Текст книги "Breaking Stars"

Автор книги: J. Sterling

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Текущая страница: 16 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

I know, I know—you’re probably rolling your eyes and calling me crazy right now because you’re supposed to be the ones envying my life, not the other way around. But to be honest, sometimes I crave normalcy with every fiber of my being. A normalcy that I never seem to get. A normalcy that I’ve decided to fight for because this is my life and I want to be the one in charge of it. :)

In the midst of the destruction of my relationship with Colin, I did exactly what I said above. I escaped. My heart landed in a tiny town I’d never heard of before, but I’ll never forget. Part of me is still there, and I think it always will be. Because in this tiny town in the South, I got to be Paige Lockwood, normal twenty-one-year-old girl, instead of Paige Lockwood, Hollywood actress.

I spent my nights drinking sweet tea and watching the sun set with an adorable black Lab at my side. I now own the most beautiful pair of authentic cowgirl boots I’ve ever seen (thank you, Emily). I got to experience my very first bonfire field party with giant trucks, hay bales, and some really good-natured people. Have you ever swam in a swimming hole complete with the obligatory rope swing before? Well, I never had, not before a few weeks ago. Heck, I didn’t even know that kind of thing really existed outside of the movies. And I loved every minute that I was away because for the first time in a long time, I was just like everyone else. I felt normal.

Being away was exactly what I needed. And no, not because I hated myself after what Colin did, or because I couldn’t get over him (I am SO over him, for the record). I’m not pregnant. I most certainly did not try to kill myself, and why anyone would even make light of something so serious is beyond me. Suicide isn’t a joke. I don’t find it funny, and I don’t think that the press should be able to throw that type of accusation around whenever it suits them (but that’s a discussion for another time).

There are so many things that each of us take for granted in our lives. I don’t believe we do it on purpose; we just get used to the things we have, the things that surround us on a daily basis, that we stop seeing how unique they truly are. Sometimes the most beautiful things in our world stop being so pretty because we see them all the time. But that’s on us to change our perspective and start really seeing again.

My eyes have been reopened. I can see clearly now exactly what it is that I want and need in my life to feel a little more like you and to be more relatable.

I’m sorry that I disappeared without a trace and made some of you worry. Please forgive me for causing you any distress, as that was never my intention. And please understand that escaping the chaos that surrounded me for a little while was exactly what I needed to do for me, but I won’t do it again. At least, not without letting you know. I promise.

I hope that you understand and that you’ll continue to follow me on my journey. It’s been the most incredible seven years, and I wouldn’t change a thing. But it’s time to expand my horizons a little. I’m not quitting acting—so please don’t think that—I’m just finding my balance, my happy place in this world.

It’s a space that exists in each of us that only we truly know what fuels it. I hope you have yours. And I hope you’ll stick around to watch me find mine. I love you all so much!

Sincerely and with respect,

Paige

My cell phone rang within minutes with my new agent’s name on the caller ID. “Is it okay?” I asked instead of saying hello.

“It’s perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing,” Madison said, making me really smile for the first time in what felt like months. “Did you get the e-mail with the contracts?”

“I did. They should already be headed back to you right after my lawyer looks them over.”

“Perfect.”

“Any idea on a word change for fans?” I asked before I forgot, caught up in the excitement over posting that online.

“Oh! Yes. I was thinking friends.”

I released a short breath as I smiled to myself. “Oh jeez, of course! The answer was so simple, it was hard to find. I love it. Thank you.”

“One last thing. You can either hit publish on that now, or you can wait until I get all the websites updated with your new agent contact information. It’s up to you,” Madison said, all business, and I liked it.

“How long will that take?”

“About fifteen minutes.”

I laughed. “Oh! I thought you were going to say like two days or something. Text me when you’re done with the update. I’ll make sure my website contact information is updated as well before I post it.”

“I’m excited, Paige!”

“Me too,” I said before hanging up.

And I was. This would be the first time I was truly standing up for myself, speaking my piece in a way that no one could take away from me—not the press, not Colin, not Jayson, not anyone who wanted to bring me down with lies, accusations, or false words. There would be no reading it wrong or getting the wrong idea, no misinformation, because it would have come straight from me.

I sucked in a long breath before I exhaled it slowly, a smile on my face as I waited for the signal to press Post.

When my phone dinged, I glanced down and saw the message from Madison that simply said, “GO FOR IT.”

So I did.

Who Cheated First

Paige

My phone had been ringing off the hook since the letter went live on my website. Madison informed me that we crashed the server multiple times, and that screenshots of the letter were currently going viral on all media outlets and social media sites.

Feeling quite happy with myself, I silenced my phone for the night. For the first time since getting back to LA, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Reaching my hands over my head in the morning as I stretched, I instinctively reached for my cell sitting on my nightstand and turned the volume up, noticing the insane amount of missed calls, text messages, and e-mails. My phone hadn’t blown up like that since the news of Colin cheating had broken.

I wrongly assumed that overload of messages were from the press wanting further comment about my open letter, but as I opened up the Internet browser on my cell, my breath caught in my throat as headlines with my name caught my eye.

Paige Cheated First! And We Have the Proof!

Colin Heartbroken Over a Cheating Paige!

Paige Gets Cozy with this Southern Hunk!

My heart dropped as I scanned the photos that accompanied the lies, all pulled from various social media accounts. One was of Tatum and me at the field party, sitting in the back of his truck, and the other was of us kissing inside the bar. And I’d just mentioned the field party and the trucks in my letter the night before.

Dropping my head into my hands, I wondered when this nightmare was going to end. When had I become a target for constant scandal? Refocusing, I clicked on one of the headlines and scanned the contents of the article, noticing the mentions of “reliable sources” that meant absolutely nothing when it came to sensational journalism these days.

How could I have forgotten that I told everyone from Hanford they could start posting the pictures once I left town? Rubbing my eyes with the palm of my hands, I was suddenly scared for the sweet town. The press, not to mention the world, would soon know everything about my time away and the people who were a part of it. The one thing I had longed to keep quiet would soon become an absolute circus. I could never stand to show my face there again if I ruined their peace and quiet. How would I forgive myself?

Glancing back at the pictures, I couldn’t ignore the way my stomach flipped when I looked at Tatum’s face next to mine. And the photo of us kissing in the bar almost made me come apart completely. Everything I felt for him seemed so transparent, so glaringly obvious in that picture. I missed him. But as quickly as that emotion entered my body, I dismissed it, forcing myself to remember that he hadn’t so much as called since I’d been back.

I jumped out of bed and dialed Madison’s number as I walked into the bathroom and reached for a washcloth. She was quickly becoming someone I trusted, and I realized that I always had to some extent. Calling her was almost second nature, and we’d only just become business partners the day before.

“Paige,” she answered.

“My God.” I didn’t know what else to say; I was at a loss.

“It’s okay. We’ll deal with this. Do you want to release a statement?”

I balled my hand into a fist a few times before responding. “But I just released a huge statement on my website. We just posted that last night, and now this?”

“I know you’re frustrated. Why don’t we see how the day plays out, and then we can figure out what we want to do, if anything.”

I was tired. Tired of this constant defense of myself, my actions, my thoughts, my movements. It was something I’d never dealt with before, so I wasn’t necessarily good at it. The letter to my friends had drained me, and I’d already said everything I wanted to. I didn’t want to talk anymore, suddenly feeling like all my honest words from last night were negated by a few pictures and lying headlines.

“Okay, Madison. Let’s just sit on it if we can. I’m tired.”

“I know you are. This will be okay. But can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“If that’s the guy from the broken-down town, I wouldn’t have wanted to leave either.”

A small smile tugged at my lips. “I know, right?” I said halfheartedly.

“I’ll be in touch,” she said.

Tossing my cell aside, I fought off the urge to dive back into bed and hide out under the covers. Instead I padded into the kitchen after brushing my teeth and started my coffeemaker. I rifled through the cupboard, then pulled out a box of cereal and started munching on it straight out of the box.

I reached for my laptop, then hopped up on my countertop and placed it on my lap as I waited for my coffee. It seemed like every outlet had picked up the pictures of Tatum and me and were running them nonstop. They printed articles saying how I cheated on Colin first, and that’s why he did what he did. Suddenly, I was the bad guy and Colin was the victim. It sickened me.

When I came across a post from Colin that said, “Now everyone knows what I was dealing with,” I almost threw my laptop across the room. The utter betrayal enraged me, forcing to wonder again how any one person could be so malicious toward a person they claimed to have loved.

All of this was beyond ridiculous. My shock started to wear off as anger replaced it. I decided that I liked feeling angry; it was empowering. Not that I enjoyed the things that were happening to me, but being angry was a heck of a lot better than being confused, hurt, and overwhelmed. Those emotions didn’t constitute action like anger did. It fueled it.

After showering and getting dressed, I grabbed my things, fully intending to head over to Quinn’s house. This time I wasn’t going over there to cry, but to talk and form some kind of a game plan.

As I stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby, I was shocked by Tatum’s familiar blue eyes looking back at me from the concierge desk. Sam was speaking to him softly, but I couldn’t make out the words.

I stopped in my tracks and pinched myself to make sure I was awake. Tatum noticed me do it and smiled as he moved to close the space between us.

“Miss Lockwood, this is okay, right?” Sam asked, his expression pained as he nodded his head in Tatum’s direction.

I nodded. “Yes, this is okay. For now,” I added quickly. “Thank you, Sam.”

Sam directed his attention toward his ringing telephone as Tatum took another tentative step toward me.

“Are you really here?” I asked through my shock as all the righteous anger whooshed out of me. My first instinct was that I wanted to protect Tatum from the paparazzi waiting outside, knowing that he would absolutely hate the way they would attack him, if they hadn’t already. I needed to warn him about the pictures. Did he already know?

“I’m so sorry, Paige.” He cautiously stepped toward me, clearly unsure of my reaction. “I’m so sorry I let you go. I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you, or tried to call.”

I bowed my head and squeezed my eyes shut as words all but failed me.

“Am I too late? Is it too late?” he pleaded as I lifted my head to look at him.

“Too late for what?” I asked, willing myself not to cry. He’s here. My God, what does that mean that he’s here?

“For you. For us. Did I wait too long before coming here to apologize and tell you what a fool I was? And how sorry I am and that I don’t want to live without you?”

My body reacted favorably to his words, but my mind held out. I shifted on my feet, my internal parts at odds with one another.

I looked into his eyes. “I can’t trust you anymore. I want to, but I don’t.”

The hurt my words brought to his eyes pained me, but it did little to curb my sudden resolve. I had given Tatum my trust completely, and he’d tossed it right back at me. He hurt me when he discarded me like last night’s garbage.

His eyebrows pulled together as he clenched his jaw. “I know you don’t. But I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your trust back, Paige. I was an idiot. I didn’t mean any of it, you have to know that. I was so damned hurt, I couldn’t stop myself.”

“I know why you did it, but I don’t like that you did. This business I’m in,” I waved a hand at the throngs of press taking pictures from outside the windows, “it’s not easy, and I’m scared you’ll run when it gets ugly. And as you can see, it does get ugly.”

He took a step toward me, reaching out to grab my arms as he pulled me close. “I won’t run. I promise. I. Won’t. Run,” he gritted out, emphasizing each word.

“I don’t—” I pressed my lips together as I summoned more strength. “I don’t believe you.”

As the blood drained from his face and he loosened his grip on me, my stomach turned and rolled. It was hard to be this close to Tatum and not give in.

“I thought you might say that,” he said as he glanced down at the floor and swiped at his eyes.

It hurt to see him like this. My heart wanted to leap into his arms and tell him we’d work it all out and things would be fine, but my head refused to allow that. My mind continued to remind me that he pushed me away, told me to leave, handed me to Colin without a second glance.

Defense mechanism or not, that was something I didn’t need in my life. With all the inner strength I’d recently found, I needed the man in my life to be just as strong as me, if not stronger.

“Do you have any feelings for me at all?” he asked so softly, I almost didn’t hear him.

“This has nothing to do with how I feel about you.” I reached for his chin and tilted it up so he could look at me and recognize that I was hurting too. “Of course I have feelings for you. But you didn’t handle things well when Jayson and Colin showed up.”

He opened his mouth to interrupt, but I placed a finger on his lips to silence him. God, they were soft.

“I know why you did it. I know you didn’t mean the things you said. But dating me is hard, Tatum. It’s not easy being in the spotlight, or being with me, or around this lifestyle. There are things that happen constantly that I can’t control. I just don’t think it’s something you want to be involved in, but I don’t fault you for that. I just—” I stopped as the rest of my thoughts and words failed me.

“I screwed up, Paige. I know that. I knew the second you drove away that I’d never be the same again. I want to be with you.” He grabbed my hand, his thumb skating across my knuckles. “I know you don’t think I’m worth it, but I’ll show you that I am. I’ll prove it to you. I want you. I want this,” he said as he waved his other hand between us. “I want there to be an us, Paige. I get that you’re nervous, but I’m not going anywhere this time. I’m so in love with you.”

“What?” I coughed out.

He loves me? My heart jump-started inside my chest, battering against the cage I kept it in.

“You didn’t hear me the first time?” he said with a smirk. “I’m in love with you, Paige. I love you. I’ll never forgive myself if you don’t forgive me, but I know you need proof. Don’t give up on me.” His lips grazed the top of my hand as he let it go and turned to walk away.

“I thought you said you weren’t going anywhere?” I called out at his back, and he stopped.

“Oh, I’m not. Not permanently. But I have something to do first.” He moved toward the glass doors before turning back to me. “By the way, I really like your hair.”

I smiled as I absentmindedly reached for the short ends, pulling at them as Tatum walked outside, where the paparazzi all but attacked him. Watching him for a minute, I wondered how he would handle himself in all the chaos that surrounded him. I half expected him to lose his cool or do something rash, but he didn’t. Tatum was the picture of calm.

Which made me wonder how the heck he was doing it, and what the heck I was going to do about him.

Forget going to Quinn’s. I needed my mom.

Stand Up for My Girl

Tatum

I would have never imagined that Paige could look any hotter than when she was with me, but she did. Holy hell, she did. Her shoulder-length hair seemed to suit her way more than the long hair ever did. Maybe it was the new her? More self-assured, confident, and sexy as hell.

I ran outside, telling Paige that I had something to do. But what the hell I was trying to accomplish, even I didn’t know. My instincts had told me to confront the paparazzi, tell them everything they wanted to know, but now that I was outside and surrounded by them, it seemed like a completely foolish idea. There were too many of them, and I was convinced they’d twist my words.

“Why are you leaving, Tatum? Did Paige kick you out?”

“Did you two break up?”

“How long were you guys cheating before Colin found out? Does he know you’re in town?”

“How does it feel to be a home wrecker?”

“So Paige cheated first, huh? Never would have thought that America’s Sweetheart was really a dirty girl. Is that why you like her?”

“How’d you two meet?”

“How long has Paige been keeping you a secret, Tatum Montgomery?”

Holy hell. How Paige dealt with this kind of shit on a daily basis was beyond me. I wanted to pull my arm back and clock most of these assholes in the face for the things they were saying, the insinuations about her that they made, the lies they propagated.

Every one of these pricks knew who I was; they knew my first and last name. It was unnerving, to say the least. The whole scene made me feel like I was living in an alternate universe, but I was determined to stay cool, both for Paige’s sake and my own. She needed to know she could trust me to handle this kind of thing, and I needed to learn how to do exactly that.

My mom had warned me when I stepped off the airplane about the pictures in the press. I knew no one from Hanford meant to cause any harm, but it still happened. And now I needed to fix it. Sometimes I wish life came with a manual—I could sure as shit use one now.

Paige didn’t deserve to have her life in constant upheaval like this. She needed someone to defend her honor, and I wanted that someone to be me. I meant every word I said to her just then, and I wasn’t even pissed when she didn’t tell me she loved me back. I knew she did, even if she had herself convinced that she didn’t. I’d show her how wrong she was.

While Hollywood and this ridiculous scene might not be my most favorite thing in the world, I’d realized that Paige is. And she was worth all the bullshit I’d go through just to be with her. Unfortunately, I made her feel like she wasn’t worth it. My actions and words made her to feel like I didn’t think she was worth the trouble. But she was wrong, so very wrong, and I planned to prove just that.

With the paparazzi screaming in my ear, I watched as half of them ran to their cars when Paige slipped out the doors behind me and jumped into her car, sunglasses covering her eyes. Her head turned in my direction, and she gave me a little smile before making a quick right out of her complex. I stood there dumbfounded, feeling like a fish out of water as cars peeled out of the parking lot to follow her. My stomach churned at the sight, and I felt helpless as I realized she was being relentlessly chased.

Damn it, why aren’t superpowers real?

Scanning the single photographer left, I turned toward the guy, who looked to be about my age. I took a step in his direction, and his dark, beady eyes watched my every move as his fingers tightened their grip on his camera.

“So, why are you still here?” I asked, trying to keep my tone calm when my insides were anything but. “Why didn’t you chase Paige like all the others?”

He pulled a baseball cap from his back pocket and tugged it over his jet-black hair, his tanned face suddenly shaded as he nodded at me. “One of the other guys on my crew followed her, so I stayed here with you. Maybe you’ll tell me all about the cheating and give me an exclusive?”

I narrowed my eyes and swallowed the growl that wanted to escape at his accusations. “There was no cheating,” I said, my response clipped.

“So, why are you here, Tatum?”

“I came here for her,” I admitted before snapping my lips shut.

“Then why’d she leave without you?”

Good question. No, great question.

“Do you know where she was going?” I asked, wondering how much guys like this knew about her.

He shrugged. “Probably to Quinn Johnson’s house, but she could be going anywhere. To see her agents, or her parents in the valley. Who knows, really?”

“Thanks,” I said before walking away.

“Hey, wait!” he shouted, and I stopped. “Will you give me a quote? Tell me something? Anything?”

I sucked in a lungful of air before responding, “No.” Then I turned back toward Paige’s apartment building, and the guy from the concierge desk held the door open for me as I walked back inside the lobby.

“She left. You know she left, right?” the man asked, his accent so thick he was hard to understand.

I nodded. “I wanted to talk to you. I can’t trust that kind of guy out there.” I lifted my chin in the direction of the lone paparazzi. “But I figured that you, I could trust.”

He smiled and extended his hand. “I’m Samuel Montoya, but everyone calls me Sam.”

“Nice to meet you, Sam. I’m Tatum Montgomery.” Our hands met, and he gripped mine tighter than I had anticipated.

“I know who you are. Read all about you this morning.”

“Right. So, about that—” I started, but Sam’s expression turned serious and his eyes grew wide.

“Mr. Montgomery?” he interrupted, and I dipped my head toward him, thinking he was about to divulge some secret. “Mr. McGuire is pulling up.”

“Mr. McGuire? You mean Colin? He’s here?”

He nodded. “Yes, sir. That is most certainly his car.”

I turned around to see a sporty black Porsche pull up outside with blacked-out windows, black rims, and all-black wheels. What a douche. The door opened and Colin climbed out. Bracing myself, I hadn’t expected to see him again so soon. Or ever, for that matter.

Watching as he held up one finger toward the valet to signal that he would be right back, he entered the lobby where I stood with Sam. He pulled off his sunglasses before squinting at me, as if trying to place exactly how he knew me. I could tell exactly when he connected the dots, because his expression turned smug.

“Oh, you’ve got to be shitting me. What the hell are you doing here, country boy? Come all the way to LA to face the music?”

Instinctively, I straightened my spine and pulled back my shoulders, reminding Colin just how much taller and bigger I was than him. “Face the music? What the hell are you even talking about? The real question is what you’re doing here. I’m pretty sure Paige doesn’t want to see you.”

“And how would you know that? I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want to see you either, or you wouldn’t be sitting in the lobby right now. Am I right?”

Touché.

“Miss Lockwood gave me strict instructions. She does not want to see you, Mr. Colin,” Sam said from behind his desk, and I tried to hide the smart-aleck grin that spread across my face.

Colin looked me straight in the eye. “It’s good that you’re here. Now people will really believe the rumors about you and her. They would have had a hard time buying it before, but not now. Thanks for helping my cause, buddy. I’ll make sure the paparazzi know you’re in town and how heartbroken I am that Paige left me for you.” He started dialing on his cell phone before putting it to his ear, and I growled as Sam reached out to steady me.

“How has everyone not seen through your act yet?”

Colin sneered before looking me up and down. “Because they don’t want to believe the bad. They want to love me. Just like your girlfriend does.” He snickered as he pulled his black sunglasses over his eyes.

I clenched my fist and pulled out of Sam’s grip to storm over to Colin.

“What did you say?” I practically spat in his face.

“You know you can’t erase the history I have with Paige. You’re nothing, country boy. And as soon as you’re gone, I’ll be the one fucking her every night just like before. She is a good lay, don’t you agree?”

Everything around me blurred except for Colin and his shit-eating grin. I pulled my arm back and swung, the sound of my knuckles meeting his jaw echoing in the otherwise empty lobby. Colin’s head practically spun around on his shoulders as he reached up and cupped his face.

“Say another word like that about Paige and I’ll hit you again.” I glared at him as he tried to smile, but grunted with the pain instead.

“Thanks for that. You’re real good at giving me ammunition, country boy,” Colin said before he turned and ran out of the building like the little coward he really was.

Turning toward Sam, the reality of what I’d just done hit me like a tsunami wave as I looked down at my already bruising hand.

“Shit, Sam. Did I just completely screw it all up? Did I ruin everything?”

Sam shrugged. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time now.”

His unexpected response made me chuckle. “Hit Colin?”

“Yes, sir.”

“So, now what? How long until that’s reported?”

I hadn’t necessarily thought everything through, what my being here might do to Paige’s hard-earned reputation; I hadn’t even considered it. All I knew was that I needed to make things right with Paige, and I was only screwing it up more.

“I’d say it’s probably already live.” He pointed across the street where Colin stood talking to the lone paparazzi guy I had spoken to earlier, holding his cheek and swaying back and forth.

“Paige is going to kill me.” My cell phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it from my pants, seeing my mom’s name.

“Ma?”

“I’ve been following the gossip sites since you left. They’re saying awful things, things that polite people don’t say, Tatum.” Her voice cracked, and I knew her heart hurt for both myself and for the girl she’d grown to care about.

“I haven’t seen anything since I got here, but I appreciate the heads-up…again. And just so you’ll know…it’s going to get a little worse.”

“What have you done, son?”

“I might have hit Colin.”

She laughed into the phone, my mom actually laughed, which eased my anxiety a bit. “Good. I’m sure he deserved it. Now, have you seen her?”

“Briefly.” I all but sighed as the lobby telephone rang in the background, and Sam moved to answer it.

“She’s mad, isn’t she?” my mom asked.

“She is.”

“You don’t come back here until you’ve made things right. You hear me?”

“Yes, Mama,” I said with a smile, not wanting to let her down.

“’Bye, son. I love you,” she said, then ended the call before I could say my own good-bye.

“Tatum?”

I turned to find Sam holding the phone receiver out toward me.

“It’s Miss Quinn.”

“Quinn?” I asked before remembering that Paige’s best friend was named Quinn. “She’s calling for me?”

He nodded, and I reached over to accept the phone he offered me.

“Hello?”

“Oh, good,” a woman’s voice said. “You really are in town. Don’t move, I’m coming to get you.” Then she hung up.

A little numb with surprise, I handed the phone back to Sam. “She’s bossy.”

Sam laughed. “That she is, sir. But it suits her.”

I glanced outside where Colin had stood and noticed he was no longer there. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I braced myself for what was to come.

• • •

Quinn arrived shortly after hanging up in my ear.

I blew out an exasperated breath as she exited her ridiculously overpriced car, her blond hair blowing in the breeze. Being a young actress in Hollywood sure had its perks. The paparazzi that had gathered again attempted to swarm and attack her, but she maneuvered through them with ease, appearing completely unaffected by their presence. It was as if they didn’t even exist to her as she refused to acknowledge them or even look their way.

Bursting through the double doors like a hurricane, she raised her sunglasses and narrowed her eyes at me. “Tatum?”

“Quinn?”

“Hi, Sam,” she said before giving the man a hug, and I watched as the older man practically turned to goo in her arms.

“How’d you know I was here?” I asked as she faced me and placed a hand on her hip.

“I get any media alerts about Paige sent to my phone. And I was already close by, so I figured why not come here and see what you’re all about.”

“All right then,” I said, my tone hesitant.

She narrowed her eyes on me. “You hit Colin.” It wasn’t a question.

I shrugged. “Allegedly.”

She grabbed my hand and inspected my knuckles. “Allegedly, my ass. Sam, I’m stealing him for a bit. Make sure his car stays here, and don’t tell Paige I have him. Promise?”

Sam frowned before slowly nodding his head.

“Say you promise, Sam. You can’t tell Paige.”

“I promise,” he reluctantly agreed, his gaze pinging between the two of us.

I shrugged at his unasked question. I had no idea what Quinn was up to any more than he did.

“Unless she kidnaps and murders me,” I told Sam with a grin. “Then definitely tell Paige, okay?”

“You’re too cute to murder.” Quinn gave me a slight smile. “Now hurry, before she gets back from wherever she went.” She turned toward the door and started walking.

“Where are we going?” I asked as I followed in her wake. The woman was like a force of nature.

“To my place.”

Quinn drove like a crazed lunatic, swerving in and out of traffic as the paparazzi trailed behind us. How celebrities lived this way seemed utterly insane to me. When you viewed a chase like this onscreen, it didn’t seem entirely real, as if it were a movie. But actually being chased like this felt pretty damn real. And it was terrifying.