24. Chapter 23
Siobhan
A t the end of the night, Duke knocked on my trailer. I opened it up, and my personal security guard while I’m on set asked, “Are you ready to go home?”
I grabbed my purse and nodded. “Thanks again for doing this.”
In the last twenty-four hours, Duke had proved to be a wonderful human being.
Since I didn’t have time to hire a security detail after dealing with the police all night, he was going to help out for a little bit and make sure I felt safe.
Later tonight, Carter and I would interview a couple of recommendations since it seemed clear that things were becoming more dangerous for me.
I hated how things stood.
First, Carter left after practice to go on his road trip.
Then, after last night’s break-in, Russell insisted Stephanie needed to live with him until things were sorted out. He took her away this morning because, of course, he just got a brand-new film and wasn’t in the area. So, while he filmed in California, Stephanie would stay with him.
Thank God for on-set tutors. I believed she shouldn’t get too far behind, but we would see.
I missed her dearly, but how was I supposed to contest the change in custody? Things were just too dangerous.
Duke held the door open, and I followed him to the cars. The plan was for me to follow him to the hotel while being on the phone with him in case anything happened.
It was a pretty quiet ride, and Duke must have sensed how edgy I was since he broke the silence by saying, “Don’t worry, they will catch the guy.
The fact that they are getting more aggressive will make it easier to figure out who’s doing it.
You’re taking security way more seriously than most in a situation like this. ”
That was because I watched too much true crime on my time off, and I knew what could happen if I didn’t take things seriously. I didn’t want to be killed by my stalker because I brushed it off.
Both Carter and I were freaked out by how the security alarm didn’t call the police properly. Apparently, they did some sort of override that somehow bypassed the emergency services call. The security company was sending a maintenance team over to change the system and the codes.
The police kept telling me everything would be fine in the long term since I was doing everything right. But I really couldn’t agree since with each attack and present left by my stalker, my light was taken away little by little. I felt so damn isolated.
The drive to the hotel was easy enough. I checked into my room. According to the desk clerk, someone called to upgrade my room just beforehand, so I went from a simple king bed to one of their luxury suites.
Duke and I went up the elevator to the suite. Duke swept the room before he let me enter it, so as he was doing his thing, I texted Carter.
Thank you for the upgrade.
What upgrade?
My hotel room.
I hate to say it, but I didn’t do it. I should have, though. You deserve it.
I slammed my head into the wall and closed my eyes, trying not to swear too much. “No. This can’t be happening.”
I needed to figure out who could have known about my hotel stay.
Duke popped his head toward me. “What’s wrong?”
“Carter didn’t gift the upgrade.”
Duke was stone-faced. There were times when I thought he had the same training as the guards at Buckingham Palace. Normally, I could read people pretty easily, but it was always trickier with Duke. Yet his voice was so much more expressive. I hated that I couldn’t read his facial features.
He was on guard. “Who knows you’re here?”
The same list I had been trying to populate.
It wasn’t that long at all. Each and every person was someone I trusted.
Well, trust with Russell only extended to a point, since who could really trust a cheating ex?
But he knew how to keep a secret, and besides, if he was taking care of Stephanie, he needed to know where I was.
And I trusted Carter and Natalie Carmichael with my life.
Then, from the set, Colleen and Demi knew I was checking into a hotel while Carter was away.
They’ve been ribbing me about how I’d moved in with Carter, yet I wasn’t staying at his place when he wasn’t around.
But I wanted to stay at a hotel since it didn’t feel right to stay at Carter’s place when he wasn’t there.
“You, Russell, Carter, and Natalie Carmichael know exactly where I’m at. Colleen and Demi know I’m staying at a hotel this week, but I never said which one.”
Duke cracked a smile and a nod of approval. “That’s a much tighter circle than I thought. Just make sure they keep things quiet. I don’t like the fact that we don’t know who authorized the upgrade, but for all we know, the manager is a fan of Shady Oaks . Do you want me to stay a bit?”
He wasn’t saying anything I didn’t know.
“It’s kind of you to offer, but no. Natalie is coming over soon to go over some social media stuff tonight, and then I plan to crash. I’ll be fine.”
Duke looked at me and didn’t seem so sure, but he looked around one more time. “If you say so. But if you hear something weird, call me. Got it?”
I nodded, and Duke left, but he didn’t seem pleased.
I went to my phone and texted the only other guy who knew my location. As doubtful as it was, maybe it was Russell who did the upgrade.
Thanks for the hotel upgrade
Why the fuck would I upgrade your hotel room so you could act like a slut and sleep with that stupid hockey player? It’s bad enough you sleep around like a whore. Don’t expect me to pay for that shit.
That sent a chill down my spine. It meant the stalker found me once more. While I really didn’t want to call Duke or the police over a free hotel upgrade, I knew I needed to talk to the registration desk.
After a chat with the hotel staff, they moved me to a different suite and put my reservation under a different assumed name. I felt a bit safer. I probably should have changed hotels, but I was too tired and wanted to rest.
I went into the room, unpacked my bags, and tried to relax a little bit. But my fear was so overwhelming.