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He already killed someone because I hid myself too well when I ran. He didn’t realize I had the skills to hide myself and make it look like I was dead. I probably shouldn’t have done it, but I had hoped it would make him forget about me. I guess that was too positive of a thought. I never wanted someone to die because of me, but that’s exactly what happened. I won’t let it get that far again. This time it’s me or them, and I’m choosing myself.
Fuck my stalker.
“Uh, Sky?” Rome hesitantly calls out when he catches my eyes in the rearview mirror of our SUV.
We had stuck around after lunch for me to get more practice in. When the guys in the sound booth asked when everyone else was coming back, I told them they weren’t, making up an excuse that I needed some time alone to pick up the new music and feel comfortable with it before I played again with everyone. It was a lame excuse, but they accepted it. Instead, they pumped the other instrument soundtracks through the speakers in the room for me so it still felt like I was playing along with them while I practiced. It worked for the most part.
“What’s up, Rome?” I answer, doing my best to sound less angry than I feel.
“You were sighing and grunting. Just checking on you.” He shrugs, keeping his eyes on the road.
“That was out loud? Shit, sorry. Just thinking about stuff and being angry the guys ditched me. I should have expected it, but whatever. Let them fuck this up.” I don’t bother to hide my annoyance. Rome and Valentina know me well enough and know the truth of why we are here. Hiding things won’t help us get to the bottom of the situation. “Can we just order pizza to the room tonight? I don’t feel like going out and being around people. I also want to get an update from Alexandra on the case.”
“Sounds perfect to me. I’m fucking starving,” he answers at the same time his stomach rumbles.
“I’ll call Alexandra and ask her to come to our room,” Valentina answers as she lifts her phone to her ear.
I don’t bother listening to the conversation, instead tuning them out as I look out the window. Being back in Coventry feels weird, almost wrong. So much of my past is wrapped up in this city. When I walked away, I left it all behind. I didn’t even tell my parents where I went. They get a letter once a year letting them know I’m safe and happy. Most of the words in the letters are a lie, but I do it to protect them. Giving them the knowledge I’m alive has to be enough for them. I don’t want the stalker to think using my parents as a way to get to me would be a good idea. When I walked away from the band and my men, I walked away from my whole life.
Everything.
Driving down the streets now leaves a weird feeling in my chest. It constricts inside me the further we go. I recognize some of the streets, but so much is different. Five years have passed since the last time I was in this city. I’ve missed it. Every day. This was home. This was my happiness.
Now, I’m left calling Rockport home. The town isn’t terrible. It has more of a smaller vibe where everyone is super friendly. Neighbors know one another and invite them to their parties. I found an apartment in one of the three apartment buildings. I never talked to my neighbors, not wanting to risk anyone recognizing me. When I come and go from the apartment, my hood is always turned up to help hide my face. One of the first things I did when I arrived in town was dye my hair. I even changed my legal name to make it harder to be found. Skylar Mason was dead. In her place, I became Sky Everett. My hacker friend who helped me disappear tried to convince me to drop the first name Sky and change it completely, but I couldn’t do it. Every time I tried to come up with a new first name, I would have a panic attack. It was the only thing from my old life I held on to.
I think a small part of me thought, if I kept it, and the guys looked hard enough for me, they would be able to find me. I shouldn’t have held on to it, though. My men never looked for me, or at least didn’t look hard enough. I left enough breadcrumbs that, if they honestly wanted to find me, they could have, especially Sebastian. Just another thing they let me down on.
“We’re here,” Rome announces as he pulls into a spot in the garage.
Opening my door, I get out and bring my guitar case right behind me. No way was I leaving this at the studio for someone to fuck with. The walk to the elevator and the ride up was made in silence with Valentina. Rome waited to pick up the pizza at the front desk. At some point during the drive, he managed to place the order without me realizing it.
As we step off the elevator and round the corner of the hall, I see Alexandra waiting at our door for us.Perfect.The sooner we have this conversation, the sooner I can stuff my face and go to bed. Tomorrow is going to be just as long of a day as this was.
“Thanks for meeting us,” I start, opening the door and holding it for her to enter. The three of us enter the room and spread out in the little sitting area to wait for Rome.
“How was practice today? I heard the guys dipped out on you after lunch?” She seems genuinely concerned with her question, but the expression in her eyes seems slightly off. It’s like she’s fishing for something, but I’m not sure what. If Knox or Steel were here, I’m sure they would have been able to figure it out for me.
“Dipped out would be the wrong phrase to use,” I start to explain. “We were playing well together, but I started to slip behind and struggle a little. I told them to take the day off and just let me get in some more practice on my own. Tomorrow we can regroup and start again.”
“Do you think you’ll be ready to play a concert by Friday?” she asks, tapping her nails on the tabletop as she asks her question.
Pausing, I think about the question. Would we be? I’m not really sure about that. We may be able to play the music, but our stage presence is going to be shit if we can’t even manage to hold a conversation. That’s probably something I should tell her, but honestly, the fewer people involved in the drama between me and them, the better. This is something I need to fix myself.
Before I can answer I’m saved by a knock on the hotel room door and Rome calling out that he’s got the food. Valentina goes to open it, letting him in. I thought he would just use his key, but when he enters, I see that would have been a tad difficult. Two large pizzas are settled in his arms with two white styrofoam containers sitting on top and a two-liter of coke is under his right arm.
“Are you feeding an army?” I joke, leaning forward to get a better look at the food options as he starts to place the food in the center of the table.
“I wasn’t sure what you were going to want so I got a variety based on what Knox suggested.” He shrugs like it was obvious.
Well hell.I was definitely lost in my thoughts in the car if I didn’t even notice him asking Knox for advice on what I would eat. I’m going to need to remember to yell at him next time we talk. I didn’t even know he paid so much attention to me that he would know my regular pizza order.
“How about I give you a quick update so you can eat in peace?” Alexandra interjects before I can respond to Rome.
“Yes, please,” I agree, opening the first box of pizza. My eyes widen in shock and then narrow in disgust as I look at it. Who the fuck puts that much meat on a pizza? There’s chicken, bacon, ham, and sausage. There are also some veggies like mushrooms and bell peppers on it.
Hard pass. No, thank you.
Opening the second, I see a much better option. Black olives and pineapple. The best pizza combination ever. In seconds, I have a slice out and sitting on a paper towel in front of me. Before I can even ask if Rome thought to get some ranch dressing, he’s sitting a small container of it in front of me.
