Chapter 1 - THE MAN WAITING AT GATE SEVENTEEN
The man waiting for me at O'Hare wasn't my husband.
That should have made me feel better.
Instead, it frightened me more.
Because Ryan had never needed to do his own dirty work.
I stood beside Noah Whitman near the aircraft door, holding my sleeping daughter against my chest while a flight attendant quietly asked the remaining passengers to wait.
"Emily," Noah said, "I need you to listen carefully."
I looked at him.
"Who is that man?"
"We don't know yet."
"Then how does your security team know he's looking for me?"
"He's showing people your photograph and asking whether they've seen a woman traveling with a baby."
My mouth went dry.
"Maybe he's from the airline."
"He's not wearing an airport badge. And he gave three different explanations for why he needed to find you."
I tightened my arms around Lily.
Nine months old.
Soft brown curls.
One tiny hand wrapped around the stuffed rabbit Noah had retrieved from beneath the seat.
She had no idea that her mother was suddenly wondering whether boarding that plane had been the worst mistake of her life.
"I have to call my friend," I whispered.
Noah nodded.
"Do that."
I took out my phone and called Sarah Mitchell.
She answered immediately.
"Em! Did you land?"
"Sarah, did you tell anyone I was coming?"
A pause.
"No. Why?"
"There's a man waiting for me at the airport."
"What man?"
"I don't know."
Sarah's voice changed.
"Emily, don't leave with anyone you don't recognize."
My heartbeat thundered.
"Did Ryan call you?"
Another silence.
Then Sarah whispered, "Yes."
I froze.
"When?"
"This morning."
"What did he say?"
"He asked whether you'd contacted me. I told him I hadn't heard from you."
I closed my eyes.
"Did he believe you?"
"I don't think so."
Noah watched my expression.
I lowered my voice.
"Sarah, I need you to tell me something."
"Anything."
"Has Ryan ever met you?"
"No."
"Does he know your address?"
"I don't think so."
A cold sensation crawled down my spine.
Because Ryan had once joked that he could find anyone if he wanted to.
At the time, I'd thought he meant social media.
Now I wasn't so sure.
Noah's phone vibrated.
He read the message.
Then looked toward the cockpit.
"Emily, the man is leaving the arrivals corridor."
Relief flashed through me.
Then Noah continued.
"He's heading toward the baggage claim."
My stomach tightened.
"Why?"
"He appears to be looking for another exit."
I swallowed.
"Can we just call airport police?"
"We already have. They'll determine whether he's doing anything unlawful."
That answer mattered.
Noah wasn't ordering people around.
He wasn't promising to make the stranger disappear.
He was involving the people responsible for keeping the airport safe.
Still, my hands shook.
A few minutes later, an airport security officer approached us.
"Ms. Collins?"
I nodded.
"We'd like to ask you a few questions about the person reportedly looking for you."
I explained everything I knew.
Ryan.
The changed locks.
The frozen household account.
The other woman.
My decision to leave Texas.
The officer listened carefully.
Then asked whether there were any current court orders involving my daughter.
"No," I said. "Nothing has been filed that I'm aware of."
He nodded.
"All right."
Noah's head of security appeared beside him.
A woman in her forties with short blond hair and a calm expression.
"My name is Rebecca Stone."
She looked at me.
"Ms. Collins, the man has been identified."
My heart stopped.
"Who is he?"
Rebecca glanced at the officer.
"His name is Daniel Price."
I frowned.
"I don't know anyone by that name."
She continued.
"He works for a private investigations company based in Dallas."
My breath caught.
"Ryan hired a private investigator?"
"We haven't established who hired him."
I looked down at Lily.
The little girl stirred in my arms.
Then Rebecca added something that made Noah's expression change completely.
"Mr. Whitman, there's another problem."
He turned.
"What?"
"Daniel Price wasn't only carrying photographs of Emily and the baby."
May you like
She hesitated.
"He also had a photograph of you."
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