Page 108 of Tourist Trap

"Are you going to stay calm if I do?"

My stomach turns again, but I smile all the same, trying to lighten the mood.

"Me? Anything but calm, cool, and collected?"

He rolls his eyes and then tightens his hold on me like he's afraid I'm going to run when he speaks. "Paul came by," he says, and my entire body goes tight.

"What? When?"

"About an hour ago."

"Why?"

He closes his eyes, takes in a deep breath, and I know—IknowI'm not going to like what he has to say.

"Brad told him we're dating and convinced him to sell his stake in the house." My mouth drops. "I have to talk to my lawyers tomorrow, see what they say, but…I know Brad isn't going to be as flexible as Paul was. He came by to rub it in my face." My heart drops to my feet. "I think I have a plan, but?—"

"You have to go be fucking kidding me," I whisper.

"It's fine, Claire. We'll figure it out."

I shake my head, though he's right. Wewillfigure it out. First by finding out where the fuck the asshole is.

"Where is he now?" I ask.

"What?"

"Where is he now? Where is he staying?"

Miles shrugs, looking at me skeptically. "I don't know. I think he's at Surf right now; that's what he said at least, I?—"

Before he can say anything more, I'm moving, pushing back from Miles and standing. I move to the door, slipping on my flip-flops again before I move.

"Claire," Miles calls, but I'm not listening. I'm out the door, not worrying if it closes behind me because even though he's going to try and stop me, I know Miles is going to follow me and will close it himself.

I start walking faster and look over my shoulder when I'm a few feet from the house to see if he's following me yet. He's probably getting shoes on, but once he's good, he's going to catch up quick. I start going as fast as my flip-flops allow me without eating shit and get to the entrance of Surf quickly.

"Where is he?" I say, looking at Deck, who is luckily on shift as a bouncer today.

"What—"

"Brad. Where is he?" Deck looks from me to Miles, who is moving through the throng of people to get to me, to probably stop me from whatever rampage I'm about to go on.

Deck smiles then, like even though he doesn't knowwhy,he knows I'm about to go wild and can't wait to witness the aftermath.

He tips his head toward a door in the corner of the dimly lit bar. "Office."

I don't wait for him to say anything else, instead moving quickly toward the room he pointed to again on a mission.

"Claire!" Miles yells from behind me, but I don't slow down, instead making it to the door quickly and opening it, stepping inside where my ex and Brad are sitting, smiling, across from one another at a desk, a bottle of champagne between them.

The door doesn't slam behind me the way I hope it would because that would be a dramatic entrance, but it's because Miles is on my heels and follows me in, closing the door with a quiet click and closing out the loud noise of the nightclub.

"Claire—" Paul says, an onslaught of emotions rushing over his face before it is pulled behind his mask. He's seen me full-blown angry twice now: once when I told him I was leaving if he didn't get his shit together and right now.

But this is a different kind of anger, one filled with injustice and betrayal and hurt.

I'm not mad or disappointed; I'm furious.

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