Linking her arm through mine, Rory skipped along through the baking hot festival ground in the Southern Californian desert. We were out past Joshua Tree National Park, but close enough to home for both me and my bestie to get time together.
In teeny shorts, halter necks, shades, and low baseball caps, we matched, and I blended in with the people around me at the Campfyre music festival.
A security guard stalked me from a careful distance, a condition of my contract, but so far so good—not one person had made the connection.
Not that I was billed to be here, and besides, the blonde hair made a big difference.
It had been dyed for my previous movie, and I’d kept it to feel safer coming here, fulfilling the agreement with my rock star acquaintance.
Plus I had a statement to make.
Nerves racked my belly.
Soon, I’d be face to face with Leo and his crew. In the past few months, we’d both been so busy we’d only managed brief messages about the performance, him sending a piece for me to learn, me returning recordings for him to correct. We’d rehearse it for the first time today then perform onstage tomorrow evening.
He’d said nothing about my shitty treatment of Cameron but offered his support for the exposing news articles. At a guess, he could be playing nice because we were tied into working together.
Except he’d given me an out, if I’d wanted it.
I didn’t understand.
“Greta texted me again earlier.” Rory veered to a stall, peering over her sunglasses at a display of pretty daisy bracelets before dismissing them. “She’s still so upset about what happened.”
Greta, my once-friend who worked at the riding stables, and with whom I’d destroyed Derren’s car, had been the source of the leak of that piece of juicy gossip. She’d confided in her younger sister who’d passed it on to her new boyfriend in an attempt to impress him.
Yet another example of how I should never trust anyone.
“Tell her it’s fine. She didn’t know that her sister was going to blab. It was my fault for agreeing to do it. I can’t blame anyone but myself. Live and learn, right?”
We continued on in the direction of the artist-only area. Here, the crowd thinned.
Rory hugged my arm. “That therapist you were seeing, did she think this performance was a good idea?”
“I didn’t tell her about it entirely. Only that I needed to make a statement. Take the power back.”
My friend nodded sagely. “After pussy-gate.”
“Pussy-gate, but other stuff, too. She gave me coping techniques but she also suggested I stop acting for a while.”
“Holy shit. Are you really going to quit?” Rory asked.
I chewed my lip. “Well—”
A shoe hit my sandaled heel from behind, and I stumbled. My bodyguard loomed over us. Too close.
I stared up at him. “Ow.”
“Sorry,” he intoned.
“Could you give me a little space?” I asked.
He inched back, still too close for comfort.
At the security gate to the artists-only camping area, I held up my pass then twisted around to my clingy guard. “We’re good from here.”
The big man’s lips flattened in a line. “I’ll stay with you.”
“No, really. I’ll call you if I’m going to walk out in the crowds again.”
“I’m not supposed to leave you alone.”
Rory waved. “What am I, chopped nuts? She isn’t alone. I’m with her.”
The man worked his jaw. “I don’t think—”
“No one paid you to think,” my friend quipped. “You’re here to protect Elise from the public. We’re not in a public area now. Take the afternoon off.”
“I’d appreciate it,” I added, just to be polite.
The guard grimaced but wheeled around and left us to go into the secure zone.
I elbowed Rory. “What’s with the queen bitch-mode?”
She led me through the gate, beaming. “I’ve been practicing. I hate how people treat you like you don’t know your own mind.”
“I like that he’s gone.”
“He isn’t one of your usual guys. Who sent him?”
“Janelle. Or maybe Mom. I can’t remember.”
“Do you think he’s a spy? He was over interested in our conversation.”
My thoughts drifted in another direction. Inside the gate, people mingled, smoking pot while music played. Highly important management staff barked into phones and stalked around between makeshift offices and artists’ accommodation. I had an RV for Rory and me to sleep in at the other end of the site.
We were here to see Leo.
Down the end of the dust road, a truck was being unloaded. Gordain, Leo’s father-in-law, stood nearby, talking with other beefy men in the same uniform of black t-shirts and cargo pants.
I clutched Rory. “That’s Leo’s people.”
“Are you nervous? If anyone’s mean to you, they’ll have to answer to me.” She put up her fists and mimed boxing. “I am here to fight your corner.”
My bestie and I were similar in appearance, both petite and brunette, even if my hair no longer matched. But Aurora was all I’d been before Dad died, before Derren, pussy-gate, and life in general. She was an artist with a love for life, plus fewer boundaries than me, and a dose of adrenaline on top. All her feistiness fronted a good and loyal heart.
I loved her deeply and wanted only good things for her.
That was the reason I’d kept my darkest secret to myself. It would cut her up. I wanted to keep her just as she was, not scarred like me.
We arrived at the truck, and I waved awkwardly. “Mr McRae. It’s Elise. We met at your home. Is Leo here yet? I’m supposed to be meeting him.”
Leo’s father-in-law turned from his duties and regarded me, tattooed arms flexing as he propped his hands onto his hips. I flinched, anticipating harsh words. At the meal we’d had in their kitchen, he’d treated Cameron like a favourite.
Cameron. So long as I didn’t think too much about him, I could get through this weekend.
Gordain gave a wide smile. “Aye, sweetheart. I remember. Good to see ye again. I’ll give Leo a shout. Vi and the bairn are napping, but he’s around.”
He strode over to a collection of accommodation vehicles, and I swallowed my surprise.
After a moment, Leo appeared. I schooled my features into the purely professional face I’d cultivated in the past couple of months. My wildness was tamed, no more car smashing for me.
Then my efforts fell away as two men strode out behind Leo.
Cameron, all in black, sunglasses on, and with scruff shadowing his jaw.
Max sauntered along with him, but all my attention stuck on the man I’d wronged.
Here.
Handsome as all get out.
Fuck.
My mouth opened, and I snapped it closed, forcing my attention to Leo who ushered me into a light hug.
“You’re here already! Viola will be out in a second, she just woke up. How cool is this?”
“Hey, Leo.” Awash with far too much feeling, the nature of which I couldn’t fully recognise, I forced through my stumbling and gestured weakly at my friend. “This is Rory.”
Leo stuck out a hand, then thumbed to the two men at his side. “Cameron and Max.”
Rory’s eyes widened. “The Cameron? As in, of the car? Yikes.”
She knew the story. I’d told her about the kissing, too. Now I prayed she’d shut the hell up.
Leo tilted his head at Cameron. “What about a car?”
Heat rose up my throat, no doubt staining my already hot skin.
With no show of emotion, Cameron raised a shoulder. I hated that I couldn’t see his eyes behind his shades. Max had removed his, Leo, too.
“I gave Elise a driving lesson. She drove through brambles. No damage done.”
No damage done. I’d been in pieces over our encounters for months, and no damage done? Why was he protecting me?
My heart squeezed, and I advanced half a step. “Can I talk to you?”
Cameron remained a sentinel. “No.”
“Thirty seconds of your time. I had no idea you’d be here.”
“Sorry. Not now.”
Quiet tension rippled through our group. Out of the corner of my eye, I witnessed Rory exchange a glance with Max.
“Elise!” Viola threaded her way between the men, her baby bound to her in a sling. She’d kept a little weight of post-pregnancy and looked all the healthier for it. Likewise, in three months, Baby G had changed. He blinked at me with bright eyes under his sunhat as his mom wrapped me in a sideways hug.
“I’ve been so looking forward to seeing ye. Thanks so, so much for the baby gifts. Ye really shouldn’t have done so much. I must admit I’ve loved receiving your parcels.”
True to the advice Cameron had given me, I’d taken the effort to choose personal gifts for Baby G. And for Viola, too. It had become a regular thing. Whenever I spotted something I liked, wherever I was, I packaged it up and sent it to the castle. A tiny but warm hat with ‘I love snow’ on it. A beautiful handknitted blanket I’d found in a yarn store. Gorgeous-smelling body rub for new moms.
“I enjoyed it, too.” I stroked Baby G’s tiny hand, my smile for him entirely natural.
“We’re going to have so much fun.” Viola beamed. “This is the first time we’ve been out anywhere since the baby was born. Are ye staying here as well?”
“Rory and I are on the other side of the festival park.”
I made the introduction.
Rory greeted Viola and grinned at the baby. “Who’s this little guy?”
“He’s Finn, but everyone calls him Baby G.” Viola waved his hand in greeting.
“Why are you so cute? First festival, Baby G?” Rory gave him a mini fist bump.
More, her interest was on Cameron, the unmoving made-of-stone Highlander who was so obviously beyond pissed at me.
With every right.
Leo clapped once. “Elise, we should get started. Rehearsal time is tight. You and I are onstage tomorrow night. We’re still doing this thing, right? It’s unannounced so far.”
Rory answered for me. “Oh yes, she is. She hasn’t shown her face in months. Not since pussy-gate hit.”
Identical expressions of pity fell on me. I didn’t mind it from these people, but I really I didn’t want it from strangers. Nor the censure or abuse I might get walking out onstage. I couldn’t let anyone have power over me like that. Especially not those who’d seen my exposure with delight.
Hence my need to make the story my own.
“That was the worst,” Vi said quietly. “No one here would’ve looked at those pictures. I hope ye know that.”
She’d said as much in the supportive messages she’d sent. I’d limited my replies, sure that at any moment, Viola’s regard for me would drop. Cameron would tell her all, and she’d hate me.
Except he hadn’t.
“Of course we didn’t,” Leo added. He looked at Max and Cameron.
Cameron’s expression said it all.
Max raised his hands. “Vaginas on the Internet. Totally not my thing.” A devilish grin followed. “What? I’m kidding. It was a gross invasion of privacy.”
“Thank you.” I sucked in a breath. “I’ve got something in mind for addressing pussy-gate. If it works with the show.”
“You’re so brave. And ye have all of us here in support.” Viola cupped my elbow.
A fresh wave of emotion rolled through me.
Leo gestured to their RV, and I guessed the makeshift rehearsal space. “Can’t wait to hear it. Follow me. I have a guitar with your name on it.”
Two hours later, I set aside my borrowed semi-acoustic and stretched out my fingers. Since spring, I’d practised Leo’s song, Thief, endlessly, the activity giving me well-needed focus in my lonely evenings.
Across the RV, Viola, snuggling Baby G, gave a happy sigh. She’d joined us to hear the song played through, Leo’s lyrics only so far.
“I can believe how good ye sound already. The song is amazing. People are gonna go nuts. Ye have a real Taylor Swift vibe going on.”
“Not going to lie—I love her. That’s a real ego boost.” I’d listened to her folk songs on repeat, matching my pain to her lyrics. Viola’s comparison was incredibly flattering.
Leo set his guitar aside, his forehead lined with worry. “Elise has some of her own lyrics, too.”
“Oh yeah? Can I hear them?”
I twisted my lips, anxiety stalling me. But fuck it. I’d written them with the intention of playing in front of thousands. What difference should it make if Viola heard them now?
Solo, I played Leo’s song and sang my new words.
At the end, the couple gazed at me.
In simple lines, I’d changed the thief in Leo’s lyrics to the photographers who’d stolen moments from me, and then the person who’d taken more.
The theft of my mental state by the abuse of my body. All by someone who’d claimed to love me.
It didn’t take a genius to unpick my message.
Viola rubbed her eyes. “Shite. That’s beautiful, but…are ye sure ye want to get up onstage and share that?”
My pulse thrummed in my ears. “No, but I’m going to do it anyway.”
Leo worried at the edge of his nail. He had more to say, but it had taken everything in me to get this far.
I assumed this weekend would be traumatic, with only Rory for a lifeline. It had been easier to imagine performing with hostility around me. The fact that Leo and Viola were still friendly…
I shot to my feet, placing the borrowed guitar on the couch. “You guys must be tired. New parents and all. I’ll get out of your hair. See you tomorrow.”
On that note, I fled their RV.
Rory had announced that she was hanging around, so I picked up my phone to call her. I should notify my security guard that were ready to walk back across the site, but the man had given me a strange feeling.
“Over here.” Rory waved from the steps of a trailer.
Two other women sat with her, all with a glass of wine in hand. Naturally, she’d made friends.
She waved them goodbye and joined me. “How was that?”
“Good. Nerve-racking. I just hope I don’t get shouted off the stage. Leo didn’t veto my words, but I don’t think he approves.”
“Whatever you decide, I’m here for you.”
I hugged her hard, grateful for the light she gave me.
“What do you want to do now?” Rory asked.
I’d only flown back to California yesterday and probably needed sleep. My therapist told me to look after myself. Good rest, good food, putting my physical state first so my mental state didn’t have any additional strain.
“Dinner to go, then we can hide out in the RV. I haven’t seen you in so long, and we have so much to catch up on. Ugh. But I don’t want that guard hanging around us anymore.”
From the end of the row, two men emerged. Cameron and Max.
My heart again beat out of time. This time, in the dark, Cameron’s sunglasses had gone, but his new close-cut beard was a difference I studied. Hard. He hadn’t needed the added maturity, but it suited him all the same.
Max nudged his cousin. “Oh look, the object of your non-conversation.”
“Mouth shut,” Cameron warned.
Rory perked up. “Hey, are you guys going out? We need to get back to the other side of the site, but Elise isn’t allowed to mingle in the crowds without protection. Help a girl out? Her bodyguard is the worst.”
Cameron’s gaze sliced to me. “What’s up with the guard?”
“He’s a spy,” Rory mock whispered. “Seriously. He was all over Elise like a rash. No personal boundaries. You’d be doing us a huge favour.”
Cameron watched me for a long moment, his previous easiness nowhere in sight. “Is that what ye want?”
I swallowed. “Please.”
“We’ll take ye.”
The men moved ahead, and I waylaid Rory. “Can you distract Max? I need to talk to Cameron alone. Pretty sure he’s going to avoid me otherwise, and I need to say my piece.”
“You’ve got it.” At the gate, Rory ran her arm around Max’s. “Oh wow.” She patted his biceps. “Someone works out. Tell me about yourself, I want to hear more of that sexy accent.”
I stepped up to Cameron, emerging into the festival park alongside him. “So—”
A hand landed on my shoulder. I squeaked in alarm and whipped around.
My bodyguard loomed over me. “I’ve been waiting for your call.”
I shrank back. “I don’t need you right now.”
“That’s not how this works.”
I blinked at him. “I get to decide that. Not you.”
“My contract states that I have eyes on you whenever you’re in a public place.” He gestured around with a meaty hand, his expression sarcastic.
Alarm curled inside me.
Security guards didn’t behave this way. They were polite, often bored, and very happy to be given time off.
Cameron moved before I knew it had happened. In a fast switch, he’d placed himself in front of me. “She said no, pal.”
The guard gritted his teeth. “Who the hell are you?”
Cameron looked him up and down, an inch or two taller than the guy, but far less bulky. Yet his body language was unmissable. It spoke of innate strength and coiled power.
“She needs security detail, correct?” He held up his ID. “I’m that. She asked me to escort her. She doesnae need ye.”
Cameron was a security guard? I recalled that Gordain protected Leo, so it made sense that he’d bring his nephew into the operation. I peered around him to witness the guard glower.
“Who is this guy?” the guard queried.
“No one. Just another one of you. But who won’t tread on my heels.” If I said anything else, it would end up in the press.
“I’ll have to call this in.”
I gave him a hard look. “You do that. Goodnight.”
After a short staring match with Cameron, the security guard took the hint and left. Relief replaced my panic. Now I had the chance to undo a tiny degree of the damage I’d done, and I summoned my strength.
Though Cameron had just stepped up for me, I wasn’t about to pretend to myself that he was being anything more than Leo’s friend.
My heart constricted again. I wished that circumstances could be different. That we could go for a drink together. Be friends. But I only had this single shot at redemption, after which I was certain Cameron would never speak to me again.
