Page 35 of Ruthless Prince

“I know, but my point still stands. We’re normal people. Sometimes we talk about each other. In this case, it was purely out of concern. Ipromise.”

I rubbed the back of my head. “Okay. I get it. But next time you’re worried, could you just ask instead of having a secret breakfast meeting to discussme?”

“Yes. I’m sorry, okay? We had good intentions. At least Idid.”

My shoulders drooped a little, releasing some of the built-up tension. “It’s fine. Let’s just forget it,” Isaid.

“So we’regood?”

“Yep.” I squinted and shielded my eyes as two black cars with over-bright headlights passed me, one directly behind the other. “What are your plans fortonight?”

“Nothing much. I’m in a lazy mood, so I ordered a pizza, and I’m going to watch Netflix until I pass out,” she said. “Actually, hold on, I think that’s the delivery guy at the door rightnow.”

I heard a rustling sound as she pulled her curtains aside and looked out the front of her Dupont Circlebrownstone.

“Hm. That’s strange,” shemuttered.

“What’sstrange?”

“I thought I heard the pizza guy, but it was just my neighbor getting home,” she said. “Anyway, when I was looking, I saw two black cars parked on the other side of the street. As soon as they saw me in the window, they spedoff.”

My eyes widened. “That’s so weird. Two black cars just passed me here on33rd.”

She laughed. “I guess we’re beingstalked.”

My stomach dropped at her remark. To her, it was nothing more than a dark joke, but to me, it was a reminder of everything I’d gone through in recentmonths.

“I’m sure it’s just a coincidence,” I said, trying to keep the shakiness out of my voice. I took another deep belly breath to calm myselfagain.

A grinning skull suddenly loomed at me in the darkness. It only took a second to realize it was a drawing on a promo poster for a nearby club’s upcoming Halloween party, but the sight of it still felt like a swift, violent kick to the stomach, jolting me right back to that awful night in mybedroom.

All the air rushed from my lungs, and I let out a high-pitched squeak. I immediately faked a cough so Simone would think that was the source of the strangesound.

“Are you still sick?” sheasked.

“No, I’m fine. I was just clearing mythroat.”

“Oh. Well, it’s good you got over it so much faster thistime.”

“Yup.” My voice was still quitesqueaky.

“Um… are you sure you’re okay,Willow?”

I was about to answer in the affirmative when I realized the Secret Service agent in front of me was gone. I whirled around to see that the other two were missing aswell.

“My security detail is gone,” I said in a harsh whisper, deathly afraid again. “They were here a second ago, but now they’vedisappeared.”

“What the fuck? Are youserious?”

“Yes. I’m freaking out.” I stepped up to one of the trees spaced along the sidewalk, as if the short, clipped branches could actually hide me or protect me from anydanger.

“Stay on the phone with me,okay?”

Just as Simone said that, all the streetlights wentout.

“Something is happening,” I whispered. “There’s no lights. No people, either. That’s weird for this part of town,right?”

“I’m sure there’s just a problem with the power or something,” Simone said in a soothingtone.