by Jillian Dodd
After our performance, a stagehand brings me a beautiful bouquet of flowers. It’s a mass of pastel blooms held together by an aqua satin bow.
“Are these for me?”
“Yeah, some dude asked me to give them to you.”
“Some dude?”
“Yeah, he was talk and dark haired. He said there’s a card.”
Tall and dark?
My hands are shaking as I pull the little card out of the envelope. On the card is just one thing.
A replica of my chaos tattoo.
I drop the bouquet and look around wildly.
Because I know.
Vincent is here.
My director didn’t listen to me. He called Vincent. He came to the play. He knows where I am.
Aiden walks in and says, “Boots, what's wrong? You’re shaking.”
“Um, I don't feel very good.”
“What do you mean?” Aiden asks as I rush over to the trashcan and throw up in it.
Aiden chuckles. “Aren't you supposed to get stage fright before the play?”
I hang onto the big trash barrel while tuning out Aiden’s voice.
I've got to get out of here. I've got to find Cooper.
“I’m sorry. I have to go.” I run out of the dressing room and leave Aiden standing there.
But I can’t go outside. I can’t risk him waiting for me.
I run back onto the now darkened stage and wrap myself in the folds of the velvet curtains.
I grab my phone out of my dress pocket and hold it tightly against my chest while I change the setting to dim.
Then I text Cooper.
Me: He’s here. He came to the play. The director told him about me even though I asked him not to. I don’t even know where to go. I can’t run because I know he’s going to catch me this time. Cooper, I’m scared.
Cooper: Where are you? I'll be right there.
Me: Hiding on the stage.
He doesn't reply.
I stand shaking in the curtain for what feels like an eternity.
I think about how it will go down.
Vincent watched the play. He's going to be waiting for me outside. He's going to hit me over the head, or jab a needle into me, or maybe he'll just put his hand across my mouth and say don't scream.
It’s then that I kick myself for hiding in this curtain. That was stupid of me. I should have stayed with Aiden. I should've grabbed his arm and left with the crowd.
But in Miami, Vincent threatened to shoot Damian. If he were cornered and close to having me, he would shoot his way out of here.
Killing Aiden and my friends.
No, it's better this way.
Just me and him.
Maybe I should let him kidnap me.
Let him take me. Have Garrett track my locket, find me, and then arrest him.
I’d get my life back.
I'd go see my family. Hug my sisters. Go back to the beach. Smell the ocean.
I think about a recent thriller movie where a girl is on the phone hiding under a bed while men are in her house. Her dad tells her that she’s about to get taken.
I'm about to get taken.
I reach up to grab my locket, but my fingers don’t touch it. I pat my chest, frantically searching for the locket.
It's not on me. It's lying on my dresser because we weren't allowed to wear any jewelry for the play.
I realize I'm screwed.
I hear the auditorium door open. Footsteps walk up the stairs.
Then onto the stage and closer to me.
I stop breathing and don’t move a muscle.
I can feel that he’s closer.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
Ohmigawd!
I was right.
He's here.
Please don't let him find me.
But then my phone vibrates.
Even though it’s tight against my chest it makes a little noise.
The shoes start walking toward me.
Getting closer and closer.
I'm going to have to fight. Take him by surprise.
I launch myself at the dark form in front of me, knocking him and me quickly to the ground. Then I start wildly punching.
I connect with both his chest and his face.
I leap up to run away as he grabs me, rolls on top of me, and pins me on the floor.
Fuck.
I close my eyes tightly.
“You're supposed to punch the bad guy, not the one that's here to rescue you.”
I quickly open my eyes. “Cooper? Ohmigawd. I thought. I thought . . .”
We both freeze at the sound of a door opening. Cooper covers my mouth and gets both of us to our feet effortlessly and quietly.
We hear the sound of shoes heading back toward the dressing rooms.
Cooper runs his hand down my leg, slides my heels off, and then pulls me across the stage.
We sneak down the steps then crouch behind the auditorium seats.
When he thinks the coast is clear, we run toward the main entrance.
Cooper’s still holding my hand as we exit the building. He pulls me toward a car parked in the handicapped stall.
There's a big puddle of water that I’m ready to run through, but Cooper scoops me up, carries me over it, and sets me in the car.
He slams the door shut, quickly runs to the driver’s side, and gets in.
I look out the window, scanning the area for Vincent. I remember Garrett telling me that he couldn’t disguise his height.
The only person I see, though, is Whitney. She watches us drive by, not even trying to hide the disgust on her face.
Shit.
Now, she's really going to think there’s something going on between us.
I shake my head. She’s the least of my worries.
“We need to leave campus,” I say, as I see Cooper driving toward his quarters.
“I think we're safer here.”
“No. Garrett told me to run. Go to the train station. Run. Get away.”
“That was before you hired me.”
He pulls up in front of his quarters and we run into his town house.
I drop down on his couch as he pulls his curtains shut. He grabs my hand again and leads me upstairs to his bedroom.
Then he pulls me onto the bed and into an embrace.
“You're shaking,” he says in a gentle voice. “Calm down. You're safe.”
Then he rubs his eye, which I realize is starting to swell.
“I think I gave you a black eye.”
He grins at me. “You did a good job.”
“Not good enough. You pinned me in two seconds.”
Cobra Cooper strikes again, quickly pinning me on the bed.
“Now what am I supposed to do?” I say as I reach up and gently touch his quickly swelling face.
He grabs my hands and pins them above my head.
My breathing starts to speed up a little.
“If something happens today. To me. To you. If he gets you. You need to know how to get away. I suspect this is a position he will want you in.”
I look up at his hand strongly gripping mine. Run my eyes down his tightly straining muscles. His rock hard body.
But it’s Cooper and he’s not scary.
“You just relaxed. That's exactly what I was getting ready to tell you to do. It makes you feel like less of a threat. Look at me like you want to kiss me.”
I lock eyes with him. Raise my chin toward him, slowly licking my bottom lip.
“That’s exactly right. Because you’re not fighting me, I’m not gripping your hands as tightly. Can you feel that?”
“Yes.”
“What do you notice about my body?”
I open my eyes to look at him.
“No,” he says. “Leave your eyes closed. Use your body.”
I raise my hips up toward him, which causes him to push into me.
“What do you feel?”
“Your hips.”
&
nbsp; “Yes, but if I were your assailant, I would be aroused. He’s been dreaming about having you in this position for months. He’s been planning and scheming and finally, you are his. And, even better, you’re submissive, so he thinks you want him. Which makes him feel powerful and in control. But he’s not anymore. Now that he’s aroused, he’ll loosen his grip. He’ll be vulnerable. What are you going to do?”
I press my lips firmly on his.
He responds by pushing his hip into me and kissing me back. I pull away from the kiss, pushing my head deeply into the pillow as I rock my hips into him and make a little moan.
“That’s it,” he tells me. “This is when you make your move.”
“I could head butt you.”
“Do it softly.”
I push my head into his. He reels back, but when he does, he sits on me. His full body weight trapping me.
“Shit. That didn’t work. All that would’ve done is pissed you off.”
“Exactly.”
“So what should I do?”
He gets back in his previous position.
“Push your hips back up. Feel how much space there is between us?”
I remember a wrestling move that Logan put on Jake.
I use the space to flip him over and sit on top of him.
“You're supposed to run away now. Not sit on top of me.”
I grab his hands and push them above his head, putting him into the position he just had me in. “What are you gonna do now?”
Cooper smiles big enough to form deep dimples. “That was a good move. But this isn’t some movie, Keatyn. This is real life.”
“I wish we were in a movie,” I say, suddenly exhausted. “Then I could control the script. And no offense, but if I controlled the script, you wouldn't be here. There would be no Vincent.”
There's a knock at his door.
My eyes get big.
Cooper effortlessly flips me off him and then pushes me into the bathroom. “The window opens to the fire escape. If I don’t come back, you go out that window and run.”
I start to shake again and get tears in my eyes.
I grab Cooper and hug him tightly.
“I’m coming back,” he says, grabbing a black handgun off his dresser and creeping downstairs.
There's another knock.
I hear Cooper answer the door.
Part of me is praying it’s Vincent. That Cooper will shoot him and this will be over.
Instead, I hear Whitney yell, “Keatyn, are you here?”
Cooper says in a calm voice. “You can't come in here. And, no, she isn’t.”
“I saw her get in the car with you. Where is she?”
“I dropped her off at her dorm.”
“I was just at her dorm. No one has seen her.”
“I’m not sure what she did after I dropped her off.”
“You have a black eye.”
“I'm sorry, Miss Clarke, but you need to leave. If you are concerned about Miss Monroe, I'll be glad to call the dean for you.”
“No, um, that's okay.”
Cooper shuts the door and turns the deadbolt. I shut the window, thankful not to have to crawl out of it.
Then I duck when I see Whitney peering back at the house.
“She’s a pain in the ass. I’m going to call Garrett to have some reinforcements sent in. I want a couple people just outside the school’s gates. Tell me what happened. How do you know that he’s here? Did you see him in the audience?”
“No. A stagehand gave me a ridiculously huge bouquet of flowers. The card was only signed with the chaos tattoo that Vincent got. And I was freaking out because I don’t have my locket on. I had to take it off for the play.”
While he’s on the phone with Garrett, I check my phone. I have a bunch of missed calls from B.
I decide to call him back.
“Keats! Wow!”
“Wow what?”
“You were amazing and I haven’t even seen it all yet. I wanted to come, but I figured that would be too dangerous. So I called a local videographer and paid him to record the play today. I’m watching it now. Keats, you did so good. I’m so proud of you. Did you get the flowers?”
Relief crashes over me like an ocean wave.
I drop my phone and start crying.
Cooper walks back in the room, picks up my phone, and says, “She’ll call you back.”
“What happened?”
“The flowers were from my ex, Brooklyn. They weren’t from Vincent. I’m sorry. I panicked when I saw the chaos tattoo. He and I both have them. I hate this!” I scream. “I hate that I can’t even get surprise flowers from a boy without freaking out!”
“Calm down. You did the right thing. Sit down for a minute. I need to call Garrett back.”
Vincent is in Miami however, meeting lots of girls—many of whom look nothing like Lacy. Hint for all the aspiring actresses out there, if you’re auditioning for a role, maybe make sure you look the part. For God’s sake, at least have the requisite blonde hair. When Vincent takes a bathroom break, he sees a girl out of the corner of his eye. She’s leaving the auditions. All he sees is a swirl of flowing blonde hair that bounces when she walks. It’s her!
He races toward the exit, then loses her. He steps up onto the edge of a fountain so he can see the area more clearly. There she is! Parking lot. Ten o’clock. He runs across the street, barely avoiding getting hit by a cab—the loud horn letting him know just what the driver thought about it.
The girl has long legs and a sway in her step. It’s Lacy. God, it’s finally her. And she’s here alone. No one is around. He rushes up behind her, wraps his hand around her mouth, and whispers in her ear. “I knew you’d come.”
The girl tries to scream, but he grips her tighter, then pulls her around to face him.
Frightened green eyes under too dark eyebrows stare back at him. He lets go of her in shock.
She screams.
“Stop!” he yells, grabbing her again. “I thought you were my friend. I’m very sorry I scared you.”
“I sure as hell wouldn’t want you to be my friend,” she says.
“I’m Vincent Sharpe. Were you here for the audition?”
Her eyes flicker in recognition. “Ohmigawd! It is you.” She looks down. “There was a long wait, during which time I chickened out.”
“You’re a beautiful girl. I think you should come back inside.” Vincent gives her his most charming smile. “I think you have a very good chance.”
Vincent takes her back inside, makes sure she is next in line, then goes back into the room where the auditions are being held. He steps behind a curtain where snacks and beverages are set out, grabbing a water and sucking it down. It’s official. He’s losing control.
Vincent leaves Miami early, cutting his trip short. He doesn’t care. She’s not here. He goes home where he is called by his board of directors for a special meeting.
Meanwhile, Keatyn and Cooper go to Vancouver where they initially get a very chilly reception . . .
Cooper and I leave in our separate cars from school, meet up at the airport, and do our cross-country tour to get to Vancouver without leaving a trail.
When we get to the house my family is leasing, a shocked James meets us out front surrounded by four security guards.
“What are you doing here?” he asks, eyeing me suspiciously.
“What do you think I’m doing here, James? It’s Gracie’s birthday.”
“Who’s the guy?”
“This is Cooper Steele. Garrett hired him to be my bodyguard. Why are you acting so weird?”
“Since Vincent followed your mom to New York, we’ve been worried that you might not be enough for him.”
“What do you mean?”
“We think you’re both in danger. That’s why you haven’t seen any pictures of your mom and Tommy together. She refuses to go out in public with him. She won’t even ride in the same car with him.”
“Why?”
�
�She had a dream that Vincent shot them both. She’s afraid it was a premonition, and she doesn’t want the girls to grow up without at least one parent.”
“That’s horrible!”
“Garrett is also worried that he could use one of you as bait. In order to get you both.”
“Has he been following Mom?”
“She always has someone following her. It’s rarely Vincent, but we know he’s hired someone. And he watches the house. You shouldn’t be here.”
“Why don’t you make him go away?”
“Because he sucks at his job and is easy to spot. If he’s there, we know Vincent is probably not.”
“Wait. Is that why you brought the hulks with the guns out here? Why you haven’t let me in the house? You think I’d bring Vincent here? Where my sisters are? Are you nuts, James?”
“I’m sorry, Keatyn. I assume no matter what that you’d want me to keep your sisters safe. Is that correct?”
I nod as tears flood my eyes.
I was so excited to come here. I thought everyone would be happy to see me.
I turn toward the car. “I have a present for Gracie. Will you please give it to her and let her know it was from me?”
I open the car door and ask Cooper to unload her present.
“We’re clear.” I hear from a walkie-talkie.
Cooper has been standing stick still but ready to strike. He hasn’t said a word until now. “That means you get to go to your sister’s birthday party.”
“I’m sorry,” James says to me. “I’m just doing my job.”
I nod as we’re led through the front door of a sprawling contemporary log cabin style home.
Mom rushes down the stairs. “Keatyn! Why are you here?”
“I came for Gracie’s birthday. I couldn’t miss it.”
She looks really nervous to see me, but she quickly hides it with a smile. “Did Brook know you were coming?”
“Uh, no. Why?” I reply as Tommy and Mom give me hugs and I introduce them to Cooper. We briefly explain how Vincent is in Miami doing his auditions, so we knew that my coming here would be okay. Cooper also fills James in on our no breadcrumbs trip here.
We follow Mom out to a lush backyard.
And there, sitting in the middle of a huge sandbox, is Brooklyn, building sand castles with the girls.
