Page 37 of The Starlet
We sit in silence. He sips his drink, and I stare at mine. “Think she’ll join you?”
Why does he want to know?
I hesitate, my mind reeling with possibilities. “No, I think she’s up there for the night.” I sigh and push my drink away, tossing a twenty-dollar bill on the table. “Have a good night, man. See you on set tomorrow.”
I leave and take the stairs back to our room to give her some added time alone. I text Jimmy the guy’s name and ask that someone follow up with a check on him. I reach the door and open it. She’s sitting on the balcony looking down at the pool. When I slide the door open, she doesn’t acknowledge I’m there.
“You know I really like you, and I’m happy we’re together, right?” she asks.
“Yeah, I know.”
“I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m worried aboutyou. Don’t worry about me, Elle.”
She looks up at me as I stand on the balcony. “I know what I have to do.”
What the hell does that mean?
Chapter 23
I hada little bit of time to figure out this plan. I received a text from a restricted number, telling me to meet him at the bar. I responded, asking him to call me so we can talk instead. We have a date in an hour, and I hope I can get to the bottom of all of this. He needs to back off and leave us alone, and I need to get Brad out of my hair for a while.Come on, acting skills, don’t let me down now.
“I need some time alone. All of this is moving fast, and I don’t want you stuck in any cross fires. I’m going to head to my room for the night.”
“I don’t want you to be alone, Elena.”
I scoff, “One night alone isn’t going to kill me. I need time away from you.”
He flinches as he takes a step toward me, and I hold my hand out, stopping him. “You know I’m doing this to keep you safe. After what happened with Jasmine, I can’t go through that again.”
“I know, Brad. I get it. I just feel… stifled. I can’t go anywhere alone or do anything. Hell, if you thought someone was going to be in the bathroom waiting for me, you’d follow me in.” I toss my arms up and huff.
He presses his lips together, waiting for my tantrum to end. “Why are you getting so upset?”
I stand to my full height and glare. “I need time to sort this all out. I need you to leave me alone.”
His face turns red, his jaw ticking.I’ve hit a nerve.He walks to the door and holds it open for me. “We’ll talk later.”
My stomach clenches, and I hold back tears that are trying to escape. I straighten my spine and leave his room, walking down the hallway to mine. I turn when I reach my door to see him still standing there, watching. I open the door and let it close shut behind me.
“Well, now, I feel like shit,” I mutter out loud to myself.
My phone rings, and I look at the ID. Restricted call.
I slide the green button up, accepting the call. “Hello?”
He pushes out a deep breath. “Elena. Thank you for answering. There’s so much we need to discuss.”
I’m shaking I’m so nervous. “Okay.”
“I’ve been trying to get through to you. Have you been receiving my flowers and gifts?” I try to think, and the only thing I can remember getting from him was the single rose with a picture. I go to answer, but he starts talking again. “I left them in your trailer.”
My heart beats in my ears, and it’s hard to swallow. Brad hasn’t been leaving those gifts for me. It’s been him.
I clear my throat and swallow. “Y-yes. I got them. Thank you. How did you get them in my trailer?”
“How come you’ve never said anything? You never acknowledged them or responded to any of my requests.”