Page 30 of Vain (Tempest #2)

Chapter Thirty

MATILDA

I have the mother of all headaches. But even as I wish for a break from the pain, I’m well aware how lucky I’ve been. It’s just hard to see the silver lining when your head throbs like a giant heartbeat.

I squint as the door opens. I so badly want to play it cool, but I dissolve into tears when I see Aiden. At the sound of my first sob, he curses before I find myself in his arms. He holds me tight enough to hurt, but I refuse to pull away. I need him more than I need to breathe.

“I got you, Tilly. Let it all out.”

He doesn’t tell me to be quiet or grateful that it wasn’t worse. He lets me be, something that shouldn’t be as shocking as it is but is a testament to the treatment I’m used to.

I pull away enough to look up at him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry all over you.”

“I’ll take your tears over your blood any day. Fuck, I’ve never been so scared in my life.” He presses a kiss to my forehead, careful to avoid my stitches.

“I kept asking for you, but they made me wait. I was worried you’d left.”

“What? Why? When have I ever given you the impression that I’d ever walk away?”

“You haven’t. But I can’t help but feel like, at some point, you’ll realize how much work my life is.

You live in a small town with a tight community and friends who love you like family.

My own family would throw me to the wolves if it would benefit them, and they wouldn’t even hesitate.

I have all this money and things, yet nothing to offer you. How pathetic is that?”

“I don’t give a fuck about any of that shit. All I want is right here. All I need is you.”

I look up at him and find myself stunned because I believe him. He means every word he says. A comforting heat warms me from the inside out, chasing away the ever-present cold.

I lift my hand and run my fingers lightly over his stitches. “We match.”

He closes his eyes and leans into my touch.

“I love you.” It falls from my lips before it’s even a conscious thought. I suck in a sharp breath as Aiden freezes solid. “Shit, I’m sorry. It’s too soon, I know. I tried to stop, I swear I did, but?—”

My words are cut off when Aiden’s lips cover mine. I swallow my embarrassment and return the kiss with equal fervor until he pulls back and looks down at me with lust-glazed eyes.

“Say it again.”

“I love you,” I whisper, feeling a tear slip over my cheek as the weight of the moment presses on me in silent anticipation.

“Thank fuck. I thought I was the only one.”

I blink, his words shocking me, though I have no idea why. He’s shown me exactly how he feels all along. And just like that, the weight is gone. In its place is a sense of peace I never knew I was missing.

A knock at the door has us both turning to look at it. I swipe my tears and frown when a stunning woman walks in.

“Um…hi?” Dressed as she is in leather pants and a jacket, I doubt she’s a nurse. Please don’t let her be a reporter.

“Hey, I’m Reese.”

“Shit, sorry, Reese,” Aiden apologizes.

“No worries. You wanted to get to your girl. I can appreciate that.”

“You two know each other?” I look between them.

“Just met, actually, but we have a friend in common,” Reese answers as she moves closer.

“Oh, okay,” I reply as if that clears everything up. It doesn’t, of course, but I’m not sure what else I’m supposed to say.

“Reese is here to keep guard until we know what the fuck is going on.”

I study him then, listening to his words but, more importantly, listening to what he’s not saying.

“You don’t think this was random, do you?

” I mean, I knew. Of course I did. People don’t just try to run you off the road and start shooting at you, right?

Still, I couldn’t help but hope it was a case of the wrong place and the wrong time.

Because if this is my stalker, this is so far beyond Post-it notes and dead flowers.

“No. I think it’s way too much of a coincidence to be random.”

I sigh and run my fingers through my hair, wincing when they snag on a knot. “I’d have no luck at all if I didn’t have bad luck,” I grumble.

“I know it feels that way, but you survived. Just like you did last time. If someone is trying to kill you, Tilly, you keep foiling their plans. That makes you lucky in my book.”

“Silver linings,” I whisper before turning to look at Reese. “I’m not sure how you got roped into looking after me, but thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Us girls have gotta stick together. Besides, I was in the area. It’s really no big deal.”

“It is to me. I don’t really have a lot of people that come running in a crisis.”

“I don’t know…it seems to me you might have more people than you think.” She squeezes my foot as her eyes move to Aiden. “You got a plan?”

“I’m waiting on some info. Matilda managed to snap a couple of pictures of the truck chasing us. Banner is looking into it. He’s gonna get back to me with what he finds. For now, we wait.”

“There were a couple of cops out there before. The doctors told them Matilda was in CT, but they’ll be back.”

“I figured they would.” Aiden sighs, looking down at me. “You up for talking to them? Because if you’re not, say the word.”

“I’d rather get it over and done with. Just please tell me it’s not the asshat from my trailer.”

He chuckles, taking my hand and kissing it.

“I’ll see if I can find them and send them your way. I have a couple of calls to make, so I’ll come back once they’re done,” Reese offers.

“Sounds good. Thanks.” Aiden nods as she leaves us alone once more.

“She’s a bodyguard, too? I can see it. She has a badass edginess to her that says she could snap my spine before I blinked.”

He grins before toeing off his shoes. “If Arlo trained her, she probably could.” When I frown, he shakes his head. “I’ll explain another time.”

“Okay.” I move over, making space for him as he hops up beside me. Once comfy, I settle down into his embrace. “Thank you for getting me out. I heard one of the nurses saying you dragged me from the car, worried it would catch fire.”

“I could have caused you more harm than good.”

“It was an impossible choice but the one I’m glad you made. I could handle a wheelchair. I couldn’t handle being burned alive.”

He holds me tighter, and I soak him in.

“I should call the studio and tell them what’s happened.”

“Already got Greyson to do it. I called him when you were still in CT. Don’t be surprised if he and Marley turn up. The guy was beside himself.”

“He’s been the father figure I needed so desperately growing up. I love them both dearly. They are more family to me than my parents ever were. I’d be frantic too, if I got the call saying one of them was in the hospital.”

“I’m glad you have them, baby.”

“Me too.” I grin, and it’s true. “My life is better because I have them in it. They showed me what love and compassion were. They also taught me about self-worth and that saying no was my absolute right. Unlike my mother, who refused to let me say no to anything.”

“That’s a fucking dangerous thing to teach a kid.”

“You have no idea. I had to do auditions in front of directors and producers, grown men who were intimidating, and I was often alone. Before being shoved into a room with them, I was told to do anything they asked me to.”

“Fuck me,” he snarls. It’s no secret what can happen behind closed doors.

Hollywood was built on the shoulders of skeletons that slid from the elites’ closets, many of which came to light during the Me-Too movement.

Abuse might happen behind closed doors, but it’s an open secret that the movie industry is fraught with it.

Exposing these monsters is not an easy feat.

Many of the victims who spoke up found their careers over instead of the man who abused them.

“Nothing happened. Not one single time. There were no inappropriate touches or sexual innuendos, and if there were any favors asked of me to secure a role, I was completely oblivious to it all.” I’m very fortunate to have worked with good people, especially during my formative years.

Sometimes, they were strict and perhaps worked me harder than a child should work, but none ever crossed any sexual lines.

For that, I’m eternally grateful. I have enough scars to deal with.

“So fucking lucky.”

“I know that now. As a kid, I didn’t know any different?—”

Tapping at the door cuts me off. It opens before I can say anything else, and two police officers enter.

“Miss Carson. Glad to see you looking a little better.”

“Thank you…” I leave the sentence hanging until he offers his name.

“Sorry. I’m Officer Nolan. This is Officer Sullivan. We want to ask you a few questions about what happened.”

“Sure.” I start to sit up, but Aiden holds me tight. “They can hear you just as well when you’re lying down.”

One of the cops chuckles, but I just roll my eyes, which, in hindsight, wasn’t such a good idea. That hurt like the dickens.

“Okay, Miss Carson, take your time. When did you first notice something was wrong?”

“We were talking. I can’t even remember what about now. I turned to look at Aiden and saw the truck barreling down on us. If Aiden hadn’t sped up, the car would have hit the driver’s side window.”

Officer Sullivan makes notes on his pad as Officer Nolan frowns. “So they weren’t aiming for you specifically.”