Stars Over Alaska (Wild River #4) - Jennifer Snow Page 0,97

the agency had been short and sweet—he’d advised her to get Selena back to LA as soon as possible and he was glad they were both okay. Flying back was faster. She’d figure out how to get her car back later.

The movie star looked like she wasn’t suffering any aftereffects from the trauma. Sitting in the first-class window seat next to her, Selena thumbed through a fitness magazine and sipped a glass of wine.

“Hey... How on earth did you do that anyway? With the handcuffs.” She hadn’t had a chance to ask Selena about her quick-thinking skills with everything else going on.

“I pay attention sometimes,” Selena said with a grin. “At your family’s house. I watched and learned.”

Leslie laughed, but it was more strangled relief. “I think you might have saved our lives.”

“Might have?”

“Okay, definitely did.” She hesitated. “I’m sorry about all of this. I should have listened to you when you said you didn’t trust Eoghan and when you said you hadn’t posted those pictures.” She shook her head. Disappointment in herself—her judgment, her perception of things, her inability to listen to Selena—was starting to set in now that the immediate danger was over.

Selena shrugged. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. We’ve all been gaslit by a man before.”

“Yeah, but I shouldn’t have been. Not by Eoghan. I’m trained to see the signs, the dangers, the warning patterns of behavior, but I...just didn’t.” Maybe she wasn’t as cut out for this career as she’d thought. How could she not question her abilities when she’d failed the first time she’d really been put to the test?

Selena closed the magazine and touched her shoulder. “Why are you being so hard on yourself? Of course you didn’t see it with Eoghan, because he didn’t show any of that. He was trained the same way you were, so he knew how not to act. He knew you’d pick up on anything suspicious, so he made sure not to fall into any of those recognizable patterns.”

She had a point, but... “But I still let him get close. To both of us. That never should have happened.”

“Why? Are you immune to the need to have connections with people? Leslie, you’re only human and as much as you push people away, even you needed someone in your life—even if it was just casual. Eoghan was a safe choice for you because you knew there was no chance of getting hurt because your feelings for him weren’t that deep,” she said.

Wow, when had Selena gotten so deep? Having misjudged the woman and not actually getting to know her before making assumptions compounded Leslie’s guilt. “Still, I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted and I’m sorry if I was...difficult at times.”

Leslie laughed. “Understatement.”

“We’re safe now. I can return to my life. And for what it’s worth, I think you did everything right,” Selena said.

Leslie swallowed the lump in her throat. “Thank you.” Unfortunately, her superiors wouldn’t see it that way.

* * *

THAT PAST WEEK took the award for craziest week of Levi’s life.

He’d struggled with every emotion possible—heartache, love, fear, disappointment, and now that it was all over, he wasn’t sure what to feel. It was as if his body had shut down, gone numb in a form of protective mode.

Leslie and Selena were back in LA. The stalker was in custody and everyone was safe.

Her goodbye this time had left him with the impression that he was nowhere on her mind right now and he understood—she had a lot to deal with still back in LA. She’d just escaped an abduction and there were far more pressing things for her to focus on. He wasn’t sure he’d ever make her priority list.

But damn if he didn’t miss her already. Maybe if they’d had more time and the circumstances hadn’t been so intense.

He’d give anything to see her right now.

“Hey, turn on Channel 5 News,” Chad said, entering his office without knocking. He and the rest of the team had just gotten back from Florida a few hours ago. Levi still had a tough decision to make regarding his own career. He needed to meet with his team and find out whether they all still felt confident with him at the lead.

Levi grabbed the remote and turned on the news. On the screen, Selena was being interviewed by the media at a press conference. Dressed in a pale pink sundress, her hair and makeup done, Levi almost didn’t recognize her. No wonder Leslie had believed she could keep the star safe from