Chapter 37
Chapter thirty-seven
Carter
Kelsey and I turn the corner to the hallway leading to Jaxon’s dressing room when her phone rings again. She puts a headphone in her left ear, the one without the comms in.
“We’re just about to the room. What have you got?” Kelsey says as she answers, her strides never faltering.
She mouths Lila to me as she listens to the answer.
“Are you sure?” she asks.
Her face tightens slightly.
“They think Bennie is in there with Jaxon,” she says to me, her pace increasing.
“What?” I ask. “How is that possible?”
“Don’t know yet. But that’s their best guess at this point,” she answers me before returning to her conversation with Lila. “What, Lila? Okay. Well, we’re here. Stay on with me.”
Kelsey and I stop a few paces from the door to the dressing room where Weston and Nash stand with a short woman with frizzy brown hair wearing a polo with the arena’s logo.
“Any update?” I ask Weston quietly.
“No movement,” Weston answers, his eyes betraying the regret and embarrassment he must feel for this happening on his watch. It’s the same look I’ve seen in Kelsey’s eyes since Australia.
“Well, let’s get this door open,” I say to the lady with a smile. “I’ll take the key.”
“I’m supposed to keep it on me at all times,” she says hesitantly.
Kelsey offers her a winning smile. “Not to worry, Deidra. We have permission from Nick to keep it until after the show. I promise I’ll meet up with you as soon as Jaxon is back in his room tonight.”
“I don’t…” the woman, whose name is apparently Deidra—though I have no idea how Kelsey knew that—starts, but I can tell Kelsey casually dropping her name and Nick’s—the head of operations for the arena—has shaken what little confidence she had to begin with.
“Thank you,” Kelsey says, holding out her hand, the smile still firmly on her face.
Deidra tentatively hands over the key and, after an awkward moment with everyone staring at her, turns and walks quickly down the hallway.
“We’ll go in on three,” Weston says to Nash.
“No,” Kelsey says, her voice quiet and her fist wrapped around the key. “Carter and me only. There’s a chance no one is even in there, but if it is Bennie, we can’t risk sending in a bunch of men.”
“What?” Nash asks, voicing the confusion I’m feeling.
“Did none of you read her file?” Kelsey asks quietly again, her eyebrows pinched and her frustration evident.
“Never mind,” I say, mimicking her quiet tone. “You can tell us your reasoning later. If Kelsey says she needs to go instead of you two, then we do it her way.”
I mean it, I really do. But a huge piece of me, the one that wants to protect the people I love, hates letting her put herself in danger. Even if it’s her job. Even if she’s smart and capable.
Nash looks ready to protest again, but Kelsey anticipates it.
“Just Carter and I go in,” Kelsey says to Weston and Nash. “If it is Bennie, she doesn’t do well with men. You two stay here and guard the rear. Do not come in unless called or you hear gunfire, understood?”
“Gunfire?” Nash asks, his face draining of color slightly.
“It seems very unlikely,” Kelsey says. “So don’t come in.”
Weston and Nash both nod their agreement, though I can tell they’re even more apprehensive about the decision now than they were before Kelsey’s statement.
“You cover me,” Kelsey whispers, handing me the key so I can unlock the door and push it open while she slips in.
“I’d feel better covering you if I had a gun,” I respond with equal quiet as I slip into position.
Letting her go in first has my heart squeezing, my anxiety ratcheting up.
I won’t be able to shield her from whatever is inside.
Hell, I won’t even know what’s inside until after it’s already a threat to Kelsey.
“Well, you don’t. Welcome to the other side of security.” With that, she nods her head, indicating it’s time.
I slide the key into the lock as quietly as possible, not wanting to alert anyone inside. With a nod, I pull down on the handle, pushing the door open just enough for Kelsey to fit.
Kelsey slips into the dressing room, and I follow directly behind her, leaving the door open as I slide through.
She’s calm as her eyes sweep the room. Everything is exactly as it’s outlined in Jaxon’s rider for dressing room requirements.
The extra-long couch, large enough to fit his frame in case he needs a nap, is stretched out against one wall.
An empty hanging rack stands opposite, suggesting Jaxon has already changed into his concert outfit.
A wall of mirrors surrounded by lights reflect images of Kelsey and me, but no one else.
Jaxon’s not here.
Kelsey nods her head toward the bathroom, where light is streaming from under the closed door.
We silently move toward it, Kelsey nodding at the handle to indicate we utilize the same maneuver as before.
She holds up a finger, then two, and as she lifts the third, I push down on the handle—only to find the door locked.
Shaking my head, I mouth locked.
Key? she responds.
We both look at the lock, realizing this is one that just uses a pin key, rather than the regular jagged keys you find on most doorknobs.
Kelsey squints one eye, thinking, before raising her hand and knocking on the door.
“Jaxon?” she says, her tone pleasant, like an assistant making sure their boss isn’t dying of food poisoning or something. Which, for all we know, Jaxon might be.
The dream of this being an intestinal parasite–caused incident is quickly crushed when a quiet, feminine murmur reaches us.
The voice isn’t loud enough to know what’s being said, but it’s clear Jaxon’s not in there alone.
Unfortunately for the part of me that wants this to be something mundane like a last-minute backstage hookup, it seems unlikely with all the tech problems, plus I know he wouldn’t want to risk invoking the ghost of Izzy so close to a performance.
Kelsey pulls a bobby pin from her hair, using her teeth to pull the little plastic drops at the end off.
“I’m a bit busy,” Jaxon’s voice says, his tone neutral.
“Oh,” Kelsey says, straightening the bobby pin and pulling another from her hair. “Well, it’s about time for you to go on.”
She hands me the pin, indicating I should use it to unlock the door. I nod my agreement, impressed by her quick thinking.
She counts again, but this time, she starts talking to Jaxon as she holds up two fingers. “What are you up to?”
“Getting a haircut—”
I push open the door, and Kelsey slips inside. Following on her heels, I shove my way in, my heart leaping when the woman, Bennie, whirls around, throwing something large and metal directly toward Kelsey’s heart.
No. No, no, no. I’m moving before I can truly think about what’s happening, time slowing down as I reach out to drag Kelsey behind my back.
I just found Kelsey. She’s the joy I didn’t know I needed, the love I didn’t know I was missing, and the support I never knew could feel this strong. We’re not just a love story—we’re the endgame.
As I pull her arm, Kelsey turns, her body rotating so the object is heading toward her side rather than her heart. She lets out an oof and grips a spot on her upper arm.
“Ow,” she says, her tone annoyed. “Did you just throw scissors at me?”
A tsunami of relief rushes through me at her words and tone. Scissors. Not a knife. At most a cut, based on how calm she sounds.
Bennie faces us, the dark hair from the picture earlier now a deep red, a wig slightly crooked on her head. She’s standing directly behind Jaxon as he sits in his makeup chair, but as far as I can see, her scissors were the only weapon she had.
“Bennie, isn’t it?” Kelsey asks, offering the woman a smile as she subtly kicks the scissors toward the door. “What are you two doing…alone…in the bathroom…of Jaxon’s dressing room?” Kelsey asks.
She turns her head slightly toward me, and as I spot the white headphone sticking out of her ear, I realize she’s telling Lila what she needs to know to pass along information to our team and the police.
Bennie’s smile is loving as she looks down at Jaxon, meeting his reflection in the mirror.
I use her distraction to step away from Kelsey so I’m in a better position to incapacitate her.
Kelsey flashes three fingers behind her back, and I nod my understanding. We move in three.
“I’m just giving Jaxon a haircut,” Bennie says, her eyes still on him. “He said I could keep all the hair I trim to use in my love-potions! Dee thinks we need pubes, but Jaxon says they aren’t as potent, since love comes from your brain, not your dick. Isn’t he just the greatest?”
Kelsey’s third finger joins her other two just as Bennie finishes her sentence.
I move, my body reacting on instinct, relying on the hand-to-hand combat training I received in the military.
My body slams into Bennie’s, driving her to the ground inches from the toilet before she can grab hold of Jaxon.
She grunts, struggling as I put my knee in her back and pull her arms behind her.
Kelsey is there, a zip tie in hand.
“Wow. That is super nice of Jaxon,” Kelsey replies. Wait. Why is she still playing this game with Bennie? I send her a questioning glance as I hold Bennie’s wrists together while Kelsey loops the tie over them and pulls tight.
Kelsey shrugs before saying, “I’d love to have a little chat before things get too busy tonight, Bennie. But Jaxon has to get ready, or he’ll miss his show. You don’t want that, do you?”
“I don’t know, Kelsey,” Bennie says with a giggle, her head turned to the side.
“I know you and Jaxon grew up together. Are you two in love? Childhood sweethearts? I’m not interested in meeting his side piece.
Now that I’m back in his life, he won’t have time for you, I’m afraid.
Plus, I don’t like talking to men without Jaxon there—I don’t want him getting jealous, you know,” Bennie says, her eyes on Jaxon as he stands from the makeup chair.
“Oh. You don’t have to worry about Carter or me,” Kelsey says, forcing out a giggle at the end to match Bennie’s. “We’re very much in love with each other. Jaxon knows that. We’re not a threat to your love at all.”
“They’re my friends, Bennie. Don’t you want to get to know them too?” Jaxon asks, moving toward the door.
“I don’t know. What do you think, Dee?” Bennie asks, looking toward the corner just past the toilet. The very empty corner.
My knee still in Bennie’s back, I look toward Jaxon to see if he understands what’s happening. He responds with a slight shrug that I take to mean this isn’t the first time Bennie has talked to the invisible Dee.
“Okay, well, if you think so,” Bennie says to Jaxon.
“Friends are very important. It was my new friend who helped me get to see you. He’s such a nice guy.
He paid for my ticket to fly here all the way from California.
I could get the money, but my mom taught me never to steal. It’s not nice to steal.”
“What friend?” I ask. Based on the looks of displeasure both Kelsey and Bennie send my way, I can only assume it was the wrong question to ask.
Jaxon takes that moment to slip out of the room with a nod that I’m sure means he’ll find his guards.
“This guy,” Kelsey says, like I’m the unreasonable one in the room. “Just ignore him. I would love to hear how you got in here. You must really love Jaxon to figure out how to get past all those big lugs outside.”
“Did you know the Ancient Romans used a system called a hypocaust to heat public baths and houses?” Bennie asks, singing softly under her breath as she rubs her cheek against the tile floor inches from the toilet.
“I did not know that,” Kelsey responds. “Did you know the first modern air conditioner was invented in 1902?”
Bennie nods her head like that’s the only appropriate response, and I keep my eyes on her, trying to figure out why we’re talking about the Ancient Romans.
“I didn’t realize a person could fit in the vents,” Kelsey says. “Or that you could navigate them without getting lost. Did your new friend help you with the map?”
“No, silly,” Bennie giggles. “Can you hand me a couple of pieces of hair? I need it for my potion. And I want to smell it. Jaxon smells so good. Can you believe he smells so good? The potion I’m going to make is going to make him mine forever.
It’s all about pheromones. Don’t you think that developing a pheromone cocktail using Jaxon’s own pheromones to find their compatible ones makes the most sense, Kelsey? ”
I can feel the grimace that takes over my face at her comment. It’s clear Bennie is smart, even if she’s not firmly grounded in reality.
“I’d have to research it more before I could say for sure,” Kelsey hedges. “But, hey, Bennie, you said your friend didn’t help you get in here. Can you tell me more about that?”
“I said he didn’t give me a map.”
“Ah,” Kelsey says, and I can see her trying to figure out what question to ask next.
Bennie giggles. “I changed the plan.”
“Oh?”
“Can you keep a secret, Kelsey?” Bennie asks, her face totally serious now.
“Of course. I’m very good at keeping secrets.”
“Dee didn’t trust Trent.”