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She would stress about it when she should be enjoying the red carpet moment. He wasn’t going to let it get her down. It was already being taken care of and they were far away from her ex. Although, now that he thought about it, they probably shouldn’t wait for a morning flight. If her ex had someone stalking her social media, he already knew where she really was.
They needed to leave immediately after the premiere. Which meant they needed to be packed up before it. Regardless of how she felt, she had to listen to him. He was only there to protect her.
Now he just needed to figure out where they would go. They couldn’t stay. They couldn’t go home. They wouldn’t be able to go back home to their families either. If her ex was as smart as he portrayed, he already had eyes on her parents.
Then again, they could go to the clubhouse. Archie may not be a member, but they were family. They’d helped Tabitha before. His father would want to know what was happening.
CHAPTER15
TABITHA
Her leg bounced against the chair as her feet refused to be still against the metal footrest. Hands clenched tight, she would be surprised if she didn’t cut the palms of her hands with her nails. Anything to keep the top half of her still as she waited for them to finish her makeup. Thank god they’d hired someone to do the hair and makeup for the premiere. She loved makeup and taking the time to glam herself up. It was fun.
Her hands had been shaking for the last hour until she sat in the chair. She thought she was going to have to sit on her hands at one point, then the rest of her would probably shake. Tabitha had been on edge since Archie told her the news on the way back to their hotel room earlier.
Her home had been broken into.
Twice now.
It was supposed to be her haven. It was a gated community. It should have been safe. It hadn’t been enough. He’d gotten to her again, even though they were hundreds of miles away. Would she ever find peace again? She hoped.
It was the opposite of that. A storm was brewing, and she didn’t know what to do. It was easier when you were little. You hoped for the one. You hoped for love. You hoped for that fairytale happily ever after. Right now, all she could find was despair.
Archie said they had to leave tonight, they couldn’t stick around. They would catch a flight out shortly after she’d been spotted and photographed on the red carpet with the others. A discreet car was already parked nearby with the luggage safely in the trunk. She didn’t know where they were going. He hadn’t told her yet.
It wouldn’t be her home.
Not that that house had ever felt like it. There wasn’t time to settle in and make memories yet. Part of her didn’t care either. That house hadn’t been the safe place she’d hoped for. She didn’t care if she ever stepped foot in it again.
“All done.” Marissa, the makeup artist, stood back and spun the chair slightly so Tabitha was facing the mirror.
“It looks great. Thank you.” Tabitha never considered herself an actress, but she was having to act like everything was fine. All she wanted to do was scream and yell, but she had to stay smiling and make it through.
Within minutes, she was changed into her gown and on the way to the event. Of course, she was sad she had to miss most of it and the after party. They were always fun. It was where hands were shook and connections were truly made. They hadn’t told anyone they were leaving, they couldn’t.
She’d planned to discreetly tell Max as everyone made their way inside the theater and she excused herself to the restroom. Archie said she should call her agent after they’d already left. For safety reasons, she couldn’t tell them where they were going either, just in case.
Tabitha understood why he was paranoid about it. She was freaking out too. They didn’t know who Ryan had connections with. Right now, Archie was the only one who even knew where they were going after this. First, she had to play the part. Fifteen minutes of the red carpet moment and pretending everything was wonderful. It was the third time she’d been invited to do something like this, but it felt just like the first time.
Exciting and thrilling.
It was the fear lurking in the shadows of her mind that kept her back from enjoying the little bit she should be able to. Like a monster scratching the back of the closet door or the floor under the bed. You knew it was there. Just waiting.
Archie stood three feet back, in a tux. He looked handsome. It’d been a long time since she’d seen him dressed up. She still remembered when he showed up on her wedding day in his uniform. He’d always cleaned up nicely. Her eyes kept flicking back to meet him as she grabbed Max’s arm.
She was sandwiched between the arms of Max, and his boyfriend, Eric, as they stepped forward. They would pause and shift for pictures. Max was pulled to the side with his boyfriend for a short interview, and she turned for another picture. Flashes and shouts went off around them as they made their way across the carpet.
At some point her mind felt like it floated away, as if she were looking down on this moment. Her body moved and turned. Hand on hip before pausing with a smile and saying hello. She vaguely remembered taking part in a few videos on the other cosplayers' phones so they could post on social media about the event.
The entire time, her head was elsewhere. Not that it surprised her. It wasn’t like she had any control over what was happening. This moment of fake peace was about to come to an abrupt stop.
The next thing she knew, they were up the stairs and entering the theater. She glanced back at Archie and he nodded.
It was time.
“Max.” She reached over to touch his arm.
He smiled back at her, then it dropped. “What’s wrong?”
