Chapter Nine
CHAPTER NINE
GEMMA
The Masked Mayhem party was a bad idea—one of my better bad ideas—still, it’s continued to haunt me in the days since—in the very best way.
Her taste continues to linger on my tongue, imprinted forever at the forefront of my mind. I can still hear the sound of her perfect little moans… god, those moans, so different from the whines that come from her when she’s playing with those toys of hers. I thought I was devoted before… Now, I’ve dug myself into a miserable hole with no intention of taking any rope, ladder, or climbing apparatus out of it.
I’ll die a slow death beneath the dark, moist soil raked crumb by crumb over me and sprout daisies and clover from my decaying body as I whither away waiting on her to climb in this coffin of a daydream with me.
It’s dangerous, the way my craving for her has grown. All I’ve wanted to do these last few days when watching her at night is crawl under the sheets just to lick that perfect cunt again, to slip my ungloved fingers into her and truly feel her wetness around them this time.
Because I’m curious if she’ll be as wet knowing it’s me as she was thinking I was some random stranger.
The thought has my mind running on a continuous wheel, the possibilities now endless. The way she responded to me in the mask… the way she’s stared at me in real life…
I want her to crave both.
I slump back in the driver’s seat of my SUV and slap the steering wheel out of frustration. I’m just getting back to her apartment after driving her and Zeb to Reed and Mads’ studio this morning. It’s a two week sleepover—per orders from Avie, who wants them eating, sleeping, and breathing the new music between festivals to ensure they make their recording deadline.
I introduced them to my partners, Kade and Liam, this morning, then left Liam in charge.
The stay has put a kink in my original plans for Bonnie. Still, at least now I have time to scope out her new neighbors and manage a few things in her apartment without having to look over my shoulder.
The moving van parked out front of the Twin Stars Luxury Apartments caught me off guard this morning. The space one door down from her has been vacant for about a month now, and I’m surprised it’s taken this long to get someone in there—especially as the previous tenant was rarely there because of business travel.
I glance down at the dossier Kade made me on the new neighbors. It’s such little information that something about it doesn’t sit right. Even so, it wouldn’t be the first time someone used an alias for an apartment here in LA. Even Bonnie uses an alias—Dolly Daydream.
The first time I saw it, I almost laughed. She loved the name Dolly in high school.
The picture of the man renting the place was pulled from social media. I’ve never been one to judge a person simply based on appearances of whether they’re harmless or not. In my experience, more than half of the worst ones looked wholly innocent, especially the ones I once tracked down for more powerful people.
Still, this guy doesn’t even have a parking ticket on his record.
It irks me, and I make a mental note to ask Kade if there’s any way to see into the guy’s apartment. I’d break in if it meant keeping Bonnie safe; however, I’ve walked into enough situations in the past to know going in blind is never a good idea.
Maybe I can catch him outside just to make sure his picture matches.
As the movers lift out a large white sofa, my phone rings. I let it ring for a few moments, too preoccupied with trying to figure out if any of the movers or men on the sidewalk are the neighbor.
I need to get closer.
“Go for Gem,” I answer my phone, not bothering to check who’s calling.
“—no, I’m telling her—Hey, Gemma,” the deep-voiced person on the other side says. “It’s Zeb. I need a favor.”
“Do not— it’s fine! She hasn’t been back—” I hear Bonnie saying in the background.
I shift in my seat. “Hey, Zeb. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything is good here. We’re locked away and only opening the door for takeout,” he says.
I snicker at the annoyance in his tone. “Yeah, I know it’s frustrating. Is Liam still outside?”
“He’s the bear, right?” Zeb asks.
A snort leaves me at the description. “I believe that is what his husband calls him, yes. That’s Liam.”
“Yeah, he’s out there,” he replies. “You don’t have to leave us with a babysitter all the time.”
“Your manager is on my ass,” I say. “And yours. Probably in both our best interests not to piss him off.”
“Yeah, I’m sure Mads did that when he called to tell him we were changing directions for the cover,” he mutters. “Hey, listen—”
“Make sure you tell her to check windows, too,” I hear Reed say.
“What, you think she can scale a building?” Zeb asks off speaker.
“And cameras,” Mads says.
“You guys are ridiculous,” Bonnie tells them.
I slightly balk at the conversation happening in the background.
Are they worried about… me?
I hope to hell Zeb can’t hear me smiling when I say, “Ah… Zeb? What’s going on?”
A mix of nerves and pride about the conversation wiggles into my bones.
“Bon is too proud to admit it, but she really needs her door locks changed,” Zeb finally tells me.
I almost laugh.
Too cute.
“And a quick sweep of the apartment while she’s gone, too,” he adds. “Her stalker has been getting in, sending her pictures of things... I just want it checked out.”
I chuckle. “Big brother knows best, right?” I say, knowing it would piss him off. “Let me talk to Bonnie.”
There’s a pause on the other end. “Are you not taking this seriously?”
“I’m taking this very seriously, but as it’s Bonnie’s apartment, I’d like to talk to her before I start fucking with her private space,” I snap back. “Put her on and take me off speaker.”
A beat of silence passes, and the next thing I hear is a shuffle against the microphone, then Bonnie’s raspy voice says, “Hey, Gem. Excuse the bulldogs. They don’t normally bite.”
Chills rise on my arms at the sound of her over the phone. It’s somehow sexier like this, and I nearly lose my train of thought.
“I like a little nip every now and then. It keeps the blood flowing in all the right places,” I reply as I watch the movers load a few boxes on a cart. “Do me a favor, Bonnie, walk away from them and tell me what’s going on.”
“Yeah, give me a sec,” she replies.
She’s always been such a good little listener.
“Come on, Bon—”
“Aren’t you supposed to be in the booth?” she says to Zeb.
I hear the click of a door, and a few seconds later, she sighs out an audible breath. “They’re overreacting,” she says.
“James told me you were getting photos from her. Did you get more?” I ask.
“No, nothing. Zeb is just being extra. I haven’t heard from her since the festival,” she replies.
“Was she at the festival?” I ask.
“Ah… No, no she wasn’t there,” she says.
That’s my girl.
I love that she’s lying about it.
I bring my foot into the seat, hanging my arm over my knee. “Are you scared?” I ask.
Silence seems to press against the microphone for long enough that I almost think the call’s been dropped. I take the phone off my ear just to check that we’re still connected, then go on.
“You can tell me,” I say. “Forget that we knew each other in a life before this one. If I was James, what would you tell him?”
“I’m not scared,” she eventually admits. “Freaked out that someone could be watching me in the dark and that she has access to my safe space? Yeah, sure.”
“What would you like me to do?” I ask her. “I can have one of my guys stationed there all the time if you want. Cameras. Extra locks. Whatever will make you feel safe.”
“Ah… I guess just the locks if it’ll make the guys shut up,” she says. “I’m not a huge fan of cameras watching me all the time.”
Aw, too bad.
“Big brothers are like that, or so I hear,” I say. “I’m in the area. I’ll have a chat with the building attendant and have them change the locks while you’re away. Maybe do a sweep inside if that’s okay with you.”
“That’s fine, but just so you know, it’s dirty as fuck in there,” she says.
“I don’t judge,” I reply. “I’ll drive out and give you an update in the morning.”
“Great. They’ll love that. Hey, since you’re coming tomorrow, Zeb and I want to go out to our defense class. Do you think you can sneak us out, or would that totally get you fired?”
“I’m the one in charge of your safety, not your manager,” I tell her. “So, as long as you two aren’t skipping anything you should be in on—”
“I’ll make sure Zeb and I lay down our tracks before time,” she cuts me off.
“And it’s going to cost you,” I add, glancing down at my shit manicure. God, this one is a disaster already.
Bonnie laughs, and the adorable noise makes me close my eyes. “Tell me the price. I’ll decide if it’s worth it,” she says, her voice somehow more raspy.
“You let me join in,” I reply.
She chuckles again. “Yeah, okay. I think watching you kick Zeb’s ass is worth that,” she says.
“If I have to sneak around to get the two of you to your extracurriculars, I think that’s a fair trade,” I say.
“Oh yeah? What other extracurriculars did you have in mind? The sneaking around kind, I mean,” she asks, and the flirting makes my breathing a little less steady.
“Hm. We’ll see how this goes first.”
Rockstar .
I have to catch myself from saying it.
She giggles, and the noise brings me back to the job at hand.
I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling since her beautiful voice got on the phone.
“I am a few miles from your apartment. I’ll text you if I find anything out of the ordinary and let you know what they say about the locks,” I tell her.
“Thanks,” she replies. “See ya, Gem.”
I tap the red button on my phone just as the movers lock up the back of their truck. A man with black hair pulled up into a ponytail approaches with his phone out. He taps a few times, says something to the mover, then they smile at one another when they part ways.
There’s something vaguely familiar about the man, though from this far, his face is little more than a blur. Before I can get out of the car to get a better look at him, a white sports car pulls up, and he gets in without a look back.
I can’t tell if something is actually off, or if I’m overly paranoid due to the fact that it’s about Bonnie’s safety.
The doorman greets me on my way into the apartment complex with a friendly smile, and I continue in until I reach the front desk where Hinson, the attendant, smiles my way.
“There you are,” he says. “It’s been a few days. Have you been sleeping over at that gorgeous best friend’s of yours?”
I laugh at the mention of Kade. “No, actually. I started my new job so setting up things has been consuming.”
His eyes brighten as he leans over the counter. “Celebrity, right? Tell me who it is. I can keep a secret,” he says with a wink.
Another laugh leaves me. “Actually, one of them lives in Building A.”
“Oh, that’s convenient for you,” he says.
Because I moved into Building B four months earlier.
“Yeah, speaking of, I need maintenance’s number. She’s having some trouble with her locks, and I was hoping to get them changed,” I tell him.
“Yeah, sure, which apartment? I can send him up,” he says, turning to his computer.
“Ah, 37B,” I answer.
He stops typing, eyes widening at me. “Your client is—” He pauses and leans closer to the counter. “— Young Decay?! ”
The words are a hiss under his breath as if he knows the mention might make a few people in the waiting area turn their heads.
I scoff and stuff my hands into the pockets of my hoodie. “Maybe,” I answer, winking.
He presses his lips together and gestures as if he’s zipping them closed. “Not a word,” he tells me. “Okay, I have orders in to Frank for a change in locks on 37B. I also listed your number as the contact person. Is that okay?”
“Yeah, that’s perfect.”
He turns back to me, squinting slightly. “Is there anything I need to tell our front door guard to be aware of? Creepers trying to get to her? Please tell me there is juicy stalker gossip,” he says eagerly.
I laugh. “It’s nothing I can’t take care of.” I tap the countertop twice and push off. “Thanks, Hinson.”
“Anytime!” he says as I head for the elevator.
A man exits the lift as I slip onto it, and he’s gone before I can get a glimpse of his face. His hood is up, sunglasses on—probably another Hollywood figure as there are a few who live in the buildings.
Bonnie’s place is second to last at the end of the hall on her floor. There are two boxes sitting outside the last door, presumably last-minute boxes for the new tenant. I stare at them for a beat, considering whether to be nosy. Before I can lose my nerve, I pad to them. The top one has kitchen written on it, but it’s taped up too tight to snoop through without it being obvious. Dammit . Maybe I can convince Hinson to spill the details about them when I go back down.
The key I have for Bonnie’s apartment is still shiny and new, the copy made one night when she left the door unlocked to get in the shower just a few months ago—before she knew I was back.
The smell of lemon sugar hits me upon opening the door. It’s always smelled like this in her apartments, so much so that any time I smell the scent in public, I’m transported to the dark corner of her room, watching over her from the shadows.
My phone rings as I reach her bedroom.
“Go for Gem,” I answer.
“Look at you snooping without the mask,” Kade says on the line. “Such a risk taker now that you’re the big boss.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter as I realize he’s more than likely seen me on a camera that I have hidden around the place. “Didn’t I give you enough things to do instead of watching my girlfriend’s apartment?”
“Oh, she’s your girlfriend now?” he teases.
I slide my finger across the countertop, taking in the sight of the clothes Bonnie has strewn across the place. “What’s up?”
“I have updates on the shit you asked me to look into,” Kade says.
“Which part?” I ask, knowing there were several groups, message boards, keyboard warriors, groupies, and even dating information I asked him to check out.
“The Cupid’s Arrow info,” he says. “Turns out their security kind of sucks.”
“Like it actually sucks or you’re just good enough to infiltrate them?” I ask, because he’s a damn criminal genius when it comes to that kind of thing.
Criminal in the literal sense… He was just released from prison six months ago after a four-year sentence for hacking.
One more reason I’d had to step back from following Bonnie the last few years.
Kade and I are each other’s secret keepers. I can always count on him to clean up my messes.
Kade laughs. “I’m just that good,” he says. “Are you sure you want to see this dating stuff?”
My brows narrow as I open the top drawer of her dresser. “I know she’s sexting people on there. Why?”
“You are not going to like all of this,” he mutters.
“I can handle someone sending her tit pics, Kade,” I snap as my fingers curl around a lacy pink thong.
Fuck .
I bring them to my face and inhale deeply. Taking in the fresh scent of her laundry reminds me of the smell of her bodysuit at DeathFest. It’s a dark spiral into that memory again, and I resist closing my eyes and falling under its spell.
“Yeah, okay,” he says. “It’s a little more than tit pics.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“When you’re done sniffing her underwear, come over. I’ll show you,” he says.
I glance to the camera in the fake potted plant on a corner shelf and flip him off. “And when you are done spying on me, get to my place. Text Liam, too. We need to touch base.”
“I thought Liam was on babysitting duty for their management?” Kade asks.
“I’ll get in touch with Wren’s team and ask if they can spare someone until we’re done. I’m sure they have a couple sleeping in a van somewhere near the property anyway,” I say. “See you in an hour?”
“Sure thing, boss.”
I close the drawer and stuff the pink thong in my back pocket.