Chapter 2Three Meetings Left With The Devil

At my non-negotiable command, Rhys turned off the faucet, dried his hands with a tissue, and slowly raised the phone.

“Savannah, my great aunt, you’re only going to torture me for one day, right?”

In the camera, his brows were slightly furrowed, but there wasn't a hint of real annoyance.

When he finally emerged, the number above his head was still 2.

I silently let out a breath of relief.

It seemed the number didn’t decrease simply because we were in separate rooms. It only counted as a new meeting after a certain amount of time apart?

I didn’t dare relax and continued to shadow Rhys, glancing at his head every thirty seconds. By the end of the day, my eyes felt like they were twitching.

At quitting time, Rhys and I walked out of the Montgomery Industries building. A Bentley slid to a stop in front of us, and the window rolled down to reveal Tatum Bell’s grinning face.

“Ha! Busted!”

Today was my weekly gathering with Tatum, but I had bailed on her to keep an eye on Rhys. I couldn't believe she tracked me down here.

Rhys turned his head to me, a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone. “Didn’t you say you were having dinner with me tonight? Why is she here?”

I froze, stunned by the number above Tatum’s head. Tatum was my fiercest friend, my shadow since we were toddlers, so why was her number only 15?!

I immediately yanked open the car door, pulling Rhys in after me.

“I’m in a good mood today. I’m treating you both to a hot spring spa and a huge dinner.”

I sat in the middle of the back seat, flanked by them both, and gave the driver the address of a resort lodge outside the city. The driver, seeing Tatum look confused but not object, drove on.

This was crazy. Even Tatum’s driver had over 500 more visits left with me!

Was this girl hiding something crucial from me?

In the car, Tatum nudged me with her elbow. “Hey, when did your relationship with the Montgomery Devil get so cozy? You used to avoid him like the plague.”

Before I could answer, Rhys chimed in. “Thanks to you, Savannah is now incapable of leaving my side.”

Tatum looked completely bewildered, pointing a finger at her own face. “Me?”

I pulled her hand down and gave her a meaningful look. “Remember? We played Truth or Dare last time, and I lost to you? You dared me to stick to Rhys like glue.”

My trusted accomplice quickly caught on and played along. “Oh, right, right! I totally forgot. My bad, I’ve been so busy lately.”

Hearing that, I narrowed my eyes and pressed her. “Busy with what?”

Tatum sighed, half-pensive, half-dreamy. “Ugh, my dad and my stepmom have decided to send me overseas for grad school. They say my ‘pretty little head’ needs to learn some real knowledge and independence.”