Chapter 44
Nix
G len dropping the whole "you have to live together" thing was a complete surprise. I'm not mad about it, but I am curious. I have a sneaking suspicion Ender is the reason for that little clause. It has his name all over it.
Part of me wonders if he had it added strictly to torture himself. He’s on this whole self-loathing journey these days, but having Alara around more could knock some sense into him. He doesn’t have to be alone. He just feels that way because he secludes himself from the rest of us.
I know he's not fully on board with all of us having relationships with her, but he doesn’t get to call the shots, and I’m tired of babying him. My focus is on other things now, like the girl who wanted to spend one last night in her house.
Some may call what I'm doing stalking. I guess they would be right, but sitting in a car parked across the street from her house just kind of happened. Sure, it’s the middle of the night, but I couldn't sleep.
I needed to be where she was to make sure she was safe.
Call it a unique way to let my obsession for her blossom.
What are you doing in there, little sparrow ?
A small light flickers every few seconds, likely from the television in her living room.
From the outside looking in, she’s just having a relaxing evening.
It’s quiet in this neighborhood, which is a nice change of pace from downtown.
Maybe the five of us can find somewhere like this after we’re done touring.
It will have to be bigger, but it feels nice.
Movement from the side of the house catches my attention. At first, I think it’s some kind of animal, but when I see it a second time, it dawns on me that the silhouette doesn’t quite belong. It’s dark, and the shadow moves almost methodically. This is a person.
I try not to overreact, reminding myself that she has a security team. I watch intently, waiting for the person to emerge from the darkness. If this is security, they wouldn’t be hanging around over there. They would do a lap around the house and go back to wherever they’re posted.
The flash I see changes everything. Someone is there with a camera. It feels like a rock sinks to the bottom of my stomach. This isn’t security. My breathing becomes ragged, the sound of my pounding heart flooding my mind.
Where the fuck is her security?
"Someone’s outside of her house," I blurt out to my own security, who also happens to be my driver this evening.
He takes a moment, squinting his eyes before nodding. "I’ll handle it. Stay in the car."
"No. What if they get away? "
"Sir, I'm not going to risk you getting injured," he protests, but I don’t care. I need to make sure my girl is safe.
"We're not letting this asshole get away. You go from one side, and I'll go from the other."
"That's not–" he tries to say, but I cut him off by pushing the car door open.
Slowly, I maneuver my way toward the front of the house while trying to stay as invisible as possible.
I hear footsteps behind me and glance back to see my security.
I point him in the opposite direction, trying to tell him to go around the back side, and he reluctantly agrees.
I'll wait a minute or two for him to get into position before advancing on whatever is trying to invade my girl's privacy.
This is risky, but none of that matters.
She is in danger. A loud thump makes me move faster. Any desire to wait disappears as the adrenaline floods through me. When I turn the corner, someone is glancing in her window. Why the hell doesn’t she have curtains? The figure turns in my direction, and I hear a few muttered words.
“Absolutely not,” I say before running toward them with zero hesitation.
My body slams into an older man with short grey hair. He's thin but strong as he tries to wiggle about beneath me. There's a camera to his side that I must have knocked away when I tackled him that he tries to reach for.
I position myself on top of him, and do something completely out of character as my legs straddle his waist. I bring my fist down, connecting it with his face for the first time. He cries out, head turning to the side from the impact, but I don’t stop.
"You thought you could break her privacy?" I scream, seeing red, as I hit him over and over.
Sweat drips from me as his hands push up against my chest. Still, I don’t stop.
What would have happened if I weren’t here?
I punch him again. I hit him over and over, thinking about what he could have done to her if I wasn’t here.
My nostrils flare, and my fist goes to strike again, but this time it's stopped mid-swing.
"HEY!" someone finally shouts as they rip my body off the guy. “We've got it. Cool yourself down."
My chest heaves as I try to free myself from whoever has a grip on me, but it's no use. After blinking several times, I realize it's my security accompanied by two other large men, who I can only assume are the people who were supposed to be protecting Alara.
"Where the fuck were you?" I shout at them. "You were supposed to be making sure she was safe! How did someone manage to get this close to the house?"
"I, um–" One of the guys shakes his head nervously, while my security uses zip ties to secure the older man.
“A rockstar punching a reporter is one hell of a story,” he mutters, smiling at me with a partially swollen eye.
“I don’t know. It looks like you fell and hit your head pretty hard. I saw the whole thing happen from inside that big window right there.” I point over my shoulder .
He blinks, realizing what I'm saying. “Nobody’s going to believe you.”
I turn to one of the men who was supposed to be guarding her. “You saw me go into the house, didn’t you?”
“You were there the whole time," my security confirms.
"No! YOU hit me!" the man says as my security starts to pull him toward the street. “You caused this!”
My eyes narrow. "Prove it."
With that, I reach down and pick up his camera. There are only a few pictures of Alara that he was able to capture before I intervened. Nothing about them is damning. She's sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn.
A new rage boils within me. That's what he stole from her, a peaceful moment eating popcorn. I have to take a few deep breaths before handing the camera off to security, because damaging it will only add credibility to his story.
"Let him have his picture. He's got nothing."
"Nix? What's going on?" A soft, shaky voice appears behind me.
I glance over my shoulder to see Alara by the front of her house. Instinctually, I stride toward her, wanting to keep her safe. I was hoping she would stay inside without noticing, but clearly that didn’t happen.
"Who is that?" Her eyes bounce from the older guy to the security guards to the camera and then back to me.
"Let's go inside and talk." I pull her back toward the house .
Once inside, I secure the lock, confident that the men out there can manage the reporter on their own. That’s what they’re being paid to do. I turn to face her as she crosses her arms over her chest.
"Who is that guy, and why are you here?"
"He was taking your picture. I stopped him." I probably could have said this a bit more delicately, but I might as well get right to the point.
Her face drops, and she runs her hands up and down her bare arm. "I just wanted one last night as a normal person."
I pull her into my embrace, letting her head rest on my chest as she sobs, sniffling every few seconds. I wish I could have prevented this, but it's one of those moments that everyone living in the limelight eventually has to face. Still, it doesn’t make it any less violating.
I try my best to reassure her, even though we both know that life as she knew it will never be the same. "Shhhh. I've got you."
Her delicate head finally tilts up, just enough for her red and swollen eyes to lock with mine. "They're not going to stop."
"They're not, but it does slow down," I whisper.
"I'm sorry for being so emotional. I knew things were going to change."
"Knowing something and experiencing it are two different things. It's okay. Like I said. I've got you."
She wraps her arms around my waist, squeezing me tightly as the two of us spend the next few minutes like this. I’m so thankful I was there watching out for her tonight. Instinct told me to keep her safe, and I’ll continue to do exactly that.