Page 25 of Hope and Country

I swallowed the fireball down my throat and sat next to her.

I inhaled, chasing some of my madness away—only for her sake—and quietened the tone of my voice to avoid scaring her. “Listen to me. You need to report this to the police. You may have a broken rib or internal injuries. I’ll go with you. I’ll get Carter’s security team, and they’ll protect you. You can trust me.”

Devon’s red-rimmed eyes found mine, and she shook her head. Just a little, but enough for me to see it. “No. I’ll be fine. It’s not the first time. I just need a little time to heal.”

Red hot, scorching frenzy ran through my veins.

I blinked, trying to contain the wrath boiling inside me.

“He hurt you before?” Devon nodded. “Are you joking right now?” She shook her head. “Damn it.” I sprang to my feet and paced the room, my fingers laced behind my neck, my elbows wide open.

“Riley.” Her voice, weak and shaky, missed the warmth of the only time we met before. “I… Can I stay here? For a night? Or I can leave if you want. I—I didn’t know where to go. And whom to trust. Robbie knows all my friends. I have no one…” Her voice broke, and it destroyed something deep in my core.

I halted and pivoted to face her once I chased some of my anger away—again, for her sake. “Why me? Why did you come here? Why now?” Many questions bounced around in my head. I deserved answers.

Devon’s eyes filled with a fresh batch of tears. She looked like a little girl, her hands hidden in the sleeves of her torn sweater. She sniffled. “The night we met, you made an impression on me. I knew from the start you had no evil in you. Remember how you reacted when that waitress spilled her tray on you? I could tell you were kind, honest, and good. You’re not the only one able to read other people.”

A little smile tugged the corner of her mouth. I returned it.

Did Devon know she’d been haunting all my nights since we met on that rooftop?

I pushed my shoulders back and asked the question burning the tip of my tongue.

“How did you find me? I never told you my last name or where I lived?”

Devon hung her head low and slouched back into the sofa, her face twisting in pain. “This is so humiliating.”

She shut her eyes, fat tears hanging from her eyelashes.

A tug of war rose inside me. As much as I wanted to hold and care for her, I wanted to go out, find that motherfucker, and give him a taste of his own medicine.

Stuffing more of my ire away, I inched closer. “Tell me. It’s okay.” Was it, though? I never had strangers scouting my address before. I wasn’t a celebrity by any means. Just the son of one and a manager to some. My personal life wasn’t interesting in the public eyes, and I didn’t even require bodyguards.

Devon spoke in a trembling voice. “I looked you up. Many times. Because I wanted to make amends. To explain myself. The reason I left that night—” A loud sob escaped. “I’m sorry. I sound like a psycho.” She ran the back of her hand under her nose. “Riley, manager to Carter Hills. You weren’t hard to trace down. When I figured out which neighborhood you lived in, I drove around whenever I had some free time, trying to catch a sight of you.

“One day, it was late, and I saw you climb into your car. I promised myself I’d return and find the courage to come clean. But when that day came, I freaked out. I was scared you’d think I was a lunatic, a stalker, after I promised you I wasn’t a groupie, and never drove through this neighborhood ever again. Until tonight.”

My eyes widened at her admission. “You drove here? In this state?” I asked, gesturing to the length of her with my hand.

Devon shook her head, her blonde curls messy. “No. I walked. It took me hours to reach your street. Every step hurt, but no way would I have left traces of where I was heading. I discarded my phone. In case he’d installed a tracking app I didn’t know anything about, giving away my location.” She sucked in a breath, wincing when she released it. “By the time I had stoned all the front porch lights, I fell asleep, too tired to stay awake to wait for you. I prayed you’d come home and that you weren’t following Carter Hills or any of your other artists on the road.” A lone tear rolled down her cheek, and she hurried to wipe it away with her sleeve. “I don’t know what I would’ve done had you been. I have nowhere else to go. I’m scared. And I can’t go through this again. He’ll break me. Eventually, I won’t be able to recover from this. I refuse to give him that much power over me. He’ll have my soul.”

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. You can trust me.” I kneeled in front of her and with care, held her shaking cold hands in mine. “But why? Why didn’t you come here sooner if he had hit you many times in the last year?”

She bent her head down. “I was ashamed. Didn’t want you to see me so debased. All I wished was for you to remember me the same way I looked that night. The woman you felt a deep connection with.” She shook her head and offered me a speck of a smile. “I know how silly it sounds now. I just—I thought—”

“Devon, it’s okay. You’re here now. He won’t find you here. You can cry. And you can stay here. We’ll figure it out. I promise.”

I brushed Devon’s hair gently with my fingers as she shed more tears.

Once the tremors racking her body stopped, I held out my hand and rose to my feet. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”

10

RILEY

Devon’s trust in me, with just a touch of her palm, shot through my heart as we made our way to my bedroom. I rummaged through my closet and got a pair of gray sweatpants and a Carter Hills Band vintage T-shirt. I motioned to the chair in the corner by the window. “Wait here. I’ll fill the bathtub.” I put the folded pile of clothes on the bed. “You change into these. I can get you a new wardrobe by tomorrow morning if you give me your size.”

Devon’s eyes didn’t meet mine this time. “No. You don’t need to go through that much trouble for me. Just a place to sleep for the night is more than enough. I’ll come up with a plan tomorrow. Don’t worry about me.”