19. Chapter 19
Chapter nineteen
Warlock
“I’m not responsible for what happened, but I carry so much guilt over how it affected my family,” Tallahassee says, snapping me out of my reverie.
“I thought when I ran, I was protecting myself and the people I love. Unfortunately, after I disappeared, they were left to face the backlash without me, and I only ended up hurting them.”
She releases a heavy, choppy sigh. “So, as much as I hate the idea, this time I have to stand and fight.”
I shift to lean over her, brushing her hair off her face. “And when you do, I’ll be right beside you.”
That familiar suspicion enters her eyes. “Why would you do that?”
“You can’t look over both shoulders at the same time, Tallahassee. This time, you don’t have to go through it alone. Let me be there for you. Let me be the one who has your back.”
Her eyes soften, her hand roaming over my chest. “Where have you been, Darren Stevens?”
I cradle her face and brush my lips against hers. My kiss is tender and unhurried. “Waiting for you, baby girl,” I say against her lips.
Tears well up in her eyes, and she stares up at me with a glassy blue gaze, her voice wobbly, “You…you can’t say shit like that to me.”
I kiss her again. “I can if it’s true.”
We lay quietly, pressed together, and it isn’t long until exhaustion claims her. She falls into a deep sleep, while I remain wide awake, Tallahassee’s story spinning in my head.
Hearing the details makes everything crystal clear. It’s the reason she’s so skittish, always apprehensive, and on high alert. It explains why those four assholes felt justified harassing her that night at McQueen’s.
For weeks, I’ve refrained from searching online for Tallahassee’s history. Now that she’s told me, I can’t resist. If I’m going to protect her, I need to know what she didn’t say.
I carefully slip out of her bed, tug on my boxer briefs, and take a moment to stare down at her.
She’s sleeping so peacefully, her face free of fear and worry.
I brush a lock of hair off her face, pull the covers over her, and move into what passes for her living room.
After making myself comfortable on her couch, I pick up her tablet and begin searching.
I knew it wouldn’t be pleasant, but I wasn’t prepared for how bad it turned out to be.
She went from Crockett the Rocket to nasty variations of Cock it.
She was no longer America’s sweetheart, but America’s super slut.
Disgusting memes flooded the internet. She became the butt of countless internet and late-night talk show jokes.
That asshole Vincent did dozens of TV, podcast, and magazine interviews, telling anyone who’d listen that Tallahassee was a slutty sex addict, that he tried to get her professional help, but she refused.
When he realized she wouldn’t accept treatment, his only choice was to break up with her.
In all his interviews, he portrayed himself as the victim.
Tallahassee’s attorney issued a statement saying the allegations were categorically false and nothing but lies from an ex-boyfriend seeking his fifteen minutes of fame.
But there wasn’t a story in that, and the way Tallahassee shied away from interviews only added fuel to the fire.
Sensationalism and sex sells, so the truth was inconsequential.
I believe Tallahassee. All of Vincent’s claims go against everything she told me, everything I know about her. There’s no doubt in my mind the vulgar filth that asshole spread is nothing but lies.
It pisses me off that she was treated so unfairly. Even as a public figure, it’s nobody’s business what she does—or doesn’t do—in the bedroom.
Wherever Tallahassee went, whatever she did, she was hunted by the press or men wanting a piece of her.
Her house was broken into four times. People camped on her front lawn.
They followed her while she was driving, chased her through stores.
Her training was constantly interrupted by men diving into the pool to grab and grope her with their filthy hands, some nearly drowning her in their quest.
Even politicians weighed in, arguing she should be stripped of her Olympic medals for being depraved and un-American.
After her Olympic performance, she appeared in commercials and on cereal boxes.
She graced the cover of more magazines than I could count.
There were billboards and print ads for all sorts of different products, from sneakers and workout gear to a seductive but tasteful underwear ad on a Times Square billboard.
But after Vincent’s lies, her sponsors dropped her.
She lost her endorsements. She went from being wildly popular—the darling of the Olympics—to a pariah.
A lifetime of work, training, sacrifice, and accolades were stolen by a man who wanted fame and fortune and didn’t care what it cost Tallahassee to accomplish his objective.
The press was vicious, crucifying her on the cross of deception and innuendo. As a result, Vincent’s lies and the media made her a celebrity. They turned her from being moderately well-known to infamous and notorious in all the worst ways.
The more I watch, the angrier I get. With each clip, I see her happiness, her exuberance, and her confidence fade, replaced by fear and wariness that grew stronger and deeper in her eyes.
Until the day, Tallahassee simply disappeared.
The story changed from condemning her to wondering where she was hiding. Without her at the center of the chaos to chase and accuse, the reports about her slowed then finally stopped.
It took years, but she managed to survive and claw her way out of hell, reappearing as a waitress at McQueen’s, although that isn’t common knowledge to the press…at least not yet.
Everything was finally coming together for her, but now Vincent is back, threatening to upend her life again. I want to hunt that bastard down and dole out some payback on Tallahassee’s behalf. He needs to see what a real monster looks like.
I set the tablet aside, scrubbing a weary hand over my face.
I crawl back into bed and pull Tallahassee against me, feeling an unbearable need to shield her. She wiggles until she’s cuddled against me, as if even in sleep, she knows she belongs in my arms. I place a kiss to her temple once she’s settled.
If she ignores Vincent’s latest demand and publicly professes her innocence, who’d believe her after the way he ruined her reputation? Could I find a way to eliminate the problem for her?
Knowing a storm’s brewing on the horizon, I want to protect her.
I’ll burn the world to ash if it keeps her safe.