Page 37 of Vain (Tempest #2)

Chapter Thirty-Six

AIDEN

The backlash was immediate. We hid away that weekend, desperately needing to rest and recuperate after the crash, which meant ignoring social media and the news stations.

I’m not sure if that ended up being a blessing or a curse.

In one sense, it was good because it gave us a chance to reconnect with each other after a long few months.

On the other hand, the reality of what was happening outside those gates was a major fucking shock to the system come Monday morning.

And it didn’t let up. Even now, six weeks after the stupid fucking interview, people were still scrambling to get comments and interviews from Tilly, and also me.

Thanks to Hattie’s interview, people began digging.

We didn’t hide what we were to each other and most struck gold right away.

This fed into Hattie’s statement and half the world developed a conspiracy theory of our relationship.

The other half thought it was a fairytale.

Bodyguard falls for his charge. There’s danger around every corner and a villain waiting in the wings, ready to rip it all away.

The whole fucking thing was exhausting. It was weighing on me like an albatross around my neck, but it was so much worse for Tilly.

All the steps forward had been for nothing as she slowly pulled back into herself.

I worried if I wasn’t there, holding her close, she’d try to simply fade away.

I’ll admit, I was becoming increasingly worried about her.

She called Zoe less and less, worried that if people found the connection to her, they’d ruin a life that had already been broken more than enough.

All that was before Cora decided to cash in on her five minutes of fame.

That woman could give Hattie a run for her money.

Of course, Cora’s story was fabricated to make her sound like the wronged party, making me sound like the victim of a manipulative actress, and casting Tilly as the true villain.

I was already at the end of my rope with that woman. Now I was ready to hang her with it.

The guys back home, who have been seething on our behalf, had already begun dismantling Hattie’s life and were now set on ruining Cora’s, too. I, for one, couldn’t be happier about it.

There had been no sign of Daniel and no comment from him or his team.

But every day since he was picked up for questioning, a delivery has arrived at the studio for Tilly.

Everything from more dead flowers to chocolates crawling with maggots, each gift is accompanied by a single Post-it note bearing a smiley face.

After the first week, I stopped letting Tilly near them. I had them taken immediately to the police station. Not that they’d had any luck figuring out who was behind it all. I’m just glad today is the last day we have to come here and deal with this bullshit on the regular.

“That’s a wrap, everyone!” Tilly calls, snapping me out of my thoughts. The room bursts into cheers and rounds of applause.

I watch as Tilly ducks her head shyly before looking around the room for me.

Once her eyes land on me, she smiles, looking relieved, which breaks my fucking heart.

I know how much making this movie meant to her and I’m gutted it cost her like it did.

There are only so many brave faces and fake smiles you can wear before people start to see through the costume.

As people swarm her to offer congratulations and thank yous, I make my way over, knowing she’ll be feeling overwhelmed.

It reminds me of a conversation we had months ago about her fear that her stalker could be one of the very same people standing there fawning over her, touching her joyfully while stabbing her in the back.

I step up beside her and slide my arm around her shoulders, buffering her from the crowd. I feel her relax almost instantly.

“Can I say something?”

I tune into one of the supporting actors, Darren. He’s older than most of the rest of the cast, closer to Greyson’s age at a guess.

“Of course,” Tilly says softly as the room quiets down.

“I know it’s none of my business, but I’m old, so I can get away with it better than you young’uns.

” A few people in the crowd chuckle, but most of us remain quiet and wait for him to finish.

“I’ve worked on a lot of movies over the years.

Some are wildly successful, and some I’d rather erase from people’s memories, if I’m honest. I will say that working with you, Matilda, has been both an honor and a pleasure.

” There’s more clapping and cheering for a moment as Tilly looks up at me with damp eyes.

“I know you have a lot of shit swirling around you right now, and in some regards, it’s the nature of the beast. I wish I had half the strength and integrity you showed, when I was your age.

I know this movie is gonna be special. I could feel it from the start.

But even if it flops, this will still be one of the movies I was most proud to be a part of.

So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, Matilda. ”

Tilly is sobbing now. I turn her into my arms and hold her as I look at Darren. “Thanks, man. I think she needed to hear that.”

“I get it. If I ever see her fucking mother, I’ll ring her damn neck. I never did like that woman.”

Tilly laughs through her tears and turns her head to look at Darren. “You just made my day.”

He winks at her. “I live to please my lady.” He bows before disappearing into the crowd.

Tilly looks up at me, her cheeks damp with tears. I reach up and wipe them away before kissing her. “Congratulations, baby. You did it.”

“God, don’t start me off again.”

I grin, then hold her in my arms as more people come over to talk. I have to say, for the most part, everyone on set has backed Tilly one hundred percent. That’s what made the difference in the long run. They didn’t let Tilly down, and she refused to let them down either.

By the time we’ve all had celebratory drinks and finger foods and said goodbye to everyone, it’s almost 8 pm.

“You tired?” I ask as I walk her out with my arm around her shoulder.

I eye the couple of guards who took over for Cox Security after the studio severed their contract with them.

They nod politely to me as we pass. Once we get to the truck, I open the door for Tilly to get in before walking around to the driver’s side.

She looks at me when I get in. “Thank you.”

“For what?” I ask bemused as I buckle in and start up the truck.

“For being everything I never knew I needed.”

“I’ll admit, it’s all for purely selfish reasons.”

“Is that so?” She grins as I drive up to the guardhouse.

“Have you looked in a mirror lately? You’re hot as fuck.”

Her peal of laughter is a balm to the undercurrent of rage that’s been simmering since the crash.

When the guard indicates that I should lower the window, I do. “Is there a problem?”

“I hope not. But a gentleman is here to see you. He said he knows you. I wouldn’t let him in, of course, with everything happening. But he didn’t have a vehicle, and I didn’t want the paparazzi to find a new target, so I had him wait around the corner with Jimmy.”

“Thanks, Andrew. I have no idea who it could be so it was a good call to make him wait.”

“I did try to call down, but nobody answered.”

“Ah shit, I should have checked. With the wrap party, things got pretty loud. Has this guy been waiting long?”

The guard looks at his watch. “About forty minutes.”

“Alright, I’ll deal with him. Thanks again. Have a good one.”

“You too, sir. Ma’am.” He tips his hat to Matilda, who waves at him. I wait until Andrew lifts the barrier before slowly heading in the direction he pointed.

“Who do you think it is?”

“Probably Marley or Greyson.”

Matilda shakes her head. “They’ve been here before a bunch of times. They’re on the approved list so Andrew would have let them through.”

“Huh. I don’t know then. It’s not like I’m out here making friends.”

“Crap, you don’t think it’s Daniel, do you?”

I turn the corner, and before I can answer, a familiar face jumps up off the bench. “Holy shit, it’s Kellen.” I stop the truck and climb out. Once he reaches me, I pull him in for a one-armed hug.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“I’m on a super-secret mission. Besides, I missed your ugly mug. Hello, beautiful,” he adds as Tilly steps up beside me.

He pulls her into a hug. I see her stiffen at first, but eventually she relaxes in his arms and hugs him back.

I look over his shoulder at the security guard just behind him. “Thanks, man. I’ll take it from here.”

“No problem, Mr. Church. Have a good evening, folks.”

“Thanks for keeping me company,” Kellen calls out as he lets go of Tilly.

I tug her into my arms as I look Kellen up and down. “You look a fuck of a lot better than you did the last time I saw you.”

“I feel it too. Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m starving.”

“Which hotel are you staying at?” I ask as we all climb in the truck, Tilly beside me, Kellen in the back.

“None yet. I came straight here from the airport, but I’m not picky.”

“Don’t be silly. You’ll stay with us of course,” Tilly says.

Kellen leans between the seats so he can see her better. “Are you sure? I won’t be offended one little bit if you’d rather I find a room for the night.”

“I’m sure. You’re family, right?”

“Damn straight.” He kisses her cheek, making her jump, before he sits back and buckles in.

The press is waiting outside as usual, though they seem to be thinner on the ground, thank fuck.

“Ah, the blood-sucking vampires are out in force still, I see,” Kellen observes.

I snort. “Trust me. This is nothing.”

We make idle chitchat on the way home, and Kellen has Tilly in stitches a half dozen times. This is what she needed, what we both needed. Some kind of fucking normality.

We pull up at the gatehouse. The new guy is manning the little hut. Damned if I can remember his name. He waves us through when he sees who it is.

“He seems friendly,” Kellen whispers loudly, making Tilly giggle.

“Be nice. He’s the new guy and we all know how much that sucks.”

When we pull up to the house, Kellen starts rapping the theme music from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme.

“This isn’t Bel Air, and you’re no prince you idiot. Get out of the car,” I tell him.

“Aye-aye, Captain.”

I turn to Matilda as he gets out. “I feel like I should apologize in advance.”

“Please don’t. I think he’s hilarious.”

“Ugh, don’t tell him that. His head is big enough as it is. Come on, let’s see what Marley’s left for us. Food is the one thing that’s guaranteed to keep Kellen quiet.”

I jump out, but before I can walk around and grab Tilly’s door, Kellen—the asshat—has beaten me to it.

“Quit touching my girl, dammit.”

“I’m touching the truck door.”

“I still don’t like it.”

“Fuck me, you’re worse than Blake.”