Jude listened to his own voicemail and looked worried. "Olivia, listen to me. We have to go now." He stood up and grabbed her hand before pulling her through the crowd and back down thestreet.
"Jude! What's going on?" She was winded as she tried to keep up with his long stride. "You have to slow down. You're walkingtoofast."
They turned the corner where they parked the bike and saw it surrounded by cameramen. Jude pulled her back under the awning of a nearbybuilding.
"Stay calm and listen to me. The picture is out. The media went crazy over it, and now they want to know more about you. They think we'reanitem."
"So? I don't understand, what's thebigdeal?"
"It went viral. I don't have time to explain, but they're afteryounow."
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kept her close as they blended in with the tourists. Lucky nervously cracked her knuckles as they walked. She never considered this part of stardom. She didn't think of herself as a star. She was just a girl, no different than anyone else. None of this made sense to her. Winding in and out of the crowd, they made their way to the other end of thesmalltown.
"What are we goingtodo?"
"I have an idea. Call Richard and tell him to meet us at Submarine Rock,"Judesaid.
They entered a small building surrounded by jeeps. Jude locked the door behind them and motioned for Lucky to call while he spoke to the people behind thecounter.
"Richard,it’s--"
"Lucky! Where are you? Areyouokay?"
"I'm fine, I'm with Jude. He told me to tell you to meet us atSubmarineRock."
"Good, I'll see you inanhour."
He hung up, leaving her confused. It took them over two hours to get to Sedona, how was Richard going to make it there inanhour?
Jude took her hand and led her behind the building to a forest green Jeep. As they got onto the main street, she saw a car swerving in and out of the two-lane traffic,approachingthem.
"Holdon,Liv!"
She grabbed on to a bar across the top of the door as Jude hopped the curb. People cleared the walkway as he drove then got back on the road before jumping another curb, which brought them onto a rocky dirt road. Turning around, she saw the carwasgone.
"This is insane! What could they possibly wantfromme?"
"We'll find out soon enough. We just need to get you back to the hotel. You'll be safethere."
They drove on for a while, red dust kicking up underneath the jeep. Lucky wished this wasn't the way her day ended. She looked around at the scenery and wanted to drink it in, but they were in too much of a rush and she was tooanxious.
After driving through a narrow pass, they finally slowed down. Jude positioned the car in front of the path they came from and got out, leaving the keys in the Jeep. Lucky couldn't believe how beautiful the view was as she got out of the car but knew now wasn't the time to sightsee. Jude led Lucky over to the back of the Jeep as they heard another vehicle coming up the path they were just on. Lucky's heart raced in her chest, and this time it wasn't just Jude's effectonher.
She saw what the paparazzi did to people. When she had time, she loved going to the different websites and catching up with who was doing whatever to whom. Now she thought differentlyaboutthat.
She held tight to Jude's hand when she suddenly heard a helicopter. Jude covered her head as he held her against his chest, protecting her from the red dust filling the air. A large white helicopter swooped down and quickly landed in a clearing by thecliff.
"Run!" Jude said as he pulled her away from the Jeep, with his arm around her, and towards thehelicopter.
A couple of Jeeps pulled up but were blocked by Jude's Jeep so they couldn't enter the clearing. The helicopter door slid open, revealing Richard inside. He held his hand out to Lucky and helped her and Jude onto the helicopter before it rose into the air again as cameramen made it into the clearingbelow.
"Lucky, I've secured the hotel so you'll be safe there, just don't go outside," Richard said. "Jude, there's one more thing you need to know.Donna'shere."
"Who's Donna?" Lucky asked, but no oneanswered.
Flying back to Phoenix in the helicopter, Lucky stared out the window as the setting sun created streaks of orange and pinks across the blue sky. Jude seemed troubled. He quietly sat with his arms folded over his chest and his eyesclosed.
She wanted to talk to him. She needed to thank him for the day and for saving her, but she also had the nagging, unanswered question of Donna floating inherhead.
