Page 65 of See You There

Dahlia frowned. She hadn’t picked a dress yet. This was the highest publicity event she’d ever had, and she knew her appearance was important. She’d splurged on a stylist to help her. Dahlia’s shoulders drooped. She didn’t want to cancel the appointment. Surely, I’ll be back by then, she thought.

When she returned to her living room, she saw two identical heads of dark, wavy hair bent together, still reading her contract. Dahlia fidgeted.Luke’s expression was grim when he looked up at her, but James was as inscrutable as ever.

“This contract is a travesty.” Luke’s voice was accusing, and her hackles rose.

“I know that!” Did he think she hadn’t been living under those terms for the last ten years of her life?

James sent his brother a warning stare. “We can discuss it when we get to your place. We need to go.”

Luke looked like he wanted to argue. With a huff, he stalked toward Dahlia, his face stormy. She took an instinctive step back and flinched when he extended his hand toward her.

Luke froze, his lips parted slightly in surprise. Emotion flickered across his face and his expression darkened. Without a word, he reached for the duffel bag she’d slung over her shoulder and took the handle of her suitcase.

Dahlia flushed. She was jumpy. Understandable with everything that had happened over the last few days. She hadn’t actually thought Luke would hurt her. It was just an old instinct.

“I need to call Victor and tell him where I’m going.” She straightened her shoulders hoping the heat in her cheeks didn’t look as fiery as it felt.

“No.” Luke headed for the door.

Dahlia gaped at him. “He’s still my agent. If I don’t tell him something, he’ll call the police and report me missing!”

Luke’s mouth set in a mulish line, and she glared back. Why was he being so stubborn?

James’s gaze bounced between the two of them. “Dahlia’s right. She can’t just disappear. With the movie coming out, people will wonder why she’s not out promoting it. Social media already has reports about what happened at the photo shoot. The studio will want to come up with a story to protect the movie—”

“Fuck the movie!” Luke exploded. “I don’t give a fuck if Matt Crawford takes a hit over this. The fewer people who know where she is, the better.”

“It’s not just Matt,” Dahlia snapped. She was exhausted and her nerves were fried. She didn’t have the energy to deal with Luke’s tantrum. “This ismycareer! Not to mention the rest of the crew who worked hard on this. They don’t deserve that!”

Luke’s jaw sawed back and forth, his gray eyes glittering. “Fine. Call from the car.”

Dahlia scowled.What is his problem?

James checked the parking lot before she was once again hurried into the car. Luke opened the front passenger door for her, but Dahlia ignored him and climbed into the back seat.

The energy rolling off Luke put her even more on edge. Dahlia thought she heard him growl, as he clicked his seatbelt in place, and mutter something about stubborn women.

It didn’t take long for them to reach Luke’s parking garage a few miles from Dahlia’s home. When James keyed in the code for the resident-only parking, he looked in his rear-view mirror and cursed.

“What is it?” Dahlia asked nervously.

“The silver Honda?” Luke twisted in his seat, looking out the back window.

“Yeah, it picked us up soon after we left her place. They must have been watching from the shopping center across the road.”

The compact sedan had pulled to a stop at the entrance to the parking garage and suddenly sped away when a car behind it in traffic honked.

“I think it’s the same car that tried to run us down. Damn! It was too far. I couldn’t make out the plate.”

James pulled into a parking space and opened the door, tucking his gun into the waistband of his pants. “Let’s get upstairs.”

A shiver went through Dahlia. “They followed us?” She knew the answer, but her trembling increased when the two men exchanged a solemn glance.

“Everything is going to be fine. We’ll be safe in the building,” Luke said when he opened her car door.

Dahlia nodded. Despite the hot, humid air trapped in the parking garage, her teeth chattered. A look she couldn’t identify crossed Luke’s face. His fingers slipped through hers and squeezed.

“I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”