Page 14 of Something to Believe In
"No. He said he had the wrong address. But it scared me, and I bolted out of there. That's why I'm flushed."
Tony and Jami stopped talking and stared at her. She could feel the heat on her chest climb up her neck and face. "What?" she asked.
Jami shook his head. "Nothing."
They went back to talking, and Maddyn picked up a magazine from the coffee table and fanned herself. Luckily, Sean stepped inside, and they all began chatting. Axel came in last with his brow furrowed. He didn't look at her, and her heart clenched. He went straight to Tony. "Can I have a word?"
Tony's brows shot up. "Sure."
The two men stepped across the room to the bar, and Axel handed him a sheet of paper. Her fingers shook. He wasn't giving notice, was he? No, he wouldn't do that. It couldn't be. He never glanced at her. Not once. She remembered Tommy all over again, and her stomach tightened. She tried not to stare, but she couldn't imagine what else it could be.
Livia stood. "Should we go in and warm up?"
"Sure." She blurted it without looking at Livia. Gawd, she was bad at this.
Chapter Eleven
Axel left his house excited to see Maddyn and ready to start the day. They were going to play music, create new songs, and he was going to do it with Maddyn and their little secret. It was exciting in a way. The two of them knew something no one else did, and that heightened his creativity. He could now hear the music in his head for the song that had been streaming through his brain last night, and again this morning. He wasn't ready to share it just yet with the band, but he was excited to see what transpired from it. It would reveal itself in bits and drabs. Most of his music did that. When he'd read the words to Sean's song, it came in a flood, but Jami wrote one, and it took a couple of days to actually come together in his mind.
But this morning, oh, the words were showing themselves to him, and he could hear a bit of the melody in his mind. Maybe tomorrow or Friday, he'd have the whole tune in his head and ready to share.
He grabbed the mail from his mailbox and shuffled through it as he walked back to the house. A handwritten note stopped him in his tracks. He turned and looked down the street, both ways, before continuing on. Inside his house, he dropped the mail on his counter, except for the note. On it was written: I love you. I can't wait to see you tomorrow.
A chill ran the length of his body. Icy dread. Someone knew where he lived. And they hadn't mailed him something; they'd dropped it at his house. They'd been here. His sanctuary.
He hurried through the kitchen to his garage and rushed out of his driveway to the Barn. He'd tell Tony about this and see what he thought. He was the band's manager, so surely if someone was stalking him, Tony could get security.
After arriving, he rushed into the barn. Mads would know something was wrong if he looked at her, so he avoided it. He felt creeped out, and his heart beat rapidly.
Tony took the note from him at the bar. "I found this in my mailbox this morning."
Tony read it. "Is it Lacey?"
Axel shrugged. "That makes sense, doesn't it? But I don't know."
Tony nodded. He turned the note over in his hand and looked at the back. It had nothing written on it. He held it up to the light hanging over the bar and saw a watermark. "It says Hotel Norton."
Axel took a deep breath. "Isn't Hotel Norton in Tampa Bay?"
"Yes, there's one there. But I think they also have a smaller hotel in Crystal Cove."
"Oh. Well, I'm worried that this person —Lacey or whoever —is a stalker. How did she find out where I live?"
Tony shook his head. "It's a small town, Axel. A few questions to the right people and, unfortunately, word gets out. Do you have security cameras?"
"No. I can get them installed right away, though."
"That's not a bad idea. I was just talking to Jami about getting them here. We don't need Lacey or anyone else repeating what happened last night."
"That's a great idea. What about the rest of you? Don't you think before we go on our extensive tour, it's a good idea for everyone to get cameras?"
"I do." Tony looked at the note. "Can I keep this?"
"I don't care."
Tony nodded and pocketed the note. "Take a deep breath and get your head on straight for creating music. I'll take care of calling Jace to find out what security company he recommends, and I'll get them scheduled."
"Thanks, Tony. I appreciate it."
