Page 24 of Israel

Israel put his arm around her protectively as they walked. He was still talking to people on the radio, but his touch was comforting, and she could tell most of his attention was on her regardless of whatever else he was doing. She felt cold, all of the sudden, and as though he felt it, Israel rubbed her upper arm gently.

They reached the stage door, and four security guards flanked them, fending off the fans in the parking lot as they opened the door. Camera flashes peppered the air, and people called out, waving pens and papers and pictures for her to autograph.

“No autographs, sorry,” Israel said. The guards muscled their way through the crowds. Ashley had always felt happy to see her fans and tried to talk to a few of them or give autographs, but all she could think of now was that her stalker could be somewhere in the crowd, watching her. Waiting.

You’re mine.

She shivered again, and Israel’s arm tightened a fraction. “Almost there,” he whispered.

They made it to the bus. “All clear?” Israel asked Trevor Madison, the guard at the door.

“Roger. Checked it myself.”

He unlocked the door and Israel ushered her through. She expected him to go back out with the security team, but he followed her inside.

His presence was overwhelming in the small space. She headed to the back, to her bunk, but he followed her down the narrow hallway.

Now that she was safe, reaction set in, and she just wanted space to breathe.

“Are you going to start doing the puppy thing again? Because don’t,” she snapped. “You can go away and secure things and detect, or whatever it is you security detectives do. I’m sure Trevor did a thorough check in here.”

“I’m sure he did.” Israel’s voice was a low rumble. “But securing and detecting is someone else’s job. My job is you, and I’m not leaving your side until I’m sure you’re okay.”

“I’m okay.”

She wasn’t. She was terrified, and she was furiously angry. She wanted to destroy a few dozen things out of sheer rage and she wanted to sit down and cry and she wanted a nice hot bath and a soothing glass of wine, and she wasn’t going to get any of that, except maybe the wine, if her bandmates hadn’t swiped it to party with their groupies.

Unfortunately for Israel, he was the only one here to take it all out on.

“I don’t want you at my side. You’re suffocating me,” she told him. “Just go the hell away. I don’t need you, and you obviously suck at doing your job, because we’ve gone from lilac-stinking letters to lilacs everywhere while you were out taking a smoke break or whatever the fuck you were doing during my show. So stop staring at my ass and go do something useful.”

Hurt flashed through his eyes for just a second, until it was covered up with his stony professional face. “I told you, I have to—”

“Follow me around like a puppy dog. I heard you.” She knew she should stop. She knew she was ugly when she got like this. She’d always lashed out when she felt upset and helpless, which was most of the time. And it was also why most people kept her at arm’s length.

But the tension was coiled so tight her mouth just kept moving.

“I’m going to go in the bathroom and wash off my makeup, and then I’m going to go in the back lounge and change, and you’re not going to watch me do either one. So if you’re not going to detect, at least go in the front of the fucking bus and leave me alone before I grab that headset off your buzz cut and stab you with it.”

His eyes narrowed, but he turned and walked to the front of the bus without another word.

Ashley grabbed the first clothes she could find and stormed into the back lounge. She would not cry. She would not melt down. She would not let this lilac-wielding asshole win, which meant she had to stay angry. Stay busy. Stay in control.

It was the only way she knew to fight back.