hidden | ethma

forty one

he smiles at me as he buckles his seatbelt. "hi, emma."

i swallow. zeke was the one that ransacked my apartment. how can i look at him as friendly anymore?

"what... what are you doing here?" i ask. what if alec sent him to monitor me? oh, god. my nerves skyrocket.

"i'm going to a conference in san francisco," he explains. "i make art on the side, and i was invited to feature in a presentation."

he doesn't seem like he's lying, but then again, everyone associated with alec seems to be a good liar, ethan included. i nod and force a smile.

"emma, i know what you're thinking," he sighs.

"what am i thinking?"

"come on, don't act like that. i was there when alec caught you listening in, remember?"

i flush. "oh. right."

zeke clenches his jaw. "i'm not going to say anything to alec," he says quietly. "in fact, alec doesn't even know i'm on this flight. he thinks i'm ill."

i furrow my brow, readying a reply when zeke beats me to it.

"buckle up, we're lifting off," he tells me as the pilot comes over the loudspeaker.

i comply and zeke pulls a magazine out of his seat pocket, leaning back in his seat. we don't speak as the plane takes off and coasts steadily among the clouds.

i'm still on edge as i open my manuscript and click open my red pen. i feel zeke's brown eyes on me, and i try to ignore him. why is someone as friendly as zeke involved with alec and his schemes?

"you don't have to ignore me," he says and i flush.

"i'm not ignoring you," i say, not looking up from my work.

"i think you are."

i put my pen down. "what do you want me to say to you, zeke? 'thanks so much for sifting through my apartment, much obliged!'"

zeke looks taken aback. "you think i went through your apartment?"

"i heard you say it," i snap. "i'm not an idiot."

to my surprise, zeke laughs.

"what's so funny?" i ask.

"i didn't break into your apartment," he says as his chuckles die down.

"but-"

"i only reported on it," he explains. "james and hannah were the ones that broke in."

i blink.

zeke leans toward me. "i shouldn't be telling you this," he says. "but alec's organization —wolfe enterprise — is bigger than you'd think. the people you saw in that room are merely his closest executives."

wolfe enterprise. the name itself sends chills down my spine.

"why are you telling me this?" i ask.