Falling Angel

by Carmen Richter

  “I’ll see if I can send something to help make her birthday extra special,” Daphne said. “Do you think she’d like that?”

  “She’d freak out!” Arielle giggled. “She was so jealous when I wore my new t-shirt to school.”

  “Speaking of, what do you say to Daphne for sending all that cool stuff to you?” I prompted.

  “Thank you!”

  Daphne grinned, showing off those dimples of hers. “You’re very welcome. It’s my pleasure. Hey, I’m going to let your dad talk to you some more, okay? But maybe next time he calls, he’ll let me talk to you again for a few minutes.”

  “Okay. Bye, Daphne.”

  “Bye, sweetie.”

  Daphne got up and went back over to the microwave, retrieving the bag of microwave popcorn she’d put in a few minutes ago. I could smell from here that she’d have to dump it and try again. She’d been talking to Arielle instead of listening to see when it was ready, and now it was burnt. She groaned and tossed it in the trash can before disappearing back into her bedroom.

  “Hey, jelly bean, I’m actually going to get going too,” I said.

  “Okay,” Arielle sighed.

  “Was that a good surprise?” I asked.

  She giggled. “Yeah. Daphne’s nice.”

  “Told you she was. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Okay. Love you, Daddy.”

  “Love you too, munchkin,” I told her.

  I ended the call just in time to see Daphne coming back out of her bedroom carrying a can of air freshener. She sprayed it in the kitchen area and then set it on the counter as she grabbed another bag of popcorn from the pantry.

  “Oh, you’re off the phone,” she said. “You didn’t have to do that on my account.”

  “It’s okay. I try not to go crazy with my data. Even though it’s unlimited, it slows down to a crawl if I use too much of it,” I told her.

  “All the buses should have Wi-Fi on them. Is it not working?” she asked.

  “Not in our bus, it isn’t. The driver never even told us we had it, and the network doesn’t show up in the list of networks.”

  “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry. You guys must get bored out of your skulls.”

  “Nah. Garth brought his Nintendo Switch with him, so we’ve just been playing a lot of Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers. And I’ve been losing. Badly.”

  She giggled. “Well, you can hook up to this one if you want. The password for all the buses is just Daphne1, capital D. A little narcissistic, I know, but it’s easy for everyone to remember.”

  “It’s not narcissistic. It’s simplistic,” I said as I connected my phone to the Wi-Fi network on the bus.

  “The TVs on all of the buses have Netflix, Hulu, Prime, and pretty much all of the premium cable apps. I’m so sorry you didn’t know that. I wish someone would have said something sooner.”

  “It’s okay. Thanks, though. It’s really generous of you. Thankfully, this is the first super long travel day.”

  “I’ll make sure Josh has it looked at while we’re in Kansas City for a couple of days. Want some popcorn?” she offered. “Or anything else? I have pretty much every kind of road trip snack you could think of. I’m kind of a junk food junkie on the travel days, so I stay stocked up on it.”

  “I’m good. Thanks.”

  “I was just going to watch a movie back there. You’re welcome to join me if you want some company.”

  “It’s okay. Feels too weird going into your bedroom,” I admitted.

  She laughed as she grabbed a bottled Arizona green tea from the fridge. “Want to watch something out here, then? I’ll stop being a recluse and come out of my cave.”

  “Sure. Is there a bottle of water in that fridge?” I asked.

  She grabbed a bottled water and her drink and popcorn and came to sit next to me, handing me the water and remote.

  “Your choice,” she told me. “The only thing I don’t like is horror. I get the feeling you probably watch more kid movies and cartoons than anything else at home, so I’m not going to force you to watch something you don’t want to watch.”

  “Anything but Frozen,” I groaned as I turned the TV on and pulled up Netflix. “I swear, I hear those songs in my sleep.”

  She smiled. “You should introduce her to Moana. The guy who wrote the show Hamilton wrote the music for it. It’s awesome.”

  “If I can get her to stop watching Frozen. But in the meantime, I’ve heard awesome things about Mindhunter. What do you think?”

  “So have I, but I haven’t watched it yet. Sounds good to me.” She grabbed a handful of popcorn. “Sure you don’t want some? I’ll share.”

  Without thought, I reached into the bag and grabbed a few pieces as I hit play on the first episode of Mindhunter. Then I froze with my hand halfway to my mouth. Had I really just shoved my hand into Daphne’s bag of popcorn? But she just laughed.

  “I told you I’d share. And, unlike your daughter, I’m over the ‘boys have cooties’ phase,” she teased, holding the bag out to me again.

  I snorted and tossed the few pieces of popcorn I was still holding into my mouth before grabbing a bigger handful.

  My phone rang as I walked into the venue in Dallas for the sound check. I pulled it out of my purse and groaned internally when I saw that it was Randy. Why was this tour turning out to be such a freaking nightmare?

  “Hey, Randy,” I answered, sighing. “What’s wrong?”

  “Well, hello to you,” he chuckled warmly.

  “Sorry. But you always do such an awesome job of managing my PR, so when you call me, I automatically assume something’s wrong.”

  “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

  “You should. So, what’s up?”

  “It’s nothing public. Just a message you got on your fan page on Facebook. From a Chad Van de Berg. Do you know him?”

  “Unfortunately,” I groaned. “College ex.”

  “Did you blacklist him from your concerts?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I did. He showed up at my VIP meet and greet a few weeks ago and forcibly kissed me. It took two of my security guards to get him off of me. I hadn’t seen him since college before that. Why?” I wondered.

  “I left it in your page inbox if you want to see it. You may want to forward it to your security team. Let’s just say, he wasn’t happy about not being able to get into your shows anymore,” he told me.

  I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. Just what I needed on top of everything else. A crazy ex showing up and raising hell because he couldn’t get into my shows now.

  “Okay. I’ll take a look at it and forward it to my security guys. Thanks, Randy.”

  “It’s what I do,” he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “Break a leg tonight.”

  “Thanks,” I said, then hung up.

  I went to my Facebook page and found the inbox. And Chad’s message actually scared me a little. I didn’t remember him being this unhinged before.

  Chad: Do you really think keeping me out of your concerts is going to keep me away? I decide when we’re done, Daph. Not you. And we are FAR from done.

  I choked down the bile that rose in my throat as I looked at that message. It had been two weeks since Samantha had been jumped, which was also the last time I’d heard from my stalker. Since then, everything had gone like clockwork. Until now.

  Part of me wondered if Chad might be my stalker. But sending gifts and notes didn’t seem like his style. Hurting Samantha for sleeping with me? Well, yeah, that did seem like something he would do. Once, he’d given a guy at a party a black eye just for striking up a conversation with me. But who knew? Maybe he’d changed tactics and thought he’d catch more flies with honey than vinegar or something.

  I didn’t know what to think anymore. But, luckily for me, I didn’t have to think too much about it. That was what I paid Ezra and his team for.

  He’d let up on my security detail a little bit over the past week. I still h
ad to be escorted to and from the venues just like always, but once I got there, I didn’t have to be escorted between the stage and my dressing room anymore.

  I decided to shoot him a text now, while I was thinking about it.

  Me: Hey, my PR manager just told me about a message that I got on my Facebook fan page. I want to forward it to you guys. Should I send it to Eagle’s page or to you personally?

  Ezra: Everything okay?

  Me: I think so. But remember Chad, my ex?

  Ezra: Someone that it took both me and Garth to pull off of you is pretty unforgettable. And not in a good way. He sent something to your Facebook page?

  Me: Yeah. He’s not thrilled about being blacklisted from my shows. And the way he was talking, I almost wonder if he isn’t somehow behind the rest of the stuff that’s been happening too.

  Ezra: Forward it to Eagle’s page so it can go in our official records. You okay?

  Me: As long as he doesn’t somehow get past the blacklist and get into one of my shows, I’ll be okay.

  Ezra: You know we’ll make sure he doesn’t.

  Me: I know. Thanks. See you for the meet and greet.

  I walked out of my dressing room to find Ezra standing there holding two venti-sized Starbucks cups. He smiled and immediately held one out to me.

  “The guys did a Starbucks run a little bit ago. Figured you could use this,” he said.

  I looked at the markings on the cup and found that somehow, he’d remembered that my favorite drink was a dirty chai. He’d even gotten two shots of espresso in it rather than just one, even though I’d never told him that part.

  “How’d you know I like it with two shots?” I asked, unable to help the smile that spread across my face.

  “What’s the point of just one shot in a venti? You wouldn’t even be able to taste it,” he chuckled.

  I giggled as I took a sip, groaning in appreciation as the strong, sweet, and spicy mixture hit my tongue. I knew I shouldn’t be drinking anything with milk this close to showtime, but he was right. I did need this, especially after getting that message from Chad.

  “Oh, my God. It’s been so long since I’ve had one of these, I almost forgot how amazing they are,” I said.

  “I’m good with my real coffee over here, thanks,” he teased.

  “I like regular coffee and lattes too. Especially the seasonal flavors. But dirty chai lattes are one of my favorite comfort foods. Or comfort drinks. Is that a thing?”

  “If you make it a thing, I’m sure it’d catch on. You’ve got the pull.”

  “Taylor told me once that he was convinced I could accidentally put my shirt on inside-out one day and the next day, millions of teenage girls would be doing it on purpose and thinking it was the coolest thing ever,” I remembered, snorting. “I think I’d rather use my influence for more important things.”

  “I don’t know. I think you should do that as a social experiment. Just to see if he’s right,” he said, playfully nudging my shoulder.

  I laughed, the uneasiness I’d felt earlier all but forgotten. Why was it that just being around him made me forget everything that was going wrong in my life?

  “So, am I ever going to get to meet the infamous Taylor?” he asked.

  “I might see if he can come to one of the make-up shows at Madison Square Garden next month,” I told him. “Why?”

  “You talk so much about him, I kind of feel like I know him already.”

  “Really? I do?”

  “Yeah. Not that it’s a bad thing. He sounds like a good guy.”

  “He is. He hasn’t had the easiest life, but he’s one of the best and most selfless people I know. Not that he sees it that way.”

  “Truly selfless people never do,” he said with a smile. “My sister, Rachel, is the same way.”

  “She’s the one who’s watching your daughter while you’re on the tour?” I asked.

  “Yeah. I hate foisting Arielle off on her so much so I can go to work, but she never acts like it’s a chore. She drops whatever she has going on to help me. Every time,” he sighed. “I really hope the day comes when I don’t have to rely on her so much anymore.”

  I smiled. “I’m sure it will. But you’re doing what you need to do to provide for Arielle right now. I’m sure she and Rachel both understand that. I really do hope I can meet her one day.”

  “Maybe after the tour’s over,” he said, cracking half a smile.

  I made a mental note to make sure he got a huge bonus after this tour was over. Enough that he wouldn’t have to worry about taking jobs this long again for a while. He shouldn’t have had to choose between being with his daughter and being able to provide for her.

  As Ezra walked back into the room after the VIP meet and greet was over, he looked anxious.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  “I honestly don’t know,” he admitted. “Hector’s meeting us at your dressing room. A gift came for you while we were here. He vetted it since I wasn’t available.”

  “And I’m guessing this gift isn’t of the welcome variety,” I deduced.

  “I don’t think so,” he said sadly.

  “Let’s go get this over with.”

  We speed-walked back to my dressing room and found Hector standing there holding a gift bag. Without a word, I opened the door and we all walked in. Ezra turned to lock the door behind us before looking at Hector.

  “Okay, let me see it,” I sighed.

  “Daphne, I know we said we’d keep you informed, but I’m not sure if you really want to see this. It freaked me out,” Hector warned.

  “I get where you’re coming from, but it’s only going to drive me crazy if I don’t know,” I told him.

  He took a deep breath and handed me the gift bag. Slowly, I pulled out the contents: a picture frame and an envelope. And with one look at the contents of the picture frame, I understood why Hector had been hesitant to let me see it.

  It was a collage of candid shots of me, all taken over the past two weeks. Outside the hotels we’d booked. In the lobby. At the stage door signing autographs after my shows. Walking into the building with one of the guys from the security team. All of them were of me upset or stressed out, or the person had caught me at awful moments so I looked like I was upset at that point in time.

  “Oh, my God,” I said, unable to stop my voice from shaking.

  An arm slid around my shoulders. I didn’t have to look to know that it was Ezra, because it immediately calmed me. Not completely, but enough to make my heart stop racing at a million miles a minute. But my hand was still shaking as I set the picture frame down and picked up the envelope, pulling out the note inside.

  I know it’s hard to be a good girl and keep your spirits up without me there, beautiful. But I promise we’ll be together soon and I’ll put a real smile on your face, complete with those dimples I love so much.

  I dropped the note to the floor, and Ezra pulled me into a hug, sitting us down on the couch, while Hector opened my minifridge and handed me a bottle of water. He gave Ezra a look, and I felt rather than saw Ezra shake his head in response.

  “We’re not going to let anything happen to you, angel,” Ezra said softly. “You know that, right?”

  “I know,” I said, my voice barely louder than a whisper.

  “Do you think we need to bring on a few more guys?” Hector asked him.

  Ezra sighed. “I don’t know what good it would do. Daph’s already got someone with her pretty much every waking minute. Daph, what do you think about having one of us stand guard outside your suite every night? Just to make sure you’re safe?”

  “If you think it’s a good idea, I’ll leave it up to you,” I told him. “I trust you.”

  “We can rotate out shifts so we all still get some rest,” Hector suggested. “Maybe three hours apiece?”

  I felt Ezra nod, but I didn’t pick my head up from his chest to look at him. Mostly because I didn’t want him to stop holding me. As dumb as it was, just having
his arms around me was calming me down.

  “We can work out the details on the way back to the hotel,” he said.

  “Sounds good. Daphne, do you need anything else?” Hector looked at me.

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “Are you guys good to finish the sweep without me?” Ezra asked him. “I’m going to stay with her for a little bit.”

  “Yeah. I’ll radio if we need you,” Hector said, smirking a little. “Daphne, you need anything, you know how to reach us.”

  “Thanks, Hector.” I forced a smile.

  He walked out the door, and I burrowed a little closer against Ezra’s chest. Without a word, he tightened his arms around me and rested his head on top of mine.

  I wished I could talk to someone about this. Try to figure out what to do and how to stop this creep. But I knew Taylor would just worry if I told him. Besides, he wouldn’t know what to do any more than I did. He’d never had a stalker.

  And then it came to me. I knew who could help me. At least give me some advice about what to do.

  “How bad of an idea is it for me to talk to a friend about this?” I asked. “Someone who’s been through something similar before.”

  “If you trust them enough to talk to them about this, I trust them too,” Ezra said. “Are you going to call them now?”

  I nodded against his chest.

  “Do you want me to give you some privacy?”

  “No. It’s actually Reagan. Your friend Aaron’s girlfriend. If Aaron’s around too, he might actually have some pointers for you and your guys too,” I told him.

  “Okay.”

  I could have sworn I felt his lips press to my head. But I had to be imagining that. Right?

  I shifted against him so I could grab my phone out of my pocket, but I didn’t move away. I didn’t know why I felt like I physically couldn’t move from his embrace. I didn’t know why being here in his arms like this calmed me down so much. But right now, I wasn’t questioning it.

  “Hey, Daph,” Reagan answered immediately, sounding exhausted.

  “Hey, Reag,” I said, smiling. “God, it’s good to hear your voice.”