No, I still trusted Meg. It had to be someone else. But we couldn’t exactly kick out everyone or openly search for a traitor, because then the guilty one or ones might decide to lie low, and the last thing I wanted was for everyone to start doubting each other. And if I didn’t find the mole quickly enough, someone might interpret that as weakness or use the opportunity to strike, so I’d have to worry about more than just my stalker who seemed to want to ruin my life.

I let out a sigh. James’ face flashed in my mind. The way his brown eyes glared at me when I’d lied to him and sent him away... I wanted nothing more than to tell him what had really happened and why I’d had to do what I’d done. And then I wanted to bury my fingers into his dark brown hair, drag him to me, and kiss him until I could no longer feel my lips.

And maybe I could do all that. I just had to find a way to sneak out of here and get to him unseen. But how? If I ditched my guards, maybe that would be exactly what my stalker really wanted. Maybe it had never been about James and me. Maybe it was a trap—a way to frustrate me so I’d do something reckless and stupid, which would give them a chance to attack. I ground my teeth together. This was not supposed to be happening.

“Meg,” I said, and she looked up at me. “I need a drink. Wanna join me?” I gave her a pointed look, hoping she’d figure out I needed her to come with me. If there were cameras or bugs we hadn’t found or if her computers had been hacked without her being aware of it, I couldn’t risk being overheard. Not a single part of the house was safe, so if I went outside to talk to her, the traitor—or multiple ones—would know something was up, and I couldn’t afford them to be suspicious either. Hopefully, what I had in mind would work.

“Yeah, sure.” She quickly typed something on her keyboard, then hopped to her feet. We headed to my so-called drinking room, because that was one of the places where I was sure no one would bother us. I still couldn’t be sure no one had found a way to plant bugs in it, so I’d have to be extra careful.