Page 45 of Even if You Fall

“Gotta stop doing that,” he said as his gaze darted all over as if intently trying to study my face.

A bright laugh bubbled free. “I’m not doing?—”

“Briggs, Rush, and the girls are going to New York to visit Briggs’ sister,” he said over me, leaning forward in his seat and looking more animated than he had all morning.

Then again,thisAdam wasn’t an Adam I’d met yet. He was an odd mixture of calm and excited energy. Business and play. Irritation and teasing.

Such a contradiction . . . and terribly charming.

“Which would seem like the obvious place for Briggs to hide out if Briggs and his sister didn’t have such a strained relationship,” he went on. “He doesn’t visit her, she rarely comes home, and ever since their brother died, she’s been communicating with Briggs through Rush. Not only that, but Briggs set up a bunch of fake appointments to make it look like he and Lainey would be looking at wedding venues in Aruba.”

“But they’re not going to Aruba?” I asked in confirmation, even though I was sure of that from the earlier conversations.

“Right.”

“And why aren’t we?” I asked, trying to sound like I was attempting to understand and not disappointed. But let’s face it, there was still a huge part of me that was deeply disappointed.

“Can’t have you, Lainey, or Kaia where the Wreckers think you are,” Adam said as if I should’ve known that.

Considering Asher and Cameron had told Lainey that more than a few times earlier, I probably should’ve.

“But why—” I stopped myself, then tried to figure out a way to phrase my next words so they didn’t come out ungrateful. Because I wasn’t ungrateful. After all, I was still on a private jet. I was still with Adam...alone. But I didn’t understand this part of it.

“Why are we going to see your family?” Before he could answer, I held up my hands and quickly waved off what I’d just said. “I mean, why amIgoing to see your family? Why not just send me to New York with Lainey?”

It was impossible to miss the shift in Adam’s demeanor. One second, the new Adam was there, intriguing me in a way I hadn’tknown was possible with him. The next, he shut down, his body tensing up as if preparing for a storm.

“Because it’s better to separate the people who are being targeted,” he finally said. “And again, it’s a good cover. If a Wrecker starts looking too closely at where you might really be, they’ll only see traces of Rush in New York, with someone he’s known his entire life and talks to often, me in Colorado, near my family, and a bunch of purchases on the company card in Aruba.”

“But no one’s going to Aruba,” I stated unnecessarily.

“That’s not what the next flight plan says, and it’ll look like everyone’s actually there.”

“Next flight?” I choked out. “There’s a whole other flight with no one on it just to throw off these people?”

“Flight plan,” he repeated. “No actual plane, Bubbles.”

I nodded absentmindedly, wondering how on earth they’d come up with this insane plan or put it into motion.

Just when I started thinking I might not want to know, Adam said, “You’d be surprised what we can do,” as if reading my thoughts. When my stare snapped to his, he added, “You’d be even more surprised by how fast Briggs can make things happen when Lainey and Kaia are at risk.”

I studied him for a while longer as I thought over everything I’d just learned and tried matching it to the anxiousness that had practically burst from him at the mention of his family. “Are you worried your family will get caught up in this? Or do you not get along with them?”

“What?” he asked on a scoffing breath. “No, I—no. I’m not worried about that. And I love my family. I go back and see them whenever I can.”

A soft smile curled at my lips at the information, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that his family was the reason behindwhat I was seeing. “Then what’s withthis?” I asked, vaguely waving at him. “I told you, you look stressed.”

He studied me as a minute passed...and then another. But I never felt self-conscious under his intense stare, even though I was sure I would’ve with anyone else. Who was I kidding, considering the way Adam so clearly felt about me, I should’ve felt more self-conscious with him than anyone.

Yet, there I was. Heart racing this terrible, wonderful beat as I watched him watch me.

And then he looked away, dismissing my question and me.

Swallowing uncomfortably, I nodded as I stood and made my way back to my seat. Picking my book up from where I’d set it on the chair, I started turning just as my forearm was grabbed.

Even if I hadn’t known it was only Adam and me in this part of the plane, I was sure my body would’ve reacted the same way. The faltering of my heart before the unruly pounding. The heated shiver that raced up my spine and sent chills dancing across my skin. The soft breath that fell past my lips as I stared straight ahead for long seconds before finally looking over my shoulder to meet pleading eyes and a tense jaw.

“This trip is gonna require a lot of trust on both our parts,” he began, voice soft but firm. “I need you to trust that I’m keeping an eye out for anyone who shouldn’t be there—that I’m keeping you safe—and I need to be able to trust you with what I’m bringing you into.”

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