Page 97 of Archer

“That was the plan.”

“I know.” She closed her eyes. “It was a lot harder to lie than I thought it would be.”

I stroked her cheek and hooked a swath of red hair behind her ear. “You did great,” I repeated. “I’m really proud of you.”

Her lips quirked and her brows puckered. “You are?”

I kissed the lines on her forehead. “Very.”

Slowly, she sat up, a shy smile on her beautiful face. “Thank you.”

Her phone buzzed and she turned the screen to face us.

Alexis: Great job! Editing now. We’ll pull the live and replace it with the recording in about an hour.

My phone buzzed next, and I pulled it from my pocket. “Colton.” I turned the screen so she could read the message with me. Webb’s online. He’s commenting on the livestream. A lot. Probably anticipating the interview. Someone did a great job of getting word out about this.

I let him know the recording would post in about an hour. When I looked back to Harper, her face was pale.

She’d opened the link where her interview aired. Comments flooded the feed, the bulk of them from the handle Meant_2_Be.

Meant_2_Be: You’re so beautiful when you’re vulnerable.

Meant_2_Be: He didn’t deserve you.

Meant_2_Be: You need someone who understands you.

Meant_2_Be: I’m still here. I’ve always been here.

Meant_2_Be: You said you’re ready. I’m ready too.

Other commenters were happy to see Harper was well and thrilled to hear a new album was underway. Many were interested in who she’d been dating and if they knew me.

I paused to ponder the idea for a moment. We’d never really had a chance to date. I wanted to remedy that. To take her out and show her off and make sure she knew exactly how I felt about her. But we didn’t have that luxury. Webb’s deranged fantasy kept us hidden away. Harper was right. This needed to end.

“Archer.” Harper pointed to another set of rapid-fire comments.

Meant_2_Be: I knew you’d see the truth eventually.

Meant_2_Be: He was keeping you prisoner. I’m setting you free.

Meant_2_Be: We belong together. We always have.

Meant_2_Be: Only You, Harper. Only ever you.

Meant_2_Be: I’ll show you what real love looks like.

The phone trembled in Harper’s grip.

I took the device from her and read through the rest. Each comment grew more obsessive than the last. Other commenters took notice and responded to him, telling him to back off and get a life. But that only sent him into tirades. Cursing and ranting about how much they didn’t know.

He was practically building Nash’s case for him, assuming the storage space wasn’t enough to put him in jail.

“He’s losing it.” I handed the phone back, but she didn’t read the comments.

She put the device into her pocket and moved to the window.

The sun hung low over the ocean, casting shades of blood orange and gold across the water. Somewhere out there, Webb was watching. Planning. Waiting.