Of course they had cameras in their shoes. I’m an idiot.

“We had to get your book before the Corporates did—before President Madden did. They would have done anything to keep those secrets out of Disconnect hands, including ending your life. We had to protect you.”

President Madden wanted my book? I shudder.

A parade of girls wearing colorful feathers bumps past us, and my internal clock ticks to life. I don’t have time for this. I have to get rid of him. My head spinning, I move toward the restrooms. Nash matches my pace.

“And hooking up with Deena was a bonus?” I ask, wanting to run but not wanting to alert Nash that I’m on a mission.

“Necessary. She really was blackmailing me, and I needed to keep my Influencer status until I was sure we had your book. Believe me when I say I had no interest in her beyond that.”

I ignore the hope in my chest that some shred of our past was real, that I wasn’t totally gullible. “Why were you in Tahoe, then? You had the book. You could have left, gone back to being Nash—or whoever you are.”

We arrive at the restrooms, and the realization that I really don’t know who I’m talking to ripples through me. One misstep and I could ruin Garrett’s heist. I press my lips together.

“That’s the thing.” He steps closer to me, tucking a stray strand of my pale blue hair behind my ear. “What I didn’t count on was falling for you.” His mouth lifts at one corner, causing his left eye to crinkle, and I glimpse the old Adam. My insides quiver, and I steel myself against him. I am not falling for this BS…

“I knew from your book you were curious about disconnecting, and I was going to confess, ask you to come with me. But you beat me to it… If our plan worked, I would have told you everything. I was on the boat, coming to get you…but then”—he swallows—“it all went up. We got blown backward. I was farthest from the blast, so I survived—barely.”

It’s too much to comprehend. As I sift through the information, realization seeps through me. “You read it,” I whisper. Sucking in air, I grasp the tiger’s eye I wear at my throat, simultaneously aware that Garrett would kill me if he knew I was wearing it. Everyone has a tell.

He smiles down at me. “Most of it. Crystal thought I might find the parts about me entertaining. She genuinely likes you. She’d be very happy if there was still hope for you and me.”

“Well, she can forget that.” I shake my head. “I thought she was my friend. I thought you were my friend. But you were both using me.”