*Shelby*I woke in the enormous master suite to the soft glow of morning coming through the windows. What should have been a peaceful morning was punctured by screams of irritation from the floor below.I wrapped the robe Michael had given me around myself and opened the door to my room. I hurried down the stairs to see what was going on. “You have got to be kidding me! This is completely unacceptable!” A woman with blonde hair matching Lauren’s was yelling at Max, the staff member I’d played cards with on the yacht. “Ma’am, I don’t know what to tell you. Mr. Astor has already assigned the rooms; I cannot go against his direct orders. There is already another guest staying in that room, and I am sure Mr. Astor would not approve of me kicking them out of the room.”Max was clearly exasperated from dealing with the woman, and I couldn’t blame him.“We will see about that. You will be lucky if you still have a job by the time I’m through with you.”

*Shelby*Michael held my hand as he led me through a side door of the mansion, avoiding the large crowd of the engagement party. When the door closed behind us, the music and noise of the group were muffled. All that we could hear was the low rumble of the bass as it vibrated through the walls.Michael and I walked in silence, and he never let go of my hand as he led me back to his room. Michael's room was decorated in soft grays and silvers. The massive bed stood alone in the center of the room with a crystal chandelier hanging over the center. My feet were sore, so I slipped my heels off and set them by the double door entrance of the room. Michael clicked the lock on the door, walked across the room, and sat down in an armchair on the other side of the room. I followed, my bare feet cold on the tile floors. The room's soft coldness made me feel like I was surrounded by a cloud, comfortable and warm but still in a storm. I nearly sank into the plush armchair t

*Michael*“Bruce. What did you find out?” I asked the head of my security team. “We have reason to believe that Blaine knows your current location in the Bahamas, sir,” Bruce’s voice echoed on the other end of the phone.I looked up when the door clicked; Shelby had left during my eagerness to call Bruce. I felt like a complete ass. I kissed her and then made a phone call seconds after. “Sir?” Bruce’s voice pulled me out of my own thoughts.“I’m sorry, Bruce. What did you say?”“We are worried about your security measures in the Bahamas. You have no one with you from the team. Please tell me you have been activating the security system we had installed.”I’d completely forgotten about the security system in the rush of preparing for Lauren’s engagement party. I’d have to remember to set that after we got off the phone.“How do you know that Blaine knows where we are?” I asked. Seconds later, my phone buzzed against my ear. I put Bruce on

*Shelby*My eyes burned from all of the crying I had done the night before. I’d spent the whole day in my room, and I’d barely slept that night, worrying about how many magazines would have the picture of me and Michael on the cover the next day and thinking about my decision to leave.I just hoped that I would be able to make it home before the media caught hold of the story. I wanted to be as far away from Lauren as possible when she got ahold of the picture.I texted Lin, telling her to confirm the flight for the next day and wondered how I'd even get there. Flying commercial meant I couldn't use the private airstrip.Maybe Reggie will be able to help me. Or Brenna. Now more than ever, I wanted to escape this vacation. I’d gone to the bathroom and started the shower, filling the room with steam, when I heard an urgent knocking on my door.My heart sank, knowing Michael would never knock so frantically on my door; the only other person it could be was L

*Michael*I rolled over in bed; the glare of the sun from the window had streamed across my face, pulling me from some much-needed sleep.I couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened with Shelby on the beach. I wanted to talk to her, to see if she was okay, but I hadn’t seen her since the incident.My mind went over it, reliving every aspect in vivid color….“Michael, there is a man taking pictures of us!” Shelby had squealed.I’d turned my head, and sure enough, a man was standing on the rocky outcrop hanging over the cove.“Shit! Stay behind me, Shelby. I’ll get you out of this,” I’d said as I protectively shifted her body behind mine.She’d buried her face in my neck, and I could feel her nervous heartbeat against my chest. I had been so foolish to pull her into this mess. I knew instinctively that this was Blaine’s doing.I should have accepted the extra security when Bruce suggested it. I’d swam for a group of rocks as fast as I c