Chapter 10
Iwas completely satiated and physically satisfied beyond belief. If I closed my eyes, I could still feel Theo’s mouth on me. I was thrilled. He’d left me shuddering and shaking in a way that nobody else had done so far. God, I hoped he was there next time.
I was still buzzed from his mouth on me, and the last thing I needed was this fucking text ruining my high.
One of these things is not like the other…
My heart beat wildly as I stared down at the text message.
Clicking on the attached photo, my eyes widened at the image of the front page of the Austin American Statesman from August 2013.
The headline made me shudder: “Fourth body found in Town Lake. Police Search for Serial Killer.”
“What the fuck,” I muttered, as I sat behind the wheel of my Porsche. I was parked outside the Hush Hush Club, debating what to do. My breath quickened.
I’d gotten a few vague texts in the last few weeks. I’d ignored them, chalking it up to the usual crazy-fan nonsense. After all, this wasn’t the first time someone had gotten ahold of my private cell number. I had to change it often, even though it was listed under a fake name.
But this time it was different. A little too close to home.
For this one, I needed to consider a few other options besides ignoring it.
I could reply, which seemed like a terrible idea for a myriad of reasons.
Or, I could call my brother, West, and tell him about it. And all the other ones I’d received before this. I knew, without a doubt, that option would lead to a whole hell of a lot of questions that I didn’t want to answer. At least not truthfully. Not to him, of all people.
My relationship with West was plagued by the typical big brother/little sister dynamic, and it annoyed the fuck out of me. I thought he was an overprotective busybody, and he thought I was a spoiled brat.
So telling him was out of the question.
Which led me to my last option.
It seemed like the most obvious, considering he was a part of the biggest secret of my life. I hated it because it would require me to have a longer than normal conversation with Theo.
“Fuck!” I pounded on the steering wheel. Tears sprang to my eyes, despite my anger. None of this shit was fair.
I didn’t want to think about any of the shit that went down with Avett.
That’s why I’d left Austin, after all. That, and also to get away from my mother, my father, the prying eyes of that way too small town, and the lingering memories of my childhood that still haunted me.
But leaving Texas didn’t leave all that behind, after all. Wherever I went, my past came with me. And there was my past. Rearing its ugly head once again.
I bit my lip, simultaneously trying to focus, and forget everything, all at the same time. I failed badly at both.
“Fuck,” I repeated, as I began typing into my phone with a loud sigh of frustration.
It took Theo ten seconds to respond to my texted summons to meet me in my car in the parking lot.
Thirty seconds later, he opened the passenger side door and slid in.
“Where’s your security?” he barked.
No ‘hello’. No ‘how are you’. Leave it to Theo to be brutally abrupt.
I stared at him, momentarily taken aback by his gruff handsomeness.
Effortlessly handsome, wildly intelligent and the kind of guy that oozed sensuality — it was all I could do to sit in the car with him. He looked like he’d just gotten out of the shower, the smell of soap and shaving cream permeating the air in the car, leaving me turned on all over again like he’d not just given me the most intense orgasm of my life half an hour ago.
I wanted to tell him so badly it was me under the mask, but I knew I couldn’t. We had other things to deal with now.
“I gave them the day off,” I said, with a dismissive wave. His question irritated me. What did he care about my security? Most days, Theo acted like he couldn’t wait to get out of whatever room I was in. He didn’t get to play ‘concerned friend’.
“Why?” he demanded again.
I rolled my eyes. He was ridiculous. “Because I can, that’s why! I can do whatever I want, remember? I’m an adult!”
“I’m an adult!” he mocked, raising his voice an octave.
“Theo, stop it!” I demanded, hitting his arm, frustration welling up in me. Why couldn’t he just take me seriously for once? I wasn’t a fucking kid anymore.
He raised a brow and looked at me like I’d just stomped my foot and demanded candy or something.
“Look,” I sighed. “I don’t bring them when I come to the temple. I need privacy for that. They’ll meet me back at the studio.”
“That’s not safe,” he said, with a disapproving grimace.
“Whatever. Don’t worry about that. Look,” I said, shoving my phone in his face. “Worry about this instead!”
His eyes widened when he clicked on the photo attached to the text. Then he shrugged. “Whatever. It’s nothing.”
“Whatever?” I cried, exasperated. “Whatever?! Theo, something has to be done!”
“What do you want me to do? It’s your phone.”
“Are you kidding me?” I shook my head in disbelief.
“They didn’t text me, they texted you. Block the number.”
“It’s the third text. Each one has gotten worse. I’m scared, Theo,” I admitted, my stomach flipping at the vulnerability I knew I was showing him. He was so harsh with me sometimes. I didn’t want him to know how scared I was.
His eyes softened as they met my gaze, but he quickly looked away, shaking his head. “Everleigh, you know this shit comes with fame. You made your bed.”
I stared at him incredulously. “Are you for real right now?”
“I just don’t know what you want me to do. I’m sure it’s nothing.” He ran a hand through his long dark hair. He looked sexy as fuck. But his words and attitude did nothing but turn me off. For the millionth time, I pushed away my intense attraction to Theo, reminding myself what a jerk he could be.
“But, seriously,” he went on. “You really shouldn’t be out in public without your security team. West would be so pissed if he knew. It’s not safe.”
“The temple is a private place. I’m not worried. But, come on, Theo - is that all that you’re worried about? West finding out I’m alone?” I gave him a knowing look. “There’s a lot more West could find out about.”
“No, that’s not all I’m worried about. I’m worried about your safety. I’m not worried about the texts. There are a lot of crazy people out there, and when you’re you, you have to be diligent about your fucking safety.”
“How can you not be worried about the texts?” I hissed.
“What are they asking for? Nothing, right? They’re just baiting you.”
“Us, Theo. They’re baiting us. You were there, too,” I reminded him. “You’re sure you didn’t tell anyone?”
“Of course not! I already told you that. I would never lie to you about that. Who the fuck would I tell? Jesus Christ, how stupid do you think I am?”
I could tell he was telling the truth. Plus, I really did trust him.
He might drive me wildly crazy, but I trusted that man with my life.
That’s why this didn’t make any sense. The texts, his indifference, all of it.
He shook his head, running a hand through his hair again, leaving it a damp and tousled mess and looking even sexier than it had before.
“Do you think I should reply?”
“Seriously?”
I nodded, firmly. One last easy question and then I could kick him out of my car and breathe freely again.
“And say what?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I called you out here. To help me think.” My eyes darted down to his lush lips again, remembering the feel of them on my skin. It felt like a dream, so fleeting.
“Okay, Ev. My opinion is that you should do absolutely nothing. At least, not right now. If they send another message, we can reconsider. Just keep me posted. And try not to stress too much. Relax.”
I sighed, slowly nodding. “I have gotten other messages but nothing that referred to Austin like this. But I won’t reply.”
“Okay, good,” he said, his stern expression replaced with a quick flash of concern. “And please, be fucking safe. I can’t believe you haven’t been spotted yet. You know how the public swarms you.”
“Fine, I’ll put my wig and glasses on before I get back on the road.”
“Thank you,” he said, his voice soft and low in the quiet car.
His gaze lingered on my face for a moment and I knew we were both thinking the same thing. We tried so hard not to be alone together. And this tension flaring between us was why.
Without uttering another word, he opened the door and slid out of the car. The heavy thud of the closing door echoed through my chest like an unanswered call. Flushed with the simultaneous sensation of breath filling my lungs, and loneliness filling my heart, his absence lingered in the air.
I don’t know why I thought I’d find comfort in Theo. I should have known better. All he’d ever done was push me away.
It was all bullshit.
It was clear I was on my own here with the texts.
With a heavy sigh, I texted my bodyguard to let him know I was on my way to the studio. Then I put my car into gear and drove off, trying to convince myself that my decision to not reply to the threatening text was mine and mine alone.
And not because Theo was telling me what to do.
I hated being told what to do.