Page 130 of These White Lies

“Anna’s with Seth,” Vincent comes over my earpiece. “They’re in the far corner, past the champagne tower. Looks like a serious conversation.”

My stomach flips. I clamp my teeth down until my jaw aches.

Brady’s voice cuts through my panic, sounding irrationally calm and amused. “You done hiding in the bathroom yet?”

“I’m not hiding,” I mutter. My hands curl tighter on my knees.

“Oh sorry, my mistake. Just casually panic-sitting in a stall for the ambiance. Is that a thing?”

My chest hitches on a ragged breath. “You aresoannoying.”

“I’ve heard that before.” I can almost picture his cocky smile from the grin in his voice. “But I’m also exceptionally helpful. Look—this is just a party. You’ve been in rooms with network executives, studio lawyers, billionaires with NDAs the size ofphone books. You can handle one greasy crypto guy and a Cruella de Ville wannabe.”

I huff out something like a laugh. “That might make me feel better if I didn’t know she makes Cruella look like a model volunteer for the humane society.” My throat works. I can’t stop the shameful whisper. “I don’t think I can do this.”

“Just breathe. You’re doing great.” There’s a brief pause. “Just another half-hour or so and it will be done.”

“Easy for you to say.” His tone is starting to seriously irritate me. “Can you at least acknowledge this is hard for me?”

“You’ve got this,” he scoffs. “Pretend she’s one of your actors upset with you because there were brown M&Ms in the green room.”

“I hate you.” My breathing is slower, and my heart rate has lowered to not quite heart attack levels.

“C’mon. We’ll hug it out in the car. And if it helps,” he adds, voice a touch lower with a definite leer, “I’ll even let you pretend it’s not just an excuse to grab my ass.”

The line goes quiet for a beat.

My lips twitch, and then, before I can stop the words, “You just want a chance to grab mine.” My voice is hoarse, but the shaking is gone.

“No reason both can’t be true.”

“Gross,” Sera mutters. “Is this y’all’s foreplay? I take back everything I said. You are perfect for each other.”

Finn exhales, half-laugh, half-warning. “Okay, enough. Stay off the comms unless it’s mission-critical. Other security teams are here, and I don’t want to risk crossing channels.”

“Aren’t we encrypted?”

“He’s right.” Brady’s tone changes in an instant, with no trace of teasing left. All business. “Stay off the channel unless you have to.”

I open my eyes, focus on the stall door, and force myself up. My legs feel like jelly, but they hold my weight. I smooth the front of my dress, tug the hem into place.

My heart and brain are screaming at me to stay hidden in the stall. I’m not a hero, and I never claimed to be, but there is no other way out of this. I can’t run from these people for the rest of my life. Not if I want a life again.

I plaster a smile on my face and push the door open. Fake it till I make it, right? However, my nerve falters, and I stop short. There’s a woman at the mirror.

How the hell did I miss her coming in? I amterribleat this secret agent stuff!

She looks at me with raised eyebrows. “Were you... on the phone in there?”

“Work,” I say smoothly. “Client emergency.”

She gives me a suspicious look before grabbing her clutch and walking out without another word.

Alone again, I brace my palms against the cool marble of the countertop, rolling my shoulders back. The mirror throws back a calm, composed version of me. Makeup intact. Expression steady.Thankfully, my gut-rolling terror is well hidden.

The bathroom door opens.

My stomach plummets before I even turn.