Chapter 22
Elle
I should have figured ‘when everyone is gone’ meant everyone except my family and all my friends. Joker found us chairs and dragged them into the empty studio and I’m staring at all five of my brothers, my mom and dad, Lottie, Trish, Ginny, Davis, Joker, Ranger, and Jorge looking back at me expectantly. I heard Ginny tell Keith to go back to the hotel with her parents. I thought he was going to fight her on it until her father invited him to a drink at the bar. Keith looked ecstatic. Her dad? Like he was trying not to gag.
Every one of them has been up in my personal studio and seen the damage. I’m sure they all have a million different questions. I wish I had the answers they seek, but I don’t.
“What does ‘it should have been me’ mean, sweetheart?” my mom starts the ball rolling.
“I don’t know.”
“I’m going to have to call bullshit, Pixie. That’s personal,” Bash adds, giving me a knowing look. “I think you better spill it all.”
“What do you know?” Tiny turns on him.
“I know it’s her story to tell, and I think it’s time for her to tell it,” Bash replies, giving Tiny the ‘sit down and shut the fuck up’ look.
Sighing, I look at my mom, silently begging for strength. She nods, giving me a reassuring smile since she’s the best mom ever, and I start.
“Remember that semester in college that I moved out of the dorms?” I ask.
“Yeah. It was your sophomore year, right?” she asks.
“That was it. I never told you why I wanted to move out.”
“And you need to tell us now?”
“I moved out because I had a stalker.” Yup, let’s rip that Band-Aid off.
“You had a what?” Nolan stands up, an angry moose ready to charge.
“I had a stalker. Someone was following me. Taking pictures and sending them to me, letting me know they were watching. Things started going missing out of my dorm room. Clothes, art supplies, things like that.”
“Wait,” Ginny speaks up from the back of the room. “You have another stalker?”
“What do you mean, another stalker?” Tiny explodes, joining Nolan, both of them looking ready for battle.
“It’s why she’s in Boulder Canyon. Because she was dating some creep here and he was basically stalking her,” Ginny tells them.
“And he’s followed her to Boulder Canyon,” Ranger oh so helpfully supplies.
“Wait. Wait!” Mom yells, silencing everyone throwing out question after question. “Let the girl talk. In her own timeline. I’m sure she’ll get to why she left town and what’s going on now.”
The look she gives me all but tells me that better be included.
“To answer some of the questions,” I look at everyone, “yes, I went to campus security. There wasn’t much they could do. I asked about security cameras and they laughed that there wasn’t a budget for those, and that’s when I moved out. I thought it would be over when I wasn’t easily accessed on campus anymore, but it didn’t stop.”
I pause, taking a breath. The memory of what happened still haunts me.
“What happened, sweetheart?” I’m not sure when my mom was declared leader here, but I’m glad she was.
“Finals my sophomore year happened. Bash was there for this, which is why he knows. We had to create a work in our choice of medium of a real-life person. Bash was my model.”
“That’s the one we have hanging in our living room?” Mom asks.
“That’s the one. Anyway, we had presented to our individual classes already and had received our grade, but they put together a small show for local galleries and art buyers to come see the works of ‘tomorrow’s best artists’ or some bullshit like that. I thought it’d be great if Bash was there next to his canvas so people could compare the two, see how close I was to recreating the real thing.”
“It was so cool.” Bash smiles at me. “Everyone would stop and stare at me before looking at Elle’s work and everyone made a comment about how lifelike it was and how she was going places.”
“Someone there wasn’t very happy with the attention others were getting. Half way through the show the fire alarms went off, and we were all rushed out.”
“How were you able to save the canvas?” Joker asks. I’ve noticed him on the fringes of the crowd, hanging onto every word and also texting someone since we converged in this studio.
“The fire suppressant in the room. It saved all but like four pieces that were lost from where the fire started.”
“Oh, no,” Trish gasps, understanding what it means to lose work and how painful that is.
“A week later, a letter showed up at my apartment. Inside was a plain sheet of paper with the words ‘it should have been you’ and the charred remains of someone’s artwork.”
“I was there when she received the letter,” Bash admits to everyone. “So I started digging into everyone at that school who was in that show. There wasn’t anything. They were all squeaky-clean kids.”
“And when the next year started and nothing happened, I put it behind me. I never received pictures again or had things go missing. Until I started dating Stefon.”
I tell them about Stefon showing up places he shouldn’t know I’d be, and standing outside the studio. About confronting him at the benefit. All of it.
“Was he here tonight?” Mom finally asks, her hackles up.
“Very briefly,” Ranger speaks.
I snap my eyes to him questioningly. I never saw him.
“He, uh, didn’t make it too far past the front room.” He bites his bottom lip, his ears turning red.
“What did you do?” I demand.
“Had a chat with the man, that’s all. He decided to leave on his own, swear.”
“He did,” Joker and Jorge confirm at the same time.
“So, the three of you and all your muscles ganged up on the man and intimidated him until he ran away scared for his life?”
“Something like that.” Jorge smiles. “But we got answers first, and he won’t be bothering you again.”
“What did he say?” Tiny asks the question we all want to know.
“Other than that he’s in love with you and just trying to show you?” Ranger asks, a brow raised and a smirk firmly on his face. I roll my eyes at him and give him the go-on motion. “He said he left the petals so you wouldn’t forget him while you were out finding yourself.”
“No shit?” Nolan chuckles under his breath.
“We asked about the note and he didn’t know what we were talking about. Said he’s never left you a note, only flowers.”
I think about it. The entire time we dated, which admittedly wasn’t very long, he brought me flowers or sent flowers at every opportunity. But they never had a card or note on them. “I believe him. He’s not a big notes guy. What else? Did he say why the petals now? And about finding me in Boulder Canyon?”
“He said the petals were a symbol of his dying heart.” Jorge rolls his eyes.
“And he felt like he failed his love if he didn’t let you know where you are now that he’s still thinking of you and waiting for you to come back to him. Hopefully, before his heart dies without you,” Joker finishes.
“Why?” I ask aloud. “Why do I have to say yes and date the crazy ones? He’s worse than Barty was.”
I realize my mistake when my mom gets choked up. “Barty?”
Bash quickly goes to her side and puts an arm around her shoulders, whispering something in her ear. I watch as her eyes go wide and her jaw drops before slamming closed. She slides her eyes to me, and in them I see questions, anger, disappointment, and hurt. It’s the last two that I feel in my chest.
“You and me have some serious conversations that need to be had, young lady,” she finally tells me, the stern mom voice in full effect.
“Yes, ma’am,” I quickly and quietly agree.
“Later. We will talk later, but we need to get back to this right now. How did you get him to leave?”
“We told him he was scaring Elle,” Joker confesses. “Played on his broken heart. He was horrified that he was scaring you.”
“He didn’t say anything about the benefit and what he said that night?” I ask.
“No, he said nothing about it. Why?” Joker asks.
“That night he told me he had an artist I needed to check out and put in this show, and if I didn’t, bad things would happen to me.”
“Did he say which artist?” Jorge asks.
“No. That was the odd part. He never gave me a name. But something was off with him that night. His eyes were glossy, like he was--”
“High?” Joker asks.
I shrug my shoulders in response. I don’t know much about what high looks like.
“Is this something he would do? Give you artist names?” Bash asks, redirecting the focus.
“Yeah, that’s how we met. He came in to purchase a piece for a client and said he had an artist I should check out. They were legit, and I put them in the next show the gallery had.”
“Who else has had access to your studio?” Bash again.
“Since last night? Because I was up there last night and it was fine. We all left and locked up together. Ranger was here with us.”
“And arrived at the same time this afternoon for prep,” Jorge backs me up.
“We need to watch the cameras.” Joker nods to Jorge.
“Sure, follow me.” Jorge shrugs.
Joker adds, “And I have someone following the flower guy. If it was him at all, we’ll get him.”
I watch the two of them disappear down the hall to the back room where the security stuff is kept.
“What do you think?” Bash surprises me by asking Davis.
“I think glossy eyes means drugs are at play. Maybe someone’s holding his supply up unless he works some magic with whoever the artist is.”
“They were glossy tonight, but I chalked it up to fear,” Ranger tells us.
“Why don’t we just call him and ask him what their name was?” I say to no one in particular.
“Because then Mr. Loverboy would be convinced that you also love him and it would all start over again.”
“So if he doesn’t have access to your studio, who was moving your stuff and making you think you were crazy?” Ginny asks, recalling our drunk confessions.
“I don’t know.” I look at her, a chill running up my spine.
If it’s not Stefon fucking with everything, who is it and how long have they had access to my personal spaces?
I sit in silence, watching everyone take in what’s been shared. The men, overprotective oafs that they are, look ready to burn down cities. The women look worried. Lottie is the first one to move my direction, which sends everyone into motion. The guys surround Ranger, talking in low tones. Wouldn’t want the women folk to overhear, right? The girls, including my mom, surround me.
“I’m so sorry, Elle. I wish I had known,” Lottie tells me, pulling me up from my chair and into a hug.
I’m pulled from her arms into Mom’s embrace. “You got some splanin’ to do, Elenore. But whatever you need, I’m here. And don’t worry. Your brother’s got some talking to do, too. About keeping secrets from the family.”
“Oh, Mom,” I cry, pulling back from her enough to see her face. “Don’t be mad at Bash. He did it because I asked him to. I didn’t want you to worry.”
“Honey, that’s my job. It’s like number one on the ‘Mom List’ they don’t give you when you leave the hospital.”
Ginny and Trish also pull me in for hugs, and we make a plan. The brides to be and their almost spouses need to leave. They have a long day tomorrow getting beautiful and need some sleep before beginning the rest of their lives.
“I can’t believe you’re just kicking us out,” Tiny whines when we ambush the men. “What if I don’t want to leave? You’re my sister!”
“Then we’ll have to plan another wedding at a later date, Andrew.” Lottie gives him this look that would terrify me, but he just grins.
“Not gonna happen, Princess.”
“Then take me home.”
Tiny grumbles, but finally agrees to leave. Pulling me into a giant bear hug, he tells me, “Next time, you call me, understand?”
“Yeah, baby brother, I understand.”
I watch them leave and am crushed by the guilt that I’m ruining their special day.
“Get that thought out of your head. You didn’t do this.” Trish sidles up to me, pulling me into her side.
“Didn’t I?”
“Nope. Some asshole out there did this to you, and we are doing what we do and rallying the troops.”
“You need to go get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow.”
“You think I’ll be able to pull Davis out of this? Look at him, he’s practically bouncing on his feet.”
“Then leave him here and I’ll go back with you,” Ginny tells Trish, coming into our bubble.
“I couldn’t ask you to do that.” Trish shakes her head.
“You didn’t ask. I offered. Give him a kiss and tell him not to be late tomorrow. One Mills is as good as the next, right?” She winks.
“In some ways, you’re better. If only you had that big, strong, hard—”
“And that’s our sign. Let’s go bride to be,” Ginny interrupts Trish, who’s laughing.
“I was going to say heart!” Trish retorts as Ginny pulls her away.
“Uh-huh, sure you were,” Ginny laughs with her.
I watch them leave, and then three of my other brothers give me hugs and depart as well. Mom and Dad are next, telling me Bash is staying until I leave. We’re down to Ranger, Bash, Davis, Jorge, and Joker. And me.
I watch Joker and Jorge come back from the office with looks I can’t read on their faces. We all look at them expectantly, my body deflating when they tell us they couldn’t see anything.
“Whoever did this knew where the cameras were and how to move them from position,” Joker says, walking over to the camera above the stairs and standing on a chair, adjusting it back to its rightful place. “They did the same with the ones outside the buildings at the doors.”
“So, what does that mean?” I ask.
“It means you have security,” Joker tells me.
“What? Who? I don’t need security,” I protest.
“You do, and you’ll not make a fuss,” Jorge tells me.
“Who? Who’s going to follow me around?”
“I am.” Ranger. Of course, it’s Ranger.
“You? You don’t even like me!”
“We’ve established that isn’t quite the case, have we not?” He raises a brow at me, and I can feel my body flushing. “Exactly.” He smirks.
“Okay. Here’s the plan,” Davis announces. “First, we’re all going back to the hotel. I’ve already called and you two have connecting rooms.” He points to Ranger and me. “Jorge, you have a room, too. No telling if someone will go after you if they can’t get to Elle, and we aren’t taking that risk.”
Jorge dips his chin in thanks, but doesn’t say anything.
“I’m getting married tomorrow if it fucking kills me and I expect every single one of you there with bells on, understand me? That means Joker isn’t going to get lost in his might be legal shit and sleep through it. Ranger isn’t going to go crazy overprotector and lock you in the hotel room.” He gives Ranger a pointed stare. His smirk grows. “And I’m going say I do to the best girl in the world.”
“Yeah, that was already the plan, wasn’t it?” I ask.
“Yes, smartass, it was,” he snaps, but there’s a grin so I don’t get offended. “When we get back to BC next weekend, we deep dive into this. Joker’s called Daniel and him and the crew will be at the shop first thing that Monday so we can figure all this shit out.”
If I weren’t looking at him, I would have missed the tightening of Ranger’s jaw, but it’s gone in the blink of an eye.
“Unless something happens while I’m having as much sex with my wife this weekend as possible. If something happens, Daniel will be there in two hours and you’ll just have to get to work without me. Everyone got it?”
“Got it,” we all reply in unison.
“And Jorge, the gallery is closed after tomorrow night, right?”
“Yeah, it’ll be closed through Thursday.”
“Good. Stay away, stay safe. And leave the studio the way it is right now. We need to see if they come back.”
“What good is that?” I throw my hands up. “Not like they won’t just move the fucking cameras again.”
“Got that covered.” Joker steps up next to me and shows me the smallest camera I’ve ever seen. “These have been placed at all access points and no one will ever see them.”
“Wow,” I breathe out, taking one in my hand. He shows me his phone, which has the picture of what the small camera is looking at. “This is amazing. I didn’t know they made them this small.”
“Technology at its finest.”
“Enough show and tell,” Ranger growls behind us. “Let’s get out of here.”
I roll my eyes at Joker, who lifts his brow at the demand in Ranger’s voice.
“This is going to be a long night,” I mumble to myself as I stand.
I realize I wasn’t quiet enough when Ranger gets in my ear and whispers, “This is going to be an orgasmic night.”
Well. Okay, then. If that’s what he wants, who am I to argue?