“You said that like I had a gun and a camcorder pointed at you,” Wes said with a lifted brow and a grasp on my forearm to stop me from moving.
I snorted, trying to avoid his penetrating gaze.
He cupped my face, his soft touch and authoritative energy grounding me, slowly stilling my mind. “Tell me what you need, Nova. I require it.”
“I’m sorry for being sensitive and annoying,” I forced out, “but I can’t be here right now.”
Wes immediately let go of my face, grabbed my hand, and led me out of the store. “You are never annoying to me, Nova. Never. We areallsensitive. It’s human. You’re allowed to be human.”
I relaxed. I didn’t ask where we were going, but it wasn’t long before I figured it out.
“I’m juggling a lot right now,” I admitted as we headed north toward Wes’s apartment. “And unlike the lives of the women in Jayne’s girls group chat, it’s not easy. It’s really fucking hard. I’m finding it impossible to relax.”
Wes nodded. “Explain it to me, please.”
I took a deep breath, and I unloaded. I told him everything weighing on me. I explained my options for this next book, which were to either sit in query hell for who knew how long in the hopes a publisher might offer a decent advance and release the book in one to three years, or to go ahead and indie publish it, create all new marketing systems from scratch for a completely new author brand, and pray a publisher noticed me after the book took off.
IfI could make this book take off.
And, like a coward, I completely omitted door number three—the option where I let The Circle make everything easy. Ireasoned I didn’t need to tell Wes about the publisher if I never planned on walking through that door.
“You’re in the dark night of the soul with your career right now, where it’s impossible to see the inevitable peak ahead,” he said, squeezing my hand. “I love your ambition. I know I can’t solve this for you, but I want to help in any way I can, even if you just need someone to bounce ideas off of.”
I nodded, and he kissed the side of my head.
“You’re going to do what’s best for your art and your business. I’ve talked to many founders and executives in my life, and I’m telling you, Nova, you haveit.The intuition that can never be taught. That ineffable propelling force. You have not failed; you have learned.”
I sighed, trying to accept the compliment without deflecting or rationalizing. “Thank you, Wes.”
We turned onto his street, and my phone buzzed. “Sorry, let me turn that off,” I murmured, but when I looked at my phone, I couldn’tnotsee the text.
Delilah
Oh my Goddd. What does Lorelei’s post mean? Do you know where that is?
I stopped walking. Wes turned from halfway up the stoop.
My heart beat wildly. A better person would’ve silenced her phone and put it away. Instead, I clicked PicWave and toggled to my burner account.
“I—I’m sorry,” I said to Wes. “I need to…”
The post was a picture of Lorelei standing in front of a bedroom window, a man’s hand around her throat as her head dipped back, exposing her long neck. She was in a black dress with a plunging neckline. My stomach churned at the unsettlingway her ribcage protruded on her upper chest. Beyond her was an expansive view of some luxury estate encased by forest.
“She’s there,” I said. I slowly met Wes by the front door and handed him the phone. “Lorelei is already upstate.”
Wes read the caption aloud. “He has rid me of all fear. I am ready.I am ready to merge with eternity, with my God, with The Circle.”
I felt sick. Wes clicked the side of my phone and opened the front door, steering me inside. Tonight, he was the one who dropped to his knees, gingerly helping me out of my boots. When he straightened, his eyes were fiery, his jaw impossibly tight.
Just one word, guttural and raw, came from deep inside him as he stared hard at my face.“No.”
“No?” I repeated softly.
Wes backed me up against the wall. “They are luring you there… They are luringusthere… And they’re using your friend to do it.”
I watched him fight an internal battle, as if struggling to remain in control.
“You said you wouldn’t,” I whispered. “You said you wouldn’t demand this of me.” Wes had said he didn’t want me anywhere near The Circle, but he would never use his power to take away my agency.
