Page 103 of Serenade Me

Chapter Thirty-eight

Marius

By the time we get back to the hotel, the others are crowded there, waiting for us. It doesn’t take long for the police to take our statements and we’re back in our hotel suites, all a little worse for wear.

I don’t leave Anca’s side, watching her every word, her every move, making sure she’s alright after her ordeal.

I don’t know how she can be handling it so well. I know if I’d gone through half of what she’d endured tonight I’d be either drowning the thoughts with Scotch or passed out dead to the world with exhaustion. But she’s still sitting here, answering everyone’s questions, over and over again, smiling and taking everything in her stride.

“Tell us again, how did it feel when you kicked him in the boy bits?” Brad asks, his face screwed up in horror.

“Well, why don’t you ask Marius, he got a good kneeful as well.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” I say, cupping my groin and moaning.

“Were you scared?” Emily asks, reaching out to pat Anca on the hand.

Anca nods. “Sometimes. Sometimes I was too busy trying to figure out how I was going to escape.”

“You’re so brave,” Emily replies. “I’m not sure how I would’ve reacted in the same situation.”

“You would’ve done whatever you could do to get back to Ben,” Anca tells her, and Emily gives her a smile of thanks.

“So, he’d been following you all this time?” Cadence asks, her face pale from the thought of her new friend going through such an ordeal.

“Well, I only know that he was at the last few concerts. But who knows. And who knows where he is now.”

“We’ll find him. Don’t worry. You’re safe now. We promise,” Dennis says from his spot by the door. And I know, he won’t rest until the job is done.

It’s close to 2 a.m. before the drama of the night catches up with everyone and they slowly, one by one, disappear into their own rooms.

Soon, it’s only Jez, Hailey, Anca and me left.

“Anca…” Hailey starts to speak, and Anca stops her.

“No… Hailey. I can’t hear you say ‘sorry’ one more time. This was in NO way your fault. If anything, if you hadn’t been there to tell them about the flowers, who knows where I would be right now.”

“Okay, how ‘bout this, when the tour is all over, we go get so drunk we erase this night from our brains forever, for good.”

Anca’s body shakes as she laughs and reaches out to give Hailey a hug. “You have got a deal. You’re paying though – I’m going to be unemployed soon.”

Hailey chuckles and finally lets Anca go of the hug. “On that note, I better go do some damage control, so that we don’t all end up unemployed.”

“Jez, can you maybe make sure she gets back to her room, okay?” Anca asks.

He throws me a look and I know he’s reluctant to leave his sister. I mouth “I’ll stay with her,” though I’m not sure how that’s any more reassuring to him, and he nods to me, and then pulls himself to his feet and sighs.

“Of course I can, a Grammy Award winning artist’s job is never done. Milady?” he says to Hailey, holding out his arm. She laughs as she curtseys and lets him lead her down the hallway to her room.

I get up and lock the door and dim the lights.

“Anca.”

“Marius, whatever it is you want to say, can it wait until tomorrow? I’m… I’m so tired.”

“No… no. It can’t.” I run my fingers through my hair. There’s a little dried blood at the back of my ear that I hadn’t notice before. I wipe it on my pants and turn back to Anca, who’s laying back against the cushions, her eyes half-closed as she watches me.

“Come here,” she says, reaching out her arms.