by Stacey Pond
The phone beeped. Kenzie looked down at her phone with wide eyes. What was going on with her? She knew that Cassie was upset, but she’d never acted the way she was acting now. She realized she didn’t know much about what was going on with Cassie anymore. She’d been so wrapped up in her own world that she’d barely taken the time to ask Cassie about hers.
Kenzie spent the rest of the day walking around the house, lost. She tried to call Cassie back, but all she got was a voicemail. One of the guards came to the house with groceries so she and Gianni wouldn’t have to leave. Right after he was gone, she wandered back out to the porch. The day was slowly ending. She hadn’t heard anything about the guy who had left the notes. It was unsettling.
The sun was setting, painting the sky in brilliant hues of orange. She watched for a while, her mind in other places before she sighed. Glancing at her phone, she saw there were no new messages. She was afraid she’d lost her friend forever. With a groan she stood up before she pushed the back door open to the house.
Hands circled her arms, pulling her back. Kenzie fell onto the porch, her elbow banging against the wood. As she looked up, she saw the man from before. The hood pulled tightly over his face and his quick movements kept her from seeing more. It wasn’t him she was focused on though, but the knife that was in his hand.
Kenzie screamed.
The man jumped on her, pinning her against the porch with so much force that she couldn’t shake him off. Her legs kicked fruitlessly as they connected with nothing but empty air. He brought the knife up, aimed it at her belly once more. Kenzie could feel her breath leaving her body, the setting sun that gleamed off of the knife making it seem all the more dangerous. When she expected to feel the white hot pain of the stab, there was nothing.
Gianni was grabbing the man, pulling him off of her. The knife flew from the man’s hands, landing in the dirt. Kenzie sat, paralyzed as they fought each other. Fists flew, blood poured, but still she couldn’t make herself get up. She couldn’t make herself run or help Gianni. The fear had gripped her, squeezed her until she was tiny, insignificant.
The hooded man landed a blow to Gianni’s eye. It made him reel, fall off balance, but he recovered quickly. Kenzie watched as he ran after the hooded man, tossed him into the dirt. Kenzie thought about what would happen if Gianni didn’t win. She shivered.
As the hooded man was tossed to the ground once more, she saw his hand sliding towards the knife. His fingertips were brushing the blade, trying to bring it closer to him. Gianni was too focused on trying to choke the man out enough to have him pass out. The closer the man’s hands got to the knife, the more dread began to build in the pit of Kenzie’s stomach. Before her brain could tell her no, she launched herself forward and grabbed the knife. The feel of it in her palm was wrong, all wrong, but she held on to it tightly.
As the knife slipped out of his grasp, the man glared at her. She could feel cold hatred in his eyes. It penetrated her like ice, making her shiver. Making her want to shut her eyes until he was gone as if he were a monster under the bed of a small child. The man fought hard before he was able to drive his knee into Gianni’s groin.
When Gianni doubled over in pain, the man turned to her. His hood had fallen away, but he wasn’t anyone that she recognized. He took a step towards her. Kenzie held the knife out in front of her, the shaking of her hands betraying her.
“You won’t use that on me.”
“I don’t want to,” she said, “but you’re dead wrong that I won’t.”
The man seemed to think it over. Something in her eyes must have conveyed the seriousness of her words. Gianni was slowly picking himself up off of the ground. The man took one long look at her, blew her a kiss before he turned and bolted. By then Gianni was recovering.
“Go inside of the house. Lock everything up. I’m going to catch him.”
Kenzie didn’t argue, simply did what she was told. She locked both doors, double checked that the windows were closed and locked. As she waited inside the eerie stillness of the empty house, she found that she could barely swallow. She kept thinking that somehow he’d be behind her when she turned around. Every flash of movement or shadow in the corner of her eye made her jump.
After what felt like a long time, she saw a figure running up to the house in the dark. The knife, she discovered, was still in her trembling hands. She clutched it tighter. There was a knock on the glass in the door. She flipped the light switch, flooding the back porch with light. Gianni shielded his eyes.
Kenzie unlocked the door before she let him inside. He was covered in dirt. She could already see the dark bruising that would mean a black eye. When he stepped inside of the house, he didn’t chat. He locked the door then called the whole team to the house. One of them must have protested, because Gianni’s shout was enough to make her jump in the dining room chair.
When Gianni was finished with his phone call, he turned to Kenzie. First, he took the knife from her, gently placing it on the table before he pushed it out of her reach. Then he gripped her cheeks, examined every inch of her bare skin to see if she was hurt. He saw the small scrape on her elbow. Kenzie could see the anger boiling inside of him.
“If he hadn’t been such a bitch, kneeing me in the crotch, I would have broken his neck,” he mumbled more to himself than to her.
Kenzie rested a hand on his. “What happened when you went after him?”
Gianni sighed, the weariness seeping into his voice. “There was a car waiting for him. As soon as he hopped into the passenger seat, someone took off.”
“There are two of them?” Kenzie asked. She began to laugh. “I don’t think I can take anymore of this!”
Gianni closed her hands up inside of his. They still trembled, but they were calming down. He ran his hand over her cheek.
“I’m going to catch them. I promise you that. Okay?”
Kenzie nodded, but she couldn’t help but feel a bit incredulous. No matter how many times people tried to find him, he disappeared. It felt like he’d never be caught. That she’d never again get to experience feeling safe and free.
There was no way Kenzie could settle down enough to sleep. She spent her time pacing the floors, waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. She needed answers. Something had to change or she thought she would finally lose it. As they trickled in, she did feel an overwhelming sense of safety.
As they started to talk, Kenzie could feel the adrenaline slipping from her body. Her body was a mass of sore muscles and exhaustion. She curled up on a chair in the living room as she watched them talk. Gianni was trying to get to the bottom of how the guy had known where she was. He turned to her.
“You didn’t tell anyone where we were?”
Kenzie shook her head. “No, not even Cassie. I didn’t want to have to move again.”
Gianni believed her. “And you weren’t followed from the grocery store Harris?”
The bodyguard who had brought them food looked nervous. “I did see someone, tagging along with me for a while, but then they stopped. I made sure they were gone before I headed back this way.”
Gianni raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
Harris squirmed in his seat. “Pretty sure.”
Kenzie didn’t think she’d ever seen him so close to exploding.
Chapter 10
Kenzie spent the next few days walking around the house in a haze. Gianni was once again trying to find them somewhere safe to go, but since she’d gotten back onstage it was harder. He tried to comfort her as best he could, making sure she felt safe and secure while they stayed there. He kept two additional guards in the house around the clock; one in the living room, one in the other bedroom. He made it a point to sleep next to her every night.
She noticed on the third night that Gianni would disappear from the bed after she was asleep, the sound of his pacing feet outside of her bedroom door comforting in its own way. She was worried about him though. Gianni wasn’t eating, was
n’t sleeping. In the morning, she could see the dark circles under his eyes, the worry that creased his forehead. He hadn’t smiled in days.
The whole thing made Kenzie feel even worse. She knew it was his job to look after her, but she could see it slowly eating away at him. If they’d never been together, if they didn’t have feelings for each other, she knew he wouldn’t be taking it so hard. Would he still be worried, cautious? Yes, but not like he was now.
In the early afternoon, Kenzie was going through her clothes, trying to distract herself in any way possible, when Gianni walked into the room excited. She watched him go through her drawer before he produced a pair of shorts and a pale blue tank top. In his hand, there was a big bag already filled with things.
“Did you find us somewhere else to go already?” She asked, confusion on her face and in her voice.
“No, but let’s get out of here for a little while. I think we could both use a change of scenery.”
Kenzie nodded as she dressed in the clothes he’d put out for her. She saw him stick something else inside of the bag, but she couldn’t tell what it was. As they climbed into the car, two more of the guards slipped in as well. She had hoped it would be somewhat like their date. So far, the only thing it reminded her of was the fact that she was being stalked by a crazy person.
Almost an hour passed before she started to get anxious. She kept looking around. Something tugged at the back of her mind. The worry was pushed away as she started looking closely at the landscape that surrounded her. Gianni smiled, watching her eager face.
“I knew it! I knew it!” Kenzie cried excited.
She could see the beach coming in their direction. Santa Monica State Beach. It was already crowded with people. She could smell the intoxicating aroma of fried food, ocean water and sugary sweets. When Gianni parked the car, she threw her arms around him.
“Thank you!” She said.
Gianni smiled as she hopped out of the car. It was good to see her smile again. He grabbed the bag with their stuff in it before he followed behind her. When he was close, he reached into the bag.
“Here, I got your swimsuit.”
Kenzie took it from him before she ran off to change. He stood nearby, counting the minutes until she emerged in a purple bikini. She was deliciously curvy in the swimsuit, her hair pulled up into a flaming red bun. Gianni handed her a pair of flip flops that she slipped into, passing him her sneakers.
“Let’s go into the water!” Kenzie said excitedly.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Gianni said with a grin.
Kenzie didn’t even mind the fact that the other guards were there. She was happy. She ran into the water, the coolness wrapping around her ankles. Walking out further, she felt the sand shift beneath her feet as it tapered off. Once she’d walked forward until the water rose past her hips, she dove forward. The water seemed to wake up every cell in her body. She swam out fast before she turned around to glance at the shore. People milled around on the sand, some swam closer to the beach. She laid back, let herself float on the rocking waves.
When she heard splashing, Kenzie looked over to see Gianni swimming towards her. His body was kissed by the sun and waves, making him almost golden. He swam smoothly as she watched his muscled arms rise and fall through the water. When he reached her side, Gianni placed a kiss on her lips.
“Thank you again for doing this,” she said. “I really needed it.”
“You’re welcome. I’m just happy to see you relax.”
They swam out in deeper water for a while before they swam back towards the beach. Kenzie’s muscles were screaming. She hadn’t worked out like that in such a long time. There was already a blanket set up for them, the two bodyguards watching them and their things sat right behind them. Kenzie dropped down onto the towel. All she wanted to do was kiss Gianni, but back on land with the others nearby, she knew that wouldn’t happen. They hadn’t let anyone know about their relationship, especially not the people he worked with. She couldn’t blame him. It would be weird if they knew.
They took turns rubbing sunscreen on each other before they gazed out at the water. Gianni had packed her sunglasses too. She slipped them on before she went back to watching kids play in the sand, teenagers goofing around in the water and in the distance, surfers riding the waves. It all felt very peaceful. She heard her phone ring from inside of the bag. Reaching in, she saw Cassie’s face on the screen.
“I thought you were mad at me,” Kenzie said when she picked up.
“I was, but I’m not anymore. I’m sorry I snapped at you. Do you think we can meet up, have a drink?”
Kenzie bit her lip. “I’m at the beach right now…”
“I can meet you there in an hour. Is that okay? I’m going to rent a room. Do you think you can ditch the bodyguards? I really want to talk to you, alone.”
Kenzie glanced over at Gianni who was still staring off into the distance, a smile on his face. “I can do that.”
“Great! I’ll see you in an hour.”
Kenzie spent the next hour going back into the water. Every time she came out again, she immediately wanted to be back under the waves, but she was getting tired. Gianni bought her a sports drink that she thanked him for. When she glanced at her phone there was a text.
“Meet me here.”
There was an address in the text that she knew well enough. She tied a white wrap around her waist before she headed into a nearby restaurant. It was easy enough to slip out of the window in the bathroom, take the alleyway to the hotel. She wondered what Cassie had to talk about that was so important? Her grandfather dying was obviously important, but talking about it didn’t have to be done in secret.
Kenzie walked up to the front desk, expecting to ask what room her friend was in. Instead, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She jumped, pressed a hand to her chest as she saw Cassie. Her friend had definitely looked better. Her eyes were red lined from crying, she had lost weight and Kenzie quickly realized that she wasn’t wearing a single designer label. At that moment she knew something was wrong.
“Hey, let’s go to my room.”
Kenzie nodded as she followed behind her. Quickly, she slipped out her phone, texted Gianni before she shut the volume off. As they stepped off of the elevator, Cassie was moving so fast it was hard to keep up. She glanced at the room number, 231. She texted that to Gianni as well. When Cassie beckoned her into the room, she hesitated. There was a knot in her stomach, something screaming at her to get out of there.
“Maybe we could talk at a restaurant or something,” Kenzie said slowly. “I forgot how hungry I was after all that swimming.”
Cassie grinned. “Well, I guess you figured it out. I should have known you would get it. You know me too well.”
The woman reached behind her before she pulled out a gun, aiming it at Kenzie’s chest. She gestured for the woman to come forward into the darkened room. Kenzie’s feet felt like they were encased in lead. The last thing she wanted to do was step foot inside of that room. Once she was inside, Cassie slammed the door shut before throwing on the lock. Kenzie pressed her back up against the door as Cassie walked over to the bed. Her fingers fumbled with the lock,but she flipped it with a small click. She pushed herself off of the door.
“Why are you doing this Cassie? We’re friends.”
The woman scoffed. “No, we were friends. Until all the world heard Kenzie’s voice and fell in love. I was completely forgotten. We started singing together, remember that? Whatever happened to not leaving a friend behind?”
“That wasn’t my fault. I wanted you with me. You couldn’t sing, remember? Besides,” she said quickly as the woman walked towards her, “you have your modeling career. You’re great at that.”
Cassie laughed. “Not so great. I was fired last year. You didn’t notice because you were too busy talking about yourself as usual. Don’t worry, I’m not going to shoot you. I’m just waiting for a friend.”
Kenzie had some idea who that friend was. A door connecting Cassie’s room to the one next to it opened. The hooded man walked through, glancing at Kenzie before he talked to Cassie.
“No one followed her. She ditched them.”
“Good girl,” Cassie said with a grin. “I always knew you were a moron. Well, Frankie’s going to kill you now. I’m just here to watch the show,” she said as she settled into a chair. “It’s kind of perfect don’t you think? Make you think you have this obsessed stalker when really it’s me the whole time? I was the one who left the letters in your room at the concert too, no one ever suspects the best friend. Frankie’s just the hired help.”
Kenzie shook her head. She felt disgust and revulsion take over her. How could her best friend betray her over something that wasn’t even her fault? She didn’t have time for questions, so she didn’t ask them. Frankie was advancing on her, a new knife in his hand. This one looked bigger. She was prepared to fight, prepared to do whatever it took because she refused to let him hurt her again.
There was a knock on the door behind her back. She glanced at it. Frankie stopped, his eyes wide as he glanced over to Cassie. The woman rolled her eyes, stood up before she walked closer to the door.
“Who is it?” Cassie called.
No response. She held the gun up higher, but Kenzie moved out of the way of the door entirely, sliding to the side bit by bit. When she was sure Cassie’s eyes were still trained on the door along with Frankie’s she threw it open. Gianni was in the room before she could warn him about the gun. Cassie pulled the trigger.
Gianni kept moving. It was enough to give her relief that he hadn’t been wounded. Kenzie ran at Cassie, pushed her to the ground. The gun fell from her fingers. Kenzie scrambled after it as Gianni went after Frankie. The man had tried to slip back into his room on the other side, but Gianni was blocking his path. It was Gianni’s turn to do a little damage.
Kenzie’s head snapped back, her hair pulled so hard that it burned. She yelped and gripped her hair as Cassie crawled past her. Kenzie pushed the pain aside as she jumped on her back. There was no way she was going to let the unstable woman get her hands on the gun again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gianni deliver such a hard punch that Frankie lost his footing. He landed on the floor, howling as he clutched his bleeding nose.
