Page 50 of The Starlet
He scoffs, “You and I didn’t meet there. It was a year ago. You were dating some uppity asshole that paid more attention to the people around him than you. You snuck off for some fresh air, and I followed you out to the balcony.”
I watch Elena as he tells his story of them spending a short amount of time talking as each enjoyed the night air. Her eyes widen, and she tightens her arms around herself.
“Josh,” she whispers.
“You said you would call me, Elena! You never planned to though, did you?” He stands and waves the gun around. “I spentweekswaiting for you to call so we could go out for coffee or chat or something. I thought we had a real connection. Then, when your asshole boyfriend came to collect you, you left me there like yesterday’s trash.”
“Josh, you have to know that I get a lot of phone numbers handed to me. It’s not an excuse, but I normally toss them on my way out. I didn’t do it to be malicious.”
He scrunches his face and clenches his fists. He’s almost shaking from the anger coursing through him. “How about social media? I sent you friend requests and messages that went unanswered.”
“I don’t check my social media. I have someone that handles it for me.” Her voice is soft, pleading.
I lean forward, closer to him. “Josh, why don’t you give me the gun? We can sit here and have a rational talk.” I reach my hand out to him, hoping he hands it to me without a fight.
He sneers at me. “You’re the reason why we can’t be together now! You had to charm her, but you’re going to be like everyone else and leave her heartbroken. I’m the only one who can make her happy!” he yells.
Is this fucker that delusional? Where is Jimmy to arrest this guy?
He stands and points the gun to my chest. My heart is beating so fast, I think it’s going to pop through. I refuse to let this be how it ends. I stand to my full height, a few inches taller than him, and stare down at him.
“I love her, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. You being here like this isn’t keeping her safe. You’re toxic. She doesn’t love you. She willneverlove you. You lost the chance when you started this.”
His jaw slackens as the shock of my words sinks in. I see movement out of the corner of my eye, and I pray that’s them coming to take this lunatic away. Last thing I need is for him to get a whiff of other people in the house. There’s no telling what he’ll do if he feels threatened. I keep my eyes focused on him and continue.
“Elena and I have shared a lot through this. Do you know who she came to after youscaredher with your gifts in Vancouver? How about the fact that, because of you, she wasn’t allowed to be alone on set?”
“You’re lying. I would never do anything to hurt her. She knows that.”
He turns to look at her but is met with the barrel of a gun and a man in a bulletproof vest.
“Put the gun down,” Detective Greene says.
Josh looks over the detective’s shoulder, searching for Elena, but she’s already been taken out of the room and out of harm’s way by Jimmy. It’s now or never. He needs to decide how much further he plans on taking this and if he’s going to back down or not. The three of us are frozen in our standoff. I hear movement around us, but I refuse to take my eyes off Josh.
Your move, asshole.
Chapter 31
Everything is happening so fast.Josh has crazy eyes and keeps the gun trained on Bradley. I’m frozen in place by sheer fear.How did it end up like this?What if I’d called him like I said I would? A million questions and what if scenarios run rampant through my mind. Why the hell didn’t I just call him like I said I would? We wouldn’t be in this situation now if I had given him the time of day. He could have been a nice guy; we might have been friends.
Time seems to have stopped. The sound of beating drums echoes off the walls as they seem to close in around me. My breathing is ragged, and my body trembles with fear. I lock eyes with Bradley, and he looks so calm even with a gun pointed at his chest. I try to reach forward, to break through the tension that is thick and palpable. I don’t even realize someone is in the room until Jimmy reaches his hand out and stops me.
I turn my head, and he places his finger to his lips, reminding me to keep quiet. My head moves with an almost imperceptible nod in understanding. We retreat to the safety of the back hallway by the stairs before my urge to fight kicks in.Bradley is still out there with that monster!
I try to speak, but Jimmy shakes his head. I strain to hear voices in the other room and start imagining the worst. Brad is still in there with that psychopath, and there’s nothing I can do to stop what’s happening. I squeeze my eyes shut as tears slide down my face in a steady stream. My throat burns from trying to hold back the sob that’s threatening to break free.
When I hear a gunshot, I scream and try to run toward the noise. Jimmy wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me against him.
“Let me go!” I squirm and hit his arms, trying to loosen his death grip on me. It only causes him to squeeze me harder. My muscles are on fire, so I sag back against him, a choking sob breaking free as the exertion proves to be too much against his brute strength.
Please, let him be safe.
I send a silent prayer up as I wait for any kind of news. I’m sure only a few minutes have passed, but it feels like an eternity of waiting. Detective Greene walks around the corner first, a grim look on his face.
I hold my breath. The contents in my stomach threaten to make an appearance. I feel the blood coursing through my veins as I wait for someone to speak.
Bradley walks around the corner a moment later, and I rush to him, jumping into his arms. He wraps me up in a warm, tight embrace as I press my face into his shoulder, the tears flowing from my eyes.