Needing Arella (Rockers' Legacy Book 6)

by Terri Anne Browning

  “I know,” I whispered. “But not yet. Give me a little time, Cathryn. I have a few things I need to figure out. No one will bother me where I’m going. I don’t even think anyone knows Luca moved.”

  “All right. Maybe we’ll get lucky and this bastard will just give up if you stay in hiding long enough.”

  “Yeah,” I muttered. “Maybe.”

  But in my gut, I knew this guy wasn’t just going to slither back into the dark, disgusting hole he crawled out of.

  --

  I called Luca to let him know I was taking him up on his offer to help him decorate his new house. But he reminded me that he hadn’t closed yet and wouldn’t until after the new year. He was still at his parents’ house for a few more days, but he told me I could fly back with him if I wanted.

  The problem with that was he would draw too much attention on his own. If I were with him, it would stir up the paps even more, and then whoever this stalker was would know exactly where I was. Telling Luca I’d let him know, I drove to Cathryn’s to drop off the box.

  Detective Kirtner was standing in her office when I walked in. He was a middle-aged man with a bald patch on top of his head. Skinny, he was dressed in a cheap suit. His face was set in grave lines as he looked at the box I was carrying. I couldn’t bring myself to touch the damn thing with my bare hands, so I’d found a towel in my trunk from one of my trips to the gym and used it to hold the box.

  He instructed me to put it on Cathryn’s desk and then pulled on a pair of gloves.

  “I don’t know if I want to see what’s in there,” I told him as I backed away.

  He turned and gave me a hard look. “Miss Stevenson, you’re going to have to stop running from reality here. This is serious, and you need to be aware of just how far this person is willing to go to get your attention.”

  “He’s right, doll,” Cathryn told me with a twist of her mouth. “You need to see how dangerous this is.”

  I steeled my spine and nodded, but I kept a few feet between the desk and me.

  Cathryn stood beside the detective as he used a pocketknife to tear through the tape on the box and then opened the flaps. The first thing he pulled out was a stack of glossy photos. “Same as last time,” he muttered, and Cathryn nodded, watching him flip through the stack over his shoulder.

  “Gross,” my agent muttered, making a disgusted face at whatever she saw. “This guy is seriously perverted.”

  “Unfortunately, this isn’t the worst I’ve ever seen,” Kirtner informed her stoically. “But he has a real fetish for her preferred lotion, it seems.”

  Once he got to the last picture, he turned it over. “It says, ‘Merry Christmas, little bird. Next year, we will celebrate it together.’” He nodded to Cathryn, who opened a zip-top baggie, and he placed the stack of photos inside. She sealed it up, and he took it from her before writing on it with a black Sharpie. Once that was done, he placed it on the desk and reached back into the box.

  “Doll, I hope you have a strong stomach,” was the only warning I got before Kirtner pulled out the poor little dead bird.

  A pained cry left me when I saw the way its neck was twisted, tears blinding me so I couldn’t see the pitiful creature in the detective’s large hand. “It’s identical to the last one,” he said with a shake of his head. “Wouldn’t be surprised if he keeps birds for pets.”

  “Is that a parakeet?” I sobbed. “It was so pretty. The colors of its wings…” I hiccuped then shuddered. “Oh God, I-I feel sick.”

  Thankfully, a trash can was right beside the door, and I picked it up just in time to empty my stomach contents into it. Mom had made another huge breakfast that morning, and I regretted eating so many pancakes.

  When I was done, I felt cold and empty, my heart broken for the tiny, beautiful bird. Shivering, I moved to one of the chairs and dropped down onto it. As tears poured down my face, I grabbed my phone.

  Without thinking, I pulled up Jordan’s contact information, but my thumb hovered over his number. I couldn’t call my parents about this, but there was someone I could talk to. I needed to hear his voice.

  No, I moaned to myself as I held back another sob. I needed him to hold me, but he was in fucking Italy.

  Christmas Eve, he’d said he would call me the next day, but he never did. I’d stayed off social media, afraid of what I would find he’d been up to when he’d made me promises.

  Promises I knew deep down he wouldn’t keep.

  That didn’t stop me from wanting him there with me in that moment. To hold me, protect me, tell me everything was going to be okay because he wouldn’t let this sick fuck touch me.

  “What are you doing when I need you, Jordan?” I whispered as I angrily shoved my phone back into my purse.

  Six

  Arella

  I changed hotels for a few days until Luca flew home, but by New Year’s, I was sick of my own company and ready to be around people. I’d called my parents, but I’d made excuses not to go to their house or have them meet me anywhere, just in case this stalker dickhead was watching me.

  The first week of January, I landed in Nashville and rented a car. My plane ticket and rental were in the name of one of my aliases, just in case someone was watching my credit card activity. It was insane to me that someone would care enough to track me down in such a way, but Cathryn and Detective Kirtner both said it was a big possibility and I had to be extra careful.

  Needing to put all thoughts of the stalker out of my mind, I threw myself into decorating my cousin’s new home. But it wasn’t as easy as I imagined it would be. Not the decorating, that was easy, and Luca seemed to love the way I transformed his house.

  No, it was trying to keep my mind off the fact that someone was obsessed with me. Calling me “little bird” and then breaking the necks of poor little innocent birds to get my attention. On top of that, Jordan still hadn’t so much as tried to contact me, reinforcing my theory that when I was out of sight, I was definitely out of his mind.

  The fact that he was in dozens of tabloids with Letizia was enough for me to know that he’d been full of shit Christmas Eve. I’d told myself repeatedly that I was over him, but that kiss and his promises had given me hope. I was just the stupid girl who had let her heart believe we might have something special.

  By the time most of the rooms in Luca’s house were complete, it was time for me to get back to work. Filming for the final episodes of my show was getting ready to commence, and I needed to return to California to finish out my contract.

  There had been no more packages delivered to my apartment, something Cathryn had assured me of since Detective Kirtner was stopping by to check out my place every few days. He’d also done a few drive-bys of my parents’ house, just to give me a little more peace of mind, as well as checking the studio.

  I was optimistic that the stalker had given up on me and I could go back to living my life as usual. When I got back to LA, I went straight home and slept in my own bed for the first time in over six weeks. My housekeeper had still been cleaning a few days a week, so the place was spotless when I walked through the door.

  Sighing contentedly, I showered and then crashed after having spent the entire day traveling. I had to be at the studio early the next morning, so even though it was barely eight in the evening, I went right to bed.

  For the next two weeks, I was so busy with not only filming but doing press for the final episodes that I didn’t have more than a few minutes to myself, and those were dedicated to sleep. But all the work and trying to figure out which part I wanted to take next seemed trivial when Violet’s husband died.

  The funeral was kept low-key so the press didn’t get hold of the news that billionaire Remington Sawyer had passed in his sleep and poor Vi didn’t get dragged through the mud along with it. No one had even known Remington was sick except for Vi and a few others.

  Dressed in a simple black dress that fell to my knees, I arrived at the church just as everyone else was sitting down for the s
ervice. Over the past few days, I’d wanted to visit my cousin to check on her, but my parents had told me Violet wasn’t in any condition to receive guests. Mom told me that Luca was with her, however. While that blew my mind, it was also a relief.

  I knew Violet was in the best of hands with Luca, so I didn’t worry about her falling apart like she had when she’d broken up with him.

  The church was huge, but there were barely fifty people in attendance, and most of those were Violet’s closest relatives. Remington hadn’t had any family left, which was heartbreaking. He’d been alone most of his life. Violet had given him a family, was carrying his baby in her womb, and loved him completely. It didn’t seem fair that he had been taken before he’d even gotten to hold his daughter or tell her how much he loved her.

  I couldn’t imagine losing my own father before I got the chance to meet and know what an amazing man he was.

  Heart aching for my cousin and her unborn child, I took a seat in the back so I didn’t disturb anyone.

  But it seemed I wasn’t the only late arrival. No sooner was I seated than someone dropped down into the pew beside me.

  His scent hit me as he shifted to unbutton his suit jacket. Forcing down the disappointment and pain his nearness brought back to the surface, I slowly turned my head and found Jordan looking down at me with veiled eyes. Damn, but I loved his eyes. Such a rich brown color that made me think of maple syrup pouring over warm pancakes. Or a pool of thick molasses so deep, I could swim in the delicious sweetness.

  “Hey,” he murmured softly.

  “Hi,” I gritted out. Folding my hands around each other, I jerked my head back around to focus on the minister. But as I did, my gaze landed on the beautiful woman sitting several pews ahead of us.

  Alexis Moreitti was watching her son and me with a guarded expression, and I quickly looked away from her probing stare. I couldn’t tell if she disapproved of us sitting together or if she was angry we had both arrived so late. Either way, the look in her pretty eyes made my chest ache because it only drove home for me just how much Jordan and I didn’t belong together.

  It was glaringly obvious to me that his mom didn’t like me. It wouldn’t have been the first time a guy’s parents didn’t think I was good enough to be with their son. There were a few guys I was only friends with, but their mothers had basically shunned me. I was too…much for some people. I’d been called a flake, an airhead, and any number of other names by overprotective mommies who thought their precious little boys were too good for the likes of me.

  But I’d never wanted to be accepted so much in my life as I did by Alexis Moreitti.

  I craved for her to smile at me as I’d seen her smile at Mia so many times. As if I were one of her own, maybe even as the daughter she’d never had. I knew it was wishful thinking, but I’d lain in bed countless nights fantasizing about it. Which was ridiculous.

  Just like it was ridiculous to imagine Jordan and I belonged together.

  As the service continued and Violet’s broken sobs tore at something deep inside me, Jordan shifted beside me. His arm went along the back of the pew, and I felt his fingers grazing over my shoulder through my dress. Once he was settled, his fingertips skimmed the bare skin of my upper arm, drawing tiny circles that left goose bumps in their wake.

  I shrugged his hand away and scooted over so that he wasn’t as close, but he followed until his thigh brushed against mine. As pissed and disillusioned as I was where this guy was concerned, my body couldn’t help but react to his nearness. Heat pooled low in my tummy, and an ache began to throb between my legs. I was disgusted with myself for feeling even remotely attracted to the asshole, especially at a funeral.

  He wrapped his fingers around my arm and pulled me in closer as he lowered his head. “Why did you block my number?” he whispered, but there was no mistaking the hurt and underlying anger in his voice.

  “I didn’t,” I hissed, keeping my eyes trained straight ahead.

  “Yes, you did. I’ve been calling you every damn day, Arella. Texting you practically every hour. And nothing goes through.” He tightened his fingers, and he nuzzled my ear with his nose, making me shiver as his breath fanned over my neck, exposed from the way I’d styled my hair. “If this is my punishment, I surrender, baby. Just give me a chance.”

  Angrily, I pulled my phone from my purse and opened my contacts. Clicking on his name, I brought up his information to show him I hadn’t blocked him—

  Only to find that he was, in fact, blocked.

  My hands turned clammy instantly, and I nearly dropped my phone as they began to shake. I hadn’t blocked him, so who the fuck had?

  Mind racing, my heart pounding against my rib cage with my growing fear, I tried to remember the last time I’d actually spoken to Jordan on the phone or via text, and I couldn’t recall. It had been at least two weeks before Christmas, I was sure of that much.

  The only time my phone was ever out of my sight was at work. I usually kept it in my dressing room with the rest of my things so it didn’t distract me while I was filming.

  Had…?

  I began to tremble.

  Had the stalker been in my dressing room? Did he know my passcode? That was the only way anyone could have unlocked my phone without using my face to do so.

  Fuck, fuck, fuck. Getting sent pictures and dead birds was one thing. But to know this person may have been close enough to touch my things—my phone that was my lifeline—was enough to make me feel light-headed.

  Telling myself to calm down, I unblocked Jordan’s number and was seriously glad I’d turned the phone to silent before entering the church earlier. Almost immediately, text alerts started blowing up my screen. By the time it was done, I had close to a thousand texts from Jordan.

  My hurt and anger at him evaporated, and I looked up at him with regret. “I didn’t block you,” I whispered. “But…”

  His brows shot toward the ceiling. “But what? If you didn’t block me, who did?”

  “I-I don’t know.” I was trembling so badly, my teeth began to chatter, and he started rubbing his hand up and down my arm in an effort to warm me. But that did nothing to help.

  With a curse, he pulled off his suit jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. “Baby—”

  “I’ll explain,” I promised, keeping my voice low. “Just not right now. Th-this isn’t the time or the place.”

  Seven

  Jordan

  After I left Arella Christmas Eve, I went straight to my parents’ house and told my dad I was done working in the Italy office. What I really meant when I said that was that I was done babysitting Letizia or anyone else. Aunt Gabs was right. I did need to make a choice, and I was tired of essentially being pimped out to stay in my father’s good graces.

  Jared Moreitti had been pissed at me when I bailed on college. I hadn’t told him that I was bored to tears at school and that all I did was drink myself into a stupor just to get through the bullshit that was expected of me. The idiotic fraternity I’d had to join because it was my father’s chapter. The classes that made my eyes glaze over because after spending most of my life shadowing my father in the business world, I already knew everything the professor was spouting on and on about.

  My boredom had led me to drinking almost every day, and Mia had been scared I was developing a problem. It was because of her I’d realized just how unhappy I was with the way my life was going. Once that first semester was finished, I dropped out of college and told my father I was going to work my way up in one of his many companies.

  I started out as an intern and quickly advanced to junior executive within a few years. If I’d stayed in Italy, I would have earned a VP position within the next six months. I worked my ass off to get to where I was, but fuck, it wasn’t worth it if I was so unhappy there.

  I hated having to go out to one club after another almost every night with people I disliked—or, in some cases, all-out hated. It disgusted me that I had to fight off Letizia and a few other c
lients’ daughters because they thought I was going to fuck them, and then they got pissed when I wouldn’t let them kiss me. The next morning, my face was usually all over the gossip pages and tabloids with those people. My entire personal life was front and center in that trash—or at least, what the world assumed my personal life was like.

  But more than that, it killed me that I was so far away from Arella and that she probably thought the same as the rest of the world. That I was fucking all those girls I had to take out.

  Christmas Eve, as I’d stood in my parents’ living room, I told them everything. That I was quitting but would find a replacement and tie up any loose ends before I came back. My father had been pissed, saying I was flaking out on him yet again. First, with school. Now, with work.

  But while he’d been raging on, my mother had just sat there and given me the brightest smile.

  “Is this about Arella?” she finally murmured when Dad lost steam and eventually shut his mouth.

  “I love her,” I confessed. “And this distance thing is killing me.”

  “You have to be fucking kidding me.” Dad had started up again. “This is over some girl? You’re going to give up everything you’ve worked for the past five years over some…some…”

  Mom jumped to her feet, but without her cane, she stumbled, and Dad and I both moved to steady her. When Dad grasped her hips, she’d slapped his hands away angrily. “I want you to think about the mistakes you made in the past, Jared. I want you to remember how you broke me and went on about your life while I had to face one nightmare after another. Alone. And when you realize what a fucking asshole you are being to our son right now, I want you to apologize to him.”

  “Dolcezza,” he whispered in a choked voice. “I…”

  “Just don’t,” she’d told him quietly as she’d turned to face me. “Whatever you want to do, I’m behind you one hundred percent. I know Arella means a lot to you, and I realize that the things you’ve been…” She paused and gritted her teeth. “You’ve been asked to do things that have put you in a position that might make her think you don’t care as much as you do. Do what makes you happy, Jordan. That is all I’ve ever wanted for you.” As she’d picked up her cane and started out of the room, she called over her shoulder. “You can sleep in the guest room, Jared.”