Page 61 of Love is a Lyric
Ben met Chase and Piper halfway across the room. “The paps are here.”
Piper’s eyes widened as she looked to the darkened window, barely making out a camera lens pressing up against the glass. The front door opened, and a short man tried to run in, but one of the security guys blocked his path and forced him back out into the rain.
Two thoughts entered Piper’s mind.
First: How did they find out Ben was here?
Second: Melanie was going to kill her for letting this happen.
Come morning, the entire world would know Ben was in Ohio.
“What do we do?” Chase fixed his gaze on Piper as if she had all the answers. After all, this wasn’t her first rodeo.
Snapping into assistant mode, she gestured to Tommy. He stopped in front of them.
“Okay, the most important thing is getting Ben out of here without any photos.” She looked to Tommy. “We need to use the door at the back of the kitchen.”
He nodded. “Of course. Of course.”
“Good.” She turned to Ben. “Take off your hat.”
“What?” He touched the rim of the hat. “Then, they’ll definitely recognize me.”
“They already know you’re here, so the hat is useless, anyway. Give it to Chase.” When Ben didn’t do as she said, she stood on her toes and ripped the hat from his head before putting it on Chase’s. “You’re almost the same height. Chase, you just need to slump a bit.”
“Why?” Chase’s eyes widened. “What are we doing?”
“To get to the car, we’d have to go out the front. Which is exactly what you’ll do. If you play it right, they’ll think you’re Ben and follow you, allowing us to sneak out the back.”
Chase shook his head. “How will you get home?”
“Lyft.” She shrugged. Ducking paparazzi wasn’t something she’d had to do much working for Quinn because Quinn never missed the opportunity to get her picture taken.
But these weren’t experienced L.A. paps. How hard could it be to ditch the local photographers?
She pressed a kiss to Tommy’s cheek. “Thanks for everything tonight.”
He offered her a salute. “Stay safe, dear.”
As safe as one could be running into a storm to avoid a crowd of hungry photographers.
“Chase, you ready?”
Nerves energy rolled off him in waves, but he nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”
She squeezed his hand before letting go. “Ben, come with me.”
As she led him through the kitchen door, Chase walked out the front with the two security guys flanking him. The cacophony of the crowd faded as the door shut behind him.
“Come on.” Piper picked up speed until they reached the back door and pushed it open, stumbling out into a rain-soaked alley.
The sky above them rumbled as if foretelling what was to come.
