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“So, why have you been ignoring me?” I needed to know why he’d pushed me away this week because that had hurt.
“Because this stuff with mum is so fucked up and I don’t want to drag you into it, but also, I’m waiting for you to realize what she did… that I’m not worth sticking around for.”
I hated hearing him say things like that about himself. I pushed my hand through his hair, drawing him towards me until our foreheads touched.
“You, Tanner Hastings, are worth sticking around for. You’re worth waiting for. You’re worth fighting for. You are worth coming back for. I love you, Tanner. Not because you’re a super hot rock star, but because of who you are underneath all that. In here.” I pressed my hand over his heart and laid my lips over his.
He cupped both sides of my face and tried to deepen our kiss, but I hissed loudly, my cheek on fire from the accident.
“Shit, sorry, angel. Your beautiful words made me forget where we are and what’s happened to you. Rest. And I promise I will find out who wrote that note and then I will rip them apart for what they did to you.”
“Right, Emmy, you’re free to leave, but if you get any headaches, we want you to come back,” the doctor said, with a thick Italian accent.
“Thank you, doctor. For the private room and all the special attention.”
“Come on, angel, let’s get you back where you belong.” Tanner took my hand, and we walked slowly and tentatively through the doors of the ward, my body screaming in protest as I moved. As we stepped out, Addi ran toward us.
“Tan, there are millions of press outside, probably not helped by you showing up and screaming like a madman, so everyone saw you. I’ve got us a way out through the staff car park. Come on, follow me.”
Addi led us into a tinted car where we slipped away unnoticed, but I couldn’t help feeling uneasy that someone was out to hurt Tanner, the band, and anyone who got in the way, including me.
Rylee knocked on the door, walking into Tanner’s suite with a tray of coffees, placing them on the table.
“I thought you might like these. There are some painkillers there for you as well, Emmy. I’m so sorry to hear you were hurt.”
“Thanks, Rylee,” I replied with a painful smile.
“We need to work out how the information is leaking out and how people are getting so close to the band,” Matt replied, continuing the conversation we were having before Rylee entered the room.
“I hope you don’t mind me saying, but maybe you need to have the place swept for cameras and bugs,” she squeaked out, still too afraid to speak.
“Good idea, Rylee. Matt, do you know someone we can trust?” Addi asked, the frown lines on her face becoming a permanent feature of this tour.
“Leave it with me. I’ll get someone here.”
“Thanks, Rylee. You can go now,” Addi instructed, causing Rylee to shrink even further into herself as she walked out, closing the door behind her. Addi followed her, opening it again, checking for anyone hanging about outside, before she closed it, leaning back against it, rubbing her temples with fingers.
“Honestly, I’m not sure who I can trust. We need some more security, Matt. At least one extra person on each member of the band, as well as me and Emmy.”
“I have a friend, Thomas Lanton. He’s ex-SAS and runs an organization that hunts down some pretty evil people. All his staff are ex-servicemen and women. The best in the world. I can ask him, but it will cost.”
“I don’t care what it costs, and neither will the label. We won’t have a band left if this continues. Someone is out to fuck us up and they’re doing a pretty good job of it,” Addi sighed, pacing the floor. “Fuck, I need a drink… shit, Tanner. I’m being a dick. Pretend I didn’t say that.”
I watched Tanner walk over to Addison, wrapping his arms around her as she laid her head against his chest. “We’ll sort this, Addi. Together. I think we need to talk to Frankie and the twins. We need to make sure they realize they have to be extra careful. We can’t let what happened to Emmy happen to anyone else.”
“Okay, I’ll make some calls,” Matt offered. “Get this place and each place we’re going swept in case someone is bugging or filming us and I’ll speak to Thomas and get some staff here. If I get ten, then we have some extra ones if we need them, but you should be prepared that his team are next level. Armed, dangerous, scary as hell.”
“And maybe that’s exactly what we need to nip this in the bud. Thanks, Matt. Let me know when you’ve sorted it. I don’t want anyone here when they sweep the place,” Addi declared. “I don’t want to draw any more attention to you all.”
“I’ll talk to the rest of the band,” she suggested. “And this stays with us. I don’t want anyone else to know what we’re doing. Not even Rylee. She doesn’t need to know any of this and she’s so meek it will probably send her running.”
“And I’m going to write some fake news of our own. I’ll email it to you later, Addi,” I promised. “We need to work out who is leaking this all and Addi’s right. It’s the only way to do it.”
“You need to rest, Em,” Tanner whispered softly.
“I’ll rest, but I can write while I do.”
He nodded, looking defeated.
