroline’s hand tightened around the drapes. For a heart-stopping moment, I thought the jig was up.

Then she dragged the curtains closed, hiding me completely, and resumed her complaints about that night’s dinner.