We get to the venue at four o’clock where she does the sound check. After that, she hits up the gym and then retreats into her dressing room. She has been really quiet, and I wonder if it’s because the picture in the paper bothers her. “Are you okay?” I ask her, and her eyes look at me.
“Yeah, I just think I might be coming down with something.” She gets up when it’s eight o’clock and puts on her earpiece, and we walk to the stage.
The hallways all look the same in every venue with the white cement blocks. We turn the corner, and I look up. I’m surprised to see Dante and Hunter standing there together when we get to the stage. “What the hell are they doing here?” I mumble, and then they look up at me, and we are suddenly joined by Tommy.
“Hey,” I say when we get close enough to them. They are standing right in front of the stage entrance where Kellie enters. “What are you guys doing here?”
“Brian,” Hunter says, his voice low, and I look over at him, wondering if something horrible has happened, but he doesn’t say anything else because Kellie now talks.
“Good, you’re here,” she says to them. “Thank you for doing this on short notice.”
“Anything for you,” Tommy says, going to her and hugging her, and I look from her to Cori, who just glares at me.
“What is going on?” My eyes glance at everyone, and then they finally fall on Kellie, but I see something I haven’t seen, emptiness. She blinks once, and then looks over at Hunter, who just nods at her and then she turns to me.
“You’re being replaced,” she says, her voice not showing any emotion. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a show to do.” She turns to walk away from me, and I reach out to grab her arm. She stops, her eyes going to my hand holding her arm. “Get your fucking hands off me.” The tone of her voice surprises me, but not more than her yanking her arm out of my hand.
“Kellie,” I whisper, my heart starting to speed up.
“Get your fucking hands off me,” she says again, and now everyone springs into action. Tommy and Cori go to her side. Cori stands beside her, and Tommy stands in front of her like a shield. Hunter and Dante stand at mine. Hunter puts one hand on my arm while Dante stands right behind me.
“You’re fired,” Tommy says, and then I look at Kellie.
“What the fuck is going on?” I ask, my voice now louder than it was before.
“Nothing.” She shakes her head, and when she looks at me, I see her eyes glisten over with tears that she blinks away. “It’s not a big deal, man. I’m just riding the wave.” She throws the words in my face. “Now, get the fuck out of here.” She looks at Hunter. “Make sure he isn’t here when I get off that stage.” She turns and walks into the box, which will take her up to the stage.
“Hunter,” Tommy says, but I don’t look at him. My eyes are still on the box that holds her. Now the space empty. “You have your orders.” My eyes now go to Tommy, who glares at me. “You heard her. Get the fuck out of here.” He turns and walks away with Cori by his side.
Her voice now fills the arena as I’m left standing here with Hunter and Dante. Hunter speaks first. “We need to go.” He turns to Dante. “You have this?” he asks him, and he just nods at him.
“I’m not fucking going anywhere,” I tell Hunter. “Not until I explain to her what she heard.”
“Brian,” Hunter says, “she isn’t going to listen to anything you have to say right now.”
“He’s right,” Dante says. “Whatever you tell her right now isn’t going to mean shit.”
“You can’t ask me to just walk away.” I look at Hunter, who just shakes his head.
“I’m giving you an order to stand down and let Dante take over.” Hunter puts his hand up, stopping me from talking. “We need to assess the situation and then come back.”
Dante walks to me, whispering, “I got your woman covered.” I look back at the empty box that is waiting there for her to come back down for her first wardrobe change. I don’t say anything. I just nod my head, knowing that even if I stay, she isn’t going to listen to me. I walk out of the venue, leaving the love of my life.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kellie
“New Orleans, I’ll leave my heart here,” I tell the crowd, turning and running off the stage. If only they knew the truth. I can’t leave my heart here because it’s shattered into a million little pieces.
When I got out of bed this morning and walked to the door, I grabbed the handle and then listened to him say those words. I thought my legs would give out. I’m just riding the wave. The heat started moving up my neck, and if I wasn’t holding the door, I would have collapsed on the floor. I turned and staggered to the bathroom, closing the door behind me and sliding down until my ass touched the ice-cold floor. The tears escaped my eyes, and I didn’t even feel the burning and stinging you feel when the tears come. Instead, the rivers of tears ran down my face, and my stomach hurt. I put my hand on the middle of my chest, trying to dull the pain that now resides there. I heard him walking back in, and the sob ripped through me, so I moved my hand to my mouth to cover the sobs. I gave him my heart, and he had no idea. I gave him pieces of me I never gave anyone. I let him in so far that the roots were growing, making him a permanent part of me. But all he was doing was riding the wave. It must be why he finally gave into his stupid rule. It would be a good story to sell to the tabloids … security guard fucking Hollywood’s princess.
Anger filled my soul, and I slowly got up and walked to the sink, turning on the cold water. I put my hands on the counter and tried not to look in the mirror as I cupped my hands under the cold water and splashed my face twice. Grabbing a towel, I patted my face and then made the mistake of looking in the mirror, and I saw it. The love bites from last night. The little hickey that he left on my hip. It was going to fade; the marks would fade and so would the feeling that I had for him. But the scars on my heart would run deep. I walked out of the bathroom and saw him standing there, and when he came and kissed my lips, I didn’t even breathe. I didn’t take a breath while I sat on the bed and he showed me the picture of the both of us or as I read the article asking the old question who is he? He was a liar, he was a fake, he was the love of my life. I needed to get away from him, so I walked into Cori’s room. She was sitting up in bed on her computer, and her eyes flew up to see me pressing myself to the door.
“Are you okay?” She got up, worry all over her face as I shook my head, the tears coming down. “Where is Brian?”
“I need your help,” I whispered, trying not to let out the sob that was holding steady in my throat. “I need you to call Tommy, and then I need to call Hunter and get Brian out of here.”
“Oh my God,” she said, getting out of bed and coming over to me.
“Don’t.” I held out my hand. “If you come closer and hug me, I might fall apart, and I don’t have time for that right now. I need to make this happen, and I need to do it in a way that he doesn’t know what is going on.”
“I’ll take care of it,” she said, and I just nodded my head, knowing she would. She would make sure I was okay. I stayed away from him most of the day, faking that I wasn’t feeling well. “Everything is in place,” Cori whispered when I got back from my workout. I tried to keep my mouth closed most of the day, knowing that if I opened it, I might collapse, and I didn’t have time for that. Once I got on stage, it was almost robotic. I remember nothing except saying goodbye and being thankful it was finally over.
“The bus is waiting,” Cori says when I walk off the stage, and I find Cori and Tommy both waiting for me with Dante. Tommy puts his arm around my shoulder, and we walk out to the bus. When we all get on the bus, I just go into my room with Cori behind me. I go through the motions of undressing and then stepping into the shower. When I come out, Cori is sitting on my bed. “Are you going to talk to him?”
“No,” I say softly, “it’s done.” I get under the covers of the bed and just lie here. “He got what he wanted.” I close my eyes, letting t
he tears finally flow. My pillowcase is soaked by the time we arrive in Houston. I walk out of the bus, and I’m surprised to see we are at a hotel.
Tommy is there to walk me inside the hotel and take me up to my suite. “I have everything set up for you,” he says softly. “I have to get going tomorrow, but I’ll be there waiting for you in New York.”
“Okay,” I say when we walk into the suite. “You didn’t have to come for this,” I tell him, noticing the huge bouquet of pink roses on the table.
“I’ll always be there for you,” he says, pulling me into his arms and kissing my head. “We’re a team.” I nod my head, and then he looks at Cori. “Get her into bed and I’ll call her in the morning.”
I turn away from them and walk down the hallway. Going to the bedroom in the back, I pass a bedroom with a queen bed. “I need ice cream,” I tell Cori, and I hear the door shut behind Tommy, “and french fries.”
Dante stands there with his hands in his pockets as he watches us. “Do you want anything?”
“No, I’m good,” he says and then goes to sit down. “I’ll just wait for you two to get settled before I get to bed.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I tell him when there is a knock on the door. He springs up and walks to the door before I even take a step.
“I’ll handle it,” he tells whoever is at the door, and I wonder for a minute if it’s Brian. Did he come back? But it’s not Brian; it’s my luggage. “I take it all this is yours?” Dante says, and I take the top bag and unzip it to grab my phone. I stop when I see a pink rose on top, and my heart speeds up.
I grab the rose and bring it to my nose when I see the gold paper hanging from the stem. I turn it over and then drop it to the floor when I see what’s written.
Now that he’s gone, it’s just a matter of time until you’re mine.
“Dante,” Cori calls him, and he rushes over, picking up the rose and then reading the message.
“Son of a bitch,” he says and then goes over to the vase of flowers, identical to the single one, and there is another note. He pulls the white envelope out, taking the card out and hissing, “Motherfucker.” He grabs his phone, tossing the card down, and then another knock sounds at the door and he rushes to it.
I walk over to the note, picking it up from the floor, my hand still shaking.
* * *
I won’t let him stand in our way. You’ve always been mine.
“Here is the ice cream and fries, but we have to go,” he says, and I look at Cori.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I say. “I’m fucking done with everything!” I shout louder than I intend to, and Dante just looks at me, setting the tray down in the middle of the dining table in the corner. “I’ve had the shittiest day a person can have,” I say. Walking over to the table, I grab the ice cream, pull off the lid, and then grab a spoon. “I woke up this morning thinking I had everything in the world, and just like that, I was forced to see it was a lie.”
“It wasn’t a lie,” Dante says, and I glare at him, but he stands his ground. “We need to leave.”
“I’m not leaving,” I tell him. “I’m staying right here.”
“Brian has …” he starts to say, and I hold up my hand.
“I don’t give a shit what Brian has,” I snap at him, and now Cori comes to my side, whispering my name.
“Maybe it’s a good idea,” she says quietly. “Whatever happened, he would never put you in danger.”
“Really?” I ask her and then look at Dante who just stares at me. “Because his words hurt me more than any note written on that paper.” I uncover the plate of fries and dip one into the ice cream. “So forgive me if I don’t give a shit what Brian has or doesn’t have.”
“You can’t honestly believe that,” Dante says.
“I believe the words that came out of his mouth. I also believe you are paid to make sure nothing happens to me. I was his meal ticket out, and I’m happy that I know the truth now.”
Dante throws his head back and laughs. “Meal ticket out? You really don’t have any idea, do you?” The question throws me off, and I just stand here. “Newsflash: all those fucking houses he booked …” I stare at him, waiting for him to finish, but a knock on the door has him stopping. When he returns, the manager of the hotel is with him. “We’ve decided that we aren’t going to move, but we want this floor emptied in the morning and also no one can come up without a special key that I have.”
He nods his head. “Whatever we can do to help.” He looks at me. “I’m very sorry, Miss Hudson, for all the inconvenience.” I just nod at him and look out the windows at the sunrise. Dante handles the manager, and Cori makes sure everything is in its place. The flowers are disposed of, and when I turn back around, the door is shut again.
“What did you mean before?” I ask Dante, who is on his phone, his fingers going crazy. “About the houses?” He looks up at me.
He shakes his head. “Nothing,” he says. “Not my story to tell. You want answers, only one person can give them to you.” I nod at him and walk back to my room where Cori is pacing back and forth.
“I have to go,” she says and then hangs up. “Tommy wants to cancel the rest of the tour.”
“No,” I say, getting under the covers. “I just want it over with, and then I’m going to disappear for six months.” My head sinks into the pillow. My eyes are heavy, but I still look out the window.
“Kellie,” she says softly, sitting on the edge of the bed, “I think you should consider canceling the rest of the tour for your safety … and your sanity.” I look at her, and she stops talking. “I’ll go tell Dante we are going to sleep.”
She gets up and walks out of the room. My eyes go to the soft glow of the sunrise in the dark morning. I fight sleep, afraid of my dreams. I fight sleep because I know that when I wake up, I’ll still be here, and I’ll still be without him.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Brian
“When I said we need to assess the situation, I did not mean let’s stalk the fuck out of Kellie,” Hunter says, getting into the Range Rover waiting for us on the tarmac. We just took a private plane from Dallas to New York, the last stop of the tour. Tonight I’m going after her, and nothing will stop me.
It’s been a week since she sent me away. A week of hell. Anyone would have gone away with their tails tucked between their legs but not me. I got on the plane and went on the tour with her. I just wasn’t the guy out front like Dante was. It also gave me time to go over everything, but all the surveillance videos show nothing. Everything was clean, no fingerprints except hers and mine. I’m now waiting on the amethyst heart lead I got.
I followed her to Dallas, and she got another flower arrangement this time with a note that said:
* * *
Every day is a step closer to us being together. Only a matter of time, my love.
Your future husband
* * *
It took Hunter and another security guy to stop me from storming upstairs. The only reason I didn’t get there was because I was on the phone with Dante, and he told me he had the situation under control. He already had the flowers being sent to Rachel so she could take care of trying to get prints off them. And then Cori. Yeah, Cori, after she told me to go fuck myself and hung up on me ten times, she finally let me say more than don’t hang up on me.
“Did Rachel get anything back from the flowers?” I ask Hunter when I get into the truck, and he just shakes his head. I pull the truck out of the airport and make my way over to the penthouse I borrowed for the week. “I’m taking time off after the tour,” I tell him, and he looks up from his phone. “I don’t know for how long, and I’m sorry to leave you on the spot, but I can’t.” I don’t finish my sentence.
He smiles and then continues typing on his phone. “We kind of figured that out when you almost put me through a wall after I led you away from her.” I look at him from the side. “You’re lucky I didn’t stab you in your sleep.”
I laugh.
“Like you can sneak up on me,” I tell him. “You wish.”
“It’s hard to sneak up on someone who hasn’t slept in a week,” he points out. “Dante says they just got to her apartment, and the whole place is full of flowers.”
The hair stands up on my neck, and he sees that I’m gripping the steering wheel harder than I should, turning my fingers white. “Relax, they are all from her friends and record label, congratulating her on a good tour.”
He turns his phone, and I see that flowers are scattered throughout her whole apartment. “Those are all from her friends? Are they female friends?” I ask, and he laughs softly, but then looks back at me, and his smiles goes away.
“Do you want me to ask?” He looks at me, not sure what to do, and I just shake my head. “I don’t know why I suddenly feel like I’m in high school again and I have to pass a note to the girl that says do you like him yes or no?” he says, and then both our phones go off. I look down and see it’s from Dante.
My eyes are focused on the road. “What does it say?” I ask him, and he looks at me.
“Apparently, your girl has an itch and needs to go shopping. He says you owe him, and he’s cashing it in next week.” I laugh as I zigzag through traffic and then pull up to the penthouse where the doorman comes out and greets me.
“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Brian,” he says, and I smile at him. I’ve known him since I was about seven. “Last time I saw you, you had just enlisted.” I nod at him. “Thank you for your service. I take it your father forgave you.”
“You can say that,” I tell him, smiling. “He gave me the okay to be here, so”—I toss him the keys—“thank you.”
Hollywood Princess Page 18
