“This is unreal. Females are dumb.”
“Dude.” Erica smacked his arm. “Shove it. This is journalistic gold. He’s right. The only reason his story got national attention is because of his face and his family’s wealth. That’s it. There are a lot of murders that happen, but none get the accolade he’s received. And so what?” She shrugged again. “Who cares if he’s feeding us bullshit? For what it’s worth, I do think he meant what he said. He cares for that girl.”
“Then, where the hell is she?”
“That’s the point of our story. He’s opened up about her, and he’s never done that before. That’s the big question. Where is Jordan Emory? He’s not really the story anymore. It’s her. People want to know about this chick, and she’s missing.”
“Can you blame her?” Jake threw me a frown as he said to Erica, “I’d hide, too, if I had to deal with this guy.”
“Well.” Erica lifted the remote again. “And the media. I mean, seriously, the girl’s going to get her ass ripped apart whenever they find her.”
“You think she went into Witness Protection?” Jake was still studying me.
“Who knows? It’ll all come out eventually.” She pressed Play. “It always does.”
Kian continued, “I couldn’t have survived what she did. She persevered…”
Jake moved closer to me, tugging me further from the television. He lowered his voice, bending close to me. “Hey, you okay?”
Erica was right. It was going to come out. I had to stop hiding and face it. My jaw was trembling. I felt wetness on my cheeks, and I raised a hand, feeling the tears there.
“Hey, hey.” Jake caught my face and lifted it. He was peering down at me. “What’s wrong? Talk to me. Wait, aren’t you supposed to be at work? I was going to come and take your break with you.”
Erica glanced over, but she was distracted by the interview. A small frown marred her face before she resumed taking notes.
I sucked in a hasty breath. If Erica noticed something was wrong, she’d dig into me and demand to know what it was.
Turning my back so that she couldn’t see my face, I looked toward the floor, keeping my voice low. “I’m fine. I…wait, if you were going to come to my work, what are you doing here?”
Jake straightened abruptly and jerked back a step. “I came here to look for you.”
“No, he didn’t,” Erica called over. “He’s not telling the truth. He was at the paper to see Susan. I made him feel like shit for that, so I asked him to bring the DVD here.”
“Why?” I frowned. “They don’t frisk you, do they?”
She snorted. “Susan would love it if they did. Nope. I incriminated your boyfriend for two reasons. One, he owes me, and two, when Susan asks me if I took the DVD home for any reason, I can honestly say that I didn’t.”
“Are you serious?” I couldn’t tell sometimes with her.
She grunted, turning back to the television. “As a heart attack. I need as much extra advantage over Susan as possible. I’m in the battle of my career…before my career has really started.”
There was a break in the conversation as Kian’s voice carried over. “She didn’t persuade me to do it. She didn’t brainwash me to do it. She didn’t blackmail me. She didn’t even ask me. She did nothing.”
A lump sat at the back of my throat. It was permanently lodged there.
“She did nothing.”
Erica’s voice added to his. “The girl’s going to get her ass ripped apart whenever they find her. It’ll all come out eventually.”
An image of Kian holding me flashed in my mind.
“They’re going to crucify me, aren’t they?”
He had pulled me tighter to him. “Not if I can help it.”
“I have to go,” I choked out.
“What?” Jake asked.
Erica paused the tape again. She didn’t say anything.
I turned back for the door.
“Wait. Jo, come on.” Jake was right behind me.
“No.”
His hand came down on my shoulder.
I shrugged it off, opening the door. “I have to go.”
“But—”
Erica was standing up from the coffee table. She was frowning at me, but she wasn’t as concerned as Jake. A ripple of fear started inside me. What if she was starting to piece it together?
I blocked Jake from following me. “Don’t. I have to go.”
“Where are you going?”
I started down the hallway. He was coming right behind me.
“Stop, Jake!” I yelled over my shoulder. “I mean it. I…” Think, Jordan, think. “I have to go and do something. I’ll be back later.”
I didn’t think.
I ran.
Grabbing a cab, I didn’t think again when I told the driver where to go. When he pulled up outside of The Maston, I caught sight of a car heading to the back of the hotel. “Follow that car.”
“You sure?”
No. “Yes.”
And I was right. The car pulled up to a back door. A driver got out, went to the side, and opened the rear door. The hotel door then opened, and Kian walked out.
I dug out some money, tossed it to the driver, and said, “Thank you.” I was outside then and hurrying forward. “Kian.”
He handed his bag to the driver and bent down to climb into the back, but he paused. Seeing me, he straightened back up. He didn’t say anything until I was right in front of him. His dark eyes raked over me, but there was no reaction to seeing me.
I hesitated then. Maybe I shouldn’t have come?
His head lowered a fraction of an inch. His eyes became lidded. “What are you doing here?”
I flushed. His tone was quiet, but he didn’t seem upset. He sounded worried. The lump in the back of my throat was swallowed, and I felt like I could breathe easier. “I’m going to be found, aren’t I?”
He didn’t answer. That mask was so unreadable.
I wanted him to give me something. “Kian?”
He sighed, his shoulders dropping. “Probably.”
“I want to come with you,” I blurted out. What the hell?
I should have regretted my words. I didn’t. They were true. If I was going to be discovered, I needed to be with someone who had endured everything before, too.
“Dude.” Erica smacked his arm. “Shove it. This is journalistic gold. He’s right. The only reason his story got national attention is because of his face and his family’s wealth. That’s it. There are a lot of murders that happen, but none get the accolade he’s received. And so what?” She shrugged again. “Who cares if he’s feeding us bullshit? For what it’s worth, I do think he meant what he said. He cares for that girl.”
“Then, where the hell is she?”
“That’s the point of our story. He’s opened up about her, and he’s never done that before. That’s the big question. Where is Jordan Emory? He’s not really the story anymore. It’s her. People want to know about this chick, and she’s missing.”
“Can you blame her?” Jake threw me a frown as he said to Erica, “I’d hide, too, if I had to deal with this guy.”
“Well.” Erica lifted the remote again. “And the media. I mean, seriously, the girl’s going to get her ass ripped apart whenever they find her.”
“You think she went into Witness Protection?” Jake was still studying me.
“Who knows? It’ll all come out eventually.” She pressed Play. “It always does.”
Kian continued, “I couldn’t have survived what she did. She persevered…”
Jake moved closer to me, tugging me further from the television. He lowered his voice, bending close to me. “Hey, you okay?”
Erica was right. It was going to come out. I had to stop hiding and face it. My jaw was trembling. I felt wetness on my cheeks, and I raised a hand, feeling the tears there.
“Hey, hey.” Jake caught my face and lifted it. He was peering down at me. “What’s wrong? Talk to me. Wait, aren’t you supposed to be at work? I was going to come and take your break with you.”
Erica glanced over, but she was distracted by the interview. A small frown marred her face before she resumed taking notes.
I sucked in a hasty breath. If Erica noticed something was wrong, she’d dig into me and demand to know what it was.
Turning my back so that she couldn’t see my face, I looked toward the floor, keeping my voice low. “I’m fine. I…wait, if you were going to come to my work, what are you doing here?”
Jake straightened abruptly and jerked back a step. “I came here to look for you.”
“No, he didn’t,” Erica called over. “He’s not telling the truth. He was at the paper to see Susan. I made him feel like shit for that, so I asked him to bring the DVD here.”
“Why?” I frowned. “They don’t frisk you, do they?”
She snorted. “Susan would love it if they did. Nope. I incriminated your boyfriend for two reasons. One, he owes me, and two, when Susan asks me if I took the DVD home for any reason, I can honestly say that I didn’t.”
“Are you serious?” I couldn’t tell sometimes with her.
She grunted, turning back to the television. “As a heart attack. I need as much extra advantage over Susan as possible. I’m in the battle of my career…before my career has really started.”
There was a break in the conversation as Kian’s voice carried over. “She didn’t persuade me to do it. She didn’t brainwash me to do it. She didn’t blackmail me. She didn’t even ask me. She did nothing.”
A lump sat at the back of my throat. It was permanently lodged there.
“She did nothing.”
Erica’s voice added to his. “The girl’s going to get her ass ripped apart whenever they find her. It’ll all come out eventually.”
An image of Kian holding me flashed in my mind.
“They’re going to crucify me, aren’t they?”
He had pulled me tighter to him. “Not if I can help it.”
“I have to go,” I choked out.
“What?” Jake asked.
Erica paused the tape again. She didn’t say anything.
I turned back for the door.
“Wait. Jo, come on.” Jake was right behind me.
“No.”
His hand came down on my shoulder.
I shrugged it off, opening the door. “I have to go.”
“But—”
Erica was standing up from the coffee table. She was frowning at me, but she wasn’t as concerned as Jake. A ripple of fear started inside me. What if she was starting to piece it together?
I blocked Jake from following me. “Don’t. I have to go.”
“Where are you going?”
I started down the hallway. He was coming right behind me.
“Stop, Jake!” I yelled over my shoulder. “I mean it. I…” Think, Jordan, think. “I have to go and do something. I’ll be back later.”
I didn’t think.
I ran.
Grabbing a cab, I didn’t think again when I told the driver where to go. When he pulled up outside of The Maston, I caught sight of a car heading to the back of the hotel. “Follow that car.”
“You sure?”
No. “Yes.”
And I was right. The car pulled up to a back door. A driver got out, went to the side, and opened the rear door. The hotel door then opened, and Kian walked out.
I dug out some money, tossed it to the driver, and said, “Thank you.” I was outside then and hurrying forward. “Kian.”
He handed his bag to the driver and bent down to climb into the back, but he paused. Seeing me, he straightened back up. He didn’t say anything until I was right in front of him. His dark eyes raked over me, but there was no reaction to seeing me.
I hesitated then. Maybe I shouldn’t have come?
His head lowered a fraction of an inch. His eyes became lidded. “What are you doing here?”
I flushed. His tone was quiet, but he didn’t seem upset. He sounded worried. The lump in the back of my throat was swallowed, and I felt like I could breathe easier. “I’m going to be found, aren’t I?”
He didn’t answer. That mask was so unreadable.
I wanted him to give me something. “Kian?”
He sighed, his shoulders dropping. “Probably.”
“I want to come with you,” I blurted out. What the hell?
I should have regretted my words. I didn’t. They were true. If I was going to be discovered, I needed to be with someone who had endured everything before, too.
