Cade’s POV
My pulse quickens, a sharp, electric jolt of adrenaline slamming through my system as Harper abruptly leaps from her seat and races away from the cabana. She’s pale, her hand pressed against her mouth, and I know that look. I know the way her body is rejecting the stress of this night.
“Harper!” Julian calls after her.
I look over at him. For the first time, the golden-boy smirk is gone, replaced by a genuine, deep-seated worry that makes his normally smooth face wrinkle in concern. He starts to stand, but he’s too slow. He doesn’t have the years of survival instincts I have.
I don’t think. I don't calculate the optics of leaving my date alone at the table. My instincts take over, and I am out of my chair in a flash, the legs scraping harshly against the stone floor. I leave
