Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Nova was still shaken up an hour and a half after the backstage incident.
She was now wearing street clothes, all the stage makeup had been stripped off, and she’d washed and dried her hair ridding it of all the sprays and stuff used to hold it in place during the excessive movements of her performance.
Now, sitting in a casino conference room with others, she still couldn’t keep her hand from trembling.
Even as big as the room was, it still felt as if the walls were closing in on her. More and more people kept piling in. Some of them had on LVPD uniforms, while others were in plain clothes. It was evident to her who was law enforcement and who worked for the resort.
At one point, a man and a woman wearing navy-blue FBI jackets came in.
“This is big if they’re here,” she whispered to Xavier who was sitting next to her. “And why are they wearing jackets in Las Vegas in the late summer?”
He laughed a little. “Feds. They always have to show it off.”
Nova continued to watch the room as it filled up. She was glad Xavier was at her side, or she would have felt even more overwhelmed than she was already.
Her leather chair squeaked loudly as she leaned back. Before her, the highly polished table shone in the overhead lights.
“What the hell was that tonight?” one of the resort bigwigs asked loudly.
From there, chatter and explanations and yells broke out.
“Everyone! Please!”
It took a few moments, but the room finally fell silent. It hadn’t even registered with Nova that Xavier had stood up, but all eyes were on him now as he held up his hands.
“You can all squabble when Ms. Monroe is gone. Right now, we just need to figure out a plan moving forward so this does not happen agan.”
“And you are?” the male FBI agent demanded.
“Xavier Williams. I’m handling security for Ms. Monroe.”
“Oh, so you’re partly to blame, then? Not doing a real bang-up job there, are you?”
It was Nova herself who stood. “Actually, he was told by the hotel personnel to stop his backstage search. He and his team have actually done a wonderful job. I—and several other folks—might not be here right now had he not saved us backstage.”
The FBI agent’s posture changed.
Nova wasn’t done yet. “Oh, and you are?”
The guy cleared his throat as his cheeks turned a soft shade of red. “Special Agent Chad Tanner, Las Vegas Field Office.”
“Well, Special Agent Tanner, please do not insult my team again.”
“Ma’am, it was not my intention to insult anyone. But I’m in shock at the lack of security protocols here.”
Xavier took over from there. “And we’re shocked by the lack of FBI investigation up to this point. Ms. Monroe received multiple letters across several states. All coming in the U.S. mail. That makes this a federal crime. But up until this point, there hasn’t been much interest.”
The two agents just looked at one another with solemn expressions, but they didn’t say anything.
“I want to echo that sentiment,” a new voice said.
Nova looked to see her manager, Linda Atkins, standing against the far wall, her arms crossed.
“We’ve been trying to get the FBI’s attention for months. Now, what started as letters has escalated into hooded figures leaping from wardrobes and backstage bombs!”
“May I ask who you are, ma’am?” Agent Tanner had a much more deferential tone now, after being dressed down several times.
“Linda Atkins. Ms. Monroe’s agent.”
Tanner just nodded.
“My client cannot work in unsafe conditions.”
“Whoa now! We have a contract!” Denise Franklin interjected. “And we’ve already sold out two month’s worth of shows!”
“No one is saying anything about pulling out of the show,” Linda countered. “But what I am saying is perhaps it’s best if we cancel tomorrow’s performance. Then she’s off Monday through Wednesday anyway. That gives everyone time to figure out a path forward.”
“I agree,” Xavier said. Looking squarely at Denise, he said, “I bet that contract you mentioned has a clause about unsafe working conditions and all that. Am I right?”
Nova watched as Denise confirmed it did with a barely noticeable bob of her head.
“Then that’s what we’re using,” he stated, his words and tone making it clear there was no room for negotiation. He continued, “And when we return on Thursday for the next show, me and my team have access to everything. I mean nothing is off-limits. We do our own search on top of what you guys do.”
Taking Nova’s hand, he stood. “We need to get you home. It’s late and you’ve been through it.”
“Has she been checked out by a doctor?” Denise asked.
Nova nearly threw up a little in her mouth. The casino employee clearly didn’t care about her safety; it was all about the resort’s liability.
“Yes. The backstage crew who were near the blast were checked out too,” she answered.
“That’s all for now,” Xavier told the room. Pulling out some business cards from his pocket, he flipped them onto the table, the cluster breaking apart and sliding in different directions atop the high sheen. “If you need me or have questions for Ms. Monroe, you can reach us at that number.”
Nova had to smile. Daddy had taken charge. And she loved it.
She also loved the way he held her hand as he led her from the conference room. While it had been a crazy and dangerous night, at least there was a silver lining.
She was safe with Daddy.