Page 16 of Unstable

“Definitely not.” She didn’t think she could even name two of the people who lived on her street. She’d seen them in passing but nothing more.

“Boyfriend?”

She almost laughed at his mention of a boyfriend. She had become incredibly selective of her partners and had been celibate for the past eight months. The men she’d dated in the music industry were arrogant and self-centered, and they only cared about using relationships to further their careers. The men outside of the industry were worse.

She had played at a local fair two summers ago and met a guy who, by all appearances, seemed to be polite and well-mannered—a truly good man. They went on two dates before they’d slept together. He’d rolled out of bed the second it was over, with the comment that he could now tell his friends he’d “banged a celebrity.” Jerk. Most of the others she’d met were users or alcoholics, and she had no desire to invite that into her life.

She let out a sigh. “No.”

Knox mulled that over for a second, then pinned that intense, dark gaze on her. “All right. We’ll see what we can dig up. We’re not going to have a problem here, are we?”

She shook her head. “N-no. I’m… I’ll do what he says. I promise.”

“Okay, then.” He turned to Roman. “I’ll text you details on the locksmith here in a few.”

She felt frozen in place as Roman led Knox to the door, then locked up behind him. Her eyes fell to the manila folder on the counter, and a shiver rolled down her spine. She knew he’d left it there intentionally, as a kind of warning. He was right; seeing the evidence made it all so much more real.

“You want me to get rid of that?”

She lifted her eyes to Roman’s, and he tipped his head at the documents in front of her. Finally, she nodded. “Please.”

To the best of her knowledge, she hadn’t done anything to elicit this kind of reaction. Sure, she knew there were fans who took it a little far sometimes. People on social media weren’t afraid to make their feelings known, especially those who hated her music. She knew she sometimes got messages from random men hoping to capture her attention, but Aster always responded with something polite yet off-putting.

She wondered if Aster had seen the most recent note, or if she was even aware of the turn the content had taken. She didn’t know who she was allowed to talk to, but Aster was her assistant, her right hand. Aster was a singer, too, when she was younger, and they’d actually sung back-up to a few artists together before she’d gotten her big break with Stargazer. She would never have made it as far as she had without Aster’s encouragement, and she hated to keep her out of the loop.

Finally, Roman looked over at her. “You hungry?”

She shook her head. She couldn’t bear the thought of eating right now, even though it was creeping close to dinner time.

“Let me know when you get hungry, and we’ll figure out the food situation.”

She nodded, but her mind wasn’t on food. It was back on the accident that morning that replayed through her mind. She kept hearing Knox’s voice telling her that her brake lines had been drained, that it hadn’t been an accident at all.

She turned to Roman. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” His voice was gruff and curt, and it only made her feel worse.

Knox was right when he said she’d put Roman’s life in jeopardy. Her actions were rash and selfish, thinking only of herself. “I should have listened to you,” she continued. “I just… wanted you to know.”

He stared at her for a long minute, then nodded. “I appreciate it.”

She stared out the window, thinking about everything that had happened that morning. Part of her wanted to disappear, to just hide away until this was all over. “Maybe I should go wait it out at the beach.”

Roman snorted. “Not a terrible idea.”

At this point, any place was better than here. Her home didn’t feel like home anymore. She stared out at the late-afternoon sun spilling over the homes across the street, and she imagined what it might be like to be far away.

She could go someplace safe, where no one knew her name or recognized her face. A place she didn’t have to worry about Roman or Mama or her stalker. Somewhere she could just be… her.

CHAPTER

SEVEN

Roman peered at Rina, curled up in the corner of the couch, her face pale and drawn. Her teeth were buried in her lower lip, making her look incredibly vulnerable. Part of him wanted to comfort her, but he had a hunch it was the last thing she’d want.

Things had been awkward between them ever since the night he’d brought her home from the bar, and he had a gut feeling that was part of the reason she’d wanted a new agent to watch over her. Things had never been great between them, but he felt bad for her. She’d been through a lot recently, some of which she’d just learned.

He couldn’t believe that idiot manager of hers hadn’t said anything. He knew all of the notes had gone to the studio, but he thought they’d at least informed Rina of the contents. From the look on her face when Knox showed her the latest addition, she’d been completely blindsided. The blood had drained from her face, and her eyes had gone round as saucers. He thought for a minute that she might pass out, but she’d managed to pull herself together.