Chapter 27 #2
The weight in her chest was back. A pit hollowed out her stomach. She was going to be sick. It didn’t help that she’d skipped lunch. The idea of putting anything in her stomach made it churn in protest.
Her breathing exercises did nothing to calm her anxiety.
Let’s just get this over with.
With shoulders pinned back in grim determination, she marched forward, yanking the door open and stepping inside the darkened dining room.
She glanced around, offering a small smile in greeting at the bartender, who tipped his head at her before his attention was distracted by the cell phone in his giant hand.
There he is. At the bar, she recognized the back of Alex’s head. Even from where she stood at the entrance, his hair gleamed with the amount of product he had in it. Hunched over his phone, Alex did not notice her when she reached his side.
She cleared her throat loudly, arms crossed against her chest. Finally, Alex glanced up, face scrunched in annoyance, until he realized who had interrupted him. The wide smile that stretched across his boyish face didn’t reach his eyes.
“Babe!” He stood up from his stool, arms wrapping around her shoulders. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Sorry,” she murmured, even though she was right on time.
“Sit.” His gravelly voice irritated her. Did she use to find it cute?
“Um, I can’t really stay that long…”
“You’re not going to spend time with your boyfriend? After I flew across the country to see you? In coach, of all things.” His face screwed up in distaste.
Gia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Typical of Alex to make everything about him.
She plopped down on the stool he’d gestured to, keeping her coat on and hands pinned between her thighs. “I didn’t ask you to come here, Alex.”
“Aww, don’t be like that. I’m just messing with you.
” He looked around the nearly empty bar.
“This place is a dump. Didn’t expect to see you hiding out this far away from LA.
” His eyes brightened as if an idea had come to him.
“Are you doing that thing that actors do? Researching a role or something? That makes sense.”
She only shook her head while Alex rambled on. There was no point in correcting him.
A large hand smacked against the bar tabletop, startling her. When she looked up, it was the bartender staring cooly at her. The nametag on his shirt said Clay. “Drink?” he grunted.
“Oh, no thank you,” Gia stammered with a small shake of her head. “Just a glass of water, please.”
“She’ll have a beer,” Alex said when Clay pinned him with a glare. “Actually, make that two beers,” he squeaked out.
This time, she didn’t hold back the eye roll. Alex had known about her sobriety for a while now, but didn’t think she had a problem. Of course he wouldn’t, since he used to be her supplier.
She imagined when she got clean, he had also lost some income—but judging by the Rolex flashing on his wrist and designer loafers on his feet, Alex was doing fine without her money supporting him.
“Cut the crap, Alex.” She sliced him with a glare. “Why are you really here?”
“Whoa, is that any way to talk to your boyfriend?”
“You’re not my boyfriend,” she said through gritted teeth, glancing around nervously to see if anyone had overheard.
Annoyed, Alex rolled his eyes at her words.
In the back booth, she spotted Quynh, Alina, Diem, Lana, and an unidentified woman with an infant bouncing on her lap sitting together with a notebook spread out in front of them.
It looked like they were involved in a serious meeting, with their heads huddled together.
A sense of longing hit her. She wished she had a group of girlfriends.
As if sensing her stare, Quynh glanced up and met her eyes, smiling and waving at her. Gia waved back but ducked her head in shame. No doubt Jake would hear about this, and she hoped she could talk to him before the rumor mill made its way to his ears.
Clay returned with their drinks. She murmured a “thank you” before turning her attention back to Alex, who was typing away on his phone, as usual. It was so like him to ask to meet with her and then spend the time talking to other people. Maybe she shouldn’t have agreed to meet with him after all.
As she was about to leave, Alex’s hand on her thigh stopped her.
“Sorry, babe. Jerry was just texting me, so I was giving him an update. So do you want your present now or later?”
Her heart raced even as her stomach dropped at his words. “Jerry? Why are you talking to my agent?”
“Yeah, Jerry. He’s the one who flew me out here to check on you.
” Alex moved his arm to the back of her chair, leaning in toward her.
She fought the urge to recoil from his nearness, but didn’t want to make a scene in case people were watching.
“Couldn’t even book first-class tickets for me.
” He shook his head as if it had been the worst thing he’d ever suffered through.
“I’ll give you your present later,” he continued, oblivious to her distress.
She cleared her throat, feeling the words get trapped. “What does—what does Jerry want?” Her voice came out softer than she wanted.
Alex leaned into her space, and this time she did recoil from him. He caught her retreat with a curious glance before bopping her on the nose as if she were a small child. It infuriated her, but not as much as his next words.
“He’s just worried about you, babe. I told him you were fine, probably at the fancy hotel Kim had you in last time, but he wasn’t buying it.” Alex shrugged as if her being sent to rehab was like another day in Hollywood.
“Well, obviously, I’m not, so you don’t need to stay.” She crossed her arms over her chest defensively.
Alex opened his mouth, ready to argue with her, but then understanding dawned on his face. He moved away from her with a resigned nod. “Okay, if that’s what you want.” He held up both his hands in surrender.
“It is what I want.” Tone firm. Gia had never been more sure in her life.
With the past confronting her present, threatening to implode, any doubts she’d had about making a life in Willowbrook went out the window.
I need to get out of here.
Eyeing her glass of water, she took a few sips before placing it gently back down.
“Excuse me.” Without waiting for his response, Gia got up and headed to the bathroom.
It was probably rude of her to stomp away, but she didn’t want to talk about her agent, who had shown he only cared about one thing.
Money.
He certainly didn’t care about her well-being. Or about how the last time she followed Jerry’s orders, she ended up being assaulted. The bathroom door shut behind her. She leaned against it with a shudder, head resting against the hardwood.
I’m never going back to that life.
The mere thought of it sent her running.
Her eyes popped open, meeting her reflection in the mirror. She knew what she wanted, and it had nothing to do with her past. Maybe it was a good thing Alex came and confronted her. It made her decision much easier. The path to her future was much clearer now.
Excitement fluttered inside of her like a drum. She needed to get back to Jake. Now.
After washing her hands, she yanked the door open and returned to the bar. She examined Alex’s intense expression. Something was worrying him.
What was the real reason he came out here?
Jerry and Alex knew each other, but there was something bothering her about his story.
It was unlike Alex to do anyone’s bidding, much less someone like Jerry, whom he deemed beneath him.
He often called Jerry a rat and other derogatory names whenever his name flashed across her phone.
Alex glanced up from his phone, his worried expression clearing again and spreading into a tight smile meant to ease her, but that only made the hairs on the back of her neck rise to the imminent threat.
Something is very wrong.
“Sorry, Alex. I need to get going…” She gestured weakly to the door with a thumb over her shoulder, ready to turn away, when a hand gripped her on her shoulder. The shudder that went through her could only be disgust.
Alex mistook her response for pleasure as he stepped in closer, his voice dipping low like he was sharing a secret with her. “Don’t go. I haven’t given you your present yet.”
“There’s no need. Really.” This time, she tried to move away, but her limbs didn’t seem to get the memo.
Fighting back a yawn, she felt her energy draining away like sand through her fingers.
She shouldn’t have skipped lunch, she thought, even as Alex folded her into his body with one arm wrapped around her waist. She tried to fight him off, but he steered her away from the bar.
Her feet were weightless. She imagined this was what walking on clouds would feel like.
“Easy there, superstar. We’re almost to my car,” Alex whispered in her ear. His beer breath made her stomach curdle.
No. No. No.
She screamed, but her words didn’t sound right to her. It was a struggle to keep her eyes open, but she knew she couldn’t go to sleep right now, no matter how much her body begged her to.
At the doorway, Alex stopped abruptly, jerking her against him.
“Excuse me, man. We were just leaving.”
“Gia? Are you okay?”
Jake! The rough timbre of his voice seemed to soothe her nerves. Her eyes drifted shut.
The last thing she remembered was a shout followed by a thud.
Then, total and complete darkness.