Page 32 of Too Safe

I can’t stop thetskthat escapes. Of-fucking-course.

“And let me guess. It’s easy to fix the results of a drug test when your name is on the building?”

“Or when your friend is a tech genius,” he adds, tapping his finger on his temple.

I sigh and drop my chin, fighting my fatigue.

But Kylian keeps going. “The good doctor used to come to the house. But the paps started coming around again when Decker turned eighteen. He was worried someone might figure out what they were doing.”

“Paps?”

“Paparazzi,” Kylian clarifies. “Local media and bloggers, mostly. The occasional tabloid. But everyone’s got a camera in their pocket these days, ya know?”

I do. I really fucking do.

“Why would paparazzi care?”

Kylian’s brows shoot up again. He’s looking at me like I’m a moron. And maybe I am. Decker is undoubtedly attractive. He’s all male in that testosterone-fueled kind of way. I had no idea being a football player on a college team could come with such notoriety.

“Decker Crusade can’t take a shit without someone posting about it online. Kendrick, too, nowadays.”

I scan the shoreline with that admission. So not only am I trapped on an isle, being held semi-prisoner in a mansion, but I’m also at risk of being photographed?

“Relax, Jo,” Kylian murmurs. “We have a ton of security around here. You won’t see them, but they’re always there. Plus, the paps are used to seeing women at the house. They won’t care about you.”

“Charming.” His dismissiveness grates against my nerves.

“Honest,” he quips.

I take solace in that, hoping like hell he’s right.

“Speaking of… Security will know to watch for you. If you try to run or escape in some way… they’ll know.We’llknow. There will be consequences. It won’t be worth it.”

I crack my knuckles quietly in my lap, inwardly seething.

With a groan, I drop my head and push the heels of my hands into my eyes. This whole situation is a nightmare I didn’t even know was possible. Stupid hormones being attracted to Locke in the first place. Stupid heart being all girly and thinking he was trying to visit me at work last night. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

“Ya know, a lot of girls would kill to be in your shoes.”

I don’t bother lifting my head when I snap back at him. “To be kidnapped with nothing more than the clothes on their back and forced to live with four men they barely know?”

“No. To have the undivided attention of half the Lake Chapel U offensive line.”

I roll my eyes so hard they hurt. The audacity and the attitude. These assholes really think that highly of themselves. They could all use a healthy serving of humble pie. And I want to be the one to dish it up for them.

“I guess I’m not like most girls,” I retort, internally cringing at the sentiment. I hate that kind of thinking: the way society pits women against each other to perpetuate patriarchal norms. I’ve experienced firsthand just how nasty it is to be on the receiving end of a calculated, tactical smear campaign from another female. I shudder as I shove down the memories.

“I won’t argue with that. No social media presence and a complete immunity to Decker’s charms. You really aren’t like most girls I know…”

My anxiety blasts off into the stratosphere, and my spine snaps straight. “You tried to look me up on social media?”

Kylian side-eyes me. “Yes. I also went through your phone and search history.”

I fight back the tears pressing against the back of my eyes and resist the urge to jump into the damn lake just to escape this moment. If he found—

“I had to be sure you weren’t a rat or a spy,” he explains. “It was the only way to assure Decker that you’re harmless. You can have this back, by the way.”

He holds out my phone, and relief smacks into me on the next breath.

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