Page 15 of Guarding the Shadows
I fumbled in my purse and found the can of mace that Bodhi had insisted I carry, then fumbled and almost dropped it when I jumped, startled the moment the car rocked on its axel when Benny slammed the trunk lid closed. The car’s blinkers flashing along with two small beeps from the horn warned Benny I’d locked the doors like he’d told me.
Seconds later, Benny came back into view, swinging a metal baseball bat in his hand. “Do you need something, buddy?” Benny ground out, looking a menacing sight with his long, unkempt hair and his bulky six-foot-four frame. Without engaging with Benny, the strange man who had tried to intimidate us turned and walked away.
After a sleepless night, I’d made it to 5:30 a.m. before anxiety and fear had gotten the better of me and I’d rang my brother for advice. From the moment I’d disclosed what had happened, Levi insisted that he’d send someone to protect me until my little tour was finished. Obviously, I tried to refuse his offer, but once he’d relayed some horror stories about people he knew who had been stalked in the industry, I was scared enough to agree.
As I only had six concerts left, my bets were on Mikey getting the role to hang with me because he was usually the least in demand and usually floated his service between all the guys. So, when Bodhi had rung to say someone would be with me later in the day, I immediately felt safer but totally mortified.
The mention of Screaming Shadows’ security team had turned my thoughts to Raff. I’d seen Bodhi and Mikey since the tour, but I hadn’t seen Raff since our encounter on the plane.
One night at Levi’s while we were all relaxing, Bernadette told me that she believed Raff had distanced himself at the end of the tour because he’d been fighting his feelings for me as well. Apparently, after him and Gwen had split up, he’d disclosed to Korry that he felt it was karma that his girl had dumped him because he’d been attracted to me.
Since their breakup, I’d called him because I’d heard he wasn’t doing that well. I left a voicemail, but when he didn’t call me back, I guessed my call hadn’t been welcomed.
From the moment I knew Levi was sending someone, it made my predicament real. Since then, I hadn’t been able to concentrate, unsure whether the anxiety that plagued me was due to my close encounter with a neighborhood stalker, or if it was a nervous reaction to needing someone to ensure my safety.
In one sense I felt stupid because I wasn’t the only small, female artist who encountered odd people during their working day. But I guessed because of my brother’s fame, it made me a target, or a person of interest, and I supposed to someone withless scrupulous tendencies, I could also be seen as a valuable commodity.
A shiver ran down my spine at that fearful thought. But just as my mind ventured onto a dark, murky path a text came from Bodhi, bringing with it a timely interruption. Butterflies instantly took over and my heart beat like a drum in my chest.
Bodhi: Be there in thirty. Room 3112?
Me: Yes, see you soon.
12
Raff
During the trip up north, rage grew in my gut while Bodhi filled me in with what had happened with Beth the previous night. To cut down on travel time, Levi had sprung for a private charter flight from Miami to Jacksonville, then we picked up his SUV at his other place there.
By the time we arrived in Jacksonville, Bodhi had acquired the CCTV download from the venue for us to study. So we got straight into scrolling through the footage that had been sent to his phone during the transfer from the airport to pick up Levi’s car.
It was unfortunate that there wasn’t any cameras in the auditorium itself, but there was one covering the front entrances and a few in the parking lot. We were disappointed when we couldn’t see anyone who fit his description at all. But the fact that he’d deliberately dodged the CCTV surveillance equipment told us two things: he knew the venue well, which probably meant he was local, and purposefully evading the cameras meant he was undoubtedly planning to act out something and was making sure he didn’t get caught.
After viewing the footage, I was relieved that Beth had called Levi, but as we got nearer to the hotel where she was staying, the thought of seeing her again made my heart skip a beat. I wasn’t sure whether the nervous feeling in my chest was due to facing Beth after my breakup with Gwen or because I was going to be working closely with her now that she needed protection. I also questioned whether I was whole enough to manage my feelings without doing something I’d later regret.
“Fuck, if that guy hadn’t tried to get another passkey made, he could have waltzed straight up to her door, if he’d learned what room she was in,” I remarked, after we’d strode unchecked past the reception desk and had entered an elevator.
“There’s no security in this place whatsoever,” Bodhi ground out as the elevator car jolted to a halt on the floor where Beth was staying. Bodhi’s dark gaze met mine and I sensed we’d had the same thought—Beth had been extremely lucky. As we reached her hotel room, my breathing and heart rate grew faster the moment Bodhi knocked on the door, then an electric buzz of anticipation ran through me at seeing Beth again.
My heart stalled when a deep male voice came from the other side of the door. “Who is it?”
“Bodhi,” my partner muttered, then he turned and glanced at me with a what the fuck look on his face.
“Hey, come in, she’s in the shower,” a tall, good-looking guy with a rock star vibe said, smiling. I glanced down at his bare feet and almost cracked a molar with how hard I’d clenched my teeth. An unexpected streak of pure jealousy coursed through my veins, followed by feelings of rage and discontentment that tightened my chest and gut. A guy in her room was the last thing I had considered before we’d reached her floor.
In a split second, I immediately regretted not taking the call she’d made over a month ago. Pressure built in my head from an instant regret that I’d missed my chance with her, which Ireasoned was a ridiculous thought since until the moment when he’d opened her door, I hadn’t been over Gwen.
“Maybe we should give her some privacy until she’s dressed?” Bodhi asked, hitching his thumb at the door behind him toward the door we just came through. Personally, I’d already decided since I’d arrived, I was going nowhere.
He waved Bodhi’s suggested away. “Honestly, it’s fine. She took what she’s wearing today into the bathroom with her. She’s annoyed with her brother making a fuss, but I’m glad he sent you here,” he mumbled, sweeping his long, wet hair back off his face. I felt my fists clench at the thought they may have showered together. “Beth should be out in a minute, she’s been in there a while … and we were expecting you,” he muttered when there was a pause in the conversation. “I must say we weren’t expecting Levi to send two of his people,” the rock god said, glancing past Bodhi to eye me uneasily.
“Well, you appear to know who Bodhi is, but you haven’t told us who you are yet,” I stated flatly.
Reaching up, he scooped his wet hair from both sides of his neck and tied it up in a bun, using a ponytail band from around his wrist.
“Benny, and you are?” I glanced at Bodhi, and with my mind still playing catch up from the distraction of him being there, I realized Bodhi hadn’t asked him to identify himself because he already knew who Benny was.
His reply told me nothing. “Benny who, and what’s your relationship to Beth?” I asked, sounding less than friendly toward him, and ignoring the strange look Bodhi gave me.
