Finding Us

by Debra Presley

  Unfortunately, no matter how much she wanted it, sleep didn’t want her. The conversation with her mother, her stupid almost-kiss with Danny, and Sean’s escalating anger played through her brain on a repeating loop. The track grew so loud she only had two options to deal with it. She could stay in bed and be pissed about being awake, or she could get up and do something productive. She threw her covers off and planted her feet on her plush throw rug that she loved so much. Slowly, she opened the door and snuck past the others who were still sleeping in their bunks.

  “Morning,” she greeted Anthony as he navigated the bus through a bit of traffic.

  “Morning. You’re up early.”

  Abby sat down across from him on the sofa.

  “I didn’t turn the ringer off on my phone. A wrong number woke me up a while ago.” She tried her best to get comfortable on the leather sofa.

  “If traffic stays light we’ll be at the hotel in about three hours. I’m stopping for coffee soon. Would you like me to get you a cup?” That was the best question Abby ever heard. Coffee was a must and especially this morning. She had a headache, and her brain felt foggy.

  “Yes, please. You’re a lifesaver.”

  As promised, Anthony got off at the next exit and brought her a large coffee. She went back into her room and changed. It was probably better to greet the day in jeans and a T-shirt than her pajamas. She didn’t have a show tonight, just some meetings today about her next album. After that, she was free to hang out by the pool and catch some sun for the rest of the day.

  By the time she was finished dressing, Sophie was awake and sitting up front with Anthony. “Hey you,” Abby said.

  “You’re up early,” Sophie stated the obvious.

  “Don’t remind me.” Abby turned to Anthony. “Thanks, you’ve saved everyone from a major bitch-a-thon.”

  “Yes, thank you,” Sophie agreed, though she grinned at Abby.

  Danny and Scott joined the group a while later, and they all spent the next couple hours chatting about nothing important. When Anthony gave them a twenty-minute ETA, Abby headed back to her room to grab her purse.

  As they approached the hotel, they noticed several hundred people surrounding the entrance. “Well, this isn’t good.” Danny scowled.

  “What the hell?” Abby stared at the mass of people and an unfamiliar sensation filled her chest. Before Sean, Abby’s biggest concern about a large group of fans was whether her schedule would allow her to stay long enough to greet everyone, and if not, how many people would she disappoint? Now, instead of calculating the number of autographs and photos she’d have to pose for, fingers of ice-cold fear gripped her. Her brain went blank, then rapidly started cataloging all the possible escape routes. She looked at Danny. His brow was furrowed, and he pulled out his phone as he walked to the back of the bus. She felt slightly better knowing he was working to figure out what was happening.

  “No one knows where you’re staying besides us, plus your mother and her assistant. We keep your location a secret so this shit doesn’t happen.” Sophie sounded as pissed as Danny looked.

  “Someone must have leaked our location. Maybe an employee at the hotel? My mom is pissed at me, but I don’t think she would have done this.” Even as she said it, Abby doubted the veracity of her words. Before this week, she’d thought she’d known the people in her life. Her mother was difficult, but she wasn’t unrepentantly evil. Now, after she saw the photos of Vivien with Sean, and Vivien hadn’t denied it, she had to ask herself what else Vivien might be hiding. The thought that she may have leaked the name of their hotel made Abby sick to her stomach.

  “I’m going to circle the building until we can figure this out,” Anthony said as he turned off his blinker and accelerated back up to the speed of traffic.

  “You should see this.” Sophie held up her phone for Abby to see.

  “What?”

  “Look.” Sophie said.

  Abby took the phone from Sophie’s hand and saw several pictures of Stephanie plastered on the screen. She had been beaten to the point of being nearly unrecognizable from the deep purple bruises covering her face.

  “Oh my God.” Abby grabbed the wall for support before sitting on the edge of the couch.

  Danny returned from the back of the bus, phone still to his ear. Abby couldn’t focus on anything beyond the rush of blood through her head, so she didn’t hear anything he said. She had an overwhelming urge to run but at the same time felt as if she was plastered to her seat. This could not be happening.

  Finally, she heard Danny’s voice but was still too shocked to speak.

  “Abby?” Danny set his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

  She turned toward his voice.

  “Just breathe. It says she’s fine.”

  “You know he’s responsible for that. Do you think my mother talked to him?”

  “Right now, all I’m worried about is you. Breathe for me.”

  “Danny?” Scott interrupted the almost-intimate moment. “We’re nearing the entrance again. What would you like Anthony to do?”

  “Tell him to just keep driving. We won’t be staying here. I’ll have a new location for him soon.”

  “You got it.” Scott inclined his head slightly. The security team spoke to each other with small gestures as much as with actual words.

  “I need to make a few more calls.” Danny gestured with his phone then left for the back again. He nodded at Scott on his way out.

  She listened to their conversation and felt like an observer. Like this wasn’t really happening to her but to someone else. Abby didn’t particularly like Stephanie, but she never wanted to see her harmed. The details were sketchy, but Stephanie had been attacked last night, and the police were investigating. They didn’t have a suspect, and Stephanie wasn’t talking, a first for sure.

  “Well, we all know the top two suspects. Please don’t sugarcoat anything for me. I’m thinking the same thing you are. It was either Sean or my Mother. At this point, I wouldn’t put it past either of them. That video would ruin them…and me.” The realization made her sick to her stomach. There were actually three suspects. Sean, her mother, and Abby.

  Abby stared out the window. Her mom said Abby was making the wrong decision. At the time, her tone felt ominous, and again Abby wondered if it was meant to be some sort of warning? The crowd in front of the hotel was the added bonus. The thought of them waiting for her made Abby feel claustrophobic.

  “Okay.” Danny’s voice startled Abby. She was back to being a jumpy mess again. Thankfully, Danny didn’t notice. He was in full take-charge-and-fix-this mode. “Change of plans. I’ve arranged a safe location for us in Venice Beach.”

  Danny’s matter of fact tone made some of the fear Abby had subside. Danny slid into the spot that Sophie had vacated and explained what was about to happen.

  “Scott and Sophie will stay behind.” He turned his attention to Sophie. “I want you and Scott to check in at another hotel. Use your real name.”

  “Our real names? You’re sure?”

  “Absolutely. I want to make it appear as if we changed locations. If you register us with our real identities, you know it’ll get leaked and distract everyone enough so that I can get Abby to the secure location.”

  “Consider it done,” Sophie agreed.

  “Good, because it’s your job to find a hotel with available rooms. Once we get to Venice Beach I’m going to make a few more calls. It’s too easy to jump to conclusions. Right now, we need to remain calm and let the authorities investigate. I’ll reach out to the local police and report our experiences with Sean just in case there is a connection,” Danny explained.

  Abby nodded. This was all too much. She had begun to calm down, but with all these sudden changes and thoughts of Sean made her feel as if she needed to flee again.

  “I trust you,” she told Danny because she could see he was waiting for her to say something. “Whatever you feel is the right thing to do, I’ll do it. How
long until we can get off this bus?” She gripped the edge of the couch, afraid that if she wasn’t holding onto something she’d run for the exit.

  “We have a bit of a ride. Why don’t you go lay down, and I’ll knock on your door when it’s time?” Danny patted her on the leg.

  “Maybe later. Right now I want to know your plan. This is happening because of me…it’s happening to me. I refuse to be the last one to know what’s going on. I’m not fragile. I’m not going to break.” And it was true; she wouldn’t break. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t mentally freaking out. Still, this was her mess, and she needed to know what to expect.

  “Okay. Let’s go over everything,” Danny said and turned so that he was facing everyone.

  Abby settled back into the couch, ready to listen. What Danny said next would shape her life, and she didn’t want to miss a word.

  * * *

  “Abby?”

  She opened her eyes and searched for the voice that woke her. Danny was in the doorway. “We’re here, but Connor is ten minutes out, so you have a few minutes to wake up before we have to go.”

  “Okay, thanks.” She cleared her throat. Connor O’Brian, she learned on the drive here, was an Army buddy of Danny’s and was helping them out today.

  Danny left and she sat up in her bed, placing her head in her hands. She rubbed her temple, trying to ease the pounding bass drum keeping time in her head. She pushed the covers off and grabbed her phone from the nightstand.

  She turned on the phone, and it beeped over and over indicating Abby had several messages.

  “People need to leave me alone,” she mumbled to herself and opened up her text messages. They were all from an unknown number. She opened the first message, unsure what to expect. Sometimes fans got her number, but text messages from unknown numbers were unusual.

  We’re not done.

  Abby felt as if she’d been kicked in the chest. Logically, she knew all the air hadn’t been sucked out of the room, but she still couldn’t catch her breath. She opened the next message.

  I’ll be waiting for you.

  “Fuck,” she said softly. Sean. It didn’t take a genius to realize he’d sent the messages. What she didn’t understand was how he got her number? There were too many people to consider pointing a finger at one. Right now though, she needed to figure out what she was going to do? There was just so much going on. She needed to tell Danny, obviously, but was waiting for the right time. Except that never happened, and right now she’d settle for the wrong time as long as it was thirty consecutive, uninterrupted minutes. Clearly, Sean was capable of just about anything, and that frightened Abby more than anything. She had shared the same bed with him and didn’t know the first thing about who he really was.

  You are still mine.

  She dropped the phone on the bed. He clearly wasn’t going to go away quietly. After several minutes she picked up the phone and scanned her voicemail messages. Again from an unknown number. She was scared to listen to them.

  As she was staring at the phone, wondering what to do, the phone rang and she jumped. Unknown. Should she let the voicemail pick it up or should she face her fear head on? Was she going to let Sean continue to harass and threaten her? No. If Abby ever wanted to be free of all this bullshit, she needed to stand up for herself and not depend on others to fight her battles.

  The longer she rolled her options around in her head, the angrier Abby became. How dare Sean think he could harass her like this? He had no right. She deserved better. Fuck him. She pushed the button to connect the call.

  “Hello?” She could feel the anger thrumming through her head, yet she sounded calm. Too calm. She wanted to reach through the phone and throttle Sean. She paced the short distance in front of her bed.

  “So nice of you to finally answer. It’s not very smart to ignore my calls. Haven’t learned your lesson yet? I’m not going away, but you can make this all disappear. You know what you have to do.”

  She had learned her lesson. Sean would no longer instill fear in her. Abby needed to ask him a few questions, and she wasn’t going to allow him to run her life through threats and intimidation.

  “Did you attack Stephanie?” she demanded. She was done with his double talk and innuendos. It was all bullshit.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  But Abby could hear the snicker in his voice. He knew exactly what she was talking about. She couldn’t wait to tell Danny. He’d already communicated with the local police and could get this information to them as well. But of course Sean hadn’t actually confessed. God, she hated this smug asshole. How had she missed this part of him for the past two years?

  “Fuck you Sean.” She laced her voice with as much anger and venom as she could muster, doing her best to channel her mom’s attitude of entitlement. Vivien made people cower with just a look, and Abby wanted that power over Sean right now. “Leave me alone. We’re done. Nothing you can say or do will get you back on this tour.”

  Abby felt great. Superior, almost. This must be how her mom felt. No wonder Vivien always said what was on her mind without a care about the consequences. It. Was. Amazing.

  “If that’s how you want to play this. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Sean ended the call.

  She stared at her phone. The adrenaline high she felt a moment ago was fading fast. Shit. It probably wasn’t a good idea to antagonize him that way, but she couldn’t stop herself. She was so angry, and she needed to let it out. It felt empowering in the moment, but as the energy of the moment faded, so did her confidence. She was left with only the hard rock of fear in her gut. She shook her head. Sean wasn’t stable. She should have let the voicemail pick up.

  It was time to talk to Danny rather than waiting for the perfect moment that simply never came. He needed to know everything. She had to confess it all, the messages, the voicemails, the threats and about that video. Sean was gone. Fired. And that so-called video had not been released. Sean was obviously full of shit. She was done worrying if it was or wasn’t Danny and trying to figure out how that made her feel. Sean had lost all sense of reason, and she couldn’t take the chance that he would follow through on his threats. He was unstable enough for her to believe he was capable.

  There was another knock at the door, and she looked up.

  “It’s time.”

  “I’m ready.” She slipped on a pair of flip-flops and grabbed the few things she needed.

  A dark blue unmarked van was parked next to the tour bus with the back doors open.

  “Hop in,” Danny instructed. When she hesitated, he added, “We’re getting you the hell out of here. Get in before someone sees you.

  Abby looked at the surroundings. They were in the parking lot of an old, abandoned shopping complex. She didn’t ask any more questions as she took Danny’s hand and climbed into the van. She kept saying she trusted him, and this was exactly the situation for her to prove it. Danny followed and pulled the door shut behind them. The vehicle pulled away before either of them had a chance to sit down. The floor of the van was littered with fast food debris, and Abby kicked an empty soda can as she made her way to the seat. Was this guy really going to get them to safety?

  “Now what?”

  “Relax. We’re getting the hell out of here.” Danny smiled.

  “Who’s driving?”

  “Connor.” Danny motioned with his chin toward the front of the van.

  “Yo! Connor O’Brian, pleased to meetcha.”

  Abby stared at the man behind the booming voice who sat in the driver’s seat. She couldn’t get a good look at him because he was driving, but what she did see, she liked.

  Connor worked per diem for Nucci Securities. During their time in the Army, they were both stationed in Iraq and were in the same platoon. They were brothers and trusted each other with their lives, and because Danny trusted him, that was good enough for Abby.

  “This is Abby,” Danny said. “Don’t be a jerk to her or I’ll kick your
ass.”

  “Sure you will,” Connor said with a laugh. “Hi there.”

  “Abby, meet Connor.”

  “Hi.”

  She watched Connor scan her from head to toe before he gave her a big smile. The van swerved.

  “Whoa, eyes on the road asshole!” Danny commanded.

  “Sorry.” Connor laughed.

  “Good to meet you too.” She turned to Danny. “Is there a seatbelt in this thing?” she whispered.

  “No.”

  “Great,” she grumbled and held onto the bench seat while Connor continued to drive like a maniac.

  “Does he always drive like this?” Abby asked through clenched teeth as she slid a bit along the seat on a turn.

  “He’s fine. Just showing off.” Danny moved closer to Abby. “Take it easy, man. She’s been through enough today.”

  Connor turned his head again, flashed a killer smile back at Abby and continued to drive. However, he did slow down a bit.

  “How long ‘til we’re at his house?”

  “We’ll be there soon. His place is on the beach. Until then, just sit back. We’re good.” He placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.

  “Well, at least I love the beach.” She relaxed into his side and he laughed.

  * * *

  Connor pulled into a driveway, and Abby twisted in her seat to try to see where they were but the darkened out windows made it impossible to see any details.

  “Home sweet home,” Connor said and turned the van off. “I’ll let you lovebirds out.” He smirked.

  “Fuck you, asshole,” Danny said, then turned to Abby. “Sorry, He’s a character. Don’t take it personally.” Danny removed his arm from around Abby’s shoulder.