Chapter 9: Danger

“What the heck was that?” I whispered as Lennox led me across the dance floor. His hand was firmly on my lower back. The music was loud enough to hide what I was saying, but people were still staring.

Lennox leaned in close, his breath warm by my ear. “Just go with it. Vivian was about to ruin everything.”

My heart was racing. I kept my fake smile on. Wife? He’d just told a whole room of important people that I was his wife! That was not part of the plan.

“You could’ve given me a heads-up,” I muttered as he spun me around. My emerald dress flowed around my legs.

He gave me that annoying half-smile that always made my stomach do a weird flip. “Would you have said yes if I did?”

I stepped on his foot—kind of on purpose. He flinched. “That’s not the point. You can’t just do stuff like that without asking me.”

“Sorry,” he said, but he didn’t sound sorry at all. His hand slid a little lower, pulling me even closer. “Too late now. Everyone thinks we’re married.”

The music slowed down. I had to move in even closer, and my body remembered how it felt being this close to him. From the look in his eyes, he remembered too.

“So what now, husband?” I asked with fake sweetness, trying to ignore how good he smelled—like fancy cologne mixed with something totally him.

Lennox looked around the room. “Now we sell it. Everyone’s watching us.”

Before I could say anything, he kissed me. And not just a quick kiss—this one was slow, deep, and intense. His tongue brushed mine, and I almost forgot where we were until someone nearby let out a whistle.

“That should do it,” he said, sounding super proud of himself when he pulled back. I was a little out of breath, and he definitely noticed.

“You’re enjoying this way too much,” I muttered.

“Just playing my part,” he said, but his eyes said something different. “Let’s dance a little more, then we can mingle.”

We danced for a few minutes without talking. I used the time to look around the room, checking out exits and security. Old habits die hard. When I looked up at Lennox again, he was staring at me with a weird look on his face.

“What are you thinking about right now?” he asked.

Definitely not about stealing your secrets. “Just wondering how many more surprises you’ve got for me tonight.”

The song ended, and he slowly let go of me. “Stay close,” he said, just before a bunch of business associates swarmed him.

I nodded, but as soon as his back was turned, I needed to get out of there. It was all too much—the kiss, the fake wife thing, everyone staring. I had to breathe.

“Excuse me,” I said quietly and headed off, hoping the bathrooms were nearby.

I moved through the crowd, but I felt this weird feeling—like someone was watching me. Not just curious looks. This felt… off. Like someone was following me.

I pretended to check out a painting and used the shiny glass to peek behind me. Yep—two guys in dark suits. They were trying to act normal, but they moved every time I did.

I sped up and turned down a hallway. I spotted the bathroom sign. Good—I needed a quiet place to think. But first, I had to lose these guys.

“Are you lost?” a waiter asked, carrying a tray of champagne.

I smiled politely. “Just looking for the bathroom.”

“End of the hall, on the right,” he said.

“Thanks,” I replied, grabbing a glass from his tray and walking off.

I looked back quickly. The two guys had stopped walking, pretending not to watch—but they definitely were. I slipped into the women’s bathroom. It was empty. Perfect. I locked myself in a stall.

My hands were shaking a little as I pulled out my phone. Should I message Shadowbird? No… what if these guys worked for Lennox? Or maybe I was overreacting. I had to figure this out myself.

Then I heard the door open. Heavy footsteps came in. That wasn’t the sound of heels. Men? In the women’s bathroom? Yep—something was definitely wrong.

“Check the stalls,” one of them whispered.

I quickly took off my heels and stood on the toilet seat, holding my breath. I saw men’s shoes stop in front of my stall—black dress shoes, men's size 11 at least.

“All empty,” another voice said. “She must’ve gone out the other exit.”

“Damn it,” the first guy muttered. “Vivian’s gonna be pissed.”

Vivian? The woman in red from earlier? My mind started racing.

“Let’s split up. You take the main hallway, I’ll check the back corridors.”

The door opened and closed. I waited another half minute, just to be sure. Then I came out of the stall slowly. I had to get back to Lennox—but first…

I quickly checked myself in the mirror and fixed my lipstick—the special one with the hidden camera. I gave it a quick twist to turn it on, then peeked out of the bathroom to make sure no one was around before stepping out.

The hallway looked clear, but as I turned the corner, one of the guys spotted me.

“There she is!” he shouted to someone.

Crap. I kicked off my heels so I could run better and bolted in the other direction, slipping into a staff hallway. The guy ran after me, his footsteps getting closer.

The hallway was dark and narrow—no one else around. That could actually help me. I suddenly stopped and pressed myself against the wall, staying quiet.

The guy ran past, then slowed down, confused. “What the—”

I moved fast, hitting him in the throat with the bottom of my hand. Not super hard, just enough to make him choke and bend over. While he was off balance, I grabbed his arm, twisted it behind him, and pushed him face-first into the wall.

“Who sent you?” I growled, twisting his wrist a little.

“Fuck you,” he snapped.

I twisted harder. He yelped.

“Wrong answer. Try again. Was it Vivian?”

He didn’t say anything, but his silence was basically a yes. I leaned in close.

“Tell her that if she wants to scare me, she'll have to try harder than sending amateur goons to follow me into bathrooms.”

I heard footsteps—his friend was coming. I had to finish this fast.

“One more thing,” I whispered. Then I kneed him hard between the legs.

He groaned and dropped to the floor right as the second guy showed up at the end of the hall. I grabbed my shoes and ran in the other direction, found a door, and slipped back into the main event.

I quickly put my heels back on, fixed my dress, and walked into the crowd like nothing had happened, even though my heart was still pounding.

I looked around and spotted Lennox talking to a group of older men in suits—probably investors.

As I got closer, I heard him say something about “development timelines” and “security protocols.” Then he said something that made me freeze:

“The Phoenix Project is still in testing phases.”

Phoenix Project? That had to be the weapon Shadowbird warned me about.

Lennox noticed me and quickly left the group to come over.

“Where’d you go?” he asked. His tone was calm, but his eyes were sharp—watching me closely.

I faked a smile. “Just freshening up. These events can be overwhelming.”

He looked at me closely. “Your face is red. You okay?”

“It’s just hot in here,” I lied, then quickly changed the topic. “So… Phoenix Project? Sounds cool.”

His face changed fast—he suddenly looked more serious. “Just boring business stuff,” he said, brushing it off and putting his hand on my back. “Nothing you’d care about.”

“Try me,” I said with a flirty grin. “I’m not just a pretty face, you know.”

Something flickered in his eyes. “I know exactly who you are, Catherine.” The way he said my name gave me a weird feeling—like maybe he knew more than I thought.

Before I could say anything back, Vivian showed up again. She looked kind of stressed.

“Lennox, I need to talk to you. Alone.”

Lennox kept his hand on my back. “You can say it in front of my wife.”

Vivian shot me a dirty look. I smiled sweetly at her, wondering if her little team had told her what happened yet.

“Fine,” she said stiffly. “The board is asking questions about Phoenix. They’re worried about the demo next week.”

“Everything’s on track,” Lennox said, sounding sure. “The demo will happen as planned.”

Demo? My brain lit up. This had to be about the weapon.

“Your dad wouldn’t have rushed this,” Vivian said quietly. “If something goes wrong—”

“Nothing’s going wrong,” Lennox cut in. “I’ve checked everything myself.”

I mentally saved all of this. A weapons demo next week? This could be the moment Shadowbird had been waiting for.

“We should head out,” Lennox said all of a sudden, wrapping his arm around my waist. “It’s been a long night.”

---

The car ride home was quiet. He stared out the window, and the silence between us felt heavy.

“So… want to tell me what all that was with Vivian?” I finally asked.

He glanced at me, his face hard to read in the low light. “Just work stuff. Nothing big.”

“Didn’t sound like nothing,” I said. “You two were talking about some demo or something?”

He gave me a look. “You sure ask a lot of questions for someone who’s just playing a role.”

My chest tightened. “I’m your fake wife now, remember? Wives usually know what their husbands do.”

“And what do you do, Catherine?” he asked, his voice low and kinda intense as he leaned closer. “Besides pretend to be someone you’re not?”

My heart thudded. Did he know something?

“What are you talking about?” I asked, trying to stay calm.

He reached out and lightly touched my jaw. “You’re really good at playing roles. Sweet mother. Loving wife.” His thumb brushed over my lip. “The woman in my bed.”

I felt heat rush through me at his touch. “I’m just doing what we agreed to,” I whispered.

“Are you really?” he said, eyes locked on mine. “Because I think you’re hiding a lot, Catherine Reed…”

Before I could say anything, he pulled me onto his lap fast. His hands gripped my hips, and I let out a sharp breath when I felt how hard he was.

“Tell me who you really are,” he whispered near my neck, his teeth brushing my skin.

“You already know who I am,” I said, my voice a little shaky as his hands slid up my legs, pushing my dress up.

He let out a low laugh. “I’m going to figure you out. Every single secret.” He said each word slowly as his fingers moved higher.

It was hard to think with him touching me like that. He was getting too close, asking too much. I needed to distract him.

So I kissed him—deep, fast, and a little desperate. He kissed me back right away, hungry and rough. His hands found the zipper on my dress and pulled it down slowly.

“Is this just another act for you?” he asked against my lips as he tugged the dress down, revealing my black lace bra.

“Shut up,” I breathed, moving against him as his mouth went to my chest.

We both knew this was a bad idea. But when his fingers slipped under my underwear and I whispered his name, I didn’t care anymore.

He might have been close to figuring me out—or maybe he already had. But right then, in the back of the car, I let go. Just for a little while.

Tomorrow, I’d find out what the Phoenix Project really was...