by Eden Summers
She held her breath and sighed when the ringing started.
One ring, two.
“Alana.”
Shit.
“Mom?”
So close. Kate’s name sat directly above her mothers.
“What’s going on?” A hint of panic came from the other end of the line. “I got off the phone to Kate’s mom not long ago, and she told me you were on the second page of the Richmond newspaper.”
“Umm.” Alana had nothing to say that her mother would approve of.
“I promised you I wouldn’t call and check up on you, so Patty looked it up on the Internet. We’ve been listening to the Richmond radio station and the man spoke about you on-air, Alana. He mentioned your name.”
Mitch talked about her during his interview? Through the panic and vulnerability, her chest sparked with an emotion far more palpable than she’d ever experienced before. She wanted to ask her mother what he said, but staying on the topic wouldn’t be safe.
“How did my grandparents die, mom?”
“What? Please Alana, the man said you were hurt, and he’d taken care of you all night. What does that mean? Are you OK? Did he hurt you?”
She couldn’t tell if her mother’s panic increased from Alana not answering the questions or because she’d mentioned her deceased grandparents. “I met an elderly couple not long ago. They tried to convince me they were my father’s parents.”
Silence.
“Mom?”
“You should come home.”
No. Apart from being visually impaired, she loved the freedom of being away from the retreat. She’d already learned a lot from her experiences. Men weren’t horrible creatures. Well, most anyway. She realized she wasn’t a lesbian which was a bonus, and truth be told, she contemplated staying in Richmond for longer than her return flight date. Much longer.
“How did my grandparents die?” She clutched the phone, praying for an honest answer.
“I don’t want to discuss this over the phone. When you get home we can sit down and talk about it.” Her mother was adamant, the previous panic overridden by determination.
“Mom...” Alana swallowed over the gravel in her throat. “Just tell me this. Are my grandparents still alive?”
She heard nothing but the rush of cars and people talking in the distance as she waited.
“I don’t know,” her mother whispered.
“You don’t know?” she echoed in a soft voice. All the years she’d hoped for family to connect with, something outside of the secluded life on the retreat, and she’d been told they were alone. That the only person she had in her life was her mother. “You don’t know?” she repeated louder. “You told me they died. You told me since childhood that I had no family.”
“Alana, please. Come home and we can discuss it.”
Home? Home wasn’t a place surrounded with lies and deceit.
“No.” She rubbed her forehead to relieve some of the tension. “I don’t think I’m coming home at all.” Alana had her own money. Not a lot, but it would be enough to keep her in Richmond for a while and give her the opportunity to figure out what she wanted for her future. “I’ll speak to you later.”
“No! Wait.”
Right now she didn’t think her mother deserved a hearing. “Bye, Mom.” She removed the phone from her ear and pressed at the screen numerous times hoping to hit the disconnect button. Now she had no way of getting in contact with Kate and didn’t know how to find Mitchell.
Fantastic.
Pushing against the wall to her feet, she shook her hands, trying to dislodge the vulnerability that caused her limbs to shake. She could do this.
A male cleared his throat a few yards away, the closest sound she’d heard since hiding around this side of the building. On alert, she snapped her head in the direction it came from.
“Alana, I’m sorry.”
She released the breath restricting her lungs. The elderly man had more determination than she anticipated.
“I didn’t realize you were visually impaired when we first approached you in the coffee shop. I didn’t mean to scare you into fleeing. I just followed you to make sure you were all right.”
“It’s fine.” She tried to smile. The man who may very well be her grandfather was her only ally in finding Mitchell or getting in contact with Kate. Thank you, fate.
In the distance, the women screamed louder, more hysterical, chanting a mass of indecipherable words. Her panic returned. Reckless Beat’s interview must be finished and the band was probably in the lobby or leaving, causing the crowd to go wild.
“Can I help you get to where you need to be?” His voice approached.
She nodded and blindly stepped forward. Mitchell couldn’t come outside to search for her. It would be suicide…by groping. His bodyguards may even encourage him to leave and go back to the hotel without her.
She knew he cared. He’d already made that obvious. He just wouldn’t be able to roam the streets when there were screaming women and fans willing to push him to the ground in an effort to touch him.
“Yes. Please. I need to hurry.”
* * *
“Mitch, I couldn’t find her.”
Leah’s eyes held a hint of panic that seeped under his skin and kicked his heart into overdrive.
“What do you mean, you couldn’t find her? She’s in the coffee shop downstairs.”
She swallowed and shook her head. “Alana’s not there.”
He increased his pace down the radio station’s hall, and Leah struggled to keep up.
“What’s going on?” Blake asked from behind.
“Alana’s gone,” he spoke over his shoulder, not stopping his momentum. “I’m going to find her.”
“You can’t just walk around, Mitch.” Leah grabbed his upper arm, trying to slow his progression, but he didn’t stop until he reached the elevator. “There’s a crowd outside. They’ll eat you alive.”
He smacked his fingers against the Down button and turned to face Blake’s worried expression. In the background Mason, Sean, Ryan, and Tony strode toward them meeting up with the other two bodyguards who had been waiting in the reception area.
“What’s the rush?” Ryan stopped beside him.
“Alana’s not in the coffee shop. I don’t know where she is.”
“Maybe she got a better offer,” Mason chuckled, then wiped the smirk off his face when Mitch glared at him. “Sorry,” Mason mumbled and broke eye contact.
“What are you going to do?” Sean asked.
“I’m going to find her.” He turned back to the elevator and slammed his fingers into the Down button again and again and again.
“You can’t,” Leah’s voice rose.
“Watch me,” he snapped and uncomfortable silence settled over them.
“Hold up, pussy-whipped.” Mason broke the discomfort. “Why don’t I get Dan and Pete—” he motioned to the two other bodyguards, “—to step outside with me, Sean, and Ryan. Building security is already out there, so the hype should be controllable.” Mason glanced at Leah as she shook her head, but he ignored her disapproval. “We’ll chat with the fans, sign some autographs and keep them occupied while you, Blake, and Tony go search for her. She couldn’t have gone far walking around like Stevie Wonder.”
The elevator dinged. Mitch didn’t wait for the doors to fully open before he stepped forward and pushed them apart. “That’d help, but with or without you, I’m going to find her.”
“Settle down, Maverick, this isn’t the danger zone.” Sean smirked as he followed everyone into the elevator. “She might still be in the building.”
Mitch’s finger would get a cramp if he gave the bird every time he felt the urge.
“Well, his safety will definitely be in jeopardy,” Leah grumbled.
They descended in silence while his blood ran cold. Where was she? “Did you check the bathrooms?”
“Yes,” Leah replied. “I checked the bathroom stalls. I glanced outside, I doub
le checked the lobby.”
Shit.
When the elevator dinged its arrival on ground level, he bit his lip waiting for everyone in front of him to move out.
“We’ll go do our thing.” Mason stated as a chorus of screams sounded outside. “Meet back inside in fifteen minutes.”
“I won’t be coming back until I find her,” Mitch replied and pivoted from their makeshift circle to begin the search. A firm hand grabbed his upper arm.
“We’ll meet back here in fifteen minutes and re–evaluate if you haven’t found her.” Mason looked at him in concern. “Don’t do anything stupid, Mitch. She’ll be fine.”
Mitch inclined his head and Mason’s hand fell from his arm. “See you in fifteen minutes.”
He checked every inch of the lobby before he pushed through the inside entrance to the coffee shop, Blake and Tony in tow. Tony spoke to the barista while simultaneously giving death stares to anyone who came within a yard of Mitch and Blake. He even held back the gasping fans who begged for an autograph with a firm shake of his head. The guy had a soft and gooey center, but on the outside he was one scary mo-fo.
“She left a while ago.” The lady behind the counter said with a worried look on her face. “I think there was an issue—”
“Issue?” Mitch hadn’t meant to yell.
The woman’s face fell. “I’m sorry, we were busy, and I didn’t have the opportunity to check if she needed help. She walked out the front doors while telling an elderly gentleman to leave her alone. I haven’t seen them both since.”
Panic filled thoughts flashed through Mitch’s mind. What would an old man want with Alana?
“He followed her?” Blake asked.
The woman nodded. “I think so.” She wrung her hands. “Look, I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Mitch added and began to head for the front doors.
“Wait!”
He stopped and pivoted back around. Blake and Tony did the same. The woman stood on her tiptoes, glancing over their heads. “I think the lady over there was with him.”
The three of them followed her gaze. In the third table back from the window sat a woman with gray hair, her head bowed, her hands resting in front of her.
Without a backward glance he headed for her, ignoring the excited stares that followed wherever he went.
“Excuse me.” Mitch knelt beside the table, and her reddened eyes turned to face him. “Have you seen a young woman, chocolate brown hair, green eyes? She would’ve had trouble with her vision.”
The woman’s gaze became distracted with something behind him, outside the window. He began again. “I’m sorry to bother you, but—”
“Mitch.” Tony tapped him on the shoulder.
He peered up at Tony, who was staring in the same direction out the window. His heart skipped a beat as he turned and moved to his feet.
There she was, bathed in a halo of sunshine, her hand clasped around the crook of an elderly man’s elbow as they walked past the coffee shop windows.
“Thank fuck for that,” Blake muttered.
Mitch held back from running to her. He didn’t mind being called pussy whipped, or under the thumb, or whatever his friends wanted to classify him as. The thing that settled uncomfortably in his chest was the addiction clawing his insides. After only one night together, the thought of losing her had turned his limbs into shaking clumps of lead.
It wasn’t normal.
Or natural.
“Why are you so happy?” he asked over his shoulder.
Blake shrugged. “I’ve been feeling spiritual today. Was hoping to listen in on another prayer session later.”
“You’re a dick.” Mitch shook his head and took the first step forward to claim his girl. He ate up the distance, his pace quickening until finally he reached the door, yanked it open, and stood a yard before her. “Alana.”
Her head turned in his direction, her focus aimed at his face, but not directly on his eyes. A smile tilted her lips. “Mitchell.” Her voice was breathy, exactly the way he felt. She took a step away from the man at her arm and paused. “Mitchell?”
He went to her, grasped her in his arms, and held her to his chest. “Where the hell have you been?” he whispered into her hair.
She hugged his waist and squeezed tight. “There was a bit of...drama.”
“It was entirely my fault,” an aged voice informed him.
Mitch raised his gaze to the man standing directly behind her. After hearing about the issue in the coffee shop, he wanted to castrate the seemingly harmless stranger, no matter how much regret the man held in his eyes.
“No, it’s not.” Alana shook her head and pivoted away from Mitch’s chest. “I was just...stunned.”
The old man’s eyes glistened with unshed tears when he looked at Mitch.
“What’s going on?” He rubbed his forehead, trying to hide his face and brush away some of his anxiety. He couldn’t wait around in the wide open for hours. They needed to leave.
“I don’t want to discuss it now. I’ll tell you about it later. I just want to get out of here.”
The man bowed his head in defeat.
“Mitchell, can you please get Mr. Bowen’s phone number for me.”
Mitch glanced at Mr. Bowen, who now had a hopeful smile on his face, his hands shaking as he rifled through his wallet. “Sure, sweetheart.”
“Here are my personal contact details.” Mr. Bowen shuffled forward and handed the card to him, before turning to Alana. “Rose and I would love to hear from you. Please, don’t hesitate to call at any time.”
Alana inclined her head. “I’d like that. Hopefully we can meet up again before I leave Richmond.”
Mr. Bowen reached for her hand and encased it in both of his. “We would love to, Alana. It would make us extremely happy.”
Mitch stood back and watched, entirely confused as to why an elderly man would be eager to meet up with Alana again. How did they know each other when she’d never been in Richmond before? The whole situation was doing his head in.
“It would make me happy, too.”
Her gaze lowered when the old man’s shaking hand cupped her cheek. “I’m glad to have met you.” And with that, he began to walk away, past Tony who stood a few paces behind on alert, toward the coffee shop door which Blake held open.
Mitch stepped into her, this time raising her chin with a delicate finger so he could gaze into her eyes. “You scared me.” He placed a fleeting kiss on her lips, denying his body the full devouring it craved. “Are you all right?”
She nodded and he kissed her again. This time when he went to pull back, she snaked her hand around his neck and held him close, deepening the kiss. Her tongue sought his, her lips moving in a heated rhythm that would soon leave him unable to walk away without readjusting his cock.
“Oh, come on!” Blake shouted. “Enough, already. This shit’s going to be all over Facebook.”
Mitch wanted to growl. Unfortunately, Blake was right. There were too many eyes on them. “We better go.”
“OK.”
Something wasn’t right in Alana’s world. Her smiles weren’t as bright, her expression less cheerful. He grabbed her arm and placed it at the crook of his elbow. “Tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll fix it.”
She let out a breath of soft laughter, but her happiness quickly faded. “Just take me back to the hotel. I’m tired.”
He supposed she would be tired. Her body wouldn’t be used to the late nights like his. “No problem.” Once they were back in the suite he would give her time to rest. She would need it because he had no plans to let her go home with Kate tonight.
Alana stretched her arms above her head and snuggled into her pillow. Noise registered on the far edges of her brain and took a few moments to sink in. When the sound of boisterous male voices became clear, she sat up straight and opened her eyes to darkness.
She blinked, blinked again, then woke up enough to remember where she was and why her eyes felt
like gravel. Letting the confusion subside, she began to listen to the chatter, and a smile tilted her lips. She heard Mitchell’s laughter, followed by muffled words from Blake, and who she guessed was Mason.
This scenario was in complete contrast to what her mother had described to her throughout her life. Men were supposed to be deceitful, sleazy, hurtful, degrading—the list continued.
Mitchell was none of those. Yes, he was sexual and sensual, but she liked those parts of him. He’d shown her that intimacy could be fulfilling for a woman. He’d also taken the time to give her pleasure when he wasn’t receiving any in return. And although she would never know for certain, she didn’t think he had a dishonest bone in his body. The care he’d shown melted her heart. He went above and beyond to ensure her comfort.
Shifting her legs to the side of the bed, she stood on the soft carpet. Light no longer seeped around the edges of the curtains. Night had fallen. She must have slept longer than the solitary hour she had planned on. Mitchell had convinced her to rest, had even lain down beside her. But now he was gone.
She hadn’t wanted to waste the last hours they had together. Yet once her head hit the pillow with his warm arm rested on her waist, her back snuggled into his chest, she felt herself drift into sleep.
Alana worked her way to the bathroom, shuffling her feet in case her shins came in contact with something hard. After using the facilities, she took cautious steps to the bedroom door, led by the soft glow of light seeping under the frame.
The rambunctious conversation died when she stepped into the dining room, and a chair scraped against the tile. She smiled at the familiar shadowed figure striding toward her.
“Hey, sweetheart.” Mitchell’s arm ran around her waist, and he placed a kiss in her hair. “Sleep well?”
“Mmm.” She nodded and snuggled into the warmth of his neck. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You needed the rest.”
“Yeah, but I wanted to spend more time with you before Kate came to pick me up.”
He pulled her into a hug, and she heard his deep inhale as he nuzzled into her hair. “I’ve already spoken to Kate. She’s happy to do another sleep over, if you are.”
