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My spine stiffens. “Why would she think that?”
Preston stares at me. “That’s what I told her. That’s what I, and everyone else, thought the conference was about.”
“Tell me exactly what you told her and what she said.” I push myself to my feet, taking in two deep breaths.
“I told her you were going to announce that you’re back together with Amy, and I was making arrangements to have your stuff moved into her house. I told her it’d be better if she didn’t come to the hotel tonight because the paps would be all over the place, and she agreed, asking me to send her bag. This is all moot, I suppose since she now knows you didn’t.”
But I know better. I could bet anything Summer hasn’t even tuned in to watch. Not if she thought I was about to announce a “reunion” with Amy. I understand the message now. Fuck, I can’t even imagine what she must be thinking. I can count on one hand the instances when I wanted to throttle Preston. This is one of them.
“I need to leave the hotel,” I say.
“You can’t do that, Alex. There is no way for you to get out of the hotel without being followed by paps.”
My mind is racing. I need to talk to Summer, but I can’t lead the paps to her. I’ll call her. Except, she must be sleeping. It’s past midnight. I’ll wait until the morning and whip up a plan.
Preston and I end up not going to sleep at all. Preston’s phone rings with request after request for interviews. His e-mail inbox is overflowing too. The media never sleeps. We adapt my schedule with every call, and the next two weeks will be spent traveling across the country. I’m not looking forward to it. Overnight, three fans and a pap attempt to sneak up to my floor. That’s why I wanted to move out of LA. Celebrity culture is out of control here.
Toward five o’clock in the morning, things slow down. I gaze out of the window. I have a direct view over the back entrance of the hotel. There are fewer paps out there. Experience has taught me that this is the magic hour, when most head home for a nap, or just to get a coffee. In two hours max, they’ll all be back and on high alert. This is my window of opportunity.
I turn to Preston. “Arrange a car for me.”
“Your plane leaves before lunch. You have plenty of time.”
“I want to see Summer first.”
“Alex—” he begins to protest, but I cut him off.
“I’ll be gone for the next two weeks. I’m not leaving before seeing my girl first and talking to her face-to-face. There are fewer paps out there. You know where she’s staying, right?”
“I know where I sent her bag, but there’s no guarantee she’s still there. Maybe she went to a hotel.”
Nah, I know Summer. She likes being with her family. I’m sure she spent the night at her cousin’s.
“Have a car ready in ten minutes. I’m taking all the bags with me. I’m going straight to LAX afterward.”
Ten minutes later, I stride through the dim garage of the hotel and climb into the back seat of a gray Toyota. The car should be inconspicuous enough. It doesn’t have tinted windows, which poses a risk, but it’ll draw less attention.
“Hey, Mike,” I greet the driver, handing him a slip of paper with Summer’s address. “Let’s get out of here without making a fuss.”
“Hard thing to do with all those wolves out there waiting for you, but I’ll do my best.”
Today’s disguise isn’t my cap, but a newspaper. I hold it open close enough, so my face isn’t visible from the sides. My stomach knots when the car lurches forward, then up the ramp leading out of the garage. When the car is horizontal, Mike hits the gas hard. I sink against my seat as the car propels forward.
“We have a pap car behind us,” Mike announces.
“Just one?”
“Yes.”
“We need to lose the trail before reaching the highway.”
Left, right, left again. Into a passage, then out of it and down a labyrinth of streets. Our detour takes almost an hour, and my temples are pounding from the adrenaline coursing through me, but it pays off. We lose the pap car.
“Great job, Mike.”
“Thank you, Mr. Westbrook.”
I relax a little, pressing my fingers to my temple, moving them in a circular pattern. When my phone beeps, I expect to find a message from Preston, but I’m pleasantly surprised.
