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  “Thanks.” I lean my head on Chase’s shoulder and slip my hand into his.

  The brief peace is threatened as Jagan comes barreling down on us like a harbinger of sucky luck. I miss the old days when Jagan was a dizzy boho hippy boomer, and he couldn’t wait to return to his comfortable office with central air and filtered water.

  “How are you feeling, Vicki?” he asks. His gaze is so intense I don’t dare answer in the negative.

  “Not bad, but I need to lie down.”

  “I’m taking her back to the town house,” replies Chase. It’s a statement that won’t be challenged.

  “Good,” says Jagan, reaching for me. “I’ll help you, and we can talk while we walk. If this gets out, it will damage the school.”

  I’m draped between their bodies with my arms stretched around each of their shoulders. They’re tall men, and they don’t seem to notice that the soles of my feet aren’t on the ground.

  “Is that all you care about?” Chase hisses.

  “At the moment, yes,” replies Jagan. “As hardhearted as that may sound, I’m here to protect Redwood.”

  Chase scoffs. “You mean cover your ass.”

  He nods. “And that too. Have you ever heard of the show Death to Midnight?”

  Chase looks puzzled and frowns at Jagan for mentioning trivia when shit is piled up high around us. “No,” he replies.

  “I starred in it,” replies Jagan, “and it was canceled after a season. My costar went on to star with Tom Cruise. Meanwhile, I was turned down for a TV commercial for hemorrhoid cream. And now, I’m here.

  “Redwood has treated me well, like a wife who’s devoted to her faithful husband. I’ve given her everything. And I’m not having her reputation tarnished because I was tricked into hiring a child predator.”

  “What about Vicki?” Chase argues. “Marcy attacked her. You’re going to let her get away with that?” Chase pauses then it hits him. “With everything?”

  We reach the door of my suite, and Chase lifts me into his arms while Jagan opens the door using his key card.

  They step into the suite but stay by the front door. Jagan reaches into his pocket and checks Marcy’s phone. He turns it in his hands but doesn’t speak as he stares at the screen. Then he puts it away again.

  “Are you going to watch it?” asks Chase.

  Jagan glances at me and winces. “Not here. I’m putting it away in a safe place. I have to go to the hospital and weep over that woman’s bed. I may not be convincing if I get confirmation on how bad she really is.” Jagan places his hand on my head. For a second, his fingers run through my hair. “Are you spending the night with her?” he asks. “Someone should.”

  “Yes, we’re sort of dating.”

  Jagan frowns, but his meaning is inscrutable. Is he annoyed or disappointed with us even more? “Be careful, Chase. Don’t talk to anyone about this, and especially not with your parents. Get your stories straight.” His hand rests on the doorknob, and he pauses. “When you’re older, you may understand why I’m doing this. Let’s hope success will save you from selling out.”

  Chapter Three

  Vicki

  We stick together because that’s all we can do. We can’t talk to anyone about what happened in the basement. Even if Jagan hadn’t told us to keep our mouths shut, who are we going to talk to? The gossip swirling around the school is bad enough. It’s surreal what happened to me. And every time I think about that woman, my hands tremble with anger and fear. This isn’t who I am. I’m tougher than this. I lived through mega shit worse than Marcy. But for some reason, this is harder to handle.

  I’m relieved when Chase spends a few nights in the suite in Luna’s bedroom. Everyone thinks we’re sleeping together. Having sex every chance we can lay our hands on one another in my tiny twin bed. That is far from the truth. Chase is hot as he walks around the suite in low-hanging sweats, but the thought of being touched…some days it bothers me. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I see Marcy’s face hovering over me again, and I can’t deal with it. I try not to lose it, but it’s hard when you wake up screaming.

  Chase holds me until I calm down, and my body relaxes into his warm arms. He holds me tenderly and banishes the chill that clings to my cold skin. I feel his warmth as he rocks me and whispers that we’ll get through this. We’ll make it to the other side by living one day at a time. What did Marcy do to us? I don’t like that we have a dark secret that binds us to her.

  In the morning, I can’t concentrate on my schoolwork. Finals are coming up in all of my humanities classes, and I sit there in a daze. At the same time, my teachers drone on about some shit I’ve already forgotten. Is it important? Probably. Can I google it? Definitely. The scary part is I’m in class one minute and then walking across campus the next. I’m losing my sense of time, and maybe I need to talk to someone other than my friends.

  Jagan sends me a text, and he’s not the person I want to bare my shadow self to. Besides, I’m sure he’s making sure we’re not talking. I’m thankful that he didn’t watch the video in front of me. The thought of hearing my screams makes my teeth clench. I have to sit down, so I collapse onto a bench. It feels good to let my body go limp and let my mind go blank. I close my eyes for a moment, and next, I feel a hand on my shoulder that makes me scream and jump.

  “Are you okay?” Chase looks concerned as he holds onto my shoulder.

  I shake my head. “I wish I felt like shit because it would be an improvement. How about you?”

  Chase grimaces as he looks over his shoulder at a group of girls who keep staring at him. I recognize the tall blonde who used to hang out with Rosemonde until she left school to be with Alex Richards. The blonde keeps eyeing Chase with a nasty look, and the phrase “teacher’s pet” leaves her mouth loud enough for us to hear it.

  “Let’s take a drive,” he says, “so we can pretend we don’t go here.”

  He drives on the 10 to a Mexican restaurant several miles away from the school. Most students don’t have cars on campus, so we know we can be alone and get a break from the drama. Drama belongs on the stage, not in my life. I look out the window, but there’s not much scenery—dried grass, a few trees, and a lot of strip malls lining the highway. The restaurant is nondescript on the outside, and it’s sandwiched between a Vietnamese takeout and a dentist. We step inside the dimly lit restaurant, and it’s climate-controlled with tall booths, which make it perfect.

  “I wasn’t that hungry,” I stare at the menu, “but now, I’m starving.”

  “Good,” he replies, “I’ve noticed you haven’t been eating that much. You’ve been picking at food and then sticking it back in the fridge.”

  “Does that bother you?” I ask him.

  “Only when you eat the beef and leave behind the broccoli.”

  “Didn’t think you noticed.” I laugh. “I’m glad you’re staying at the suite.”

  Chase tilts an eyebrow and grins. “I’m glad we did this. I need this. I need to talk to someone who gets it.”

  I look down at the menu. “Has Dom said anything about you staying over?”

  He shakes his head. “They can hear my guitar and you singing on the microphone I gave you. Silas says he doesn’t mind the racket from across the hall. He’d mind if it was too quiet.”

  I put my menu down. “It’s not his business how we spend our time.”

  We place our order for two fajitas platters and split a massive burrito. Eating tasty food makes me happy as I slip into a carb coma. Chase closes his eyes while he chews and stretches his arms over his head and cracks his back before he digs in again. Grinning, I pretend not to watch him pig out, but this is what I want with a guy—to stay in this comfort zone.

  He finishes chewing. “Why are you smiling?” he asks. “I’m glad you are, but why?”

  “I think this might be our first date,” I tell him. “Do you remember the first time you took me to the Bait Shop?”

  He smirks. “I still have my hat.” He gazes
at me in a way that makes me feel loved without being touched. It’s an incredible feeling to have someone look at you in that way. Chase tosses his napkin on the table and rubs his eyes.

  “We may move away,” he says, “my brother and me after graduation.”

  I put my fork down. “Where to?” I ask, watching him.

  Chase shakes his head then shrugs. “Don’t know, but Adrian mentioned it again when Jagan was at his town house. He always says it, but now that my parents are getting bad press? We may have to.” He looks at me. “I’m just putting it out there.”

  I nod and pick up my fork again, but I barely eat another bite. If Chase moved away, I could go with him, and he wouldn’t mention it if he didn’t want me to come with him. The time we’ve been together has been a test run, and I like being with Chase. He senses me studying his profile, and he turns his head and stares back at me. I love him, and I could see us together. He’s always been the one who’s rescued me, and sometimes he doesn’t even realize it. My lips turn up into a smile as we finish eating. We step outside, and the sun is setting. I admire the purple ribbon stretched across the horizon as we drive along. Nothing can ruin this moment.

  “I have to ask you a question,” he says, “and just don’t freak out. Did you tell the press about my parents? Or was it someone else?”

  I swallow hard and look out the window. Shit. I thought we settled this, but Chase still wants to know, but what? “I found out, and I mentioned it, but it wasn’t supposed to be any names. It was only to help Luna.”

  “Okay,” he says, “but who exactly told you? You never told me that.”

  The only sound in the car is air conditioning on high, and I can’t decide what I should tell him. If I mention the binders, it will cause massive problems between Silas and Chase. It doesn’t matter that I did it; it matters that Silas had the information. Chase is waiting for an answer. His eyes are on the road, but he’s focused on me. As I swallow, my jaw aches, and my heart pounds as fast as his Lamborghini races down the 10. Trembling, I chicken out.

  “My brother found it on the internet,” I lie so smoothly it startles me. “He’s good at digging up stuff.” I glance over at Chase, and the look on his face is utter disbelief. His bullshit meter is spinning off the charts. He narrows his eyes as if he tries to understand what I just told him. I swallow hard and wait for him to respond.

  “How could that ever be out there?” he asks, trying to imagine it in his mind.

  “Troy looked into the agency, and there was enough of a trail to piece it together.” I take a deep breath. “I did tell Talia, but I already admitted to that. It was to get people off Luna’s case and maybe to have them understand that she was tricked into it. She’s the last person who should be slut-shamed. I didn’t expect Talia to name names. She always runs blind stories.”

  Chase’s lips thin. “You are naïve.”

  “It sounds like you’ve been talking about me.” Why I am being defensive for being called stupid made no sense. I should’ve kept my big mouth shut and never opened it again.

  “Someone’s always talking about you, aren’t they?” His tone is icy.

  I fold my arms over my chest. The thrill is gone, and we’re back to arguing again. “I did what I did for Luna. Not for myself. She’s never bullied me or planted explosives in my cigarettes. Or taken me out into the woods. Or drugged me.”

  “That wasn’t me.” Chase raises his voice and cuts me off. “Who takes care of you, Vicki?”

  “My dad.”

  He scoffs at my jab. “How long do you plan on being daddy’s little girl?”

  Chase glances over, entirely annoyed, and then watches the road. What a shit move to pick a fight in a moving car. I put my purse in my lap and get ready to jump out if I have to. I’ve done it before when I was high, so sober should make it simple. Chase watches me from the corner of his eyes, but his mood lowers into something else. Instead of anger, I feel sadness radiating off him.

  “We don’t have to go back,” he says.

  The desperation in his voice shakes me, and I grip the seat with one hand. “What do you mean?” I ask carefully.

  His words come out in deep breaths. “We could leave, take off.”

  “Run away?” I ask.

  “We’re adults, Vicki.” The certainty returns in his voice. “We can leave if we choose to.”

  “Adults have responsibilities,” I tell him softly.

  The stores are spread out and huge as we leave the 10 and head toward the road to Redwood. I’ve run away before, and it’s not that hard if no one comes looking for you. Chase is right; we are adults, and the fucked-up mess has nothing to do with our choices. The authority figures around us caused it. Marcy is a predator, Jagan is a control freak, and my mother is a straight-up bitch with a broomstick up her ass. She’s angling for my money, and it’s mine, not hers. I let out a long sigh. Dad would be upset because he cares.

  Chase pulls off the road and parks at the far end of a Walmart parking lot. His car always attracts attention but doubly so when we’re not in LA. If we were to run away, we’d need something less conspicuous.

  “What would we do for money?” I ask him.

  His body relaxes into his seat, the tightness in his mouth relaxes, and we’re together in this again. “My money is in a trust. And Adrian’s working to separate us from our parents. I get a chunk of money each year until I turn twenty-one, and then I get all of it.”

  “I don’t have access to mine,” I reply, “And my mother’s being a bitch about it. I don’t know what her money is like. She’s collecting alimony, but she wants more.”

  Chase reaches over, and I take his hand, running my fingers over each of his knuckles and gently back again. “I have enough for both of us, Vicki. We don’t need our parents anymore.”

  Gazing into his eyes makes his plan even more tempting. “Where would we go?”

  “Anywhere we want.” Chase smiles because he knows I’m considering it now and not looking for excuses to shoot him down. “We don’t even have to stay in the US. We could go and live on a beach anywhere in the world.” He moves closer, and my gaze lowers to his lips. “I’ve been there for you. I’ve taken care of you. I’ll keep taking care of you.”

  I want to say yes. I want to throw my arms around Chase’s neck, pull his soft lips to my mouth, and say yes while we fuck in his Lamborghini parked in the Walmart parking lot. But graduation is less than two months away, and I’ve failed everything I’ve started. I didn’t even finish rehab and collect my certificate before I ran away. I let my body fall back against the seat.

  “I can’t.” My voice is soft, but my tone is firm. “I have to finish school first.”

  Chase starts the car and heads out of the parking lot in a diagonal line through the empty spaces. He turns the wheel in his hands while staring straight ahead. His gaze remains above my head as I sink further down into my seat. My spinning emotions are a mix of guilt and disappointment with a bit of anger. I don’t know what to say to make Chase understand that I’m not rejecting him. My decision isn’t personal.

  He speeds out of the exit ignoring the traffic light, and cuts off a pickup truck going through the intersection. The other driver slams on the horn, but Chase keeps going, not giving a fuck for safety or the police. My body tenses as I slam down on my imaginary brake pedal.

  “It’s the timing,” I tell him, “not you. I want to be with you. I like having you around.”

  “Like a pet or a plant?” he bites out, swerving onto the ramp for Redwood.

  “Don’t twist my words so you can feel sorry for yourself.”

  The needle starts sliding back in the other direction as the car slows down. He’s still driving fast, but maybe we won’t be pulled over. I let go of the seat, and my foot eases off the floor. We should be in counseling instead of taking it out on each other. We make it back to school, and I almost tumble out of the car and onto the ground so I can kiss it.

  We go into my suite, and Ch
ase is determined not to look at me. The jitters start deep inside my muscles, and my body starts to visibly shake. I’m terrified that he’ll grab his bags and walk out on me just because I said no. I don’t want to be alone or without him. I stand in the living room and watch Chase as he stands near the front door. He looks at me and then walks down the hallway to Luna’s room and shuts the door. Exhaling, I collapse onto the couch.

  Chapter Four

  Vicki

  Two Palm Springs exist—one is rich, and the other is well, not. Luna’s aunt lives in rich Palm Springs, home of old movie stars who are fading away. This side of town doesn’t hang out at Coachella. I drive by modern white mansions with angular lines plopped down on unreal green lawns. Maya lives in one of these squat boxes that cost millions. I look straight ahead at the road and don’t dare to look at any passersby. They’re a rare sight, but someone’s got to walk the dog.