Page 52 of Obsession

She tried to pull her arm away, but he followed it, his finger never losing contact with her.

The man in the hallway leaned through the doorway, as if trying to see what was happening. He then barked something Rebecca didn’t understand. The oaf stiffened, then with obvious reluctance pulled his hand away.

The short one shouted something again, clearly not happy with his friend.

The oaf took a step back. His gaze stayed on Rebecca until he finally turned and exited the room.

When the door shut and she was alone again, she exhaled a breath she’d been holding for far too long.

She looked at the door, her eyes narrowing to angry slits.

No matter what happened, she would not let them break her.

39

Early that afternoon, Matthew parked down the street from the Santa Barbara Hills Hotel and checked himself in his mirror. Last night’s one-sided fight against Billy’s intruder had left him with sore ribs and a bruised right cheek.

The ribs he could live with, but the wound to his cheek was a problem as it was just the kind of thing people would notice. While the bruise might gain him sympathy, it would make him look weak. And the last thing Matthew wanted was to appear weak in front of Tessa.

From a bag on the passenger seat, he removed the four containers of concealer makeup he’d purchased that morning. Each was a slightly different shade. He experimenteduntil he found the one that best matched his skin tone, then covered the bruise.

Matthew studied his reflection again, touched up a spot where the bruise leaked through, and then deemed himself ready to go.

As he reached for his car door, his phone buzzed. He frowned, annoyed. He had a busy day ahead of him and didn’t want to be bothered. But when he checked the screen and saw Stacy’s name, he knew it was a call he couldn’t ignore. Doing so now would raise too many questions.

“Hi,” he answered.

“Matthew. Oh, my God. I just heard what happened last night. Are you okay?”

“You did? Oh, um, yeah. I’m okay. A little stiff today but fine.”

“When you didn’t show up for dinner, I thought you blew us off.”

“I would never do that.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Are you coming by the set today?”

“I want to, but I think I should probably rest. Would it be okay if I came tomorrow?”

“Of course. You’re always welcome. The important thing is for you to take it easy right now. Do you need me to bring you anything?”

“That’s kind of you to offer, but I’m good.”

“If you change your mind, call me.”

“I will.”

He hung up and switched his phone todo not disturb. No more interruptions.

From the passenger seat he grabbed his messenger bag, which contained all the items he would need, and made sure he had his stolen master keycard. Then he climbed out of his car and walked down to the hotel.

Three bored-looking fans stood near the driveway entrance, dangling signs by their sides proclaiming love for Tessa and Adriene, and even Mark Weldon. Matthew had no doubt they’d been waiting there for hours.

“Idiots,” he muttered as he passed by them.

What a waste of time. The cast and crew were at the shoot today so there wouldn’t be anyone for the trio of lookie-loos to get excited about until that evening at the earliest. Matthew could understand the enthusiasm, but scoffed at how little these fans clearly knew.

He headed into the hotel and proceeded directly to the elevators, walking with the confidence of someone who was a guest. As he stepped into the waiting area, one of the elevators opened and Ben Bacchetti exited.

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