12. Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER 12
~STARLA~
H e’s comforting me. I’m trying to pretend that it doesn’t bother me, that the upchucking in the toilet was just because of the graphic content of the photo, but the whole situation is starting to freak me the fuck out.
I just don’t want to lose my freedom. I’m independent, almost to a fault.
Obviously.
“You should think about warning your family,” Levi says as his hand rubs up and down my back.
“I’ll call Jax and Mer in just a bit.”
“No.” He kisses my temple. “Your biological family. You may not want to have much to do with them, but a good stalker will try to find ways to hurt you, and they will threaten your family, too.”
“There’s really no way anyone could trace me to my family.” I lean back and look him in the eyes. “And I’m not saying that just because I don’t want to talk to them. My legal name isn’t tied to theirs. I have never spoken about my family to anyone, personally or publicly, except for Mer and Jax, and they aren’t telling anyone. If I thought they were in danger, I would contact them, but I don’t believe they are.”
“What the hell, Star? What’s the backstory here?”
I sigh and lay my head on his shoulder again. I should talk to him about them. I know that.
I just hate it. I never discuss them. I haven’t said their names in more than fifteen years.
But Levi’s different. Whatever we have here—and if I’d stop being so damn stubborn, I’d admit that it’s love—is important to me, and I don’t want secrets with him. I would be hurt if the tables were turned.
“You know those cults, mostly in the south, where people hold snakes in church, and it’s all fire and brimstone and stuff?”
“I’ve seen news reports about it.”
“Well, I’ve seen it up close and personal. It’s not a real church. They say they’re Christians, but what I grew up in wasn’t that. It was horrible and evil. It was the worst extreme you can think of, times a hundred.”
I move from his lap to my chair facing him and push my hair up into a bun, using the hair tie I keep on my wrist.
“My father is the high priest. That’s what he calls himself. Sometimes, he’s the bishop. I think it just depends on his mood.
“They would bring snakes, venomous ones, into church every month. Sometimes, people would get bit and die. It was a freak show. Not to mention, I was required to get up at four every morning to memorize bible verses until it was time for schoolwork. We weren’t allowed to go to regular school. And it wasn’t normal homeschool either. My parents felt that both of those things were full of Satan, so they taught us at home. I learned to read by reading the bible.”
“Lovely,” Levi says and rubs his fingers over his mouth. “How many siblings do you have?”
“Nine.”
His head snaps up in surprise. “ Nine ?”
“There are ten of us altogether, but I’m the only one who left. I was always the rebellious one. I listened to radio stations that weren’t allowed. I cut off all my hair myself, ruining blond hair that went to my ass. I liked breaking the rules because I thought they were ridiculous.
“And I was punished.”
“Punished how?”
I raise my shirt and turn to the side, not able to look him in the eye. “These scars?”
“I’ve felt them,” he confirms softly.
“Whip marks.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
I shake my head. “No. I’ve thought about covering them with a tattoo, but I don’t know what I want. Punishments included whippings, starvation, having to walk around naked for days. You name it. They always said it was God’s will that they punish me like that.”
“Assholes.”
“For sure. I don’t have any idea how they came to be that way. I don’t know if my father was just a psychopath and brainwashed my mother. I don’t even know who my grandparents are.
“There were about forty people in the church . Twelve of those were our family. It was like being in prison. It was awful. So, when I turned eighteen, I packed a change of clothes and ran away.
“I went to LA, and I had to lie on job applications just so I could get some work to have money. I waited tables, I cleaned hotel rooms. Anything. One of the hotels was the Roosevelt, and I was singing in the hallway by my cart one morning. Donald, my manager, heard me and asked me if I’d come to LA to try to be a singer.
“I told him that I came to LA to find a life. It was really that simple. And that’s the last day I ever woke up wondering how I was going to eat or pay the rent. Donald took me in and helped me form a career that most people only dream of.”
“Good for you,” Levi says and reaches over to take my hand in his. “Now I understand why you don’t have any contact with them.”
“I do send them money.”
“What?” His voice is utterly calm, but every muscle contracts.
“I do.” I shrug a shoulder. “About a year after the music took off, I had a private investigator look into them. They never filed a missing person’s report on me. Ever. Because I also didn’t have a birth certificate. According to the county, I’d never been born. Which explains why no one came to find out why my siblings and I weren’t in school.
“When I was in LA and changed my name, I had to forge an original birth certificate. Anyway, they were still doing their thing, living in squalor. They’d had another baby. And all I could think was, those kids deserve something. I’m never going back there to physically help them. I can’t. But I did have the investigator call CPS to report the family, and I send money in the oldest siblings’ names, for them to help the others.
“They had to sign legal papers that state they can’t give money to the church. They can’t help our parents. It’s for the kids. And I don’t send it directly. It goes through my financial people, so I’m very hands-off.”
“None of them have left? Gone to look for you?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“Star, could this stalker be one of them?”
That brings me up short. I blink, staring at Levi. Is it possible? I suppose it is. The older kids know who I am.
“It’s not im possible,” I concede, speaking slowly. “But they receive a lot of money, Levi. I can’t imagine they’d want?—”
“If they’re angry at you for leaving, or for being a celebrity, or anything , they could do it. If they have mental health issues like your parents...”
“I hadn’t thought of that. I guess I could call my investigator and have him peek in on them. He does every couple years or so.”
“Give me his name,” Levi says, opening his phone. “I’ll call him.”
I should bristle at that. Eddie is under my employ, and he’s always been excellent at maintaining confidentiality. But the idea of taking another step back from my family is too enticing to throw away.
I open my phone, find Eddie’s info, and send it to Levi.
“There you go. We can call him together tomorrow, and I’ll let him know it’s okay to work directly with you.”
“It’s in my calendar,” Levi confirms. “If it comes down to telling them what’s going on here?—”
“It won’t.” I cut him off and cross my arms over my chest. “Trust me, they don’t care. And I know it’s not about them anyway. This has been going on for a long time, and they’ve never mentioned my family.”
Levi doesn’t meet my eyes as he carefully sets his phone down, then links his fingers together and leans on the table.
“Excuse me?”
I swallow. Shit.
“Starla.”
“I’ve been getting emails for a few months.”
“How many months?”
“Six? Eight?”
“Christ.” He stands and paces around the kitchen. “You didn’t think it was a good idea to tell me?”
“They weren’t threatening until very recently. Just…weird. And I’ve never received photos like this until the one you saw of me and Meredith.”
“I can’t protect you if I don’t know everything.”
“Well, now you do.” I stand and prop my hands on my hips. “You saw the dick pics in this box. The proposal. This isn’t even a fraction of the shit that happens on Instagram. The shit that comes through the public email address. People are disgusting , Levi, and I’ve learned to filter out most of it. I ignore it.”
“So, these emails are coming to your personal account.”
“Yeah, but any decent hacker could probably find it.” I shrug. “I mean, I would think. I really didn’t think it was a big deal.”
“It’s a big deal,” he replies and paces away from me. “That night that I didn’t come here after work? Remember?”
“Yes.”
“I’d been working a stalker case. The girl was obsessed with this guy. He was married, had kids. Didn’t want anything to do with her. She was crazy. So, we arrested her for harassment, and I told him to get a restraining order.”
He looks outside again.
“That morning I left, I got a call from Matt. He was at the guy’s residence and thought I should come since I was working the case. I got there…” He shakes his head. “I got there, and the guy’s wife was dead. Stabbed. I won’t describe the rest of it to you because I still can’t get it out of my head. It haunts me.”
He turns to me.
“The stalker was dead, too. The guy came home from work and found the stalker slicing up his wife. Shot her in the head. My point is, the wife’s dead , Starla. She’s dead because her husband didn’t think it was a big deal and didn’t report anything to the police until it had gone too far. Your life is too precious to fuck around with this.”
“I’m sorry.” I wrap my arms around his middle and press my face to his chest. “I’m so sorry you went through that.”
“Bad days happen,” he reminds me. “And I’ll be damned if I let that happen to you. It’s a big deal, and we’re going to get to the bottom of this.”
“Maybe it’s all for show?” But we both know it’s not.
“Maybe.” He sighs. “Grab your laptop. We’re going to the office. I want my tech guys to look this over, and not just through a forwarded message. I’m also taking the letter on the table for prints. They might be able to find something on it.
“What scares me the most is that they’re following you. They followed you shopping with Meredith, and us out for dinner. I haven’t seen anything suspicious.”
“I haven’t felt like I’m being watched.” I rub my hands up and down my arms. “Until now. Now, I’m creeped out.”
“That makes two of us,” he mutters. “Come on. Let’s do this.”
“This is no big deal,” Levi says two days later. He’s leaning against the doorjamb of my bathroom, watching me primp. “They’re going to love you.”
“I’m meeting your parents .” I stare at him in the mirror as I hold my curling iron, waiting for my hair to curl. “Of course, it’s a big deal. I could just stay here while you go celebrate your dad’s birthday.”
“No.” He shakes his head and walks up behind me. His hands glide from my hips, move up my sides, and cup my breasts. “You’re not allowed to be alone.”
“There are two cops outside now.”
“No way.” He kisses my neck, and when he pulls away, I let the curl out. “You already know everyone there.”
“Except your parents.” I shake my fingers through my hair, smooth on some lip gloss, and then turn out the bathroom light. “Okay. I guess I’m ready.”
“You’re gorgeous.”
“I’m nervous.” I shrug a shoulder. “And I never get nervous.”
Once we’re in Levi’s car and on the road, I glance in the side mirror.
“Your guys are following us.”
“They’re following orders,” he confirms. “Another guy will go watch the house while we’re gone. Just in case.”
“I would say this is too much, but I don’t think it is.”
“Did you get another email?”
“How would I know? You made me give the guy at the office my password, and I’m not allowed to use it.”
“You opened a new email,” he points out, and I roll my eyes.
He pulls into his parents’ driveway and cuts the engine, but rather than getting out of the car, he rubs his palms up and down his thighs.
“I thought you said there was nothing to be nervous about?”
He smiles at me. God, he makes butterflies take flight in my belly.
“I’ve never brought a girl home before.”
Before I can answer, he hops out of the car and hurries around to open my door.
I’m staring at him with a dropped jaw.
“What?” he asks.
“Never?”
“Never.”
He takes my hand and leads me to the front door. He walks inside without knocking.
“Hey, girl,” Lia says with a smile. “Come on in. I already made you a lemon-drop martini.”
“I don’t usually drink,” I say but take the glass from her. “But I’ll have just one. For courage.”
“You’re going to be great,” she whispers before Levi leads me through the spacious house to the kitchen.
“Mom, Dad, this is Starla.”
“Oh.” Levi’s mom stares at me in surprise, and then a huge smile breaks out over her face as she hurries over to hug me. “Well, hello.”
“Hi.”
I don’t know if I’ve ever been hugged this tightly. I might lose all lung capacity if she doesn’t let go soon.
“I’m Melody,” she says when she finally pulls away. “And this is my husband, Linus.”
“You’re the birthday boy,” I say when I reach out to shake his hand, but I’m pulled in for another hug. This one is gentle. Linus is a big man, like his sons. But where Levi has salt-and-pepper hair, Linus’s is all white.
“That’s me,” he says with a kind smile.
“What can I do to help?” I glance around and stop cold. Levi’s mom isn’t cooking.
“Absolutely nothing,” Melody says. “As you can see, Linus requested pizza for dinner.”
“Cheeseburger pizza,” Linus says with a wink. “But there’s other stuff here if you’d rather.”
“Are you kidding? Cheeseburger pizza is my jam.”
And just like that, all of my nerves are gone. Levi’s parents are warm. Kind. Much like their son.
When we all have full plates, we settle into the informal family dining room. The boys are chatting, drinking beer and giving each other shit about nearly everything.
“I’m Mom’s favorite,” Jace says with a simple shrug. “It’s really that easy.”
“In your dreams.” Wyatt glares at his brother. “She tolerates you at best.”
“I love all of my children equally,” Melody says with a sigh. “Every time. We go through this every time.”
“No one ever argues over my love,” Linus says, and I smile at him.
“I think I’m your favorite,” I tell him, and laugh when he winks and holds his fist out for a bump.
“That you are, darling.”
I think I might have a little crush on Levi’s dad. Not in a weird, fetishy way. But in a he’s-a-cool-dad way.
I smile smugly at Levi just as my phone rings.
“I’m sorry, everyone. This is Donald.” I turn to Levi. “I have to take it.”
“Absolutely,” he says as I accept the call and step away from the table and into the living room. “Hi, Donald.”
“How’s my favorite girl?”
I smile, thinking of the conversation happening at the table.
“I’m good. How are you?”
“I’m great. Just calling to let you know that 20/20 wants to do a show with you. It’ll be Diane Dobson doing the interview. This is big, baby. Primetime TV.”
“Sounds like fun, actually.”
“Perfect. They want to do the interview at your home in LA on Friday.”
“Of this week? That’s fast.”
“That’s what they want. So get your sexy ass to LA by Friday.”
“Uh, Donald, I’m not coming to LA right now.” I bite my lip, seeing the look Donald gives me whenever I dare to tell him no.
“Did you not hear the part about Primetime TV?”
“I did, and I’m happy to do it, it’ll just have to be in Seattle.” He’s quiet for a moment. “Please.”
“I’ll see to it, and email you with the specifics.”
“Here, let me give you my new email address.” I rattle it off to him.
“Why the new address?”
“Too much spam in the other one,” I lie easily.
“Okay. I’ll be in touch.”
He hangs up, and I sigh. I hope Nat and Luke don’t mind me having the interview in their house. I know Luke is intensely private. I’ll have to talk with them about it.
When I return to the dining room, everyone is pretty much done with their pizza, and there’s a cake sitting in front of Linus with six candles lit.
“Now, we can sing,” Melody says, leading the birthday song. When we’re finished, Linus squeezes his eyes shut as if he’s making a wish, and then blows out the candles.
“What did you wish for?” Joy asks.
“For Starla to sing with me in the living room after we eat this cake.”
All eyes turn to me. “Really?”
“If you’re up for it,” Linus replies.
“Sure, that would be fun.”
Linus shocks the hell out of me.
After dessert, we’re in the living room, and Linus has an old guitar on his knee. He begins playing the opening notes of Fire and Rain by James Taylor, and I join him, singing harmony to his melody.
“How did you know that’s one of my favorite songs?” I ask when we’re finished.
“Because you’re my favorite,” he says with a wink.