Page 116 of Yellow
CHAPTER 17
A Soft Place to Fall
Adam
I was in Chloe’s living room when she got back. The sound of the front door opening made me get up from the couch, but I quickly felt stupid and feared she would think me too eager if I went to greet her, so I sat down again and looked cool when she walked in, despite my heart hammering away.
“What’s wrong?” The look on her face alerted me right away that something was off, and when her lips shivered and she sunk her head with a sob, I automatically opened my arms to her.
“Were you attacked again?” I asked with protective anger raging inside, and pulled her close to me when she came to sit on my lap.
“No,” she cried.
I rocked her softly in my arms while she hid her head against my neck. There was nothing for me to do but caress her hair and arm, and patiently wait for her to be ready to talk.
When the words finally came she told me about Niko hurting her sister and the guilt she felt.
She was still in my lap and resting against me while speaking, and our hands were interlacing and nuzzling.
“I want to hurt him for hurting my sister.”
“He’s in jail. I think he’s hurting already.”
She turned her head. “Do you think I could pay someone to beat him up in there?”
“Don’t even go there, Chloe. You don’t want to get involved, and trust me – you don’t need to pay anyone. He’s a major celebrity and will get plenty of the wrong type of attention.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You think they’ll rape him?”
“I don’t know, but it happens, and his status as a pop star will make him a target.”
Chloe leaned against me again. “Hopefully he’ll realize how wrong he’s been to hurt others if it happens to him.”
“Maybe, but you’ve got to let it go.”
“I was afraid you wouldn’t be here when I got back,” she whispered and it made me tighten my hold around her waist.
“I said I would stay until the third, remember?”
She sighed. “And then what?”
“I don’t know. I have my projects to get back to.”
“I understand,” she said softly. “My agent will be scolding me if I haven’t read a pile of scripts and made up my mind on which ones I’m interested in.”
“When are you flying to LA?”
“When you go home.”
“And the new place? Did you decide between the house in Queen Anne and the place in Magnolia?”
She shook her head and knitted her brows. “No. But Faith promised she would go with me tomorrow and help me decide.” Chloe turned to look me in the eye. “Which place would you choose?”
“I already told you, I don’t want to influence you.”
“But I’m asking for your advice, Adam.”
I breathed in deeply and bit my inner cheek. “That house was gorgeous with the view. I could see you having an amazing New Year’s party at that house.”
