DANTE
The text from Tate arrived at two in the morning.
"Don't you ever put me up for a task like this again. Anyway, she's home. Safe."
I stared at the message until the screen dimmed, then set the phone face-down on the passenger seat. Exhaled slowly through my nose.
What had I become? A stalker?
I couldn’t attend her promotion ceremony; being in the same room would’ve broken whatever remained of my self-control.
I'd planned the entire event. Sent Martin detailed instructions starting from her favorite champagne down to the playlist of music. Everything I’d learned about her in Meadowbrook was put to use. The ceremony was designed to make her happy, even if I couldn’t be there.
At some point of the evening, I was in the Banbury's VIP section, meeting with my private investigator a
