Page 53 of Ever After

“Me and the other guys. Unfortunately, I don’t think Shaw is going to be a lot of help. She has a lot of red tape she has to get through.”

“Don’t do anything stupid and get caught. I don’t want to have to come bail you out,” I tease.

“You know me,” he replies, smiling through the phone.

“Yeah, that’s why I’m reminding you not to get caught.”

Finley

I walk around the apartment, running my fingers over the different surfaces—the counter, the couch, the walls. It all feels unreal to me. I walk down the hall into the bedroom and freeze. There’s a gigantic bed in the middle covered in tons of pillows and a beautiful white comforter. There’s a large TV on the wall opposite it and a few small pieces of artwork. Whoever stays here, they don’t stay often. No dresser, no night stand. No personal touches.

I sit on the end and flop back, letting the soft blankets envelop me, and I take a deep calming breath. Scooting back, I pull my legs up and snuggle down into the bed. It’s so soft and comfortable. I haven’t slept well in a few weeks, and suddenly, the thought of staying here to relax sounds more enticing than walking around to explore the city.

I close my eyes and focus on the sounds of the city below me. The cars, the hustle and bustle of the city, and the occasional barking dog are comforting. I know I’m not trapped in a basement somewhere.

“Finley, you awake?” he whispers.

“Yeah, just comfortable.” I don’t want to move, so I stay where I am, the blankets and pillows forming a small cocoon around me.

He sits next to me. “I can order in if you want. I’m sure there are places close by that will deliver.”

I turn, grab his shirt, and pull him down next to me. He lays on his back and pulls half my body over his. I snuggle into his chest, and he wraps his arms around me, holding me tight. The sound of his heartbeat pulls me further down.

“Does Winston have any information yet?”

He pushes out a breath. “Not yet, he’s working on it.”

I nod into him and inhale deeply, taking in his scent. His phone dings with an incoming text message, and he ignores it, keeping his arms wrapped around me. I smile to myself, knowing he’s ignoring it in favor of holding me. It feels good, being here with him, having him hold me tight. I trace my fingers along the hard planes of his chest.

His phone dings again.

“Maybe you should get that.”

He groans and shifts, pulling his phone from his pocket. I see Dylan’s name as the contact, and I rest my head down again, not wanting to invade his privacy.

“Shit.” He sits up, and I sit up with him.

“What? What’s wrong?”

He reads the message out loud to me. “Grayson, big problem. Her picture and your picture are all over theEver Afterwebsite.”

“How does he know that?” I ask in disbelief.

“He’s the one that helped me locate you in the first place. He got into the dark web and did a search.”

Another message comes in, and Grayson opens it, zooming into the pictures.

“That’s the picture from my practice website.” I point to the picture of me.

“Yeah, my picture is the fake picture Winston’s guy, Ian, got up on the internet for Chase Biggs. Doesn’t look like it mentions anything about my real identity on here, so that’s good.”

Another message, and this one I read.

Dylan:Website states you’re in New York, traveling with a girl who might be Crimson.

I look at Grayson and see the actual fear in his eyes. He runs his fingers through his hair and pulls the ends in frustration.

“Looks like our vacation just became a staycation, babe.” I shrug and shake my head.I don’t care.“I need to call Dylan and forward this information to Winston. Take this phone and look up a place to order from, whatever you want.”