ELLA

He said it with a calm demeanor and a friendly smile. I knew there was more to that threat than the flowers-and-rainbows angle he was trying to give it with his expression.

I glanced around the room one last time, hoping someone would notice how clearly uncomfortable I was with this setup and come to my aid.

I shook my head at how silly that hope was—thinking people cared about anyone but themselves.

They were probably too busy with whatever they’d come here to do to involve themselves in a stranger’s business.

Or maybe they’d seen the exchange between us and concluded we were lovers or something similar, and...