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CHAPTER FOUR
Ella received one text message from her dad, which said to stay put. Someone he now trusted was coming to talk to her. Jay had brooded since she hung up with her parents, and he exploded over the text. Granted, he’d always been moody, but as the minutes ticked by, he was being borderline passive-aggressive.
“You know, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” Ella said.
He glanced purposefully at the picture. “I can see that.”
Jay stood and paced again then dropped into his chair. “Your people are slow.”
“My people? People who know my grandparents are not my people. Your vote was to stick around, remember? My vote involved fast, with blue-and-white flashing lights. Someone’s going to offer an opinion without judging me. You can leave.”
He muttered something under his breath.
Exasperated, Ella jumped up. “Excuse me? What is your problem?”
“I don’t have a problem.”
“Yes, you do. Which is ridiculous becauseyou’re not the one with the problem.”
He scoffed. “Trust me. I deal with your problems.” He said it as thoughshewere the problem.
Ella crossed her arms. “That’s rich.”
What environmental issue had she touched on that was so bad that it had created a stalker? Or was this because she’d gone on reality TV? She spent all of her time live streaming and vlogging on her website, Eco-Ella—maybe that was why some very concerning people had sometimes fixated on her. She’d gotten even more exposure because Tara cross-posted to other social media sites like Monarch, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.
Had Ella said the wrong thing or commented in a way that had triggered this? Had she encouraged a person that was hanging on by a thread to simply snip that string and lose their marbles? Sometimes, it seemed as though the line was so blurred between entertainer and fan that it didn’t actually exist.
Ella talked to her fans all day long. That was one of the reasons TV and Hollywood threw legitimate offers to her on a regular basis. She had street cred, and they wanted that viral power.
The conference room door opened, and Ella sucked in a breath. She had assumed this Titan Group would call or knock, but no. They let themselves in.
“Ma’am.”
Ella stood, staring at men who, even in streetwear, looked as if they would be more comfortable in SWAT gear. She steadied on her feet, breathing more easily at just the sight of them than she had during any conversation with Jay. “Hi.”
“My name is Jared Westin.” Three men flanked his sides. “We’re friends of your family.”
“Thanks for coming by.” She sounded flustered. She hadn’t expected that several people as large and in charge as them would show up. They were not quite normal men. They seemed more like machines sent to protect her, and they wereclearlyin security.
That type of person made her wary. She’d never met any person who carried a gun and acted tough who didn’t abuse that power. Poachers and pilferers were perfect examples. Her automatic reaction was not to trust badgeless gun carriers, but her dad had said they could be trusted.
Jared’s eyes darted to Jay then to the picture on the table. “With that said, I’d like to speak with you privately.”
Jay heaved, acting like an ungrateful child. “So I’ll just, what, sit here?”
OMG. She gave him a sideways glance to telecommunicate her bit of embarrassment, but he missed her mortified telepathic vibes.
Jared crossed his arms. “Yes. Why don’t you sit your ass still for a minute,my friend.”
Ella froze as if she were one of the statues decorating Capitol Hill. Some people were not to be ignored. And Mr. Jared Westin was one of them.
He pivoted back. “Ella.” It was not a question, not much of anything, and gave no indication of what he wanted.
“What Jay is trying to say is thank you for coming to talk about this,” she said. “I didn’t know what my parents meant. But any advice would be awesome, and—”
“Hang on.” Jared gave her a once-over then turned his entire body in one slow, deliberate motion and stared at Jay, assessing him, before he came back to her. “Winters, Roman, check the office building. Find out what we need to know. Rocco, talk with the boyfriend. Miss Leighton and I will chat privately.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” The words wouldn’t come fast enough, as two of the men peeled out of the room. Ella wouldnevertake ownership of her relationship with Jay after he had been that rude and showed no plans to check his attitude.