Tiara paled. “Do you really think so?”
Seth shrugged. “It’s a risk I’m not willing to take.”
Jack felt his stomach tense up as he watched them argue. “Look, I know that this has been a hell of a week, but it’s over now. I’m willing to do whatever I have to in order to keep the two of you safe. For starters, as Taletha suggested, you’re both welcome at my home if you don’t want to stay at the hotel anymore.”
“Forget it,” Seth snapped. “If you were really concerned about protecting us, you would have done so before things reached such a dangerous point. As far as I’m concerned, everyone at this studio is complicit in Callista’s crimes because they’re too inept to take care of things. You can’t manage to protect a woman you claim to care about.”
Jack felt his blood begin to boil. “You’re getting out of line, man. I’ve done my best to protect her. I’m sorry if I don’t have ESP and don’t generally think like a criminal.”
“Well, maybe you should have tried harder. Everyone at this studio should have tried harder. Taletha, you should never have let things get this bad. You should be able to control your own employees.”
Taletha’s jaw dropped. “I don’t have ESP, either. I’ve done my best. Excuse me for not assuming that all of my employees are out to get you.”
“This is ridiculous.” Seth turned back to Tiara. “Sweetie, I really think it would be best for everyone if we left early.”
“But what about the competition?” Tiara asked.
“You know there are plenty of other competitions in the world. We don’t need to win this one.”
“People are relying on us to act as judges.”
“They can find other people.”
“What about our teaching commitments?”
“We’ll finish out the stuff we have scheduled for today, and that’s it.”
“But we promised—”
“And we also expected to not have our lives be put in danger. Do you really want to run the risk of more bad stuff happening to us if they let Callista go?”
Tiara dropped her eyes to the ground. “I guess not.”
Jack started to panic. Although part of him knew her home was in Denver, and that she’d return there after the competition, his heart had yet to process that information. The thought of her taking off early was a shock.
“Tiara, I know you’re scared and upset,” he said, taking her hand. “I am, too. But you don’t have to leave. I promise I’ll take care of you.”
“If he was going to take care of you, he should have done that sooner,” Seth snarled.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Jack said.
“Make your choice, Tiara. Do you want to leave and know you’re safe? Or stay and take risks? It’s up to you. But I’m going.” He turned and stormed down the hallway.
Jack gazed into Tiara’s eyes, silently begging her not to leave.
“I’m sorry,” she said. She dropped his hand and chased after Seth.
Chapter Nine
Tiara struggled not to cry as she packed her suitcase.
“Maybe there’s a way we can figure this out and stay,” she said. “I mean, Taletha already fired Callista. What would be the harm of finishing our professional obligations?”
“Taletha meant well, but she didn’t go far enough.”
“Callista was fired, and then the police arrested her. What else was Taletha supposed to do, exactly? I don’t think she had any other options.”
“Why are you fighting me on this?” Seth snapped. “Taletha’s still agreed to pay us in full, which is the least she could do after the way we’ve been treated. We got out of town, got to teach some good classes, and got some training. But now it’s time to move on, the way it is after every event.”
“But I love Jack,” she whispered, a tear rolling down her face.
Seth dropped his suitcase on the floor. “You what?”
“I love Jack. I love him the same way I love you.”
“But—but it’s so soon.”
“I know it’s soon, but it’s the way I feel. I’ve been drawn to him ever since the first moment he took my hand to lead me in a dance, and even though we’ve only known each other a short time, my feelings have grown. I love him, and I don’t want to leave.”
“Does that mean you want to give up everything we worked for and relocate to a town where we’re clearly unwelcome? You would really want to stay here after what we’ve been going through?”
Tiara started crying harder. “I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far in advance yet. Jack doesn’t even know how I feel about him, and you’re not even giving me a chance to say anything.”
“Why do you want to have anything to do with anyone affiliated with this damn studio? We’ve had nothing but trouble here. Our lives were threatened.”
“That was one person, Seth. One person, and she’s been fired. I can’t believe you’re blaming everyone else for the stupid things she did. And I especially can’t believe you’d lump Jack in with her. He’s been nothing but wonderful to us ever since we arrived.”
“No he hasn’t. He was outright rude when we first showed up.”
“And you’re willing to let that overrule all the amazing things that have happened between us since then?”
Seth stiffened. “Yes, I am.”
“Then you’re not the man I thought you were.” Tiara slammed her suitcase closed and pushed past Seth on her way out the door. “I’ll be getting my own cab to the airport.”
“What?” Seth chased down the hall. “What on earth are you talking about?”
“I need some time alone to think. I don’t expect to have much privacy on the plane, so I thought that a nice cab ride by myself might give me some quiet time to sort out my thoughts.”
“What on earth do you possibly have to sort out?”
Tiara stopped walking and finally turned to look Seth in the eye. “Whether or not I plan to stay with you when we get back to Denver.”
“What?” Seth gasped as she turned and hurried toward the elevator. “After all these years of waiting, after we finally decide to be together, you’re suddenly unsure?”
The elevator door opened, and Tiara got in. Seth barely squeezed through the doors.
“I’m suddenly unsure because you’re suddenly trying to pull me away from someone I love.”
“I didn’t know you loved him until a few minutes ago.”
“You knew on some level that I cared about him, though, and you were forcibly trying to end that.”
“I didn’t know you cared for him. I thought it was just casual sex.”
“So I was in love with you but just fucking him?”
Seth shrugged. “Yeah, why not?”
“Well, you were wrong. I never once considered it casual sex.” The elevator doors opened, and Tiara stormed out. Seth had to run again to keep up with her long, quick stride.
“We still can’t stay here.”
“Maybe you can’t. But I’m not sure I can go back to Denver with someone who would be so callous toward my feelings. Who knows? Maybe after my cab ride I won’t get on the plane back home. Maybe I’ll go somewhere else entirely, somewhere far away from everything, so I can finally have some space to do what I want without other people getting angry or trying to push me around.”
“Now you’re just talking crazy.”
“Am I?”
“Yes, and you know it. You’re not being serious.”
“I guess you’ll just have to see whether or not I show up at the gate.”
Seth grabbed her arm. “Tiara, be reasonable.”
Tiara jerked her arm. “No, you be reasonable and don’t force us to take off like this. And don’t touch me like that again, ever.” She stormed out to the front of the hotel.
“Excuse me,” she said, approaching the outdoor concierge. “I need a cab to the airport.”
The concierge checked his computer. “Actually, there’s a shuttle arriving in a few minut
es, if you want to take that. This hotel is the last stop on the route, so it will get you to the airport quickly, and it’s half the cost. It looks like it’s mostly empty, too. According to the schedule, there’s only one other person on it at the moment, so it won’t be too crowded. Do you want me to book you a seat?”
“That sounds great,” Tiara said, looking over her shoulder and shooting Seth the evil eye when she saw him trying to approach.
Fortunately, the shuttle arrived quickly, and Tiara hopped on, refusing to acknowledge Seth’s presence. She felt relieved as the driver slammed the passenger doors closed and began driving. But that relief turned to confusion when, after feeling a hand on her shoulder, she turned to see Catherine sitting behind her.
“Hey,” Catherine said, flashing an odd-looking smile. Tiara tried to shrug off the uneasiness she felt, reminding herself that she and Catherine had gotten off on the wrong foot but that there was no reason for her to continue holding a grudge for something that didn’t matter.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Tiara said, giving Catherine a small smile.
“I didn’t think you’d be leaving so soon.”
“I didn’t think you’d be leaving at all,” Tiara said. “Aren’t you and Jack supposed to be competing this weekend?”
Catherine’s face fell. “I’ve unfortunately had a family emergency, and I need to leave town immediately to help my relatives take care of things. I’m going to have to miss the competition.”
“Oh, damn, I’m so sorry. Do you want to talk about it or anything?”
Catherine shook her head. “No, I’m fine, all things considered. At the moment, I’m mostly just frustrated that I can’t compete this weekend. It’s bad enough that I have to miss an event that’s in town but even more frustrating because Taletha’s hosting it.”
“You must be so disappointed.”
“Yeah, and you know how it is. We spend so many of our weekends traveling from one city to another, teaching and competing, and it’s exciting if there’s something in our city we can attend, so we don’t have to deal with the frustrations of flying, rental cars, and hotels.”
“And then the one weekend there is something in town—”
“I have to travel,” Catherine finished.
“Irony is the worst, isn’t it?”
“So why are you on the shuttle? And where is Seth?” Catherine asked. “I mean, you’re supposed to judge the amateur event, right? And I assumed you had plans to compete in the professional division.”
Tiara took a deep breath, trying not to cry. “Well, I mean, you know about the shit that’s been going down lately, right?” Catherine nodded. “Did you hear that direct threats were made on our lives? And that Callista was the one who made them?”
Catherine’s eyes widened. “I’d heard that, but I didn’t think it was true. Oh, my god, I’m so sorry.”
“Anyway, Seth decided we should take off early. Even though Callista has been fired, he’s upset and didn’t think Taletha handled the issue well, so he decided we should back out of the event.”
“Were you not able to get on the same flight? Is that why he’s not here?”
“No.” Tiara took another deep breath but couldn’t prevent a tear from rolling down her cheek. “I didn’t want to leave. I mean, Callista is out of the picture, so we’re safe now. We made a professional commitment, and on top of that—” Tiara broke off, not sure it was smart to admit her feelings about Jack to Catherine.
“On top of what?”
“It’s nothing.”
“No, really, talk to me. Maybe I can help.”
“I–I found that I have feelings for Jack.”
Catherine raised an eyebrow. “Feelings?”
“I’m in love with him. And now we have to leave, and I haven’t had a chance to say anything. Anyway, Seth and I had a huge fight about it, and I decided to go to the airport alone to give myself a chance to think. Who knows? I’m not expected back in Denver until Monday night. Maybe I’ll go somewhere else for the rest of the weekend. Maybe I won’t go back to Colorado at all.”
“You don’t mean that, do you?”
“I don’t know. I can’t be with Seth if he’s going to be controlling like this, if he’s going to pull me away from someone else I care about. But I’m also not sure that I want to stay here and make a commitment to Jack if Seth isn’t going to be in the picture. I think I just need some space to figure things out.”
Between being absorbed in the discussion and not being very familiar with the layout of the city, Tiara didn’t realize that they’d passed the airport exit until they reached the outskirts of town.
“Hey, I don’t want to criticize the driver here, and maybe it’s just that I’m a tourist or something, but I’m pretty sure this is not the way to the airport,” she whispered.
Catherine smiled, and this time, Tiara couldn’t miss the wickedness. “That’s because we’re not going to the airport.”
Tiara shivered, feeling as though the temperature of the car had suddenly dropped twenty degrees. “Um, I know I just said I wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about getting on the plane to Denver, but I did get on this shuttle with the intention of getting to the airport sooner rather than later. So what do you mean, we’re not going to the airport?”
“I mean that I’m frustrated that you and Seth had that argument, because I was hoping for you to both get on this shuttle with me.”
Tiara started to shake, but she tried to keep her cool. “You’re still not making sense, Catherine.”
“You see, Tiara, when you fly all the time, you tend to get to know people involved in the transportation industry. I’ve made acquaintances with TSA employees, with flight attendants, and with shuttle drivers. Marcel here has become a personal friend of mine. And since his job doesn’t pay especially well, he’s always interested in taking side gigs that will bring in extra cash.”
Tiara racked her brain, trying to think of all the things in her luggage that could be used as weapons. Then she realized that her suitcase was all the way in the back of the van, and there was an evil-looking woman sitting in her way.
“I don’t—I don’t understand what’s going on here. I know you and I got off to a rocky start, but what do you really have against us? First Callista, then you. Seth was right. This whole town has it out for us.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Catherine said. “It wasn’t Callista first, then me. It was always me. Callista had absolutely nothing to do with it.”
“You mean you’ve been behind this all along?”
Catherine grinned. “That’s right.”
“You let your best friend get pinned for your act of aggression? You let her get fired?”
“What’s a friend for, if not to play the patsy? I needed someone else to distract everyone’s attention so I could put my final plan in motion.”
“So what you’re saying is, you knew that Seth and I were leaving and paid a friend of yours to put us in a fake shuttle so we would miss our flight?”
“You’re half right,” Catherine said. She gave a shiver-inducing laugh. “But you haven’t quite gone far enough.”
“So, what, you planned to drop us off miles outside of town and then, what, make us walk back or something? Now that’s classy.”
“You don’t quite dream big enough, Tiara. That’s probably why your career hasn’t really taken off yet. You don’t think in terms of the larger picture. You’re only concerned with how you feel in the present moment. No, I was never planning to pull some college prank.”
Tiara felt the blood drain from her face. “Those death threats—”
Catherine’s smile got even bigger. “You’re exactly right. Those death threats were completely real. I knew all about them, because I made them, and I meant every single word.” She leaned in closer to whisper. “I scheduled this shuttle to pick me up, and then I offered the driver here a nice little bonus in order to swing by the hotel and then detour to the next location. Of
course, he has no idea what I’ve got planned. He thinks we just need a lift out of town. Fortunately, he’ll be back on his regular route before anyone realizes you’re missing.”
“Well, it’s not going to work. You didn’t even manage to get Seth in the car.”
“No, I didn’t, but I have you, and you were more important, anyway. You’re the one who stole Jack from me, after all. Seth didn’t really do anything to hurt me. But the two of you tend to be a package deal, so I figured I’d kill two dancers with one stone, as it were.”
“He’ll come looking for me. You’re not going to get away with this.”
“He will? Are you so sure about that? It sounds to me like the two of you didn’t exactly part on friendly terms. Maybe he’s looking forward to some time away from you. Maybe he’ll assume you’ve left him. Maybe he’ll assume you’re never coming back. I don’t think he’s going to suspect foul play when you don’t show up at the gate.”
Tiara’s heart sank. She debated trying to make a jump from the van, but the driver was barreling down the road so fast she didn’t think she had any chance of survival. She made a grab for her purse, but Catherine grabbed it away and tossed it toward the back of the van.
“No, I don’t think so. I’m not going to let you get away this time.”
* * * *
“Excuse me,” Seth said as he approached the concierge. “When is that shuttle supposed to come back around? I was hoping to catch a spot the next time it passes by this hotel.”
The concierge frowned and checked the computer. “Actually, it was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago. I haven’t gotten any reports of traffic jams or construction detours, either. Hold on, let me call the driver and see if I can figure out what’s up.”
Seth checked his watch and was relieved to see he still had plenty of time to make it to the airport. Still, if the shuttle didn’t show up soon, he’d be cutting it close. He started gazing at the line of vehicles for cabs that still had seats available, deciding that would be his next best bet.
“That’s strange,” the concierge said. “The driver isn’t picking up.”
Jordan, Olivia - Tiara's Foxtrot Fantasies [Studio Seductions 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 10
