Page 79 of How Sweet It Is

“Sounds good.”

“I’ll order and pick it up. Meet you in thirty minutes?” He gives me a wink.

“Perfect.”

I leave in my car and stop on the way home to get milk, bread, and eggs, because I’m out. As I drive home, I notice a black SUV with tinted windows behind me. It sticks out because most of the vehicles on Willow Shade are either convertibles or family vans. This one definitely doesn’t look family friendly.

I pull into my parking lot, and the SUV follows me. It raises the hair on the back of my neck, but I don’t know why. I’m safe here. Safe enough that Rafe left, right? No one knows where I am, and Levi wouldn’t tell anyone my real name. I’ve been verycareful, not even looking up my parents’ flower shop online, which has been killing me. I want to check on how they’re doing, but I know I can’t. I haven’t called anyone, not even Zoey.

Still, I feel watched as I grab my groceries and take them up the stairs to my third-floor apartment. I’m sure I’m just being paranoid, and I try to shake off the odd feeling. I’m fine. Victor’s guys aren’t here.

I unlock the door, step inside, and nudge it closed with my hip. I click the lock into place, just because that’s what I always do. It has nothing to do with the black SUV sitting out there.

The silence wraps around me like an itchy blanket, too tight. It feels all wrong in my apartment. Like I’m not safe. I set the groceries down on the counter and go to check the window. The SUV is still parked outside.

I swallow hard. Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe they’re here for someone else. If it were Victor’s guys, they would have grabbed me right out of my car. I would probably already be dead. He doesn’t mess around. I’m making a big deal out of nothing.

I unpack the groceries and line the eggs up neatly in the fridge door, trying to pretend everything is fine. Normal. Safe.

Still feeling creeped out, I realize what I need is some music. I grab my phone and turn on a playlist. Only, the playlist that I was on last was the Disney one, and “Hakuna Matata” starts playing.

I put the bread in my bread box as the song tells me how worry-free I need to be. That’s right. I have no need to worry. It’s all good. Levi will be here soon, and we can laugh together about the scary black SUV that was nothing.

A sharp knock startles me. Not Levi’s casual tap but a knock with authority. With purpose.

I freeze. For one terrifying second, I stare at the door. Then I inch toward it and look through the peephole.

Three men stand on the landing. They’re all wearing dark clothes, the short guy in a black leather jacket despite the island heat. The man in the center is older, late forties, maybe, with silver at his temples and a serious expression. The last one is tall and has a mustache.

I can’t breathe. They have to be Victor’s thugs. They’ve found me, and now I’m going to die.

The man in the center holds up a badge—US Marshal.

Relief floods through me as my heart thuds. They’re not Victor’s men. They’re here to protect me. Still, if they’re here, it means something has gone wrong. I open the door.

“Claire Matthews?” the silver-haired man says matter-of-factly. A joke about not being Claire but Amelia comes to mind, but I’ve dealt with the marshals enough to know they don’t really have a sense of humor. Something bad must have happened.

“Yes?” I say quietly.

“Ms. Matthews, you’re going to need to come with us. Your photo has been leaked, and Victor DeLuca can track you to this island.” He flips open a folder and shows me a newspaper clipping with my photo. It’s from the wedding.

It’s a grainy shot of me in the background, standing behind Kiki as she smiled at the camera. A red circle is drawn around my face in pen.

Fear jumps into my throat. “But he hasn’t found me yet, right?”

“Not that we know of, yet, but our software identified you with one online photo. It’s possible DeLuca has the same software and he knows exactly where you are,” he says, his tone clipped, efficient. He tucks the folder under one arm. “You need to relocate right now.”

“But what about Rafe?” I ask.

The man hesitates. “Rafe is busy. Please, ma’am, we need you to come with us immediately.”

My stomach knots. Levi’s coming here any second. I can’t leave without telling him. There’s no way these US Marshals will let me call him. They’ll take my phone and hide me somewhere, making me promise I won’t contact anyone.

My phone switches to “Out There” fromThe Hunchback of Notre Dame, warning me of the dangers outside of the cathedral. I know it’s dangerous for me not to go immediately with these men, but Levi… He will be so confused. I told him I wouldn’t ever just leave.

I need to buy a couple of minutes, just until Levi comes. “Can I pack a few things?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

The man’s expression tightens slightly, just enough for me to notice. “It’s not safe. We need to get going right now.”

---