“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a voice called. Hands grabbed me and pulled me in. I fell to the floor and Connor towered over me, shutting the window. “Now what exactly do you think you’re doing?”

I jumped to my feet and pushed against his chest. “Where’s Blake? If you so much as touched him, I’ll kill you myself.” I pushed him again. “Where is he?”

Grabbing me around the waist, he pulled me into his body and slammed a hand over my mouth. I tried to fight him off, but we fell onto the bed, him pinning me with his weight. “Stop fighting me, Hadley. Blake is fine. I called and warned him about the attack hours ago.”

Eyes burning, I sagged in his arms. He was alive. “Why are you doing this?” I said into his hand.

“I’m not the one doing anything. I want to help you, but you have to work with me. I’ll let you go now, if you promise not to fight me. Deal?” I nodded and he slowly uncovered my mouth. “Good. I’m getting off you now.” Once he moved away, I scrambled to the other side of the bed and onto the floor.

“Why am I here?” It was still dark, but I could see him move across the room to the sitting chair.

He sat down and sighed. “You’re not going to like my answer.”

“I don’t care. Anything is better than not knowing.”

He ran his hands over his face and then clasped them in his lap. “You’re here because everyone back home thinks you’re dead.”

“Excuse me? Wait, you’re kidding, right?” It had to be a joke. Maybe I was a victim of one of those prank TV shows that like to mess with celebrities.

From across the darkened room, I could see his serious gaze. There would be no TV crews busting in to say it was a joke. In that moment, all of my hopes and dreams shattered. “Oh my God, you’re not.”

He shook his head. “We orchestrated your death to make it look like an accident. For the past couple of years, your father had been getting threats on your life. I guess you can say he got tired of it and wanted to take matters into his own hands. That’s why he asked us to do this for him.”

I felt sick and betrayed. How could my father take my life away like that? “Who is us?” I demanded. “Are you with the government?”

“No. I’m involved in something much worse.”

Swallowing hard, I stepped back. “Like what, the mafia?” When all he did was stare at me, I had my answer. “How did my father get involved with you?”

“He was looking for someone qualified to be your bodyguard.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and snorted. “Of course, you’re qualified. I bet you kill people for a living.”A small smile splayed across his lips and it infuriated me. “It’s not funny,” I snapped.

“Hadley, you have no clue what I do.”

“That might be a good thing. I’d hate to end up at the bottom of the lake with cement boots.”

Chuckling, he checked his watch and stood. “That’s just bullshit you see on TV.” He started for the door, but I stepped in his way.

“Who was the other guy you were talking to last night?”

His smile faded. “You’ll find out tomorrow. If I tell you now, it’ll ruin my plan.”

“So, I’m supposed to just trust you?”

“I’m the only one here you can. Now what I need you to do is play along with everything he says. We don’t have much time.”

“Why is that?” I asked, heart racing.

The muscles in his jaw tensed. “In two days, you’ll be leaving for Ireland. Once you go over there, you won’t be coming back. He’ll never let you go.”

Terror racked through my body. “What does he want with me?”

“You, Hadley. He’s wanted you for a long time now. I just didn’t realize how far his obsession had gone. That’s why he wanted Blake out of the way. He used your father to get to you. It was his plan all along.”

“And you’re sure Blake’s okay?”

He nodded. “Dillon never called to confirm the kill. My guess is Blake got to him first.”

“Thank God.” Breathing a sigh of relief, I sagged against the wall. “What am I going to do? How can I look at my father after this?”

“He did it to protect you, Hadley. He just went about it the wrong way. I told him I could help him, and that’s when all of this came into play. He never thought about what it would do to you or your career. All he wanted was to keep you safe . . . alive.”

“It’s your fault then?”

He shrugged. “Not entirely. But soon, you’ll be home and all of this will be over.”

“Will it? I guess I’ll have to see it to believe it. Does Blake think I’m dead too?”

“Yes, but he’s a smart man. By now, he’s probably figured out you’re alive. He’ll come for you.”

My gut clenched. “What if he doesn’t?”

“He will. I’ll make sure of it.” Opening the door, he peered down both sides of the hall.

“Why are you helping me?”

He glanced back at me, his gaze full of pain. Lifting his hand, he circled a strand of my hair through his fingers. “You remind me of someone.”

“Who?”

His gaze darkened and he shook his head. “Forget it. Let’s just say I have my reasons. Now go back to bed.” He disappeared down the hall and I just stood there, wide awake. There was no sleep to be had.

For the rest of the night, I sat at the window and watched the sun come up. How could a place so beautiful, be filled with so much evil?

“Knock, knock,” Connor announced, knocking on my door.

“Come in.” I watched him walk in through the reflection in the window.

“I’m here to escort you to lunch.”

“Like I could eat right now,” I grumbled, turning to face him.

His body tensed. “You have to, Hadley. You’re not supposed to know anything.”

“Don’t worry, I can do this. Will he be eating with me?”

He nodded. “That’s the whole point. And whatever you do, don’t mention Blake, or your friends, or anything about using a fucking phone. Just spend time with him and get through the day. He’s not the same guy you think you know.”

My hands started to shake. I can do this.

Opening the door, he held it wide for me. “Let’s go.”

Taking a deep breath, I walked past him into the hall. He stayed by my side and whispered encouraging words, but all I could hear was the pounding of my heart. We stopped at a set of double doors and he nodded encouragingly before opening them up. At the far end of the table sat two place settings, both with covered dishes.

Connor nudged me forward. “Take a seat. He’ll be in here in a minute.”

“Aren’t you staying with me?”

Shaking his head, he retreated to the door. “He wants to be alone with you.”

Once he shut the door behind him, I sucked in a breath and held it, as I made my way to the table. The sound of footsteps sounded on the marble floor just outside of the room and when the door opened, I froze.

“Miss Rivers, would you like something to drink?” a soft voice asked.

I blew out my held breath and grabbed my chest. The lady was petite, probably in her mid-forties, with dark brown hair, and dressed in a typical blue and white maid’s uniform.

“Hi.” I was at a loss for words. It was the first time I’d seen someone in the house other than scary mobster men.

“Would you care for a glass of wine, water, or soda?”

“May I have a bottle of water?” That way I could tell if someone had spiked it.

She bowed her head and smiled. “I’ll be right back.”

It didn’t take her long to get my bottle and when I opened it, the lid was still attached. I guzzled it down and almost had the whole bottle gone when I heard his voice.

“Calm down, killer.”

When I saw his face, I gasped and choked on the water.

He rushed over and patted my back as I coughed it out. “You okay?” he asked, kneeling down beside me. He smiled and my heart broke. Connor had to have been wrong. There was no way Tristan would hurt me. Plus, he didn’t have an Irish accent like the guy from last night.