I set my coffee on the counter and opened the folder to see Dylan’s face, and a breakdown of his life. Education, family, arrest record—which was empty.
“You did background checks?”
“I did.” He didn’t sound apologetic in the slightest. “I probably would have done it anyway, but I would have waited until after the heat. It wasn’t my idea to start now.”
“Whose idea was it?”
“Mine.” Liam stood in the doorway to the kitchen. Barefoot in jeans and a black T-shirt, hair damp from the shower. “Jack’s right. Weknowyou’re ours. But we also have nothing to hide, and if looking into us helps you or anyone else in your life feel more comfortable, I wanted it sooner than later.” He crossed the distance between us and tucked a hair behind my ear.
I didn’t look at Neil as I spoke. “Anything in this folder you’re concerned about?”
“Nothing that would affect your safety. Maybe a couple of things the press won’t like,” Neil said. “But no, nothing.”
Liam shrugged. “We’re not squeaky clean.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “We are rock stars after all.”
“Am I going to have groupies banging down the door and trying to kill me for taking you off the market?”
He laughed, wrapping his arms around me and spinning me around. “No. Definitely not.”
“Good.” My phone buzzed on the countertop, and I glanced at it. “I think I have messages from… everyone.”
“The whole world?” Liam asked.
“The whole fucking world.”
“Then I think we should give you the tour and make the world wait.”
I grabbed my coffee and left my phone on the counter. “Couldn’t agree more.”
Esme
You alive?
Hello?
Okay, Neil has confirmed that you are okay.
I assume that means you’re still being dicked down.
Answer me when you have a chance.
Mom’s asking where you are, by the way.
She says you’re not answering her messages.
I lied and told her you were doing some kind of super remote on-location thing. But she’s not going to believe that forever.
Eva
I am alive.
Esme
Holy hell, woman.
Thank goodness.
I think my phone is ringing as much as yours does right now.
