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“Maybe,” she drawls.
I let out a breath, figuring it can’t hurt. “Fine. I’m Graham. Graham Steele.”
Maybe I’m imagining it, but I could swear there’s a flicker of recognition in her eyes when I say my name. But it disappears quickly. It was probably nothing. There’s no reason a woman I randomly met should know my name. Unless she’s from D.C. and really interested in gossip columns. Or maybe she works in business and recognized my last name somehow. It could be anything.
“Isabella,” she says on a soft breath, introducing herself.
“Isabella what?” I prompt.
She cocks her head to the side. “If I told you my last name, it would be a lie. Do you want me to lie to you, Graham?”
For some reason, I like the sound of my name on her lips.
“How can I be sure Isabella’s not a lie?”
“It’s not,” she assures me.. “You should feel lucky. I don’t usually give my real name out to strangers.”
“My life is just overflowing with unicorns and puppies due to that luck you mentioned,” I say sarcastically. She simply shrugs. “How old are you?” I ask.
Because that’s also an important question. If she’s a college student, I might not have a choice in notifying the authorities. She doesn’t look that young, though.
“Twenty-seven,” she replies.
I cock my head. “Was that a lie?”
“No. Don’t worry, Graham, I would tell you if I was lying.”
“That would defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it?”
“Sure, but it would also help you be less on edge,” she says.
She’s intuitive, I’ll give her that.
“Okay. So, Isabella. From where…?” I question.
She shakes her head with a small smile. “Not telling you that.”
Alright. “Why didn’t you want me to call the police or take you to the hospital?”
“Because I didn’t want it to be a big thing. If the police got involved, my cousin could find out.”
“Another cousin?”
“Yeah.”
“And who is this cousin? Some kind of politician, a mayor or senator?”
She shakes her head.
“Where is he?” I prod, needing answers.
“New York,” she replies.
“How could he have found out from New York?”
“He’s very well connected.”
“So I’m guessing you live in New York?”
