Page 84 of Leah

“I don’t want your money, Carter—”

“I don’t care, Leah,” he retorted, edgily. “This isn’t the time to think about your pride. I won’t fucking throw a suitcase of cash in front of you. I’ll give you enough to tide you over, until the heat dies down and you find a different job. Or, hell, keep the job at that dollar store if you can convince your dick of a boss to wait a while for your return.”

I frowned, knowing he was right.

“Point is, you don’t have much of an option,” Rome explained. “We’re big, you know? We’re used to being followed. You’re not, and I worry about your safety if people start really hating on you for what they’re going to suspect is an affair.”

“An affair,” I repeated, astounded.

“That’s how they’ll interpret it.”

“He wasn’t even with Molly,” I argued.

Rome just heaved a shrug. “That’s not the tale they’ll spin. They don’t care, Leah. They love the drama—they’ll twist it as a way to get inside your head. Then you’ll want to talk and set things straight—that’s what they want.”

I shook my head. “I will never talk to them.”

“Then do what we say and stay inside. When they don’t get what they want, they’ll move on. It’ll die down eventually.” Rome paused, considering what he was saying now before adding, “I’d invite you out with us just to avoid this.”

“To LA?”

“Yeah.”

“What am I going to do in LA, Rome?”

“Stay with us and…be withhim.” He gestured to Carter and I froze.

Carter didn’t blink in my direction, but he stiffened.

I felt Melanie’s stare, felt Rome’s too—but Carter was avoiding me altogether. He looked away from me, like he didn’t want me to see his face. I watched him, feeling conflicted and panicked because…

I’m not ready.

The silence stretched on for a few moments, until Carter sighed and turned to Rome. “She’s got a life here, man. What we did was a mistake.”

I knew he didn’t believe that.

“A mistake?” Melanie sneered, snidely adding, “Does Leah know that, Carter? Or is this just you living by your own terms again?”

Carter glared at her. “Actually, cupcake, I’m the one that got shut down this time. But thanks for your assumption. It makes someone who’s trying hard to change feel like a sack of fucking shit.”

Melanie’s surprised face turned in my direction. She raised her brows, silently asking me what the fuck happened. I justshook my head at her. Now was not the time to communicate silently. She would have to wait.

“Ideally, we’ll want to have someone look after you,” Rome explained. “A bodyguard for a short amount of time, just in case there are some crazies out there, you know? I’d advise you against going out at all—”

“So you want her to be a hermit,” Melanie interrupted, crossing her arms.

“For her safety, yeah,” he told her in a hard voice, finally looking at her with a dark expression.

Melanie stared back, unperturbed. “People have been chased around after these situations all the time, and they don’t need bodyguards.”

“Well, thank you for yourexpertopinion, Melanie, on a matter you know absolutely fuck-all about.”

“I’m just saying, not every celebrity has a security team—”

“Of course not every one of them does, but then how would you even know? The whole point of a security team is to be asinconspicuousas possible. They’re not dressed in rainbow fucking outfits—”

“I know they’re not, asshole! I’m just saying she might be fine without it.”

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