“Hey,” I whisper.
“What are you doing here?” she says, looking around the room as if people with ski masks and guns are going to come and get me any minute.
I swallow. “I was looking for you.”
She crosses the room to me in two steps and gathers me in a quick embrace. “Are you okay?”
My throat tightens and my eyes blur.
“Yeah,” I whisper. “I’m fine. I’m okay. He said I was safe here.”
“You are,” she whispers back. “But there’s been a security breach and we need to make sure no one finds out you’re here. Has anyone seen you?”
I nod. “Cosette.”
“Okay, go with Thayer now. Please, Savannah. Fabien and I will be leaving soon because we don’t want anyone to suspect anything’s amiss, and Fabien wants to investigate what happened to you. I know Thayer will keep you safe.”
We pull away and she gives Thayer a piercing look. “Won’t you, Thayer?”
“Of course I will,” he snaps. “But she’ll obey the fucking rules of the club, Nicolette.”
Nicolette looks from me to Thayer. “She will.”
“Hello,” I say. “I’m right here.”
“Go,” Nicolette says. In my ear she whispers, “We have to hide you.”
Thayer’s hand grips my arm again.
I want to tell them I’m with him. I want to tell her she can trust me, that there’s nothing to worry about. I want to tell her that I’m safe, and that Thayer’s got my back, and he isn’t going to steal my virtue or anything she’s worried about like that, because he’s a good man.
But I don’t know if I believe any of that.
All I know is that if I’m not safe, how is Nicolette?
What if they recognize who I am and decide to come after her as well?
“Go,” I tell her in a whisper. “I’m safe, babe. Go.”
I look to Fabien and jerk my chin at him. “Keep her safe, too, okay?”
What are we getting into? Have we made a grave mistake associating with this family?
Nicolette swipes at her cheeks and swallows. “Stay in touch.” She looks sharply at Thayer. “Make sure you let her stay in touch with me. None of this no contact bullshit, Thayer.”
“Nicolette.” Fabien’s voice holds a warning I’ve never heard before. Thayer’s well-respected here, and it’s probably not too common for a woman like Nicolette to dress down Thayer.
What a strange, archaic world this is.
“I mean it, Fabien,” she says.
Thayer towers beside me. I forget how tall he is when I’m not wearing heels. “She’s safe with me, Nicolette. I promise.”
She gives me a big bear of a hug before she lets me go and kisses my cheek.
He doesn’t wait but tugs me to the door.
I realize with a sudden jolt of fear that if anyone saw us together, they might start wondering who I am and why I’m chatting with Nicolette in an obviously highly charged conversation.
