by Tina Saxon
“Oh, sweet cheeks, am I happy to see you not throwing up.” He glides over and wraps me in his arms. “Even though you still look like shit.”
“Hey, at least I’m alive,” I tease, then wince when I regret the words. It’s not a laughing matter. I shoot a glance at Max and by his scowl, he agrees.
Graham pushes back, his hands grip my shoulders, and he glares at me. “That. Is. Not. Funny.”
Okay, so I won’t win an Academy for Comedian of the Year.
“I’m disgusted that whoever did this used my note to trick you.”
Snapping my finger, I point at him. “That was a note from you then.” I jerk my head at Max, lifting a brow, but direct my attention back to Graham so he can’t rebuke my smug expression.
“It was. I left it for you during the last show. Was that the first time you saw it?”
I nod, fear prickling my body, a frightening realization washing over me. Whoever did this is close to me.
“Ms. Owen, do you mind if we ask you some questions?” The officer steps to the end of my bed and pulls a notepad out of his front pocket.
It’s official.
I have a stalker.
They tried to kill me last night.
“Ricin?” I jolt upright in my bed. I’ve been waiting all day to hear something. “Isn’t that what people send in the mail and is crazy dangerous to touch?” Max nods with a death grip on the rail to the side of me, his knuckles white. “How does someone even get a hold of something like that?”
“There are ways,” Max replies dryly.
“I’m just glad they pumped your stomach. Hopefully, they got it out of your system without damaging things internally.” Graham stands on the other side of my bed, holding my hand.
“Yeah. Me too.” Although, the moment of having my stomach pumped, I had wished for death from the poison. That is one experience I never want to have again. Graham breaks the bad news that I’m stuck here for four days under observation.
“I’m so sorry. I let everyone on the tour down.” Tears well up in my eyes, the emotions of everything building up inside me. Between Shane and now this, maybe the universe is telling me I’m not supposed to be a singer.
“Stop it. Right now. This isn’t your fault.” Graham squeezes my hand and the bed dips as he sits down beside me. “Jude is furious someone was able to access you. He’s setting up more security.”
“He wants me back?” I sniff, rubbing the tears off my cheek with my fingers. “What about Preston? He probably doesn’t want to deal with all of this while he’s on tour.”
“The team met this afternoon. They want you there. They’re afraid you’ll not want to come back.”
The decision to stay is mine? How is that even possible? I’m the opening act. I’m replaceable as quick as the polish on my nails. The thought of returning to the tour excites me, yet scares me at the same time.
“Nobody has stated the obvious, everyone is skirting around the fact that my stalker might very well be someone on staff.”
“That’s where I come in,” Max states. My eyes dart between Max and Graham, wondering what plan they have concocted without me.
“The security Jude hired,” he tilts his head toward Max. “Meet your new security detail.”
I swallow, hesitating to look at Max, torn by conflicting emotions. Graham smirks like he just stole a cookie behind his mom’s back. It’s one thing coming here to see if I’m all right, but being by my side for the unforeseeable future… it’s not a good thing.
All day, I’ve yearned for Max’s touch, but talked myself out of it, knowing he’s headed back home as soon as I get out of the hospital. I don’t want to set either of us up for disappointment again. But now, he’s here full time. How do you tell the guy that wants to save you to save himself? His hero complex has always been stronger than his feelings.
“Can we have a sec,” I whisper to Graham.
His lips twist with a raise of a brow, expressing that I need to lighten up. Of course, he’s excited Max is here. He blows out a resigned breath, knowing he doesn’t get a say in this, before he pushes off my bed and glides out, with one last pleading glance. I roll my eyes and shoo him out with my hand.
“You know he likes you, right?” I say, avoiding what I really want to say.
Max chuckles and shrugs a shoulder. “It’s good to be liked.”
The sheets crinkle as I adjust my sitting position, tugging them off my legs. My body’s heat increases as Max pins his eyes on me. The decent sized hospital room closes in around us. It’s like the universe is pushing us together. The question is, can I fight the pull if he’s right next to me?
“Max,” I sigh. “You know security teams all over the freaking world. Why are you taking this job? Especially with how I left New York..”
He clicks his jaw. “Because you almost died. I already had a guy on your current detail that works for me.” The bite of his tone has my attention so I skip out on telling him I already figured that out. “It’s just until we find out who did this,” he adds quickly. Despite the sting of his last words, I nod. The faster we can get back to normal the better. Him on the east coast, me on the west.
“Everything will be all right, Tink.”
I flash a hesitant smile knowing my heart and my life are on the line. The words to the song Everything’s Gonna Be Alright by David Lee Murphy and Kenny Chesney escape my nervous lips. Max chuckles as I snap and sway in my bed.
“Seems your wings are straightening out.” He flashes a sweet smile and I tilt my head, his previous words about my twisted wings coming back to me. I hadn’t realized what he meant until this moment. The music. It’s in my heart and soul, part of my inner being. But during that year, I tuned it all out. My voice created it, but my soul was deaf to the melody. Does he know it’s all because of him I can hear again? Feel the rhythm of the music? “Get some rest. I’ll be right outside the door if you need me.”
My thoughts leave me reeling as I watch his large, muscular body stroll out the room.
Focus on the music.
Not on Max.
Chapter Eighteen
Sydney
“Oh, hey,” I say to the good-looking guy standing guard outside my hotel room door. I thought I heard room service, but this guy is not room service. He’s wearing all black and his eyes are intense, but they never leave mine.
“Ms. Owen.” He holds out his hand. “I’m Kase Nixon.”
“Nice to meet you. You’re one of Max’s guys?” I tilt my head, studying him, knowing full well he works for Max. There has been a guy stuck to my side for the past week. Although, I’m surprised I don’t recognize him. Max never mentioned a new team member.
“I am.”
Great. He’s about as talkative as Max.
“Well… nice to meet you.” I back into my room and shut the door when it becomes clear he’s not into small talk.
My nerves are getting the best of me. Being back into the mix of things, knowing there is someone out there that wants to hurt me is giving me spikes of panic. Tomorrow night is my first concert since being released from the hospital. I eye my cell phone on the coffee table. He can make me feel safe. Fear of walking through that door makes me pause. He wasn’t supposed to come running to save me, dammit. This is his fault, he’s opened the door again and now I can’t stop thinking about him.
Oh, screw it.
“What’s wrong?” he answers the phone.
Reality hits me, my cheeks heat from embarrassment. “I hate that your first concern is something’s wrong when I call.” He remains silent on the other end, I’m sure wondering why the hell I’m calling. “I just want to talk.”
“Anything specific you want to talk about?” The deep timbre of his voice, vibrates inside of me.
I need to hear your voice.
“No.”
“Tink, are you okay? Do you need me to come over?”
No, and definitely no. I don’t have the energy right now to walk away.
“I can…”
“Just talk to me, Max,” I reply, frustrated that he’s not understanding what I need. Do I even know what I need? “You’ve always been able to calm me down. I need your voice right now.”
He chuckles. “My voice is here for you.” I smile and settle on the couch, already feeling at ease. “I didn’t know you hired someone new. Tell me about him.”
He groans and the phone rubs against his rough jaw, like he’s moving around. He mumbles something under his breath about talking to Addison. “Max? What are you doing?”
“Hold, please,” he bites out. I pull the phone back and stare at it, surprised by his tone. A few moments later, he comes back. He exhales loudly and I wonder where the sudden irritation came from. The line stays silent for a few more beats. “His name’s Kase, started working for me a few months ago. Anything else you were wondering about him?”
Snappy much?
I open my mouth to ask what his problem is but shut it when I overhear talking outside my door. My eyes narrow as I get up and walk to the door. Peering out the peephole, I see Hudson standing guard.
“Max Shaw, you did not just do that?”
“What are you talking about?” he answers with a trace of humor in his voice.
“Ugh. I don’t like the guy, you jealous ass.”
He laughs and unapologetically says, “I needed him to do a perimeter check.”
“Liar.”
Our chuckles die down, but the tension between us is felt through the phone. I close my eyes and place my hand over my heart, it thumps against it like Morse code. I know what it’s saying, but can I mentally act on it?
Can we move past the demons of guilt keeping us apart? Sometimes, our demons are just truths trying to be set free. When I look at Max, I’d rather him be in my life than not. But is it too late? Have I pushed him away too many times? Since he’s been here, he hasn’t given me any sign that he’s here because he still wants me. He’s here to do a job that he was hired to do.
“Tink?” he says, pulling me from my thoughts.
“I’m here. What’s your favorite ice cream,” I blurt out. I smack my forehead, shaking it.
Can I be any more random?
“Hmm… vanilla, I guess.”
I stifle my laugh with my hand.
“What’s wrong with vanilla?”
“Nothing. You’re just not the vanilla type.”
“Sydney.” His voice is a deep rumble mixed with heat as he calls me by my real name. “We’re talking about ice cream.”
Heat that pierces deep inside my lower belly, making me take a deep breath.
“What’s yours?” There’s struggle in his words, our conversation making him squirm too.
“Cherry Garcia.”
The memory of having the ice cream for the first time pops into my head. I had broken up with a jerk boyfriend in high school. Addison thought it was a great reason to try a dozen different Ben N’ Jerry’s ice cream flavors. Addison’s aunt came into the kitchen, the table covered with the pint-size ice cream containers. She joined in and we spent the whole night picking the asshole apart and eating ice cream. Cherry Garcia replaced him. The love of my life that never disappoints.
“You want one of the guys to bring you some?”
“That would be ah-mazing. But, I can’t have dairy the night before a concert.”
“Hmm. I’m learning so much about the life of a singer.” The fear fades away the more we talk. “Oh, funny story you’ll get a kick out of.” I sit taller, surprised that Max is sharing. “The other day we had a paintball game at my house. I took out the last man standing.”
His ego can’t get any larger.
“Oh, of course,” I laugh.
“Unfortunately, I didn’t account for any of the women left. I figured they would’ve been out long before the end.”
Women. A pang of jealousy welling up inside of me catches me off guard. “So, Addison shot you?” I say, trying to mask the emotion.
“Nope, she wasn’t there.”
My gaze darts around the room as I push off the couch and pace. Why is this affecting me so much? What did I expect? I’d tell Max no, and he’d stay single for the rest of his life? Is this why he doesn’t seem interested? He’s already dating someone?
“Oh,” I muster, eyes closed.
“Oh?”
I clear my throat. “I’m surprised you’re sharing your demise with me.”
His laugh is heady and I’m fairly certain I heard it through the wall. “That’s a bit overstated there, Tink. It was only a game.”
I let out an awkward laugh, hating myself for being insecure. For no reason.
“It was Kase’s girlfriend,” he finally adds. “You’d like her.”
Max wouldn’t be telling me all this if he had a girl there. The one thing Max wouldn’t do is hurt me even though he has every reason to. My mind stops wreaking havoc on my emotions and I blow out a calming breath.
“I like her already. I mean, any woman who can knock your ego down a couple notches is a friend in my book.”
“I was just off my game.”
“Really? That’s a lame excuse. I have a hard time thinking anything could throw you off.”
“There’s definitely something,” he mumbles, his voice trailing off.
The words get caught in my throat. I want to ask, but I can’t. My heart wants to hear that it’s me. That he still thinks of me. But my head is screaming at me not to open that door. Again.
Chapter Nineteen
Sydney
“Stone!” I run into his arms, surprised to see him standing on the side of the stage instead of Max.
“Hey, short stuff.” He wraps his arms around my sweaty body in a tight hug. “You rocked it on stage.”
Out of Max’s guys, Stone is my favorite. He’s definitely the most personable out of the group. The rest are broody and intense and when they stare at me; I feel like I’ve done something wrong.
“Thanks. It’s crazy, huh?” I turn back to the stage and watch as it's transformed for Preston. Stone throws his arm around my shoulder and watches with me.
“It’s fucking cool. Someday when Max fires me, it’d be dope to run the boards for a show like this.” I stare up his tall body, shaking my head. He smirks and shrugs cause he knows as well as I do, Max would never fire him. “I can have pipe dreams.”
“Speaking of Max, where is he?” I glance over my shoulder, expecting him to be behind us.
“He’s checking some things out.”
My body stiffens as I wonder if I received another package. “Did something happen?”
“Sy…” He clears my real name from his throat and pulls me to a quiet corner and his eyes dart around. “Sky, calm down. Nothing happened. He’s running checks, inspecting and scanning everything to make sure it’s safe. Not that I already did that,” he says sarcastically. “It seems he doesn’t trust me these days.”
His joking tone helps calm my frazzled nerves. “Nice catch,” I quip about his slip with my name.
“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that. That’ll take a little time to get used to.”
“Here you go, Sky.” I turn around to Demi, the backstage concierge, handing me water. Stone grabs it before I can, inspects the clear liquid and the lid before twisting it open. The seal breaks, which is enough reassurance for me.
“Where did this come from?” he demands. Demi’s green eyes widen at the abrupt question. I snatch the water out of his hands and roll my eyes. Stone’s jaw tightens.
“Chill, Stone. It’s fine.” I turn toward Demi and smile. “Thanks, Demi.”
“You’re welcome. And just so you’re aware, I got it from the barrel of water over there.” She points to a rolling barrel and then pins her eyes on Stone, squaring her shoulders. “The same place I grab all the waters for everyone.”
In a slothful move, I bring the bottle to my parched mouth and star
e at Stone while I take a painstakingly slow drink, all while trying not to laugh. Everyone got the memo that anything delivered to me needs to go through security first, but this is a little extreme. It’s water. I drink water all night and while I am more cautious about who hands me things; I trust Demi.
When she walks away, Stone leans into me and says, “Don’t be naïve just because you like someone.”
“I’m not,” I huff. “Stone, I can’t live in fear of everyone. I was driving myself insane this week. I’m around hundreds of people every day. I’ve worked too hard to become a strong, independent woman for someone to rip that away from me in the blink of an eye. He’d have to tamper with all the waters in that barrel if that was the way he wanted to get to me.”
Stone releases a heavy breath, softening his intense gaze. “I know how hard you’ve worked.” He crosses his arms, tilting his head. “But why do you assume it’s a male?”
I contemplate it for a beat and can’t really come up with a valid reason. “I just assumed, I guess. Aren’t stalkers usually men?”
He bobs his head a couple times. “Statistically, yes. But there are some catty bitches out there, so you can’t rule out the female population.”
My body deflates with the new revelation. I never imagined it was a woman. The new fear wraps around my spine, just as Zoe walks up. “Hey Sky, let’s get you touched up before you head back out.” I stare at her, my mind reeling with our past encounters. Did I ever piss you off? Have you ever seemed upset with me? Would you be able to kill someone? She waves her hand in front of my empty stare. “Sky?” I shake the thoughts from my head.
“Sorry. Yes, I’m ready.”
Dammit. Just when I had control back.
My imagination hasn’t stopped the full throttle of females that could be out to get me as I stomp on the bus. I head straight to the back. The guys have already figured out I’m not in the mood. I don’t even care they assume it’s that time of the month.
Jerking to a stop at the door leading into my space, I stare at the large man sitting at the table, working on his computer. He glances up at me and smiles. No. He can’t be this close to me—all night.
