Page 96 of Perfect Liar

He winked.

“Yes, I will. You sleep, Elle. I’ll only be on the other side of the door.”

After he closed it, I went into the bathroom. Even from there I could hear them talking, the deep thunder of Will’s tone, and the smooth roll of Ethan’s voice.

Their meeting didn’t keep me from falling asleep. In fact, it lulled me into it.

But as soothed as I might have been, another nightmare breached my mind.

This time, I couldn’t wake up. I couldn’t cry out. I’d fallen into sleep paralysis. I didn’t know how much time had passed before my body caught up to my brain. Finally, I jerked upright and cried into my hands for a minute before calling Will’s name.

Will rushed into the bedroom and took my trembling body into his arms.

“It’s a nightmare. No one is here. No one can hurt you, Elle.”

“Please make it stop,” I whispered.

“I will. I promise I’ll stop them.”

Ethan patted Will’s shoulder.

“We’ll get those fuckers,” he said.

CHAPTER 28

Will went to his office hours earlier, and I had no idea when I’d see him again. He’d said not to wait up and to have dinner either in the suite or with Thomas and Kirsty.

I ran my fingers through my hair. The ends were splitting. The color was boring. And I wanted to change it…to create something visual that would strengthen the idea of the new me…or the real me.

So I picked up the hotel phone and called the hotel concierge service, and he almost immediately secured an appointment for me at a premier salon within walking distance.

That would have never happened for just me, but Will’s name turned heads and moved mountains in London.

My phone chimed with a text message from Thomas.

Don’t open the door until I’m on the other side. Hit me back when you’re ready to go.

I’m ready now.

He knocked on the door in like thirty seconds.

When I opened it, Ben and Joe Turner stood behind him.

As the four of us left through the main lobby entrance for my appointment, Thomas grabbed one of the morning newspapers.

“So it begins,” he said.

He held up the front page, displaying a photo of Will and me…an intimate moment between us, standing by his car when we arrived the night before.

Seeing the photo literally tripped me up as I stumbled on an unlevel pavement seam. I didn’t even know what to say.

Thomas grabbed my arm to steady me.

“The writeup announces Will’s return to London after a months-long hiatus and speculates about the connection between his absence and the woman pictured with him.”

Ben nodded.

“Will set that up. I’m quite sure about that,” he said.