Текст книги "Kian"

Автор книги: Tijan

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

What? I frowned. My voice was hoarse again. “Finish that sentence.”

He didn’t. He waited, holding my gaze steady.

“It felt like it did in high school,” I started for him. This was important, whatever he was holding back. “What about high school? How was it like in high school?”

His gaze was lidded as he watched me. There was yearning there, but anger sparked, too. It flamed up, and his jaw clenched once again, but he still said nothing.

I had to know. “Kian.”

“Nothing.”

“Kian.” I reached for him.

He brushed me off, retreating from the room. He’d moved with such litheness that I stopped from going after him. It hadn’t been a big movement, but it was how he’d moved.

I remembered how fast he’d sliced Edmund’s throat. At one moment, Kian had stared at me. I had seen the intent in his eyes, but before I could register it and say something or even consider saying something, it had been done. He’d held Edmund in front of him, his arm paralyzing Edmund against himself, and then his arm had slashed in one smooth motion. It had been done. Edmund had watched me, too, his eyes wild and frenzied. He had tried to struggle against Kian’s hold, but Kian brought the knife across Edmund’s throat and then let him fall.

Kian was a killer.

The reminder was glaring to me. Caution and warning mixed with the lust swirling inside me.

It didn’t matter. I still wanted him. “Kian.” My throat was filled with emotion. It hurt to call for him. When I stepped from the room, he was pulling on a jacket by the back door.

“Where are you going?” I asked, bracing a hand against the wall.

His eyes were tortured. The fury and desperation were gone. He was haunted now.

“I need to calm down because I’m two seconds away from grabbing you and taking you against the wall.”

Yes! My eyes lit up. I started to grin.

I wanted nothing else, but he clipped his head from side to side and reached for the door. He was outside in the next second. I hurried to the door, grabbing the handle. It wouldn’t open. He was holding it from the other side.

His voice came through the door, low and quiet. “You can’t follow me.”

“Kian.” I hit the door with my fist.

“When I’m with you, it won’t be while we’re hiding. It won’t be when I can’t hold your hand in daylight. It won’t be when I have to call you a different name. And it won’t be fucking. It’ll be tender. It’ll mean something.”

I closed my eyes, resting my forehead against the door. With each statement, the fight left me.

He added, his voice rough, “It’ll be when I can call you mine to the world. Until then, let me cool off.” He quieted for a beat. “I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.”

I felt his absence more than hearing him walking away from the door.

I took in a gasping breath, feeling the tears burning at the corners of my eyes, waiting to be shed. I didn’t let them fall, but they burned me, just as his words had singed me. Turning against the door, I slid down to the floor and bent forward, my head hanging over my knees.

I let the tears fall.

They weren’t falling because Kian had left me. They were falling because, for once, I didn’t have to hide.

Kian was gone for an hour when my phone started ringing. I moved to the couch earlier and grabbed a blanket. My phone was next to me on the nightstand, and I grabbed it, bringing it to my ear.

I hit the Answer key. “Hello?”

“Dude, where are you?”

It was Erica.

I yawned into the phone. “What time is it?”

“It’s one in the freaking morning.”

“It is?” I sat up on the couch and checked my phone.

She was right. Kian had been gone longer than an hour.

“I must’ve fallen asleep.”

“Yeah, about wherever you fell asleep, you need to give me an answer to give to Jake—in, like, two seconds.”

“Why?” Alarm filtered in. “Is he there?”

“Uh, yeah. He’s been going crazy since you left.”

“He called me earlier, but I told him I was fine.” I frowned, trying to remember what I had said to him. I’d been too distracted by Kian. My thoughts had been jumbled when I was on the phone with Jake. “Didn’t I?”

Her voice lowered. “You told him you went back to work, but, Jo, I called your job. You weren’t there, and they told me what happened. I covered for you, but I don’t know what to say to Jake anymore. Are you in a hotel or something? I mean, you didn’t go and do something crazy, did you?”

“What?”

“The baby,” she hissed into the phone.

I jerked to my feet, pressing the phone even tighter against my ear. “What?”

“Jo, don’t lie to me. I know about the pregnancy. That host guy told me all about it. He sounded worried about you, but between you and me, I wouldn’t trust that kid as far as you could shot-put him. He had a wicked look in his eyes the one time I met him.”

I wanted to smack myself on the forehead. My head fell back, and I groaned, “Oh my God, that stupid rumor.”

“Come on.”

“No, no, no. That’s all a rumor, Erica. I swear.”

She grew quiet on the other end.

“I called in sick twice this last month, and my boss jumped to the worst conclusion ever. I think he partly did it to joke with me. Worst joke ever.” I laughed. “I haven’t even had sex since Jake.”

She remained quiet.

Oh, no! “Since the first time with Jake, last Christmas time.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Well, you and Jake—I don’t know what you’re doing, but you’re doing something.”

“No, no, no.” I couldn’t say it enough. “We’re accountability partners, but we’ve just been hanging out. That’s all it is. He,” I hesitated to what I revealed here, “He needed help staying away from Tara.”

“For real?” Her voice was suddenly louder and clearer. “Are you sure there’s nothing going on?”

I gripped the phone tighter. “Nothing’s going on. I mean,”—there was, and it was Kian—“Jake’s still not over Tara. And, I don’t know, I haven’t been feeling the same attraction as I did before.”

“Oh. I gotcha.”

“You do?”

“Once bitten, twice shy. That sort of thing.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Okay. Well, whatever. Back to the problem at hand. Your boy toy, who’s not really a boy toy, is here and looking for you. What should I tell him? And where are you, for my own nosiness?”

“I…” I glanced around. I needed a lie and quick.

Kian spoke up from behind me. His voice was soft enough so Erica wouldn’t hear. “You had an upset stomach, so you stopped to grab some food.”

I whirled around, taking in the sight of him, as his lie stumbled from my lips.

His hair was wet. His clothes were soaked, but he had never looked so good. His eyes were stormy and heated, holding my gaze. His jaw clenched, making the air snap with tension between us. I licked my lips and averted my eyes. Erica would hear the lust in my voice. I didn’t need a new interrogation from her.

Erica believed it and questioned once more if I was pregnant. She wanted to make sure.

“No,” I said into the phone, staring right back at Kian. “I’m not. I just had an upset stomach. I’m fine now.”

“Are you coming home soon? If you aren’t, I’m coming to eat with you. Where are you at?”

“Uh…” I had no idea.

My eyes got big, and Kian moved closer.

He murmured into my other ear, his hand touching my hand at the same time, “You’ve not been discovered yet. You should return home and be there for as long as you can.”

“I-I’m coming home,” I stammered into the phone.

“Well, good then.” Her relief was obvious. “I have to warn you about the other part. If your stomach really is okay, Jake wants us all to go to a house party with him. Apparently, we’re his new best friends, even Wanker, too. I’m guessing Susan and Tara have officially cut the strings. Doesn’t he have other friends? He’s adamant that we come with him. What’s that about? Wait, I know. No matter what he says, it’s you. He still wants in your pants.”

My tongue lay heavy on the bottom of my mouth. I had no words for her. Kian was standing so close to me, watching me the entire time. He could hear everything my roommate said. The tortured look from before was gone. It was replaced with something else, something ominous, something I wasn’t going to like.

His hand left my hand and fell to my hip. A tingle started as his thumb slipped under my shirt and rubbed over my skin, back and forth, back and forth. And Erica was still talking. I couldn’t hear her anymore. My pulse was so loud with my blood rushing through me.

“Tell her you’ll be home in a few minutes. I’ll give you a ride.”

The words fell from my lips.

She said good-bye, and so did I. The phone call was disconnected, and then Kian took the phone from me. I noticed all of this in the back of my mind, but the forefront was fully focused on Kian. He was so close. I wanted to close the distance again.

Instead, I asked, “Where did you go?”

“To clear my head.” His gaze lingered on my lips. His eyes darkened, and then his hand caught the back of my head in a commanding hold.

I did nothing. I waited, my heart about bursting out of my chest. “And?”

“And”—his forehead rested against mine—“I meant what I said. If I take you, I want you to be mine all the way. Not mine in hiding. Not mine when you have a separate life. Mine. Just mine.”

“Kian,” I whispered. My hands found his arms, and I held on to him. “That—”

He cut me off, his chest heaving up and down, “Can’t be done until you’re forced to go public.” His hand squeezed my neck.

He paused, dipping down so that his lips touched mine. It was so brief, so quick. It was a fleeting graze. My heart skipped a beat.

He added, “And I could never ask that of you. I won’t. I’ll do everything in my power to help hide you.”

“Kian?” I pulled back. What was he saying? I sensed a different urgency from him.

Tilting my head to the side, I gazed at him. He did look different. A resignation had settled on his shoulders, and it kicked up a flare in me.

What was happening? “What’s going on?”

His hand pulled me close. “I came here to watch over you. I wanted to be close to you, and, yes, I wanted to be with you. I was wrong.”

“What?” No…

His hand gentled on my neck, and his thumb began rubbing up and down in a soothing caress. “I shouldn’t have come here. I should’ve left once I knew you were fine. You were happy, Jo, and I messed that up.”

“You didn’t.”

A voice inside my head said, He did. Let him go. You can still be free.

I shut it up.

“All those times in the courtroom, I felt like you knew me, like you were the only one who could know me. I wanted you to be let free. I didn’t want you to go to prison, and you’re out now. And you said your team will do everything possible to keep you from going back.”

“This is your life.”

No.

My heart pressed against my rib cage. It wanted out.

He added, “If you’re found, your life will be ruined. If you hide again, I won’t find you a second time. I’ll have to let you go, so I’m doing it now. I’m letting go. I booked my flight. I’ll be returning home, and I’ll make a public statement.”

“What will you say?”

“The real scandal is the dirty judge. The DA is trying to cover it up by making the media look for you. I’ll tell them the real story. A dirty judge is a bigger story than where you are. You’ll be forgotten in a week. And I’ll stay away.”

“No.” My heart was splitting in two. I closed my eyes.

“I’ll stay away and make sure that you’ll never worry about the media finding you.”

“No, no, no.” I grabbed on to him.

He cradled me to him, his hand leaving my neck to smooth down my back in comfort. He propped his chin on top of my head, his other arm holding my shoulder, holding me to him. “This is for the best.”

I winced, closing my eyes even tighter, as I burrowed into his chest. I didn’t want to let him go and even thinking about it, I wrapped my arms tighter around him.

I drove Jo home myself. She was quiet on the way, and a few times I looked over. I felt like I should say something, anything, to ease her pain, but it was weighing on me, too. And when she held my gaze, right before getting out of the car, I saw the same pain in her eyes. There was nothing to say. Anything I said would’ve cheapened the situation, or taken away what we were both feeling, but when she got out without a word, it was like a silent rejection.

I drew in a shuddering breath, gripped the steering wheel tighter, and tried not to think about who I was driving away from as I went back to my penthouse. Once I got inside, my phone rang. It was Cal, and he never called with good news, not this late at night.

“What’s wrong?”

“She’s public.”

My blood turned cold. “How?”

“You didn’t tell me that she’d left a note for you in the hotel room.” His tone was accusing.

My eyes narrowed. I bristled. “Because that was none of your business.”

“Yeah, well, it’s my business now. A housekeeper had to go back into the room. She’d left something from cleaning it in the morning, and then she saw the note. She was so kind to take a picture of it, and Jo had signed it as Jordan.”

“It’s been days. Why is this now going public?”

“It took time. She sold the note to a local news station. They went to the hotel and got the tapes. There’s a tape of her leaving the room. They backtracked from there, and you guessed it.”

Shit!

“They found Jo Keen, and they think it’s hilarious that her roommate was one of the reporters who interviewed you.” Cal paused, grunting into the phone. “Find her. Call your lawyers. Call her lawyers. Shut this down now.”

“I dropped her off at her place.”

“Did you put the tracking app on her phone?”

“She was sleeping when I got back before, and I did it then.”

“Hold on. I can trace her from here, and…she’s on the move. She’s not at her apartment.”

“Her roommate mentioned a party. Give me the address. I’ll get her.”

“No, I’ll get her,” Cal argued.

I was already out the door and hurrying for the stairs. “I’m already on my way.”

“Damn it, Kian. Your face is going to make it worse. Let me do this. I didn’t alert you, so you could run after her. I called you, so you could call your team and start devising a plan.”

It didn’t matter. I was already down the stairs and through the garage door. The penthouse had the closest parking spot—perks of the wealthy. So, I was in the car within minutes. Jo wouldn’t have wanted to go to the party, but she would’ve gone to make her friends happy.

“I need the coordinates,” I said to Cal.

“This is crazy. You’re going to make it worse. Let me get her.”

“I’m already in the car. Coordinates, Cal.”

After he gave them to me, he grumbled, “I’m going to meet you. You’re going to need help.”

I didn’t argue. I might need him after all, but I’d learned a few things in prison, like how to be discreet and how to disappear.

When I pulled down the street, it wasn’t hard to find the party. Thirty cars lined the sides of the streets along with eight cars packed into the driveway of a lit, large house. The music wasn’t too loud, but after parking and heading down the sidewalk toward the house, conversation and laughter became clearer. In the back were a beer-pong competition and a group throwing a football around. I stayed on the outside of the house but close to the shadows. Most of the windows were open, and I thanked the partygoers for that small blessing. It would make my job a lot easier.

I saw Jo, and the wannabe boyfriend was hovering over her. His hand was on her back, and my teeth gritted. The need to wrench his hand off her was rising quickly in me. I scooted closer to a window. They were moving to the kitchen. I followed. A group had taken up the space by the back door. A girl saw me, but I pulled my hood over my head and lit up my phone. Holding it to my ear, I turned my back to her and waited. Glancing back, I saw her attention had returned to her group, and I moved closer to the side of the house.

She wouldn’t be able to see me from her angle, but I could still see Jo. I couldn’t then. She wasn’t there anymore. Scanning the kitchen from my view, the wannabe boyfriend was there. Another guy I saw with Jo before was there.

Wanker?

I looked for the roommate. I saw her earlier, too, but not now. Jo must’ve been with her. Leaving my view of the kitchen, I moved further to the front of the house. I couldn’t find her. That raised my alarm. I’d have to go inside. I was regretting that I hadn’t grabbed a baseball cap, but I would have to proceed without it.

Spying an open window on the second floor, I stepped up on a closed window frame and hoisted myself the rest of the way, grabbing ahold of the house’s jetty to swing my legs up. Once I had a secure foothold, I moved to the window and removed the screen. I slipped inside a bedroom. The hallway was lit up, and I heard voices.

A girl giggled. “Oh, Rob.”

The guy laughed and pressed her against the door. The door handle started to turn.

I quickly locked it.

“What the hell? Trent locked it?”

“That was smart of him.”

“Fuck. Hold on. I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.”

“I won’t.” She giggled again. “Hurry back.”

I had to move. On the way, I grabbed a baseball cap. A connecting bathroom led to another bedroom. A quick scan showed it was empty, and I hurried to the next door. It was only a matter of time before Trent would come this way to get to his room. Peeking into the hallway, I saw that the girl wasn’t looking my way. I snuck across the hall to another bedroom. It was the same layout. The bathroom was attached to the next room.

I’d have to wait till the hallway was clear.

The guy returned. His voice drifted through the door. “Trent said he didn’t lock it, but we can go this way.”

“Oh, good. Oh. Hi!”

A guarded response came next. “Hello.”

It was Jordan. I held still. She was here. She was within reach. We could sneak out and head back to the car.

“You’re Jake’s girlfriend, right?”

I reached for the handle but paused.

“Uh…well…it’s complicated.”

The girl laughed. “Well, good on you. Seriously, I’m sick of the Susan-and-Tara show.”

“The Susan-and-Tara show?” Jordan didn’t sound impressed.

“The two think they run the campus. Susan keeps bragging that she’s going straight to a big network ’cause of that interview, but I heard the guy only interviewed here because of the other chick. What’s her name?”

“Erica.” Jordan sounded even less amused.

“Yeah, her. She’s a scrappy little thing, isn’t she? Wait, I saw her with Jake downstairs. Are you guys all friends?”

“Something like that.”

“Well, whatever.”

“Gabby,” the guy groaned, “we were in the middle of something.”

“Chill, Rob. I want to give this girl my support. You have it, you know,” she said the last part to Jordan. “Tara and Susan are not liked by everyone. They think they are, but they aren’t. I know they’re both trying to sabotage you and Jake, but you have friends. Just reach out. My girls and I will have your back.”

“Oh. Well, thank you. When the showdown happens, I’ll holler for you.”

The girl laughed. “You do that. My name is Gabby.”

“Come on, Gab.”

“Okay, okay.”

“That sounds lovely. Uh, the bathroom’s this way?”

“Are you supposed to be up here?” His voice dipped low. The guy was suspicious. “The upstairs area is off-limits.”

“Some guy told me I could come up here.”

“Who?”

“Not Trent but some other guy. Blond hair. His shirt said…I don’t know…Mass U?”

“Oh. That’s Erik. He’s a good guy. Yeah, the bathroom’s at the end of the hallway.”

“Thanks.”

I wanted to grab her, but the couple was still in the hallway. They would see me if I opened the door. Her shadow passed the door as she went to the bathroom. I heard a door open and close, followed by a second door, and then there were no voices in the hallway. Everyone was in a room, so the hallway was clear. I leaned against the door.

I’d have to wait until she came back out, and then I’d grab her.

Minutes Earlier

I had no clue why Jake insisted on going to the party, but so had Erica. She’d wanted to celebrate because she’d finished her piece on Kian’s interview. Wanker had come along for the ride—or that was what I’d assumed until we got to the house that was packed to the brim, and Wanker was the first to get a drink. He’d downed three shots before the rest of us could get our own beers.

Wanting to slip away, I nudged Erica’s arm. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

She followed me from the kitchen. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just have to go to the bathroom.”

Her eyebrows were high. “No…sickness…of any kind? None at all?” She felt my forehead and frowned. “You do seem a little sweaty. Are you sure? You know, about the no-kid thing?”

I removed her hand. “Erica.”

“Yes?” Excited anticipation filled her eyes, and she leaned even closer.

“I would have to have sex to get pregnant.”

“Oh.” Her eyebrows dipped down. “But—”

“Seven months ago. That was it.” I patted my flat stomach. “And you would have definitely seen a bump by now if I were about to pop in two months.”

“I suppose.” She sighed. “I’m sorry. You’ve just been distant lately. You’re quieter and always leaving.” She shrugged to herself. “Then again, I’ve not been around too much either. We should do a roommate dinner or a roommate weekend. Wait.” She latched on to my arm. “What about a roommate slumber party? We’ll drink wine, watch ’80s movies, and eat lots of pizza. We can sleep out in the living room—or in our rooms. Maybe we should get a nice hotel suite, and do that? Yeah, let’s do that.”

She was still concocting new ideas, but I saw the wistfulness in her eyes. She was missing the old camaraderie we’d had, and so was I. Too much of Kian. Too much of Susan. Too much about interviews. Even too much of Jake, whatever was going on with him.

I took her hand from my arm and held it, squeezing it. We needed to get back to basics. I could use the distraction from Kian anyway.

I said, “When you sell your piece to a major paper, you and I will celebrate, and we’ll do our roommate-weekend thing.”

“You and me?”

“You and me.”

Her eyes welled up, and she flicked a tear away with the back of her hand. “Thanks for saying that. Sometimes, I think I’ll never get out of Susan’s shadow. She’s so evil.”

I laughed. “You’re a good person. She’s not. You’ll be fine in the long run. I really think that.”

“You think a big paper will buy my story?”

“I know they will. You have a different perspective on it.”

“Thanks, Jo. Sometimes, I think Susan gets me blackballed from projects at the paper. She got a major promotion at The Forum. I had been up for it, too, but they had chosen her. She’ll be gone next year.”

“Well then, next year is when you’ll shine. Screw Susan. She’ll be gone.”

“Yeah.” Erica’s head lifted. “You’re right.” She sighed, glancing over her shoulder. “I should get back to Wanker. He told me he wants to talk tonight. He’s already three sheets to the wind. Can’t imagine how that talk will go.”

The corner of my mouth curved down. “Be gentle with him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just”—he’s in love with you—“be easy with him. Whatever he wants to talk to you about must be hard for him if he’s drunk already.”

She groaned. “He shouldn’t do the serious talks when he’s pissing in the wind. That was our last big talk. He got drunk just like this when he told me not to room with you. Can you imagine how that went over? With his dick in his hand while watering the campus pond. The security guards weren’t amused.”

“He advised against you living with me?”

“Yeah.” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. He had some trumped-up idea that you were hiding something. He’s an idiot. He’s apologized five times to me since then. He realized I would’ve missed out on a good roommate and friend.”

I had tensed but relaxed. Still, hearing that Wanker had been suspicious of me didn’t sit well with me. He’d picked up that I had a secret.

“Uh, yeah. Good thing you didn’t listen to him.”

“Go pee. I’ll have a drink ready for you.” She pretended to shove me toward the back hallway.

“Nope. No way, ladies.” A big guy materialized in front of us, blocking the hallway. He held his hands out to both sides of the wall, one hand still holding his drink. With curly blond hair, a shirt that said Mass U, and cargo shorts, he looked like one of Jake’s friends. “All the rooms are blocked off. If you need to use one, you gotta see Trent.”

He pointed to a guy with jet-black hair in the living room, holding court with a group of guys and girls. He was wearing similar cargo shorts and a shirt that said Boston. Both were tall and handsome with an athletic physique.

“I have to piss.”

“Oh.” He frowned, raking me up and down. “We’re using the first-floor bathroom for something else. Most chicks are sent downstairs, but there’s a bathroom upstairs. You can use that one, if you want.”

I shrugged. “As long as there’s a toilet, I don’t care.”

“Use the one upstairs. It’s at the end of the hallway, and if you run into anyone, just be discreet and quiet. A few of the rooms are occupied, if you get my drift. I’m Erik, by the way.”

Erica and I shared a look. Was this a party or a brothel?

She pointed to the kitchen. “I’ll, uh…get you a drink then.”

I nodded, heading for the stairs.

“Jo!” Jake was coming my way, holding two drinks in the air as he moved through the crowd.

Erica waved me off. “Go,” she said. “I’ll tell him you’re coming back.”

As I went up the stairs, I glimpsed Erica placing a hand on Jake’s chest, stopping him. He listened to her and then looked at me. He waved one of the drinks with a big smile on his face. I nodded, letting him know I got the message. A drink was waiting for me. Good. I’d need more than that one.

Right before I disappeared from sight, Wanker rushed up to Erica and shoved his phone in her face.

Then, I was upstairs. The hall was dark and quiet. A couple was standing in the hallway, and the girl was too chatty for my liking.

I have to go, people. Yes, yes, lots of love my way. She hates Susan and Tara. Don’t we all?

I slipped into the bathroom and sank down onto the toilet.

I needed a breather.

Kian dropped me off a block from my place. Erica warned me, but I hadn’t realized how insistent Jake would be when I got inside my apartment. The only thing he kept talking about was the party. I hadn’t been looking forward to it, but Erica promised we could leave after an hour. Once we had gotten here, the idea of getting a buzz on and forgetting about Kian had started to become more tempting.

Kian was too much in my head. Being open with him, hearing my name again, stirred up a hornet’s nest in me. I wanted to come clean. I wanted to be myself. But the media, the damn media, would hunt me. They would stalk me. They would invade my privacy over and over again and then do it all over once more.

Erica, Wanker, Jake—all of them would go. I didn’t even know if I would have my job. Henry would be ecstatic.

I checked my phone. I’d been in here for ten minutes. I needed to finish up and go face the music. After washing my hands, I reached for the door but paused. I took a deep breath.

One more night. There’s nothing different about tonight. One more show for the Oscars, just like I’ve been performing since I became Joslyn Keen.

My hand opened the door.

And here I go.

I stopped short.

Erica, Wanker, Jake, along with ten others squished behind them were all standing in the hallway. I glanced over my shoulder, but their stares were focused on me. They were waiting for me. An uneasy sensation began in me. All of them had different expressions. Erica’s eyes were wide, accusing, angry…and then I looked closer to see…hurt.

Oh, no.

When my eyes met Wanker’s, he looked away. His hand rested on Erica’s shoulder. He was there for her, not me. Jake’s eyes were shrouded in the same anger as Erica’s, but he looked more hurt than she did. And—I frowned—a little bit excited? That didn’t make sense.

“What’s going on?” I asked. But I knew.

Even before I came up to the bathroom, a sixth sense was nagging at me. It was in the back of my mind, almost laughing at me. My time was up. I felt it but shoved it back.

Maybe it was because of the cab driver. Maybe it was because of the hotel manager. Maybe it was because I’d just wanted it to happen.

I knew what I would see even before Erica held up her phone in response to my question.

There I was, smack dab in the middle. It wasn’t my old face. It was my college yearbook picture from this past year. And above the photo were the words, Jordan Emory Has Been Found.

My old name.

My new face.

And my loved ones looking at me with the accusations.

I was no longer Jo.

I had to think.

I was at a party. There were too many people, and I was trapped on the second floor. I needed to get to safety. The media circus had been notified. I had a few minutes, by my estimation.

“Is it true?” Erica sounded wounded, her eyebrows furrowed together. “Is it?”

“I…” A lump formed in the back of my throat. I couldn’t talk. I could only stare at her.

Betrayal stared back at me.

My God. My worst nightmare was coming true. I was living it right now.

The longer I stood there, gaping back at them, the guiltier I looked. I knew I needed to say something—apologize, come clean, say it was a mistake. I had to say something, but nothing left my mouth. I tried to remember the speech I prepared so long ago for when this happened, if it would happen.

My memory failed me.

“I’m so sorry, Erica.”

Hurt flooded her gaze before she looked away.

Shame and guilt overwhelmed me.

She was gone. I saw it in that instant, felt it in my gut. No matter what, that friendship was done. I’d lied for one year as her roommate and another year as her friend.

I looked at Wanker beside her. I’d expected the same look of betrayal as I started for them, for her, but I stopped. There was nothing in his gaze—at least for me. He was concerned as he looked from me to Erica.

It hit me then. He had known, but I didn’t have time to process that.

I reached out for Erica, and then a door opened behind me. A hand wrapped around my arm, and I was yanked into a room.

“Jo!” someone shouted from the hallway.

I screamed. A hand clamped over my mouth as the door was locked.

I tried to claw at the hand until a voice said into my ear, “It’s me. Stop.”

“Kian.” I pulled back.

It was him. He was dressed in the same clothes—a black sweatshirt with a hood over his head. Underneath the hood, a baseball cap was pulled down over his eyes. A shiver wrapped its way up my spine, awakening me.

I asked, “What are you doing here?”

“They know.”

“Let us in!” a voice hollered from the hallway. Someone was pounding on the door. “Let her go!”