AllFreeNovel
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It’s crazy how fast your life can change. One minute you can be performing in front of thousands of people chanting your name, and the next you're in the middle of nowhere watching the man you’ve been crushing on fight over who gets the kill count for the dead man who’s currently on the snowy ground. If you told me a week ago that this would be my reality, I would have said you were insane.
Yet here I stand in front of the window watching it all play out. The dead man’s blood is turning the fresh snow crimson. I should probably be scared or screaming; maybe both. But I’m not any of those things. I lift my eyes to see Diego turn to look at me.
His light blue eyes show no emotion. I give him a soft, small wave that gets me one of his scowls. He stands up to walk to my window. I open it, and the cold winter air flows in, nipping at my skin. I wish Diego would nip at me. All he does is grunt and point.
I step back, but I don’t give him enough room to climb back in without touching me.
“Now are you scared of me?” he asks gruffly.
I've been here for almost two days, and he is always asking if I’m scared of him. I get it. The man is huge. Bigger than the other men that run this lodge. He’s also the quietest of them all.
They saved us when we got stuck in a snowstorm. We were trying to escape hectic popstar life and one particular asshole. I needed a moment to shut down. So we picked a town in the middle of nowhere and started driving with the hopes that no one would recognize me. The good news is, none of the men knew who I was until we told them. Maybe that should hurt my pride. It doesn’t. If anything, it makes me feel free to be myself instead of “Aurora the headliner” or “Aurora the Grammy-winner” or whatever pop princess tag they attach to my name.
Diego doesn’t know about any of it, and I think that’s wonderful. On the other hand, he doesn’t seem to think having me around is wonderful. Not at all.
Three angry scars run down one side of Diego’s face. I bet if I could see him naked, there would be more of them. I’m thinking he may have been in the military or something at some point. I’m not sure what he did there, but I’m guessing it was something involving special ops.
It’s not like he’s going to tell me. He never talks. But he does a whole lot of staring at me. Especially when I’m going on and on about things. The hard lines on his face make him look as though his face was carved out of stone. What always gets me are those striking eyes of his. They are the softest blue I’ve ever seen.
“Who was he?” I ask my own questions instead.
“He was trained well, so I’m guessing an assassin.”
I swallow, my mouth suddenly dry. I have no idea what these four men do here in the giant lodge. They said they’re retired but never said what they are retired from. All I know is that they’ve been nothing but nice to us since we got here. I'm pretty sure Clover is in love with Charles. She isn’t only my friend, but my assistant, too. By the looks of it, I don’t think she has plans of ever leaving here now. I can’t say that I blame her. I’m happy for her. She needs to slow down. We all do.
Being Aurora Davenport is definitely starting to wear me down, and I’ve only been at this for five years. Being a pop sensation was not originally in the cards for me. But then a few of my videos went viral. I never would have thought that my singing would bring me this level of success. I don’t want for anything anymore, besides privacy.
“Do you think it was an assassin for one of you guys or me?”
His eyes roam down my body and then back up.
“You.”
I drop my head and stare at my feet. Diego insisted I needed socks, so now I’m wearing two pairs of his, and I’m still in the shirt I snagged from his closet. I’ve been making myself right at home in his room. He never tells me to get lost, but then again he’d have to actually talk to me in order to do that.
Socks aside, someone is trying to kill me. And I know exactly who it is. “I never thought he'd go this crazy. I can’t believe he would hire someone to kill me because I wouldn't go out with him! The whole thing has been insane.”
“I would.”
My head jerks up.
“If you were mine, I’d kill anyone that got in my way to get to you. Are you scared now, mykrasota?”
Something clicks in my brain at his question. Maybehe’sthe one that’s actually scared. He’s been keeping me at arm’s length the entire time I’ve been here. But he’s also kept a close watch over me. So maybe he’s interested, but worried, too?
Does he think that I’m going to hurt him? That in a few days I would up and leave? That was likely true. We’d only planned for this to be a short escape for us. When we get back to the city, we’re supposed to start recording a new album, and I have no doubt a tour will follow. A few years ago, the thought of traveling and touring excited me. Not so much anymore. The thought actually fills me with dread. I know I should be grateful for everything I have, but I can’t help but dream what it would be like to live a normal life again.
“Are you scared of me?” I ask him the same question. I don’t think I’m going to get an answer, but he surprises me.
“Terrified.” With that, he stomps out of his room and leaves me alone. I follow after him. I don’t make it two steps out the door before I’m being lifted. Diego picks me up by my hips and puts me back into his bedroom. “Put pants on, or you don’t leave the room.”
“Why? Would you get jealous if I walked around like this?” I tease him. It doesn't work. His face gets even stonier. I huff out a breath and find my pants from the other day. I put them on as he looks everywhere but at me.
Life has opened so many doors for me. Things that people only dream about happening. Usually anything I want is dropped right into my hands.
Except Diego. I want him, and he's running scared. But I’m not a quitter, and I’m not going to let him get away. I have a few scars myself that I know without a doubt he could help me heal.
I have a new ‘mission,’ as Clover likes to call it when it’s time for a game plan. This time the plan is to break down Diego’s walls. He doesn't have to take them all down. I just need to chip away at them until there’s enough room for me to slip in there with him.
