Page 7 of True Hearts

The man’s face tightens. He doesn’t want to answer. “I need you to find Michael Montclair. He would have attended the Solstice Celebration at the Getty today. The event ends in an hour, but dinner would have been over about a half hour ago. It would take him about fifteen minutes to get his car from the valet, and he lives about twenty from the museum.”

“Would he go home first?”

I check with Luna, who shakes her head.

“No.”

“Hobbies? Girlfriends?” the guard asks.

His fiancée is sitting next to me, and his hobby is gifting knockoffs.

“He plays games,” Luna offers. “Video games. He’s not very good at it, but he plays some kind of online game with a headset. The name of it is like Hellfire or Lucifer.”

“Diablo?” says Steve, my driver.

Luna snaps her fingers. “Yes, that’s it.”

“There’s a PC hall where the Diablo players sometimes hook up. Sometimes the e-sports guys show up there. It’s kind of exclusive.”

“Steve’s kid is a semi-pro gamer,” I tell Luna, and tap the seat. “Let’s try there. In the meantime, I’ll have the chef make some cucumber sandwiches.”

ChapterSix

LUNA

Idon’t know why I’m suddenly nervous to confront Michael. He is the one that has been lying, but the more I go back over things in my mind, I’m wondering if I too have been a fake.

“Do you not like cucumber sandwiches?” Graham asks.

I turn my head at the ridiculous question, but I can’t help but smile, and that is the last thing I should be doing right now. Yet I can’t help it. There’s something about Graham that makes me feel at ease.

“They’re fine, Graham, but you don’t have to do any of that. You have really done far more than you needed to already.” I sink back into the seat. “In fact, if you just want to drop me off at the PC hall place, that’s fine.”

“It’s not fine. I have a sister and mother. I know that the word fine from a woman's lips is far from it.” How can this man read me better than Michael? Probably because I’m not really myself with Michael. With Graham, the curtain is down. I know he is only being extra kind because I’m a friend of Nat’s.

"You're sweet. Even if the rest of the world doesn't know it."

"It doesn't matter what they think."

"Four bodyguards say otherwise," I remind him, but I'm sure he hasn't forgotten them. "And I don't think you've really thought about what else is going to be said. I'm engaged." I hold up my hand.

"No ring."

"Right." He took it. "But everyone thinks I'm engaged, and I'm not. I was out with you. So that makes me a cheater and you…" I trail off.

"Yeah, it's fucked up. Your story will get spun differently than a man’s would. Especially one that is perceived to have money.” He's not wrong. I hadn't thought about that, but a lot has transpired in the past few hours, and I'm too scared to check my phone to see who is blowing it up.

“True, but it’s not as though I can get fired. I already quit.” I still can’t believe I let Michael talk me into giving up my job. I’m so stupid. “And I don’t have any social standing. I’m nobody.” The words hurt even as I say them.

“Luna.” Graham goes to defend me. I can see it in his eyes. I press my fingers to his lips.

“You don’t have to.” His hand wraps around my wrist, pulling my fingers away from his mouth. Graham's giant hand makes mine appear so delicate in comparison. I never thought about a man's hands being attractive—hell, I might even say sexy, but his really are.

“I know that I don’t have to. You?—"

“We’re here,” the driver announces, saving I think both Graham and me so he doesn’t have to make up some flowery lie to make me feel better, and I don’t have to pretend to believe him.

I don’t wait for anyone to grab my door for me. I open it on my own before things can get awkward. Graham follows me out.

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