by Cari Quinn
He held the door for me, and shadowed me out the door. His hand was light on the small of my back as he looked around and led me to a sleek black BMW. He opened the door for me and waited as I swung my legs in.
“Buckle up.”
“I’m not seven.”
“You’re right. If you were seven you’d be riding in the back.” He shut the door before I could say anything else.
I clicked the buckle and fussed with the shoulder strap. Always choking the short people. He got in and the car instantly felt smaller. His long fingers checked gauges and settings, then he tucked his phone into the cup holder as the Bluetooth engaged.
“Welcome, Quinn. Do you have a destination?”
My eyebrows shot up? “It talks?”
He grinned at me. “Bulletproof too.” Then he tapped the screen and cleared the menu, slapping the shifter into reverse. His driving was smooth and sure. He followed all the traffic laws—sort of. He drove defensively in a way that I’d never seen. And I’d been navigating California highways all my driving life.
Instead of being stuck in traffic jams, he seemed to know side streets I’d never heard of. He was always scanning his line of sight, his jaw tight with concentration.
“Where are we going?”
“I called your manager and checked if you had anything scheduled this week.”
“I thought we cancelled all the personal appearances.”
“Ms. West did, but I think we figured out a way to show everyone you’re doing well. Diffuse some of the newspaper accounts, and give you a few hours reprieve from the house. Ms. West seemed to think it was a good idea too.”
“Ms. West. Indie would freak if she heard you call her that.”
“She’s going to meet us at Mochachello’s on Sunset.”
I was pretty sure my jaw was somewhere on the floor. “Mochachello’s? Really?” It was only my favorite coffeehouse. They specialized in creating hot chocolate-coffee hybrids that were to die for.
He nodded. “It’s small, intimate, and I can cover all the egress points. You can soak up some atmosphere and I can make sure you’re safe.”
I pulled out my phone.
“What are you doing?”
“Texting Indie.”
He nodded. “That’s fine.”
“Gee thanks.”
“Just don’t go blasting this around social media. I don’t want it to become too big of a deal.”
“Then how are people going to know I’m doing okay?”
“Indie’s leaking it to a few select fan blogs. There will be some chatter, but we’ll keep it to a minimum. If you want to do some Tweeting or Instagraming, or whatever when we’re there, that’s fine. By then we’ll be on a clock to get out anyway.”
“How long is my furlough?”
“Very funny, Faith.”
My lips twitched. I thought it was funny. I scrunched down in my seat and spoke with Indie for a few minutes. For the first time in days, my mood was actually lifting.
This was going to be great.
14
Quinn
I was in hell.
How many females could actually fill the booths and bar stools in one little freaking place? The walls were chalkboards with art from local artists with a timer at the edge of each one.
True pieces of flash art.
It was about the only interesting part of the damn place. They ruined coffee with chocolate and caramels and all sorts of flavors. I had to tell the waitress three times to just put coffee in a mug and hand it to me. No extras. Not even sugar.
But Faith was in her element. Her smile was huge and her laughter rang through the room. Even people who hadn’t realized she was famous couldn’t help but notice her. She practically shone like a beacon.
It was fascinating and horrifying from a job standpoint.
How was I supposed to keep her incognito when we went on her tour? She was a natural entertainer with quippy conversations and a laughter that drew people to her like a siren song.
I know I was already in danger of crashing into the rocks for her.
Fuck.
I was getting as fanciful as she was.
Not good.
My phone buzzed at my hip. I checked it briefly and groaned. I was set up to receive any and all alerts from her media accounts. It wasn’t like I hadn’t given her permission to do it, but I’d hoped she would avoid telegraphing her whereabouts our first time out.
A fancy coffee filled the screen and the edge of the menu. At least she didn’t tag the place outright. But it seemed like the entire area flocked to this establishment for their froufrou coffee.
She had her second huge mug of coffee-laced hot chocolate in front of her with mountains of marshmallows and whipped cream. Who the hell needed both?
She was going to be zooming on sugar and caffeine for the rest of the damn day. I’d probably get another medley of songs as my afternoon treat.
Fucking wonderful.
I stood against the wall, three feet from her. An octopus and a ship were in an epic battle in DayGlo orange and purple over my shoulder. And across from me was a startlingly lifelike mermaid on a craggy rock.
Fitting.
Sirens and mermaids were pretty much the same thing.
A murmur of voices ramped up, and I stepped forward away from the wall.
Faith smiled at two children who came up to the table.
“Your rings are pretty.”
“Why thank you.” She held her hand out to show off a half dozen sparkles on her fingers.
“I’m sorry.” A woman rushed to the table and I moved behind Faith. She had a short cap of blonde hair and a harried look on her face. I relaxed slightly as she led the children away from the table with more apologies.
Faith waved to the youngest girl with wispy pigtails in her almost nonexistent hair.
She dropped her other hand and waved me back.
When two more women came forward, I stiffened.
“Keys? Faith Keystone?”
She smiled warmly again and pushed her sunglasses up. “You got me.”
“I can’t believe it’s you.”
Faith waved her hand to encompass the room. “Who doesn’t like chocolate and coffee?”
Me.
I’d never loved my sunglasses more than today. It was getting harder and harder not to roll my eyes at the incessant chatter about spice this, and dark-chocolate-sea-salt-fantastical-blend-with-a-hint-of-coffee that. Seriously. These people wouldn’t know a decent cup of coffee if it was poured over their heads.
The three of them raved over their favorite drinks for a few minutes. Faith got each girl to talk through the stutters with kindness until they were all laughing like old friends.
She was kind of amazing.
The light conversation faded to the back of my mind as I watched the room—until one of the girls asked a question that made my ears perk up.
“We read such awful stuff on the internet about you. We’re so glad you’re all right. How could anyone be so uncool?”
Faith sipped her drink without answering. She gave her a noncommittal hum instead of actually going into detail.
Good girl.
“You’re not canceling the tour, are you?”
Heaven forbid.
I knew from a business standpoint there was no way to do that, but the logistics of the next two months were giving me an eye-twitch.
“Absolutely not. You know nothing keeps me down for long.”
The woman closest to Indie clutched her purse to her chest. “No. I remember when you broke your arm during the ‘Rusted Armor’ video. You were back on the piano before the cast came off.”
Faith laughed. “It was only the wrist. My fingers worked fine.”
The other girl clutched her phone in her hand. “Would you sign this?” She popped her phone out of the case and flipped it over. “I can get a clear case to show it off tomorrow.”
“Really?” Faith’s smile was a damn ray
of light. Seeing her out and about with people made it even more apparent that she was miserable being shut away. “That’s so sweet.”
I stepped close again, watching hands and purses to make sure nothing else was going on. When her hand dropped to wave me off again, I ignored her. She got more insistent until her fingers brushed between my knees and I stiffened.
I opened my mouth to warn them to back off, but the girls looked up at me and instantly shrank away.
Guess the sunglasses only hid so much.
Faith nailed me with a dirty look over her shoulder. But the smile was back on her face when she faced the girls again. “Sorry. My boyfriend gets a little protective.”
I blinked.
Boyfriend?
Indie quickly covered her mouth with a napkin, but I still heard the snort of laughter.
Well, that was one way to explain my presence. I had no problem letting people know I was a bodyguard, but this actually would work a little easier. No one would question me being around her if they thought we were involved.
I moved up until my thighs brushed the back of her chair. I tried for a genial grin, but the fans nearly tripped over themselves to get out of there.
When we were alone again, she craned her neck to stare up at me. “Must you be so menacing?”
I lifted one brow. “Yes.”
“Incredible.”
“Wrap it up. We’ve been here for an hour more than I’m comfortable with.”
“We just got here.”
“We’ve been here for eighty-eight minutes.”
Indie grinned at Faith. “Is he always like this?”
“He’s actually nice today,” Faith muttered.
“I’ll endeavor to make up for it tonight.”
Indie leaned in. “Is there something I should know?”
“No,” we both said.
Indie pushed back her battered straw cowboy hat. “Oh, yeah…tour next week is going to be anything but boring.”
I waved to the girl behind the counter. “Could we have a to-go cup?”
“Sure thing,” she called back.
“You suck, Warden.” Faith muttered.
I leaned down until my lips were close to her ear. “Is that what you’d call your boyfriend?”
She turned her head until her cheek brushed mine. “You couldn’t handle me or my nicknames,” she said on a low voice.
The urge to say “try me” was burning a hole in my tongue, but there were some things you just couldn’t take back. I stood up to my full height, and spotted another crowd of people heading our way.
“Time to go.”
She spotted the same group, but instead of arguing, she actually nodded. “All right. Lead the way.”
I pulled the chair out for her and dumped her cup into the to-go glass unceremoniously.
“Way to ruin a drink.”
“Just mixing it thoroughly. Wouldn’t want the caramel and chocolate to settle on the bottom now, would we?” I handed her the cup.
“I sense mocking.”
“Now where would you get that idea?”
“Definitely mocking.” She quickened her step. “Better than brooding,” she said with a shrug.
I was never going to understand this woman. I led both women out of the cafe and deposited Indie at her car. It took another five minutes of me playing lookout for them to say their goodbyes.
But the fans were intent on seeing Faith, and found the side street we’d parked on.
“All right, time’s up.”
Faith’s growl face started until she saw the ten people at the end of the street heading for us. “Guess they figured out the picture.”
“Ya think?”
“Rude.”
I hustled her down to the BMW. “Get in the car, Faith.”
“Bye,” she yelled back to Indie.
The older woman was standing at her Jeep with her hands on her hips. “I’ll see you Sunday night.”
Finally, I shut the door after her and rounded the car.
When the first hand landed on the window, I spun the tires. Three girls in their twenties reared back and they all held up their phones for a picture.
I fucking hated dealing with famous people.
Hated.
15
Keys
The drive home was silent. Partly because my heart had been lodged in my throat for the first ten minutes of the drive. Defensive Driving 101 with your instructor, Quinn Alexander.
Holy crap.
He weaved in and out of traffic and on and off ramps on the highway until we ended up on a back road that I didn’t even know about and I’d lived in the Silver Lake area of LA for the last five years.
We pulled into my driveway, only this time instead of parking there, he opened the garage and pulled in. Evidently my time with the outside air was over.
My fingers were sore from clutching my cup the entire ride home. The contents were stone cold, and I was exhausted. I should be climbing the rafters with sugar and caffeine, but all I could think about was my couch.
I’d enjoyed the interaction with the fans, and having the sound of life around me for a few hours, but I’d also been on guard the entire time. I didn’t like that feeling.
Even when we’d had our first taste of fame, I hadn’t been so unnerved in public. I’d lived for it—off of it. I juiced myself on the dynamic of strangers and people who loved our music.
Now, all I could imagine was turning around to see her. The faceless woman who looked so much like me that I couldn’t differentiate us.
I jumped when Quinn opened the door.
“You all right?”
“Fine,” I said and pushed by him to go into the mudroom from the garage. I pulled my headphones out of my purse as we walked through the hallway to the dining room. I pushed the earbuds into my ears and found my sleep playlist.
It didn’t matter that it was barely two in the afternoon.
I wanted to check out.
I didn’t want to think about the woman who’d forced Quinn Alexander into my life. I didn’t want to think about anything.
I went straight for the stairs, ignoring Quinn calling for me. I didn’t have it in me to spar with him right now. I was afraid that I’d actually do something stupid like scream at him until I was crying.
And I didn’t want him to see me like that.
See the weakness that I hated.
I stripped out of my clothes and tugged on boxers and a sleep tank. Then I crawled into bed and zoned out.
I don’t know how long I slept, but the sun had set when I rolled over the first time.
“Faith.”
“Go away, Warden.”
“You haven’t eaten today.”
“I don’t care.” I flipped the pillow over my head. Maybe I could sleep the rest of the time before the tour started.
It was better than being bored.
So much better than fighting the weird pull I had when Quinn was in my space. It had to be annoyance.
I’d never really actively disliked anyone. Okay, that wasn’t completely right. I’d really hated Hunter’s first fiancée, but I didn’t have to live with her. I had to see Quinn all the time.
And I was tired. My phone had died long ago, but I went under the blissful wave of sleep again before the silence got to me.
The sun was shining into my room when I got the next dose of rudus interruptus.
He opened the door this time.
“Enough of this crap, Faith.”
I rolled over onto my belly. “What do you care? I’m quiet, right? No music, no games, no TV.” My voice was slightly slurred from the mattress conforming to my cheek.
“And it’s been glorious. Now it’s time for you to get up.”
“Are we going somewhere?”
“No.”
“Then, sleep. All of the sleeping.”
He snatched my sheet and blanket off the bed. I was pretty sure my boxers had twisted sometime in the night and I was probably
flashing him half a cheek, but I couldn’t find it in me to care.
He yanked me by the ankle and I kicked out.
“Dammit, Warden. Can’t I enjoy some solitary?”
He flipped me over. His eyes were bloodshot and there were dark bruises at the corners of his eyes. “You’ve had enough solitary.”
“What’s the big deal? So I slept a day away.”
“Two.”
“What?” I licked my lips and cringed. God, I was thirsty.
“Two days, Faith. I tried to come in yesterday, but you wouldn’t move. You’re moving now. I’m not going to let you get sick because you’re throwing a temper tantrum.”
“Oh, you haven’t seen one of those.”
He dragged me to the edge of the bed and tucked his shoulder into my middle.
“What the hell are—” I yelped as he tossed me over his shoulder. “Quinn!” He didn’t stop, even when I kicked my feet and I fell a precarious two inches. He banded his arm across the backs of my thighs and opened the shower stall door.
He turned the water on cold and stepped in with me. I pounded on his back and shoulders, my ankle smacking into the tile before he finally let me down.
“What is wrong with you?”
“Time to snap out of it.” He looked down at me, his eyelashes starred with water, and his super short hair falling forward from the deluge from the rain hood in my shower.
I grit my teeth against the shock of the cold and shivered. “I hate you.”
“I know.” He slowly turned the taps until it was warm water flowing over us. “I know this sucks. I know you’re miserable and feeling out of control.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, finally awake and with it enough to realize just how thin my shirt was.
He pushed my hair out of my face and cupped my head. “Hiding isn’t going to work. But you know what will?”
My nipples tightened under my arms and I couldn’t stop the shivers. Not because of the cold. I just couldn’t have him this close to me. I couldn’t deal with this on top of everything else.
I looked down and that was so much worse.
He was wearing workout shorts and a T-shirt. Both of them molded to his body in ways that I really didn’t want to see. Because they were going to burn themselves on my retinas.
