Her step faltered, but she forced a smile. “Of course. Why?”
“You seemed a little sad just now.”
Her eyes met mine, and I swore I felt a punch in my gut. I wasn’t sure if I imagined it or if the helpless despair was really there in her eyes.
“No one ever asks me that,” she said softly. “You’re really nice, Ava. You’re not from around here, are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not in the industry.”
“No.”
Her lips twisted wryly, and she nodded. However, she said nothing else. She just walked out of the office. “Come on, let’s find your boyfriend.”
“Wait…”
She turned to me.
“How about a picture?” I asked. “For my niece.”
“Oh, right.”
We took a selfie with my phone—God, I felt so ridiculous.
We didn’t make it back to the party. Before we reached the end of the hall, someone barreled toward us. The man was big. He wore a sharp suit, and his eyes were flat. Nyla stopped, and so did I.
“There you are,” he said smoothly, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. “Nyla, where did you disappear to?” He eyed me with suspicion.
“I was just looking for?—”
“Doesn’t matter. We’re leaving. We have somewhere to be.”
By the way her body stiffened, I assumed thatsomewherewasn’t to Nyla’s liking.
“Can’t she stay a little longer?” I began. “We were about?—”
“No.” He turned his attention to me for half a second—just long enough to size me up and dismiss me. Grabbing Nyla’s arm, he said, “Let’s go.”
She stumbled beside him. They didn’t head back to the crowd. Instead, they made a turn. I followed. They stopped at aside door. Nyla yanked her arm out of the man’s hold. She waved a hand in a way that looked distinctly frustrated, but I couldn’t make out what she said to him.
The man didn't raise his voice, but his body language was commanding—as if he had the final say, no matter what she thought. After a short, tense exchange, he guided her through the door.
I took a cautious step forward, my heart pounding. I didn’t know what exactly I was chasing, but Iknewsomething was wrong. My gut screamed that something was. Squaring my shoulders, I headed for the door.
A hand circled my waist, and a much bigger body diverted my steps. I gasped but quickly realized who it was.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Lincoln murmured. He casually led me back toward the crowd. “But not tonight.”
“You saw that, right?” I asked.
“I did.”
“Something is off.”
“Clearly. I did my own investigating.”
I glanced up at him.
