Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
“Damn, this is loud,” John said.
Standing next to him along one of the walls of the arena, on the floor not too far from the stage, Xavier said, “You sound like an old man.”
“Hey, you’re the one shouting,” John pointed out.
Xavier grinned. “Because it’s loud!”
They both laughed.
“But man, she’s good at what she does,” John noted.
Xavier nodded, not taking his eyes off his babygirl, watching as she performed as if she owned the stage. Hell, it seemed as if she owned the whole damn town.
Gone was the nervous Little he’d seen earlier. Now, the showgirl mode was engaged. The woman who’d amassed fans all over the world was strutting that stage, doing what she did best. And the crowd was eating it up.
Almost everyone stayed on their feet during every song.
The cheers never stopped.
Put simply, it was the most electric thing Xavier had ever witnessed.
That babygirl of his was something.
He chided himself for thinking of her like that. They hadn’t talked about anything. Nothing was official.
So, he’d admitted he wanted to kiss her. And she’d seemed to want him to. But that’s all that had happened.
As far as he knew, she was just caught up in the moment, wanting to be in his arms because she was afraid. She might feel completely different after the show or tomorrow morning.
Right now, he was still just a member of the Daddy Guard who was protecting her, the same as John, Breaker, and Marco.
Who knew what the future would bring?
One song ended and it seemed as if the whole building shook with the roar of the crowd. Xavier clapped, too, but his excitement was short-lived as the worry he’d felt earlier came rushing back.
“You all good?” John yelled.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Well, you went from smiling to looking a bit angsty.”
He nodded. “My hunch. Gonna go check things out.”
“You need backup?”
“Nah.”
Xavier left his friend behind and went toward a security guard. The guard recognized him from earlier, nodded, and stepped aside, letting him through the door that would take him backstage. Inside the tunnel-like hallway, it was a bit quieter with the music that started now just a dull thump.
Taking advantage of the newfound ability to hear better, he spoke. “What does it look like for everyone?”
Breaker’s voice was the first to come back in the earpiece he wore. “All quiet at my post.”
Next was Marco. “Nothing outside. I have eyes on all the entrances. But nothing strange has pulled up on the camera footage yet.”
“Copy that.”
Xavier tapped his earpiece to turn the mic off.
He wound through the labyrinth until he came out just off stage, now slightly behind Nova. Another two guards nodded at him. He returned the greeting.
“This is the grand finale,” one of the men informed him. “She’ll be done in about five minutes.”
“Thanks,” Xavier said, leaning against the wall and folding his arms as he watched.
For the next few moments, he watched as Nova continued to dazzle the crowd. It was as if she’d just started. How the hell was she not tired? He was worn out just from watching her!
He was yanked forcefully from his admiration when a loud pop jarred him upright and ready for action.
Breathing a sigh of relief as he realized what it was, he took a moment to watch the pyrotechnics as they exploded around the stage. Nova was going to all corners of the platform, waving to the crowd, thanking them, putting her hands together to make a heart, and even blowing kisses.
She was always confident. But when she was on stage, it was as if she was a whole other person. Like she was born to do exactly what she was doing.
It was a ton of fun to watch.
Nova bowed for the final time, turned around, and walked to her exit. Casting one last glance over her shoulder, she smiled and winked, the gestures only seen by the crowd since her image was being projected on the Jumbotron.
The crowd continued its thunderous applause even after she’d walked backstage.
The crew applauded too, congratulating her on a good show. She congratulated them too, thanking each one and giving out hugs and high fives.
She was halfway to Xavier when more pops rang out.
It was a lot closer than the stage and he instantly realized that it had nothing to do with the planned pyrotechnics.
“Get down!” He was behind her in a heartbeat, throwing his body on top of hers, and shielding her while forcing her to go low.
At the same time, he had his arms around her waist and was carrying her beneath him in an awkward crouch as he hurried her away from the explosions.
Everyone else was getting out of there too.
Brilliant lights flashed in the space. People screamed and ran. All hell was breaking loose.
After getting Nova to safety on the side of the stage, Xavier turned back around to assess the situation and see if anyone else needed help. There was one guy—a backup dancer—who was caught near where the explosion was still going off.
Stage lights were falling and it would only be seconds before they landed on the poor guy.
Xavier couldn’t let that happen.
He ran and took the slender man in his arms and dashed him to safety. The lights finished their plummet and smashed into dozens of pieces on the ground, sending a shower of sparks out from them as they died.
And then it was all over.
The crowd still cheered, oblivious to the fact that their beloved entertainer—and others—had almost died just on the other side of the curtain.
But Xavier wasn’t oblivious to anything. He was acutely aware of how close his babygirl had been to death. And he wouldn’t soon forget it, either.
He was acutely aware of something else too.
Someone was going to pay.