AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Growler reached over and took her hand, holding it to his cheek. “Anything you need to say. If you’re angry, yell at me. If you’re scared, tell me that too. Just don’t let it fester because that will make it worse. And you telling me what’s going on with you doesn’t make you weak. It makes you strong as fuck because you’re facing it all.”
“I was so scared,” she started. “What was happening to us was straight out of an action movie. It didn’t seem real, but it was. The bullets were real. What if you hadn’t been here? What if I’d been alone? But you, you were so calm. Driving and watching what he was doing. Talking to Cass. Not even flinching when the window shattered.”
“That’s because I’ve been shot at before, but do you want to know what I was really feeling?”
If Astrid was baring herself to him, he was going to return the favor.
“What?”
“Fucking scared. I was fucking scared that I couldn’t do enough to keep you safe. That I was going to let you down. But I couldn’t let that get the better of me. I had to bury it all and focus on not only making sure I got you out of the situation without coming to any harm, but also making sure that the people around us weren’t hurt.”
“Growler.” His name was a mournful whisper, and he pulled her across the console and into his arms as Astrid let go. Her tears came hot and fast and wet his shirt, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was she was purging the events of the day.
“I’m sorry.” She sniffed when her tears had all but stopped. “I’ve made a mess of your shirt.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about. My shirt will dry.” Growler leaned back to look at Astrid. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she’d never looked more beautiful to him. “You good now?”
“I think so.” Astrid yawned.
Reluctantly, he released her so she could get herself situated in her seat again.
“It’s been a long morning. Are you sure you want to head to the studio and not go home so you can decompress and process all that happened?” Growler would prefer that over her being surrounded by people who would undoubtedly ask her a million questions about what they’d been through. Especially after her little breakdown.
Cass had also sent a message to say that news of their chase had hit the internet, so even though he was sure Yolanda hadn’t gone into too much detail about why they were going to be late to the studio, they would know now what had happened.
Astrid straightened in the seat and wiped her face, a look of determination firing her hazel eyes and strengthening her voice. “Of course, people are counting on me. I may be the star of the show, but we’re a team and I can’t be who I am without them.”
Growler’s admiration for her grew. Astrid was prepared to put aside her discomfort for others. Few people would, particularly after what she’d endured in the last few hours. “Okay, the studio it is.”
“Besides, they’re only going to want to know what happened, so may as well answer their questions today instead of putting it off until tomorrow.” She shrugged. “It’s all over the net, so the publicity department at the studio may want to talk to me about it. Or they’ll contact Penni.”
“How did you find out about the headlines?” So much for trying to protect her. She already knew they were in the news.
“I’ve got alerts set up so whenever my name is mentioned in a news article or on a website, I get a notification for it. Plus, Penni sent a text while the police were interviewing you asking if I was okay.”
Clearly, he had a lot to learn about the inner workings of being a celebrity. He wouldn’t even know how to set up an alert, but he was glad to hear that Penni was aware of what happened. She would know the best way to spin it so that it wouldn’t bring more attention to Astrid than was already on her. “Do you need to call Penni?” he asked as they hit the freeway.
Conscious of what happened the last time they were on it, Growler paid extra attention to what was going on around them. Aware of the vehicles that were coming up beside and behind him. So far, nothing seemed suspicious, but he wouldn’t relax until they were behind the studio gates.
“I’ll call Penni later. She said she’s working on a press statement for me and will email it over when it’s done.”
“The price of fame, huh? Every little facet of your life needs to be addressed.”
How did anyone survive in what was essentially living in a fishbowl?
Considering the world was full of actors, models, influencers, and sports stars, not to mention YouTubers and internet influencers, Growler guessed a lot didn’t mind the scrutiny. The service he’d given and what he’d done while in the Navy had provided them the freedom to be able to follow their dreams—that was a good thing.
“I knew what I was getting into when I signed the deal. My life has been pretty boring until recently, and I can’t say I’m a fan of what’s happening. But dealing with parts of my life being open to the public? Well, the second you put yourself on the internet in any capacity—whether it be cooking videos or publishing a book—there’s the chance you take off, and the public wanting to know all about you is a by-product of it.”
They pulled into the studio, and Growler flashed the identification he’d been given. The guard studied it, smiled at Astrid and waved them through. Growler would’ve preferred it if the guard had done a more thorough check, but he wasn’t in charge of how the studio did things.
Once they arrived on set, everyone rushed around Astrid, throwing a million questions at her. He was about to intervene when she held up her hand and everyone stopped.
Now that was power.
“I’m fine. Yes, we had a little excitement on the way to work today. It’s over, and all I’d like to do is get ready to do today’s filming so I don’t hold you all up any longer than necessary.”
It was a bit more than what she was making it out to be, but if that was what she needed to say to get through the next few minutes, then he wouldn’t stand in her way.
