Page 94 of Before Eve

West boards the plane, keeping his gaze glued to me the whole time. His plane taxis down the runway. My emotions swell with need, longing, and the rawness of love.

“You ready, Miss?”

I nod toward the worker and climb into my small plane. As it taxies away, I glance out the window, and I freeze.

There, hovering along the fence that borders the private airport, stands a man in a dark suit, camera in hand, staring right at me.

By the time we land in Miami, I’m so wound up that everything in me aches, and my head pounds.

On the taxi ride to the hotel, all I can think about is that man and his camera. It’s probably just paparazzi taking pictures of West. This is what I tell myself, try to convince myself of, but my gut tells me otherwise.

Fear careens through my body and floods my stomach with acid. I just… I don’t know what to do.

When I get to the hotel, I go to my room. Anne’s stuff is on her bed, but she’s gone somewhere. I sit down and look at my phone. I want to call Brynn. A whole hour ticks by, and all I do is stare at my phone.

I’m going insane.

…be ready to run if I tell you.

But she hasn’t told me anything. It’s been radio silent.

I go down to the business center. I do a search on Grayson, me, West, but everything seems the same.He’s having me followed.Brynn’s words come back to me. I type her name into the search engine.

An article from last week appears. I click on it and begin reading, and I stop breathing when I get to:Longtime friend of the Kader family, Brynn Spindell, is set to go in Laura’s place on Grayson’s electoral tour.

Beneath that is a photo of Brynn standing beside Grayson, both smiling.

Noah is in the background.

CHAPTER 46

Bursting from the business center,I race toward the stairwell, fling open the door, and take the steps three at a time. On floor ten, I sprint down the long hall to my room, and panting, I fumble with the key, drop it, and snatch it back up.

I get inside my room and grab my phone. I dial Brynn’s personal cell.

“Hello?” she answers, obviously not recognizing the number.

“What is going on?” I yell. “You can’t go with Grayson!”

“You can’t call me on this number! What are you doing?”

“Brynn! How long have you known that you’re replacing me on Grayson’s tour?”

“A few days. I told you Grayson and my dad have been in a lot of meetings. That’s what they were discussing.”

“This is what he wants! He knows I won’t let you go with him.”

“Don’t you think I get that?”

“Are you going alone or is your father going with you?”

“Alone. Remember that teen education initiative he announced at your sixteenth birthday party? I’m set to ‘replace’you at the events you would typically attend because you’re still under the weather with ‘Lyme disease.’”

I grab my duffel. “I’m coming home. There is no way you’re going in my place.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Did you tell your father that you didn’t want to go?”