“I’m not irresponsible, and I wasn’t trying to escape from you or my brother, Amos. I’ll keep the phone charged, but I don’t want to be treated like a child.”
“I don’t see you that way. When you came on my fingers last night, you were a woman. All woman.”
He hangs up without saying goodbye, and I’m left so weak in the knees I have to sit down.
God, how am I supposed to survive being in a relationship with a man this intense?
Worse yet: how am I supposed to survive when it all comes to an end?
“What kind of apartment are you thinking about?” Theo asks, mid-bite of his salad.
We went out for lunch since he’s flying to LA for work tomorrow, and I’ll be completely alone in Boston—the bodyguards watching me 24/7 don’t count. They’re quiet and never speak to me.
It’s been several days and Amos still hasn’t returned. Even though he calls every morning to check on me, he hasn’t said a word about when he’ll be back.
He told me yesterday that Ethan is unreachable, and I’m starting to suspect there’s way more to this security company than they let on.
“Nothing too big. Maybe three bedrooms. One for me, one as a studio, and another for guests.”
“A penthouse would be great.”
“I’d love that, especially if it had a pool—but all the ones I’ve seen are massive and duplexes, like the ones my brother and Amos have.”
“Amos. Your boyfriend,” he teases, and I roll my eyes—but I can’t stop my foolish heart from racing at that label.
“We’re in a relationship, but he never said anything about being my boyfriend.”
“You live together,” he says with a wink.
“I’m gonna throw this meatball at you if you keep laughing at me. You and Martina are soulmates. I’ve never seen two people so sarcastic,” I say, laughing despite myself. I’ve told each of them about the other, and they’re dying to meet. “We don’t live together. I’m only staying at their place because my brother forced the situation.”
“Alright, I’ll help you find an apartment. When I get back from LA, we’ll go look. Your classes start the Monday after next, right?”
“Yeah. I’m really excited. So many changes at once!”
“You’re growing up, Lilly. Change is scary but necessary. It’s a transition phase. If you weren’t scared, that would be weird. Just don’t let it paralyze you.”
“My biggest fear is getting my heart broken by Amos.”
“A justified fear, I’d say, if he’s really all that like you’ve said. But not being with the guy you’re into just because you’re scared? That’d be pathetic.”
“You’re right. Watch out, world—Lilly the Bold has officially arrived.”
Chapter 26
One Week Later
Somewhere in the state of Massachusetts
We’ve been on a stakeout for over ten hours outside the house that’s our target.
We don’t know how many children are inside, and even if the waiting feels insane, one wrong move could blow everything.
Local authorities aren’t involved in the operation. They have no idea what’s going on. For this mission, we were hired by the FBI.
We’ve worked with them many times, mostly in kidnapping rescues, and both Ethan and I suspect they know about ouroff-the-recordactivities,but they prefer to look the other way.
The feds are aware that this isn’t just some run-of-the-mill pedophile ring. These aren’t ordinary men—they’re politicians, businessmen, and even cops.
