“This is public property,” Randy argued, but his point was lost beneath the swell of questions coming Hunter’s way.
He fired off “No comment” as fast as the questions came. With a final “good night” to the reporters, he guided her through the crowd and toward safety.
“Can he sue me?” Mackenzie asked, her voice shaking.
“I’ll buy him a new camera and he’ll be fine,” Hunter said, leading her into a stairwell. The door shut behind them, drowning out the noise.
“How can you be sure?”
“Because he’s done this kind of thing before. He’s a known trespasser. No judge will side with him,” he assured her. But Mackenzie didn’t feel sure—about anything.
“Muttley will look like a vicious dog. I don’t even want to know what the foundation will do if they hear about this.”
“Hey.” Hunter cupped her face. “They won’t take Muttley away. I promise.”
Mackenzie’s chest caught on those last two words. They were two simple words. But when strung together, and delivered with so much conviction, it only stirred up doubt. A town car full of doubt.
“You can’t make a promise like that,” Mackenzie whispered, placing her hands over his.
“Why not?”
“Because you have no control over what happens to Muttley.”
Or me.
“All I meant was that everything will work out,” he said, bringing her hands to his lips.
Her heart slowed down until everything felt painfully surreal, the events of the day lying in direct contrast to the last three weeks.
Only the last three weeks had been nothing but the two of them, locked away in a protective bubble. Creating a false sense of safety. A fantasy that could never survive in Hunter’s reality.
“How did they know you were coming?” she asked.
“I think the driver tipped them off.” His voice shook too. But not from fear. Oh no, Hunter was pissed.
“Why would he do that?” she asked.
Hunter blew out a breath. “Money, to feel important, for a story to tell his buddies. Who knows.”
If his answer was meant to reassure her, it did the opposite.
“That’s the problem.” She dropped her hands and took a step back. “Ineed to know. I need to know who and why, and if it will happen again. I mean, will that photographer come to my house? You said he’s a notorious trespasser. Muttley is still learning his role, figuring out what his limits are. What if he actually bites him?”
“I can’t tell you that,” he said, taking her hands again. “But I can tell you that the driver won’t have a job come tomorrow, and if Randy even tries to come near you, he’ll have to deal with me.”
“Which would only lead to more bad press. For you,” she pointed out. “And what about when you’re on this big world tour? What will happen then?”
As the silence built, so did the pressure in her throat until she was certain it would suffocate her. This wasn’t a one-time situation. This would be an everyday thing.
“Who told you about the tour?”
“One of the reporters asked me about it. I didn’t know what to say, because I didn’t know about the deal.”
“I was going to talk to you about it tonight.”
“What is there to talk about?” she asked. “This is a huge opportunity for you and the band,” she forced herself to say.
“It is. And I wanted to talk to you about joining me on the road,” he said gently, and intense longing mixed with the harsh reality to create one complicated ball of emotion in her chest.
