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"Stay. Please," I say, grabbing her hand as she starts to get up. I'm not ready to lose her warmth and nearness. She looks at me curiously but sits back down. I let out a shaky breath, still clinging to her hand. “Just give me a minute.”
I wipe her cheek, where some of my blood has smeared on her skin during our hug. I should have kept my distance, but when I saw her up here, I was so stunned I couldn’t help myself. I still can’t stop touching her like I’m double-checking she’s real. I’m waiting for somebody to pinch me and wake me up.
What's come over me? I'm acting so needy and vulnerable, two things I never let show. But I can't bear the thought of her leaving my side right now. It scares me how much I already rely on her steadying presence. We barely know each other, yet she makes me feel anchored in the chaos like I don't have to pretend to be invincible.
I know it's dangerous to get attached. I'll only end up hurting Sloane in the end. Still, I can't resist these fragile moments with her. I'll deal with the fallout later. Right now, I need this oasis of peace she provides. Just a little longer before I have to let her go.
So I cling to her, memorizing everything I can. The concern in her eyes, the stroke of her fingers on my skin. I'll hoard these stolen moments like priceless treasure. However fleeting, her light has illuminated all my dark corners. There's no going back now. She's changed everything.
“Here,” Remy’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts. I see him holding out a first aid kit to Sloane, and she takes it eagerly, unzipping the nylon bag and searching the contents.
“Oh good, thank you. I’ve been trying to get up to find this but have been held back…” She glances at me with a fake glare, and I shrug innocently as if I have no idea what she’s talking about.
“So, you must be Sloane from the Rhapsody Foundation I’ve heard so much about. Nice to meet you.” Remy holds a hand out for her to shake, and she takes it.
“I am,” she mutters absently, returning to the kit as she pulls out various items to get me cleaned up and tended to. “Nice to meet you too, Remy.”
He and I share a look, and he raises his eyebrows as if impressed, and I just shrug at him. I’m as surprised as anybody right now.
“Well, I’m going to go back to helping Mac and Eliza with that girl while we wait for the police,” he says, hooking a thumb over his shoulder toward the dressing rooms. “Great job with that, by the way, man. I don’t know if anyone else caught what that asshole was doing.”
“Yeah, sorry about the rest of the show,” I say, looking down at my battered knuckles. “I bet Mac is pissed, right?”
“Oh, she’s pissed, but not for that,” he says, stepping back.
That doesn’t make any sense. What else could she be mad about if not me? The show was going great until I jumped into the crowd to help the girl.
“For what, then?” I just get the question out when Sloane attacks my face with a cotton ball doused with alcohol burning the shit out of my skin, worse than any punch I’ve felt. A hiss slides through my teeth as I take the pain, and I do my best not to flinch away, but fuck, it’s hard.
“Shit, you don’t know, do you?” he asks nervously, taking another step backward. I do not like where this conversation is going all of a sudden.
“What the fuck, Remy? Spit it out already. What is Mac pissed about?”
“Nyx was here.”
“Here in L.A.?”
He nods, his face anxious. “Yeah, but also here at the show.”
I can feel when my blood turns cold as it flows through my body. And Sloane must notice something is wrong since I tense every muscle.
“Who is Nyx?” she asks, looking between us, suddenly now interested in the conversation and not my cuts and bruises.
Remy and I stare at each other, not wanting to be the one to talk about her. He must see my reluctance and says, “She was our former merchandise assistant. And now she’s taken to selling bullshit to the press for money. Mostly about walking bullseye, lead guitar man, here.” He waves to indicate me, and Sloane studies me for a minute.
“Why is she selling stories about you in particular?” She at least looks genuinely curious and not just feigning interest. “Did you two have a falling out?”
I glare up at Remy. He didn’t have to mention me like he did. We don’t know for sure if she’s primarily targeting me. It’s all just guesses at this point as to her motives.
“Not that I’m aware of, no,” I say, keeping the daggers pointed Remy’s way. “We don’t know why crazy people do crazy things.”
“Which reminds me, while I’m at it…I forgot to tell you we’re supposed to meet with Blackmore’s legal soon. I’m not sure when, though,” Remy says, backing up again and further out of my reach.
“You mean with Cassidy?” I ask.
“Of course.”
“Then just say that. Or Jake’s fiancée. You make it sound so fucking formal.”
