I chewed on the inside of my cheek as Meg and I strode down the hallway. Once we reached the garage, I spotted the guards waiting for me near one of our black SUVs that was ready to go. One of the guards opened the door for me, but I stopped, letting Meg go toward them as I took a good look around the garage.

“Let’s do one more sweep. Just to make sure we didn’t miss anything. I have a new app that I want to test,” Meg said cheerfully as she lifted her tablet. “Oh, and some new phones.” The guards were supposed to check everything as they always did, but since we couldn’t trust them, I wanted Meg to do it again herself.

Of course, the app she was talking about didn’t really exist, but I couldn’t let my guards think I didn’t trust them. While she was focused on the guards and checking them for bugs, I went to inspect the car. The nervous feeling in my stomach made me wonder if I was just afraid I might find out tonight who’d betrayed me and who was working with my stalker, or if I dreaded James’ reaction once he saw me.

“You’re good to go,” Meg announced, and I settled in the back seat as the guards got in too. I glanced at her through the window as the car started to move, and I really, really hoped she wasn’t in any way involved with the person who was behind all this. I reached inside my jacket and closed my hand around the handle of my gun.

We were on our way to the club, and the guards were relaxed, so it seemed they didn’t suspect anything. Good. Before the driver was supposed to take a left turn, I leaned slightly forward, making sure I could pull out my gun quickly if I needed to or elbow the guard who was sitting next to me.

“Wait. I’ve changed my mind. Just keep driving.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, and I observed everyone around me, but they didn’t show any particular emotion. I leaned back, letting go of my gun. Maybe Meg had chosen the right guys, or maybe they weren’t worried just yet because we hadn’t gone out of the city. I pulled out my phone. It was brand new and secured with Meg’s special encryption, and it only connected to our own network—my guards had been given similar ones.