by Cindy Dees
He cut her off. “Nothing’s gonna happen today. I guarantee it.”
“What? You had a little talk with my stalker and told him to take the day off?”
He went beet-red. “I’m the bodyguard, and I say it’s all right, dammit—” His voice was rising quickly to a bellow, and she winced. Dumb, dumb, dumb. She knew better than to set off his temper by being sarcastic.
All of a sudden, a large, menacing presence loomed beside her. Austin. Hovering protectively over her, perfectly still. Poised. Waiting. Threat rolled off of him in palpable waves. “Is there a problem here, Maynard?”
Mark shouted, “My name’s Mark, you son of a—”
“Perhaps you should step outside and collect yourself until you can focus enough to do your job. I’ll take over protecting the lady until you’ve calmed down.”
Amusement flared in Silver’s gut. She didn’t for a moment doubt that Austin knew how infuriating his calm and reasonable advice would be to Mark. Sure enough, Mark turned several shades closer to purple and took an aggressive step forward.
Reluctantly, she tamped down her amusement and stepped between the two men. “Mark, it’s okay. I’ll go to lunch with you.”
“You will not—” Austin started behind her.
She whirled to face him. “Stay out of this. Mark’s waiting here until I’m done looking at the stage, and then he can guard me at lunch. It’ll give you a little time off to rest and eat yourself. After all, you didn’t get much sleep last night—” She broke off. Whoops. Probably shouldn’t have said that.
“Whaaat?” Mark squawked. “What the hell?”
Oh no. Not good. Mark would rush Austin any second now, and in turn, Austin would break Mark in half. The press would find out about her feuding bodyguards and have a field day with it. And Harold would kill her show before it ever got off the ground. Must do damage control. Now!
She spun to face Mark quickly. “Never mind. He told me he was having trouble with jet lag.” It wasn’t working. A vein throbbed in his temple, and he looked apoplectic. His fists came up and he all but pawed the ground like a bull.
Crud. Time for drastic measures. She raced forward, plastered herself against Mark’s beer gut and wrapped her arms around his vaguely rounded shoulders. After Austin, he felt…flabby. Distaste coursed through her. She forced herself to keep her arms around him, though. Nothing distracted him like a display of affection from her. Sure enough, she caught the smug leer he threw over her shoulder at Austin. She braced herself as he squeezed her too tight and tried to kiss her.
She simply couldn’t bring herself to tolerate his wet, foul-tasting mouth on hers. She turned away as subtly as she could but feared he’d noticed anyway, given how his arms tightened cruelly around her.
“You’re crushing me,” she managed to gasp.
As much as she tried to stand it, she had to pull away from him. She wriggled free of Mark’s reluctant arms and sighed in relief. She got the distinct impression that had Austin not been there, he wouldn’t have let her go and might even have forced himself upon her further. A frisson of alarm skittered down her spine.
She turned and was just in time to catch Austin’s tall form fading silently into the shadows of the velvet folds of curtains. Damn, damn, damn. It was all she could do not to run after him. To explain why she’d had to put up with Mark’s pawing. To tell him about the secret arrangement, about why it was necessary to keep Mark happy, at least until after her show. It wasn’t forever. Just six weeks.
Then she’d be in the clear to tell the whole world how she felt about Austin Dearing. She’d shout it to the rooftops. She just had to get through the show without a scandal. And to pull that off, she dared not alienate Mark. She needed him. Even if it meant pushing away Austin and hurting him. Unfortunately, it felt like she’d just buried a knife in her own heart, too.
Saul broke the tense silence that had fallen over the stage when Mark started to blow. “Silver, do you remember any of your old songs? I had the sound boys cue up the instrumental tracks from a few of your hits so you could try out the speaker system.”
Halfheartedly, she smiled at the older man. His timing always had been impeccable. “That’d be great. Have you got a mike for me?”
In no time, she was wired up with a barely there earpiece and mouthpiece attached to a wireless battery pack in the back pocket of her jeans. The familiar chords of one of her biggest hits started, and she closed her eyes, trying to imagine herself back in the good old days. The dance moves came back to her effortlessly, and she fell into the sequences. The sound system was great, with practically no feedback on the stage.
But there was something missing.
She didn’t feel this music anymore. It didn’t speak to who she was or what she thought about. She wasn’t nineteen and only worried about having fun and dancing till she dropped. Who’d written those lyrics, anyway?
The next song started, an even more upbeat piece. Automatically, she started into the choreography. By the second verse, she was starting to feel nauseous. By the third chorus, the lights were spinning, and the rows of seats were wavering like a roller coaster. She launched into the last big dance sequence, and the entire stage heaved beneath her. And then everything went black.
Chapter 9
Austin lurked in the darkest shadows just offstage, watching in disgust as Sampson leered lewdly at Silver. What did she see in him? She was so out of that guy’s league. She had more class in her pinkie finger than Sampson would amass in his entire life.
Her energetic dance number brought her over to this side of the stage, and Austin took advantage of his training to make himself invisible behind the various curtains, ropes and pulleys clustered beside him. He frowned. Silver looked pale, and that fine sheen of perspiration on her face didn’t look like the honest sweat of exertion.
She finished singing the chorus and danced her way up a ramp and onto a raised platform. She squinted out at the theater, like she was having trouble making out the rows of seats. A hum of alarm low in his gut had him frowning as she wobbled and then took a definite misstep.
His protective instincts fired, and he didn’t hesitate. He darted forward, out onto the stage. He peripherally registered Sampson, standing at the other side of the stage, his tongue all but hanging out with lust. But Austin’s focus was on Silver. Time slowed as she staggered toward the edge of the platform. Not good.
He put on an extra burst of speed and reached the front of the raised stage just as she toppled over in a dead faint. She collapsed to her knees and then pitched forward into his arms. He grunted beneath her weight but caught her safely.
Sampson was just now getting his butt in gear to move forward. Lousy reflexes—must’ve had way too much beer over the years to be that dull.
“Hey, Dearing—”
“Not now,” Austin snapped, turning to Saul. “Is there a dressing room I can lay her down in?”
“This way, son.”
While Sampson blustered behind him, Austin hustled offstage, carrying Silver limp in his arms. Panic made him preternaturally strong, and she felt featherlight. His mind raced frantically. Please, don’t be anything serious. Had he missed something yesterday? Had someone poisoned her? Had she eaten anything he hadn’t?
They wound their way to a row of closed doors, and Saul opened the first one on the right. Austin brushed past him and into the cluttered space. A chaise lounge in the corner was covered with sequined costumes, which he pushed onto the floor with his foot before laying Silver down.
He glanced up just in time to see Saul slam the door shut in Sampson’s face. “Thanks,” Austin bit out.
Saul nodded grimly as he locked the door for good measure. “How is she?”
“I think she just fainted.” He took her pulse quickly and pressed his ear to her chest. “I hope,” he muttered.
Saul volunteered, “She has a history of high blood pressure, but as far as I know, she’s always been good about taking her medicine.”
<
br /> Austin commenced chafing her wrists. “Call the hotel doctor. I want a blood pressure cuff on her now.”
The older man pulled out his cell phone and made a quick call. As he hung up, a god-awful pounding started on the dressing room door, accompanied by Sampson bellowing unintelligibly outside.
Silver’s eyes fluttered but didn’t open.
He glanced over at Saul, who was looking worriedly at the rattling panel. Austin sighed. “I’ll take care of him.” He stood up and moved swiftly to the door. He yanked it open. “Quit making a fool of yourself, Mick. The doctor’s on his way. Go be useful and show the guy back here when he arrives.”
“My name’s Mark—”
Austin cut him off. “Go get the doctor and quit making so much noise. My four-year-old nephew has more control of himself than you do.” And on that note, Austin closed the door—firmly—in the guy’s face.
Saul was grinning when he turned around. Grinning himself, he headed back to Silver’s side. Her eyes fluttered again, opening partially this time. She asked vaguely, “Did you just call Mark a four-year-old?”
She was conscious. Relief flooded him. It might have been a simple faint, but he’d still been sick with fear. “Actually, I called him worse than a four-year-old.”
A hint of a smile crossed her ghostly pale features as her eyes drifted closed.
He knelt beside her and asked gently, “Honey, have you taken your blood pressure meds for the past several days?”
She opened her eyes again, their delicate blue piercing him straight through the heart. “Yes. Like clockwork. Especially now…”
“Why now?” he prompted when she didn’t continue.
Her gaze slid away from his. “Especially now that I’ve got this show to do. Can’t afford to mess it up.” She lurched in alarm. “Saul, there weren’t any reporters around, were there?”
“The theater’s closed and locked. We were alone. Just my staff. And they know better than to blab to the press if they want to keep their jobs.”
Austin frowned. What was he missing here?
He glanced up at Saul, who obligingly explained. “Tabloids eat up stuff like this. Pop star collapses while attempting comeback.” He got a thoughtful look on his face. “But maybe we ought to let it leak. You know what they say. Any publicity is good publicity.”
Silver lurched on the couch and blurted, “No!”
Both men looked down at her questioningly.
Reluctantly, she explained, “Harold said he’d cancel the gig if I show up in the tabloids again.”
Austin and Saul “ahhed” simultaneously, and then abruptly exchanged alarmed looks. Sampson. “I’ll go take care of it,” Austin murmured.
“You’re a good boy,” Saul murmured back as Austin headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Silver cried. “Don’t leave me!”
He paused, his hand on the doorknob. She looked as frantic and scared as a kid who’d just lost her puppy. “I’ll be back in a minute, honey.” When her expression didn’t ease, he added, “I promise.”
The frown on her brow smoothed out a little, and he stepped out into the narrow hall. It didn’t take long to find Sampson. The guy was in the middle of the stage throwing a hissy fit over what was taking the doctor so long.
Austin strode out to have a private word with the man.
Sampson turned to face him and drew a breath, but Austin cut him off before he could utter a word. “Don’t get started with me, Mack. Nobody’s here to stop me from smashing you into a million pieces this time.”
Interestingly enough, Sampson clammed up. Give the boy credit for having a sliver of self-preservation at any rate.
Austin continued, “So here’s the thing. Silver really doesn’t want this little episode to show up in the newspaper. Saul assures me his staff won’t spill the beans, which means, if I catch wind anywhere outside this room of her fainting, it’s your ass I’m kicking into last week. Got it?”
“Are you threatening me, Dearing?”
Austin considered Sampson like he might a mildly interesting insect. He reached out to flick an imaginary piece of lint off Sampson’s shoulder. Then he answered evenly, “No, my friend, I’m not threatening you. I’m merely telling you what’s going to happen if you don’t keep your mouth shut.”
“I’ll press charges. I’ll get you tossed in jail, and they’ll throw away the key! I have contacts in this town, you know—”
Austin took a gliding step forward, casually invading the guy’s personal space even more. “Do you seriously think I’d be stupid enough to leave behind any evidence of your existence? I have friends, too, Sampson. The kind who can and will make you disappear so your remains are never found. You catch my drift?”
The guy’s eyes went wide. He took a step back. But when Austin didn’t follow, he seemed to regain some of his bluster. “This isn’t over, Dearing. I’ll show you. I’ll show you all. I’ll get the girl and laugh all the way to the bank, and you’ll be wondering what the hell happened.”
A chill chattered down Austin’s spine. What did this guy have on Silver? Surely he was holding something over her to be this confident. Certainty that Sampson was blackmailing her washed over him. And if she hadn’t come clean and run screaming from this guy yet, it was something big. Something she didn’t want to face.
Determination to help her washed over him. But first, he’d have to get her to confess her secret to him. Austin spoke grimly. “Stay away from her, Sampson. If I catch you around her again, I’m going to hurt you. Bad. And that’s a promise.”
One of the theater’s doors opened, spilling a shaft of bright light into the huge, dim space. A man carrying a leather bag hurried down the center aisle.
“Are you the doctor?” Austin called.
“Yes.”
“She’s backstage. This way.” Sampson forgotten, Austin led the doctor quickly to Silver.
She’d regained a little color, which was to say she’d gone from gray to ghostly pale, but she still looked terribly weak. Nonetheless, she waved a wan hand at him and Saul. “Go away, you two.”
Reluctantly, he left her to the doctor’s care. Saul grinned at him as he paced the hall outside. “She’ll be okay, young man. She’s stronger than she looks.”
Worried, Austin turned on the man. “How do you know that?”
“She holds her own with her father and that boyfriend of hers, doesn’t she? She’s tough, I tell you.”
“Yeah, well, she shouldn’t have to be. She should have someone who gives a damn to look out for her and take care of her.”
“Like you?”
Yeah. Exactly like him. Thing was, he got the distinct impression that Silver valued her privacy above just about all else. He’d be no better than Sampson if he announced to Saul that he intended to make her his at the first available opportunity. Austin mumbled, “No, not me. I’m only here for a few months, and then I’m going back to my real job.”
Saul’s gaze narrowed almost threateningly. “Don’t you break my girl’s heart, you hear? She’s had a lot of bad luck in her life, and she’s working hard to make a new start. Don’t you mess this up for her.”
Austin stopped pacing. Stared at Saul, who looked as fierce as a bear at the moment. “You’re really worried about her, aren’t you?”
“She’s like my own daughter.”
Austin nodded respectfully. “I won’t do anything to hurt her.” Except he already had. He’d taken her to bed despite it being foolish and selfish in the extreme. He’d never forget that wounded look on her face last night when he’d called her a plastic pop star. He hadn’t meant it the way she’d taken it, but he hadn’t thought about how it might sound to her. And then there’d been the blow to her when he’d reminded her he’d be leaving in a few months; he’d seen that flash of knowing in her eyes. Men had left her before. Probably without warning and without a goodbye if that look was any indication.
She deserved better than him.
A
nd that was the thought uppermost in his mind when the dressing room door opened a minute later, to reveal the doctor, with Silver standing behind him.
His eyes never leaving her lovely face, Austin asked lightly, “Is she going to live, Doc?”
“I think she might pull through. It was just a combination of fatigue, lack of food and a little stress. Nothing to worry about.”
Silver murmured her thanks to the doctor and Austin added his as well.
As they stepped out into the hallway, she asked, “Where’s Mark?”
She might as well have punched him in the gut. Sampson was so freaking lucky to have a woman like this give a damn about him. “If he knows what’s good for him, he’s not here,” Austin growled.
“Please tell me you didn’t pick a fight with him.”
He snorted. “If I pick a fight with him, you’ll know it from the blood and Sampson body parts strewn all over the place.”
“Did you two argue?” she pressed.
“We had a…conversation. Came to…an understanding.”
Alarm blossomed on her face. “Did you make him mad?”
“Kinda hard to talk to him and not make him mad, it seems.”
“What did you say to him?” she asked urgently.
Austin frowned. “I told him to stay away from you.”
Silver wrung her hands in agitation. “I told you to stay out of it! Oh, Lord. There’s no telling what he’ll do now.”
“He’ll do nothing now, or else he’ll answer to me.” Austin retorted.
“You have no idea what you’ve done!” she wailed.
Heads were starting to turn among the stagehands, and Saul and the doctor were looking uncomfortable. He said quietly, “Why don’t we go someplace a little more private and you can explain it to me.”
She looked around suddenly, as if she’d become aware of their audience. She nodded, abruptly silent. Sheesh. What a way to live. Always having to look over her shoulder for journalists or people who’d sell her out to one. He was already craving a little anonymous privacy, and he’d only been living her life for a single day.
