“I’m not here to see you, I mean.”
“I didn’t ask if you were here to see me,” Bryan says with a slow wink.
“Anyway, that’s a very poor lie—you’ve always been a terrible liar.”
Gabrielle bites her lip and looks down at her shoes so Bryan can’t see her face. When they were children, Nanny was overwhelmed by all the Peters girls. Gabrielle was the youngest, and she was constantly getting sick. When Nanny didn’t have time for her, she’d ask Bryan to help out.
Bryan was three years older, and Gabrielle thought he was the coolest person she’d ever seen. Of course, he used that to his advantage. Once, he threw her into the deep end of the Peters’ pool, even though she didn’t know how to swim. Another time, he tied a raw steak to her jacket and let the neighbor’s vicious guard dog out of its cage. She hid from him, but he’d always find her and drag her out of her hiding spot by her pigtails.
“Think fast, Miss C.o.c.keyed,” Bryan says, tossing something at her feet.
Gabrielle calmly looks at the object—a toy snake. Instead of jumping away, she bends over and picks it up. Then she flicks it across the room at Bryan.
“You’re such an idiot,” she says.
“I’m not scared of snakes anymore.”
“Guess I’ll have to try harder,” Bryan says with another wink.
“Bryan, where the hell did you get that toy?” Leilani asks, grabbing the snake from the bed.
“From the child in the room next to mine,” Bryan says with a quick smile.
“You stole a child’s toy?” Leilani asks, rolling her eyes.
“You’re impossible.”
She takes the snake and then grabs Gabrielle’s arm and guides her into the hallway. Gabrielle glances up at Bryan and smiles shyly before letting Leilani lead her into the hall. As soon as the door shuts, Gabrielle feels her eyes sting with tears.
“Leilani, you look like you’ve gotten thinner,” she says.
“You’re supposed to be gaining weight with the pregnancy, not losing it. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m okay, Gabrielle,” Leilani says.
“Just tell me what’s going on.”
“Earlier today, I overheard Mrs. Meyer and Jackson talking,” Gabrielle says.
“It was horrible.”
Leilani wraps her arm around Gabrielle’s shoulder and smiles softly, “Tell me everything. From the beginning.”
Gabrielle swallows hard and begins to tell the story. Every few words, she stumbles and has to start over. By the time she gets it all out, Leilani is frowning deeply. Still, Leilani’s next question takes Gabrielle by surprise.
“Did you have s.e.x with Jackson Oliver?” Leilani asks.
Gabrielle feels her blood run cold, and she stammers, “Um, no, I, no.”
“Then what were you doing in the hospital?” Leilani asks.
“I’m confused. I thought you said something about a test?”
Gabrielle curses herself for being so careless. Leilani has always been perceptive—between the police station and this slip-up, it’s possible Leilani will figure out what happened. Gabrielle swallows hard and shakes her head.
“You must have misheard me,” she says.
“I said I was here for a visit. To see an old classmate.”
“Good,” Leilani says.
“Jackson isn’t good for you, and anyway, you’re far too young to be wasting your time with men. Learn from my mistakes and focus on your education.”
Gabrielle nods nervously and follows Leilani back to Bryan’s room. They say a quick goodbye and head toward the elevators. The bodyguards follow them the entire way. Besides, the two men, the hospital is strangely empty. Still, Gabrielle can’t shake the creepy feeling that someone else is watching them.
As the elevator doors slide open on the ground floor, Leilani sees Robert and a group of bodyguards.
“Mr. Bamford asked me to escort you back to the mansion,” Robert says.
Leilani nods and follows Robert out to a black town car. She slides into the backseat with Gabrielle and lets Robert take the passenger seat upfront. She asks the driver to take them to Gabrielle’s campus nearby, and then she begins to ask Gabrielle all about her classes and her grades.
Suddenly, she looks up and sees that the car is driving way too fast—trees and buildings speed past the window in a blur. She rolls down the partition and sees Robert gritting his teeth.
“Quick, get in front of that car up there,” Robert tells the driver.
Leilani looks nervously out the window. Though Robert isn’t a bodyguard, he’s had years of experience protecting Waylen. He always knows when there’s a threat nearby, and he seems incredibly worried. Leilani unbuckled her seatbelt and leans forward.
“What’s going on?” she asks Robert.
“Don’t worry about it, Mrs. Bamford,” Robert snaps.
“Just put your seatbelt back on.”
“Is someone following us, Robert?” Leilani asks.
“I deserve to know the truth. Are we being chased?”
“Yes, there’s a car following us,” Robert says.
“Now, please put your seatbelt back on. I need to focus on.”
Leilani twists around and looks out the back window. A dark green SUV is weaving between traffic behind them. Horns blare as the SUV cuts people off. Gabrielle grabs Leilani’s hand, and her face is pale, and her body is rigid.
“Please, sister, just put your seatbelt on,” Gabrielle whispers.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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