Page 42 of Eye Candy

I stared at him for a while, knowing he wasn’t the type of man to pull shit out of his ass and make something out of nothing. No, if he felt that way, he felt that way for a reason, and hearing him say that put me on edge.

After what must’ve been fifteen minutes, the door opened, and Vance strolled out, followed by Tessa and Laina. He told Mike where to go, to get to the audience since no one wanted him to stand up on the podium with us, and before he left us, his eyes fell to Laina.

I wasn’t the only one that was uneasy now. Mike was, too. I could see it on his face… just like I could see the concern in his expression. I think this was starting to become more than just a job for him. After this, Mike and I might need to have some words.

And then he was gone, leaving us as his large figure disappeared down the hall.

“Well,” I started, rubbing my hands together, “shall we get this show on the road? The sooner we start, the sooner we can be done, and I don’t know about any of you, but I want to be done with this.”

Tessa tossed a glare my way, but it slid right off me. Vance, on the other hand, nodded with me and said, “Yes, we should get started. Don’t want to keep the press waiting.” He led the way through the halls. Tessa walked at his side, while Laina followed them both, and I followed her, keeping my eyes on her, much like I’d keep my eyes on her during this whole thing.

She didn’t want to do this. I could tell. Making a public appearance, making a statement to the city and whatever state-wide news stations would air it, was the last thing she wanted to do. But she would do it for her father, much like she’d always done.

We stopped before a set of double doors. You could hear people talking; a crowd, from what it sounded like. They were all here to listen to Laina, to listen to Vance, to get the scoop even though there wasn’t any.

Peering in, I saw multiple security guards lining the front of the podium, on the ground. Intermingled with them were actual police. I couldn’t count how many people I saw, but once we got in and walked up to that mini-stage, I’d be able to get a better head count.

Tessa let out a calm breath, turning toward Laina as she fiddled with her hair. Or, you know, the wig she’d made her wear. “All right. This is it. Remember what I said, Laina.” She gave her a smile that was the opposite of warm and motherly,and then she looked to Vance, who nodded and was the first to walk in. Laina followed him, then Tessa.

I was the last one to walk in, and the moment I did, I was greeted with bright lights from snapping cameras and countless reporters all vying to ask questions, holding out their microphones as if they really thought they’d get answers.

This wasn’t about them or their stories, though. This was about Laina.

We walked up the stage one by one, and as Laina walked up to the podium, Vance lifted both hands and tried to quiet the room. It was a decent-sized room, but it was jam-packed full of people. More people than I’d thought would show. After all, it wasn’t like she’d just gotten out yesterday. Laina had been out for a while; this was just her first official public appearance.

Through the faces in the crowd, I was able to spot Mike—only because he was so much taller than everybody else. He stuck out like a sore thumb. He wasn’t looking at the stage, though, not staring at Laina like I would’ve been if I was in the audience. No, instead, he kept surveying the crowd, like he was expecting something to happen, as if his gut feeling was an omen.

When the room quieted enough, Laina tapped the microphone on the podium to test it, and then it was showtime.

“Uh, hi. I’m sure all of you know me, but just in case, I’m Laina Hawkins.” She had notecards, but she wasn’t reading off them yet. Maybe she wouldn’t. I was kind of rooting for her to pull her own speech and not use Tessa’s cherry-picked words. “Two years ago, I was kidnapped.”

She went into some detail about that night that she was stolen, talked about how scared she was. The thing that mademe think she was using Tessa’s speech was when she made a comment about what got her through the past two years: family. Supposedly, she’d thought a lot about family during that time. Thoughts of her father had kept her sane.

Yeah, right.

It wasn’t a long speech, and she did her job, acting hesitant and a bit frightened, just like Tessa had instructed. Laina ended the speech with, “I appreciate you giving me privacy in this trying time, while I’m trying to readjust and take in everything I’ve missed.” She gave the audience a timid smile, and then she took a step back, stepping away from the podium so her father could take her place.

Vance started talking, but I wasn’t paying attention to him. Laina now stood before me, and I leaned forward and whispered, “Good job.” I knew how much she didn’t want to do any of this; she really was a good actress when she wanted to be.

Laina didn’t turn around to face me, but I could see a smile tug at the corner of her mouth, this one more real than the smile she’d given the crowd. She’d left the notecards on the podium, so her hands could be free—her left hand, mainly—so anyone snapping pictures or taking video could get a nice view of the stubs that remind of her pinky and her ring finger.

“We are following every lead we have,” Vance was busy saying, easily commanding the room using his booming voice. He didn’t even need the microphone. “I am confident we will catch my daughter’s kidnapper, no matter where he is, no matter where he’s run to. We will find him, and when we do, we will bring him and his crimes to justice.”

Most everyone in the crowd nodded in agreement. They’d taken such interest in Laina and her kidnapping that the crimewas personal to each one of them. Vance did have that way about him; he made you believe in every single word he said. It’s what made him such a good politician. Considering the fact that he rose to mayor after being a nobody for so long… it really made you think.

Or, it made me think: politics was just a show. Nothing really mattered. It was all about getting as many people to like you as possible.

Vance was saying more, but something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. Someone, far back in the crowd, had brandished a gun… and it was pointed right at us on the stage. Not at Vance, not at Tessa, but at Laina.

Everything happened fast after that. In the blink of an eye, someone next to the gun screamed, and chaos erupted. The trigger was pulled, and I grabbed Laina and pulled her down, landing on top of her with a thud.

Vance and Tessa had fallen down to avoid any other shots, while the police and security leaped into action—too late, though. Laina lay beneath me, her blue eyes wide, her full, luscious lips parting. She looked pale.

No, no, no. She didn’t… was I not fast enough? Had the shooter hit her? Shit. What would I do if I lost her? My thoughts raced, the adrenaline pumping through my body blocking out anything else I might’ve felt.

“Kieran,” she whispered out my name, a prayer on her tongue, and she lightly touched my side. Or maybe it was my stomach. Either way, she pulled her hand off me, and we both turned our heads to see her porcelain fingers were coated in blood.

My blood?

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