Page 108 of The Rebel Billionaire

My eyes flicking between Hayward's rage-filled face and his gun, I pressed theHomebutton on my phone, leaving my thumb in place so that my fingerprint could unlock thescreen.

It was impossible to tell if it worked without looking. Hoping with everything I had that the phone was unlocked, I pictured the screen in my mind. Evers had put the security app in the center of the bottom row, just to theright.

Feeling my way, I tapped where I thought the app would be. If it had opened, the panic button would be deadcenter.

The trick was, the panic button in the app needed my fingerprint to activate, a safeguard against calling for help when I just wanted to set the alarm. I tapped the button in the middle of the screen, then pressed my thumb to theHomebuttonagain.

If it worked, the phone would vibratetwice.

Nothing.

Either I'd never turned the phone on, or I'd hit the wrong app, or it hadn't read mythumbprint.

There was no waytotell.

Hayward was starting to run out of steam, now bitching about his lying, cheating wife and the lawyer who was suckingthemdry.

Any minute, he'd be done with talking. He'd be readytoact.

I clicked the button on the side of the phone to put it to sleep and started the processagain.

A click to the homebutton.

My thumb pressed again for thefingerprintscan.

My heart raced in my chest. Sweat pooled in my armpits and ran down myspine.

I was running outoftime.

Again, I pictured the home screen in my mind and tapped where I knew the security app hadtobe.

One more tap for that red circle that was the panic button and one more press of mythumb.

Nothing.

I squeezed my eyes shut to fight back the rising panic and triedagain.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE

LUCAS

The lights wereon at Charlie's house when I pulled in my driveway, home a day later than I'd expected. I'd been driving for hours and I smelled like stale coffee andfastfood.

I hadn't figured out what I was going to saytoher.

Like the coward I was, I jumped in the shower to delay just a little bit longer. I needed to see her, but I was terrified I'd end up making everythingworse.

The shower didn't buy me much time. I changed, rubbed my hair with a towel, and I was ready to go, still with no idea whattosay.

I'd have to figure it out when I got there. Maybe I was going to fuck it up again. I didn't have pretty words or a decent explanation for why I'd been such anasshole.

All I knew was that I couldn't wait any longer to see her. If she felt half as miserable as I did, I might have achance.

I thought about calling first, but she probably wouldn't answer. I wouldn't if Iwereher.

Groveling was best done in person, anyway. Fully prepared for her to slam the door in my face, I jogged up her front steps and raised my hand toknock.

From the inside, I heard a voice, a man, yelling. And the beep from Charlie's phone. The proximity alarm. If I could hear her phone through the door, she had to beclose.