As he’s on the phone, a black jeep drives toward us. It must be my car.
Then the elevator chimes, indicating it’s reached the basement. Seconds later, voices shout behind me. “Penelope! Penelope!”
Spinning around, I’m faced with the same men from last night. Darn it, how did they find me? Why won’t they just leave me alone? Don’t they have enough humiliating pictures of me? I need the car to get to mefast.
Before the men get too close, the security guard lifts his arms out wide and steps in front of me to block their view of me. “Get back now or I’ll get the police involved!” he warns.
Ignoring the guard’s threat, one asks, “Did you spend the night with Lucas Alessi?”
Another asks, “How long have you been together?”
One by one, they fire questions at me. Trying to hide behind the guard isn’t keeping them away.
The jeep approaches and slows down. Thank God my ride is here and this will be over with soon. But the car doesn’t stop. Instead, it picks up speed and drives past me. My mouth drops open as it continues on. If that’s not my driver, where are they? I need to get out of here.
Once again, I’m surrounded with cameras pointed in my face and men asking inappropriate questions. I search around the garage for any quick exits I can run to and hopefully lose them. Because even though the security guard is on the phone talking to what I’m assuming is the police, these men aren’t going tostop pestering me until the authorities arrive. I can’t stay here a moment longer.
Just as I’m about to hatch a plan to get out of here, the screeching of tires echoes through the garage. Up ahead, the black jeep has stopped suddenly, its brake lights illuminating in the dim garage. Then it reverses toward us and stops in front of me.
The passenger side door flings open. “Get in,” Lucas demands.
For a moment, I’m stunned to see him, and I don’t move.
“Are you going to just stand there, or do you want to get away from those fuckers?”
That breaks me from my frozen state. Once again, Lucas is coming to my rescue. I’d rather it be someone else, but I don’t have the luxury of being picky.
Opening the passenger side door, I hop into the car. Realizing what’s happening, the security guard opens the back passenger door and tosses my suitcase onto the backseat. I slam the door in the paparazzi’s faces, and the wheels of the jeep squeal as Lucas floors it out of the garage and onto the busy street. Without saying a word, he zigzags and cuts through the morning traffic.
“Are they following us?” I twist in my seat to look behind us.
“By the time they get to their cars, there will be no chance of them catching up.”
I turn back around and slump into the seat with a relieved breath. “They’re vultures. Don’t they have anything better to do than harassing people and making their lives miserable?”
“You’re the hot topic of the day. It’s how they make their money.”
I lean my elbow on the door and drop my head on my hand. “I wish I wasn’t. Thank you for helping me again. I know how you feel about me. I’m surprised you didn’t leave me behind.”
“The thought crossed my mind,” he says dryly. “I’m not gonna lie, I’m not sure why I did it.” His face is expressionless as hedrives. The clenching of his fingers around the steering wheel is the only indication that he’s not happy with his decision. I’m not happy being stuck in a car with him either.
“Well, I’m grateful you got me out of there.”
While I waited for my driver to show, the paparazzi would have bombarded me. I’d hate to see what they’ve posted about me. That’s why I’ve avoided opening social media on my phone. After what happened last night in my disheveled state while sitting on the floor in a bathrobe, I’m sure the photos will be anything but flattering.
But I don’t have the energy to worry about that now. Better to avoid it and deal with it later. I need to focus on what’s important. Right now it’s getting to the airport to meet Claudia. All I want to do is disappear and forget what a disaster my life has become.
“Where am I taking you?” Lucas asks.
“Do you mind dropping me off at JFK, please?”
He pulls his attention off the road to glance at me for a beat. “Are you running away?”
“Yes.” No point denying it. “Hopefully to someplace no one will find me.”
He doesn’t respond to that, and we fall into uncomfortable silence. I’m grateful for the music coming from the speakers that fill the car with noise.
During the ride, my thoughts bounce all over the place. From needing to call my mother—she’ll be so worried I haven’t spoken to her yet—to hoping Claudia is waiting at the airport, ready to whisk me onto the plane. My thoughts are also drifting to whether Darren has moved Karen intomyapartment now that I’m gone.
