Page 16 of Awestruck (Starstruck Love Stories #4)

“Where are you?” That shouldn’t be my first question. It doesn’t matter where he is or what he does with his time, but my curiosity is too strong. My cousin’s world is so completely different from mine, and I have no idea how a guy like him would spend his evenings.

“Uhhh.” He draws the word out, like he’s trying to come up with a believable lie. “Technically? I’m on a date.”

“A date?” Again, none of my business, but for some reason that surprises me.

According to the internet, Derek hasn’t dated anyone since breaking things off with his still-a-friend ex-girlfriend, Bonnie, and he seems to keep to himself otherwise.

It takes me way too long to realize the implications of what he said, and I wince.

“Oh, uh, this can wait if you need to get back to—”

“She’s fine. What’s up? It’s the middle of the night there.”

Right. I feel weird about interrupting his date, but if he’s willing to talk, I’ll gladly get some answers. “Tell me about Hollywood Hot Scoop.”

He lets out a heavy sigh that sounds so weary that I almost think it’s the middle of the night for him too, even though it’s around seven in California.

“What did they do this time?” But his voice is distant, so I’m pretty sure he’s already looking up the article.

He swears under his breath, then says, “I guess it could be worse, and you weren’t mentioned this time around, which probably means their source wasn’t all that forthcoming. Has she seen this yet?”

I’m assuming he’s talking about Freya. “Like you said, it’s the middle of the night.”

“Right. Outside of Hot Scoop being a pain in the butt, how are things going? I haven’t heard from you for a couple weeks.”

Did he expect to? He told me to figure it out, and that’s what I’ve been doing.

I’m pretty sure Freya trusts me now, if our most recent interactions are any indication, and that’s really all I need from her.

Instead of answering Derek’s question, I ask, “Should I be worried about this tabloid causing problems?”

“Hmm, that depends on if they start following your campaign trail. They are generally pretty harmless, but when they want something, they’re not afraid to play dirty.”

“Freya told you about her plans,” I guess, my voice shifting to more of a growl. I don’t love that she’s spreading information around, even if I trust Derek for the most part. It’s easier to keep her safe if fewer people know where she’ll be at any given point.

Derek chuckles. “Not in detail. She’s smarter than that, Elliot.”

“I wasn’t implying she isn’t. But I…” I need to sleep and stop being so paranoid. I need to trust in the men I have here with me because I certainly can’t trust myself.

That last thought settles heavy in my gut, leaving me slightly nauseous. Gregor may have planned a lot of this trip, but he’s trusting me with the minutia, and I’m no stranger to the adage that the devil is in the details. It’s details that got Griff killed.

Swearing under my breath, I shake my head as if that might shake the thoughts away. My friend’s death wasn’t my fault. I couldn’t have changed the outcome of that mission. I know that. But my heart doesn’t always agree with my head.

“El.” Derek’s voice is soft. “You’re good, right? Because I’m trusting you to look after my friend. If you’re not okay, then—”

“I’m fine.” I’m less fine knowing he somehow knows what’s running through my head from more than five thousand miles away. He can’t know me well enough to know my demons, even if he’s one of the few people in the world who know why I left the Forces in the first place.

I never planned to tell him, but Derek has a way of convincing people to talk to him. When we met, I had just left my detachment, and since he’s the only family I’ve got…

“You know it’s okay to not be fine, right?” he says, though it’s obvious in his wary tone that he thought about not asking that question.

I scoff. “Says the man who can do no wrong.”

“The internet doesn’t know everything.”

Is he talking about himself? Or are we back to talking about the tabloid? I’m too tired to ask. “Any tips for combating this stupid website? I thought you of all people would have the right connections to get them shut down.”

He sighs again. “You and me both.”

Before I can respond, it sounds like a door opens on his end of the call, bringing the distant hum of the same noise I heard before. A sweet, feminine voice says, “There you are! I was worried I lost you.”

“I should go,” Derek says, his voice thin. “I’ll try to keep an eye on Hot Scoop in case they flip a switch and start getting nasty.”

“This isn’t nasty?”

“You have no idea. Take care of—”

“Freya, I know. You’ve said.”

“I was going to say take care of yourself. You don’t have to overcomplicate things before you have reason to.”

“Derek!” the same woman says, much closer to the phone this time. “They want to take some more pictures of the two of us together.”

I can’t help but chuckle. “Sounds like I interrupted something fun.”

“Call or text whenever. Good luck, El.”

“Who’s El?” the woman asks indignantly right before the call ends.

Chuckling, I sit on my bed and let the darkness settle over me.

Derek’s life really is so different from mine, and I would be perfectly fine with keeping it that way.

I’m going to do everything I can to avoid being in the spotlight like he is.

Like Freya is. That’s not a life I’ve ever wanted, and I don’t know how they live with that constant scrutiny.

I need to protect Freya from that too before things get ‘nasty,’ as Derek put it.

With that thought, I stretch out on the bed and do my best to fall asleep quickly.

It doesn’t work as well as I hope.