Page 35 of Pervade London
“What about Kitty?”
“Don’t say goodbye. Don’t let her see you leave. Don’t tell her where you’re going.”
So fucking weird.
“All my things are at home,” I said.
He rested a hand on my forearm. “Look, I need time to talk with James…sort things out.”
“Sort what out?”I’m not going to a hotel.
I had my first audition on Friday with the London Symphony Orchestra. No way was I missing it. I’d spent years working toward this goal. I had to be focused and I couldn’t allow any distractions to ruin my chance.
Hugging myself, I said, “Xander, please tell me what’s going on.”
“Take a taxi. Don’t use Uber. Understand?”
“Do you owe him money?”
“No.”
“Who are those men?”
“They don’t exist. And if you don’t leave right now, neither will you.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Keep your voice down.” He rubbed his brow. “Trust me…this is nothing I can’t handle.”
“What did you do?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“We’ll talk later. I have to go.”
“What did you mean about going back to work for them?”
He shrugged, looking frustrated.
I felt a stab of doubt. “When I first met you—”
“Not now—”
“You were running from someone. Tell me it wasn’t him?”
“I said we’d talk later.”
“You’re scaring me.”
He cupped my face with his palms. “Emily, I’ve done nothing wrong. I need you to believe me.”
Even if he was innocent, he’d brought these sinister men into our lives.
He pulled me into a hug. “Don’t use your phone. Don’t use your credit cards. Don’t order room service. Book us under the name Wells. I’ll find you.”
“How can I check into a hotel without money?”
He let me go and reached into his wallet, whipping out a gold American Express card. “Use this.”
Accepting it, I blinked at the name H. Wells on the plastic. Then I remembered.
