“Ignore them,” Theo says, forcing the words out through gritted teeth.
What happens next is a whirlwind. Winston ushers us quickly away as another guard appears out of nowhere and blocks the cameraman from getting closer. Theo grips my hand as we sprint down empty paths through the park, the sound of heavy footsteps trailing after us. When we finally get to an exit, a crowd is waiting on the sidewalk, screaming Theo’s name. Winston opens the door to a black car and forces us inside.
“We’re being followed,” he tells the driver.
I turn and see two different cameramen on motorbikes rightbehind our car. One of the bikes speeds up to draw even with the rear window and swerves, nearly hitting us. Our car jerks right to avoid a crash.
“Bloody hell,” our driver shouts.
“Get down, now,” Winston says. I flatten myself against the floor while Theo lies across the seats. My heart accelerates with the speed of the car as we weave in and out of traffic, Winston and the driver arguing about the best way to lose them.
The car makes a hard left turn and Theo braces his arm against the seat to stop himself from rolling on top of me. I press my hand to my mouth to keep from crying out as my eyes fill with tears.
“Slow down,” he orders, his gaze locked on mine.
“We’re perfectly safe—”
“You’re scaring her,” Theo says. “Slow down.”
The car decelerates slightly until Winston says, “Yellow light. Floor it.”
“But sir—”
“Now,” Winston says, his eyes glued to the back window.
Theo and I lock eyes.I’m sorry,he mouths silently as the car lurches forward. I close my eyes and brace myself for disaster when I feel Theo’s hand grip mine. The car swerves sharply and Winston shouts.
I lie perfectly still and count the painful beats of my heart. For all the time I spent in Europe contemplating my death, disaster never felt quite so imminent.
There’s nothing romantic about dying on a car floor in Toronto.
The car finally slows, and I pry my eyes open. Anger is radiating off Theo in waves. “Is it over?” I ask.
“We lost them,” the driver confirms.
Theo sits up and buckles his seat belt, but I can’t bring myself to move. My muscles are frozen, my brain disconnected from any of my limbs. This is where I live now.
Winston cranes his neck to look at me with a frown. “It’s safe to get up,” the bodyguard says.
“Nothing about that was safe,” Theo snaps at Winston before looking back at me. “But please get up and put your seat belt on.”
There’s a desperate rasp to his voice that I can’t ignore. I climb back into the seat next to him, and he grimaces as he watches me fasten my seat belt with trembling hands. “This is all my bloody fault,” he says quietly, dragging a hand over his face.
“It’s not your fault those people are leeches. I don’t blame you.”
“You should.” His eyes are bleak before they shutter closed. “I’m going to ruin your life,” he says, and now that we’re inches apart in an enclosed space, I can smell a whiff of alcohol on his breath.
A shiver of fear zips up my spine; I can’t help but believe him. Ten minutes in Theo’s world, and my life has never felt so far out of my control.
I turn my attention to Winston. “Where’s Naomi?”
“Your friend was released from custody on His Majesty’s orders quite some time ago. We don’t have her.”
“I’ll ask her, and you can drop me off wherever she is,” I say.
Winston plucks my phone out of my hand.
“Hey!”
