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Tammy went on when no one cut her free. “Ten years ago, I joined a group. I was part of a dedicated fan club, a group of women who adored Sway. He’s so talented and kind. We followed everything he did in his career. Cheered him on. That was all we had in common at first. We followed his life and activities closely, starting with online message boards and later meeting him in person every chance we can get. We were considered his biggest fans," Tammy explained, her voice tinged with remorse.
“You were part of Sway’s fan club? He never got involved in stuff with fans. He’s incredibly private. It’s a cornerstone of his philosophy in this business.” Paisley asked, her face twisted with confusion.
Tammy continued, "Sway, being a private man, really did keep to himself. But he had many ways of connecting with us, his elite fans. We had special access to him, even beyond what the paparazzi did. It made us feel extraordinary, chosen. But then... the news of his relationship with Paisley broke. It wasn’t like any other relationship he’d been in. He kept his private life to himself but dating you changed that. It was all front-page news. Cute nicknames. He instantly stopped making time for us.”
Paisley's eyes narrowed; a wave of anger enveloping her. "What does our relationship have to do with all of this? We didn’t ask for that attention. We tried to stay out of the limelight as much as possible. It was a frenzy."
Tammy took a deep breath, struggling to find the right words. "Paisley, you have to understand. You were everything we were not. You and Sway were everywhere, walking red carpets together. The relationship was so public, unlike anything he had done before. We began to feel like you were changing him. Everything we loved about him was fading. No one knew about us. We weren’t talking about this on public boards. It was just seven women in different parts of the world trying to hold on to the one thing we loved and not let it change.”
Paisley's eyes widened. “We didn’t ask to be in the papers or have every single encounter covered by paparazzi. Are you really telling me that all of this was because you were jealous? How does that evolve into stalking and murder?”
Tammy hesitated before continuing. She looked at her zip ties but Paisley didn’t offer to have them taken off this time. She was too furious to do Tammy any favors. "We started writing private fan fiction, stories where you met an untimely demise, so that Sway would be back on the market or at least return to casual dating that didn’t get so much attention. The constant speculation, the headlines about a proposal, or rumors of a baby bump... it got to us. The hate for you consumed us. And we all had each other to talk to about it. To commiserate. It was like a hive of killer bees. Then the planning started.”
“Planning to kill me?”
“No, nothing like that at all. We would divide and conquer, figuring out where you would be and making sure one of us would be at the event. We’d try to spot you with other men or list all your flaws. If we could undermine what you and Sway had then we could end it. The letters were just meant to get in your head."
“That’s why the letters were written by so many different people. You all wanted me dead.”
“It wasn’t really like that.” Tammy looked pained by more than just her injuries.
Paisley's voice quivered with emotion. "It was exactly like that. If you’re telling the truth, why, even after Sway and I broke up, did the attacks escalate? You got what you wanted and you kept going. Escalated.”
Tammy looked down; shame evident in her expression. "We believed that deep down, Sway saw you as his one true love. He often spoke lovingly of you in interviews, expressing his regret that your schedules didn't align. We thought you would eventually get back together. We were blinded by our own fantasies, and because we all felt the same way, it made us more worked up about it all."
Paisley slammed her balled up fist into her palm. “So, you and the others wrote letters, made prank calls, and followed me. But what about the attacks? The rat incident? Burning my clothes?"
Tammy shook her head vehemently. "No, Paisley. We had no knowledge of those things. We never intended to cause you any real physical harm. The driver of that car that just smashed into you is Alex Monroe; she was the mastermind behind all of that stuff. We thought she was only leading the way for the things we were doing. Keeping it moving forward. She took things too far, went beyond what we had planned. I swear, we had no part in those things you’re talking about. It was just letters for us. Tracking you. Calling you. Trying to spook you. I didn’t know until today about Doug’s death being a murder.”
“Yet, here you are. Still doing this insane stalking.”
“It was just supposed to be the usual thing. I live the closest so I was supposed to come to the press conference today. I heard what you said about Doug and panicked. I called Alex and confronted her and she said she was in town too. We were going to talk in person, so I picked her up just down the road from the press conference. She wanted to drive and then boom, she’s chasing your car and crashing into it."
Paisley wanted to believe not everyone in the group had harbored malicious intentions against her, but none of it would bring Doug back. The depth of their obsession had clouded their judgment and allowed something terrible to happen.
Mick, who had been listening intently, interjected, his voice laced with skepticism, "Why should we believe you, Tammy? You were willing to write horrible letters. Make threatening phone calls. Why wouldn’t you poison soup or cut brake lines?”
Tammy's gaze shifted to Mick, desperation etched across her face. "I understand your doubt, but I swear on everything I hold dear that I'm telling the truth. Alex Monroe was the one who orchestrated the dangerous acts. She admitted it to me in the car. Please, you have to find her. She's the one responsible for all of this."
As Tammy's plea hung in the air, the room stayed silent. King, Ben, Mick, and Paisley all waited for some lightning bolt of clarity that never came. The truth was unraveling, revealing a web of obsession, jealousy, and misguided loyalty. The path ahead remained uncertain, but one thing was clear—they had to find Alex Monroe and uncover the extent of her involvement in the torment plaguing Paisley's life. She could be the one who would face justice for Doug’s death. The question was, where did she run to and what would she do next?
CHAPTER24
BEN
“You know the truth now,” he whispered, the room quiet and dark. They were curled together in the small bed, waiting for the adrenaline to wear off enough to fall asleep. It seemed like an impossible task.
“That’s not the whole truth,” Paisley argued, nuzzling into his open arms. “The police have Tammy now. But other women are part of this. They all have to be found and interrogated to figure out who is telling the truth. And this Alex woman, I can’t imagine what she’ll do next.”
“We’re so much better informed than we were a week ago. We’re just going to keep lying low until the police and Carmen’s team give us the all clear.”
“The part we’re not saying is the hardest.”
He understood the pit that must have formed in her stomach over this last lingering question. “Who was close to you that would have been feeding information to all these women so they knew where to find you and when?”
“Yes.”
He squeezed her a little tighter. “Now that they know who the players are, Carmen will be able to link that with technology if there is a connection.”
