chapter thirty-three
Wren
My phone ringing wakes me up. Did I miss a meeting with someone from Dad’s company? Does Gemma need me? I groan and grab the device from where it is charging on my nightstand. “Dad-Home Office Line” is lighting up my screen, but the call ends before I can answer it. “Step-Mommy Hawk” pops up next.
“Hawk?” I answer groggily.
“Yes, here’s your dad,” he says hurriedly. The phone shuffles before Dad speaks.
“You need to get home. Your identity has been leaked,” Dad says, the worry clear in his voice.
I bolt upright in bed. Gemma murmurs next to me, reminding me of her presence, and I see her silent phone lighting up with message after message. I shake her awake.
“What?” I gasp. “Who?”
“I don’t know. I don’t get to control all of your interactions anymore,” Dad says irritably.
Hawk’s voice grumbles in the background and Dad gives a resigned sigh before I can even gather a response.
“I mean to say there’s too many variables right now to identify who did it. But my building is surrounded by press, and our team is being inundated with calls,” Dad says, more calmly now.
Gemma is sitting up next to me, rubbing my back while she yawns.
Colton and Lance are both in the doorway. Lance is putting on his belt, and Colton is typing away on his phone. Clearly, they’ve gotten the same wake up as I have.
“What should I do?” I whisper.
“Have Blue Jay take you home. Call Gemma, she’s being—” Dad starts, but I hear Hawk tell him something. “Oh, well, have Lance bring her here with you.”
“Okay, we’ll be there as soon as we can.”
Gemma is looking at her phone, a crease in her brow, when I hang up.
“Name and photos,” Gemma says as Lance and Colton come in. “A cute one from a few years ago in LA. Photos of us together. Oh, look, you guys feature, too.”
Colton leans over to look at Gemma’s phone and she hands it to him. I don’t want to see it. I’m not sure how to feel about this.
“Gossip rags are excited. Doesn’t look negative overall,” Colton says as he scrolls, he hands the phone back to Gemma.
“I’m so sorry if this is because we were seen together,” Gemma says, fingers pressed to her lips and tears forming in her eyes.
“No, we’re always so careful,” I say and rub her sheet covered knee. “And even if it was, I’m not upset with you.”
She shakes her head and the tears fall. “I’m not leaving your side today.”
“I wouldn’t let you anyway,” I say and look up at Lance, who nods. “You being named as the best friend of a billionaire’s secret daughter doesn’t bode well for your security.”
Her eyes widen. “I didn’t even think of that.”
“I’m sorry,” I sigh.
“I’ll have my PR people and my agent at your dad’s place when we get there. Together we’ll figure something out,” Gemma says and picks her phone up to get to work.
“Get dressed. I’ll make coffee,” Colton says as he and Lance leave the room.
Gemma and I quickly get dressed. She does my hair and makeup in case we’re seen, and I hear the guys on their phones and planning our arrival at Dad’s. We’re down and putting on our shoes in thirty minutes. Angelica’s food and water were already full and her space clean when I went in. Colton must have seen to her while I was getting dressed.
Colton doles out coffees and some of my lemon poppyseed scones for everyone to take to go and we all run to our cars. The street is quiet, only the neighborhood kids are out playing in the grass. They call out their greetings to Ninja Jay and he waves back as we carefully pull out of the driveway.
We’re silent until we reach the highway. I am numb and overwhelmed at the same time. Sure, this was always a possibility. Sure, I’d wished it had happened many times over. But now that it’s happening for real, I’m full of apprehension. I fidget with the radio and switch it over to play music from my phone and then back to the radio when I can’t decide on anything.
“You alright?” Colton asks quietly.
“I don’t know.”
“What are you thinking?” he prods.
I sigh. “I’m thinking that I’ve wanted this to happen so many times. Especially when all my friends left for college or careers and I was out of approved friends and dates. Every time I got accidentally featured in an article online or a post with Gemma and everyone was wondering who her friend was, I considered telling the truth. I thought no longer being hidden away would be freeing. And I guess it is? I don’t know.”
“I’m getting updates from headquarters occasionally. Do you want to know what I’m being told as your security? Maybe that’ll help you.”
“Sure, lay it on me.”
“Consensus on the internet and a few morning shows is that they’re confused why you’ve been hiding and excitement at seeing someone new. We have a team working on scouring the internet for any signs of threats, but it’s just the usual grumbling. ‘Who cares about billionaires’ and ‘is she his legitimate child or his young new girlfriend.’”
“Ew,” I complain.
“No organized threats on any public forum, though. When we get to your Dad’s building, we’re to meet Crows at the service entrance. They’ll get us inside. You’re to report to the dining room.”
“Ugh, there’s that many people there we need to use it as a conference room?” I roll my head against the headrest.
“Yeah, it’ll be Mr. Taylor, Hawk, you, me, Gemma, Lance, your personal lawyer, a lawyer from Taylor Industries, PR for Taylor Industries, Gemma’s PR, Gemma’s agent, and I think someone else from Safe House.”
I groan and sip my coffee.
We’re quiet as he navigates traffic until he reaches up to his earpiece. “Understood. All is well.” He gives headquarters our exact location down to the mile marker.
“What now?” I ask.
“Your dad is incredibly worried. He’s been pacing since he got word we left your house. Hawk is trying to calm him down by telling him where we are.”
I want to be annoyed. Well, I am annoyed, but I am also deeply sad. Grief does that sometimes. Sometimes it itches like a wool sweater on a sunny winter day. It’s annoying me to be sad. I wish Dad would calm down and not be so overbearing, but I understand his pain and his grief after losing Mom. I know letting me live outside the city where he has as much control as a billionaire could have over his adult daughter went against every anxious, grief-stricken instinct in his body. And now, at first word of a threat to my safety, the man is spiraling.
Gemma and Lance are behind us the entire way to Dad’s. Once we pull up to the building and circle the block a few times, Hawk and the Crows agree we’re just going to have to deal with the crowds. Even the back entrance is swarmed. With input from someone in public relations, we decide going in the front will look more confident and going in through the back would give a shameful or suspicious air to my entrance. Colton parks the car outside the front of Dad’s building and a masked Crow comes running around to Colton’s door to take over driving to park the car. Colton rushes around to my side of the car and opens the door. Crows are lined up with local police, creating a tunnel to the front door. Lights are flashing in my face and people are screaming for attention. Reporters shout and ask why I’ve been hiding for so long. Who am I to Mr. Taylor? What role do I play in the company? How do I know Gemma? And other probing questions. Colton’s hand on my back is the only thing reminding me this is real. This is happening.
I hear more screaming excitement, and I try to spin around to see what the matter is. Colton stops me and a Crow opens the door for us. “It’s just Gemma getting out of the car. She’s fine.”
We wait in the elevator for Gemma and Lance. Gemma gives one last demure wave and small smile to the crowds waiting as she enters the building. She gives the air of a beautiful woman going into a business meeting. I admire her ability to set the tone without saying a word. Her smile falls instantly once she’s inside, and she rushes to hug me in the elevator. Lance steps in and the doors close.
“I’m so sorry, babes,” Gemma says and kisses my cheek.
“That was insane,” I say.
“It was a bit more than I expected, but you did well.”
“I didn’t smile or anything. They’re going to think I’m a bitch,” I groan.
“No, we can spin it. I promise, twenty minutes with my PR team and they’ll have you right as rain,” Gemma says confidently.
The doors of the elevator open to chaos. People are on their phones, pictures of me are being debated over, Sparrows are setting out coffee and pastries, Crows are watching security cameras and listening to audio, two TVs have been brought in and are playing news coverage of me walking into the building. And there, in the middle of it all, is Dad. He’s still in his pajamas, his hair a mess, and his eyes wide and red. Hawk has a hand on his shoulder and is speaking to him in hushed tones.
Dad looks up when the doors close behind me and I see the tension drain from his bones. He mouths my name and I’m running to him. Everyone stops their work when I run past them, but I don’t care. I hug Dad tightly.
“I’m here. I’m okay. I’m safe.”
“There hasn’t been that many people outside our home since.…”
“I know.”
“You’re here.”
“I’m here.”
I pull away from Dad and look around. Everyone is staring. Dad has been falling apart in front of all of these people all morning. While they are all part of our team, they’re still eyes watching us as we have an intense and emotional moment.
“Let’s leave this crowded space for a little,” I say, and look over at Hawk. “I’m going to help him get dressed and then we’ll go to his office. We’ll call you and Jay in when we’re ready.”
He gives a curt nod, relief in his aging eyes. I give him a thankful look as I usher Dad out of the room and to his bedroom.