“You're shaking,” he says in a gentle voice. “Calm down. You're safe.”
Then he rubs his eye, which I realize is starting to swell.
“I think I gave you a black eye.”
He grins at me. “You did a good job.”
“Not good enough. You pinned me in two seconds.”
Cobra Cooper strikes again, quickly pinning me on the bed.
“Now what am I supposed to do?” I say as I reach up and gently touch his quickly swelling face.
He grabs my hands and pins them above my head.
My breathing starts to speed up a little.
“If something happens today. To me. To you. If he gets you. You need to know how to get away. I suspect this is a position he will want you in.”
I look up at his hand strongly gripping mine. Run my eyes down his tightly straining muscles His rock hard body.
But it’s Cooper and he’s not scary.
“You just relaxed. That's exactly what I was getting ready to tell you to do. It makes you feel like less of a threat. Look at me like you want to kiss me.”
I lock eyes with him. Raise my chin toward him, slowly licking my bottom lip.
“That’s exactly right. Because you’re not fighting me, I’m not gripping your hands as tightly. Can you feel that?”
“Yes.”
“What do you notice about my body?”
I open my eyes to look at him.
“No,” he says. “Leave your eyes closed. Use your body.”
I raise my hips up toward him, which causes him to push into me.
“What do you feel?”
“Your hips.”
“Yes, but if I were your assailant, I would be aroused. He’s been dreaming about having you in this position for months. He’s been planning and scheming and finally, you are his. And, even better, you’re submissive, so he thinks you want him. Which makes him feel powerful and in control. But he’s not anymore. Now that he’s aroused, he’ll loosen his grip. He’ll be vulnerable. What are you going to do?”
I press my lips firmly on his.
He responds by pushing his hip into me and kissing me back. I pull away from the kiss, pushing my head deeply into the pillow as I rock my hips into him and make a little moan.
“That’s it,” he tells me. “This is when you make your move.”
“I could head butt you.”
“Do it softly.”
I push my head into his. He reels back, but when he does, he sits on me. His full body weight trapping me.
“Shit. That didn’t work. All that would’ve done is pissed you off.”
“Exactly.”
“So what should I do?”
He gets back in his previous position.
“Push your hips back up. Feel how much space there is between us?”
I remember a wrestling move that Logan put on Jake.
I use the space to flip him over and sit on top of him.
“You're supposed to run away now. Not sit on top of me.”
I grab his hands and push them above his head, putting him into the position he just had me in. “What are you gonna do now?”
Cooper smiles big enough to form deep dimples. “That was a good move. But this isn’t some movie, Keatyn. This is real life.”
“I wish we were in a movie,” I say, suddenly exhausted. “Then I could control the script. And no offense, but if I controlled the script, you wouldn't be here. There would be no Vincent.”
There's a knock at his door.
My eyes get big.
Cooper effortlessly flips me off him and then pushes me into the bathroom. “The window opens to the fire escape. If I don’t come back, you go out that window and run.”
I start to shake again and get tears in my eyes.
I grab Cooper and hug him tightly.
“I’m coming back,” he says, grabbing a black handgun off his dresser and creeping downstairs.
There's another knock.
I hear Cooper answer the door.
Part of me is praying it’s Vincent. That Cooper will shoot him and this will be over.
Instead, I hear Whitney yell, “Keatyn, are you here?”
Cooper says in a calm voice. “You can't come in here. And, no, she isn’t.”
“I saw her get in the car with you. Where is she?”
“I dropped her off at her dorm.”
“I was just at her dorm. No one has seen her.”
“I’m not sure what she did after I dropped her off.”
“You have a black eye.”
“I'm sorry, Miss Clarke, but you need to leave. If you are concerned about Miss Monroe, I'll be glad to call the dean for you.”
“No, um, that's okay.”
Cooper shuts the door and turns the deadbolt. I shut the window, thankful not to have to crawl out of it.
Then I duck when I see Whitney peering back at the house.
“She’s a pain in the ass. I’m going to call Garrett to have some reinforcements sent in. I want a couple people just outside the school’s gates. Tell me what happened. How do you know that he’s here? Did you see him in the audience?”
“No. A stagehand gave me a ridiculously huge bouquet of flowers. The card was only signed with the chaos tattoo that Vincent got. And I was freaking out because I don’t have my locket on. I had to take it off for the play.”
While he’s on the phone with Garrett, I check my phone. I have a bunch of missed calls from B.
I decide to call him back.
“Keats! Wow!”
“Wow what?”
“You were amazing and I haven’t even seen it all yet. I wanted to come, but I figured that would be too dangerous. So I called a local videographer and paid him to record the play today. I’m watching it now. Keats, you did so good. I’m so proud of you. Did you get the flowers?”
Relief crashes over me like an ocean wave.
I drop my phone and start crying.
Cooper walks back in the room, picks up my phone, and says, “She’ll call you back.”
“What happened?”
“The flowers were from my ex, Brooklyn. They weren’t from Vincent. I’m sorry. I panicked when I saw the chaos tattoo. He and I both have them. I hate this!” I scream. “I hate that I can’t even get surprise flowers from a boy without freaking out!”
“Calm down. You did the right thing. Sit down for a minute. I need to call Garrett back.”
I throw myself across his bed.
Cooper shakes me. “Hey.”
I wake up with a start. “I think I fell asleep.”
“It’s called an adrenaline crash.”
“Yeah, I guess. I suppose I better get back to my dorm.”
He takes me downstairs and hands me the big bouquet of flowers that B sent. “I went and got them for you.”
I look at them and smile. “I should’ve known they were from him. The aqua blue ribbon is almost the same color as his eyes.”
“Maybe you should call him back.”
“Yeah. Do you care if I call him from here? I don’t want my friends to overhear anything they shouldn’t.”
“Go ahead. I’ve got a faculty meeting to attend. Just lock the door when you leave.”
“Thanks, Cooper. Did Garrett get mad?”
“He wasn’t mad. But I didn’t tell him what we have planned for tomorrow.”
I call B.
“What happened? Who was that guy?”
“I’m sorry. Thanks for the flowers. They’re beautiful. I just freaked out because I thought they were from Vincent. I thought he found me.”
“Who was that guy?”
“It was Cooper, my bodyguard.”
“You have a bodyguard?”
“I do now, yes.”
“How did you not know the flowers were from me? I signed it with chaos. Even did the bow the color of the ocean.”
“I told you that Vincent got a tattoo just like yours and he rubbed it against me in Miami.”
“I didn’t even think of that. I’m so sorry I scared you.”
“It’s okay.”
“I just finished watching the play. You were amazing, Keats. Really. I’m going to figure out a way to get rid of Vincent. Then you can come home and act. We’ll do a schedule. I’ll still travel but we’ll spend as much time together as possible. Tommy and your mom always make their schedules work. We’ll do it too.”
“Brooklyn, would you really be okay with me acting? With all that goes with it? The red carpet events. The tabloids. The magazine covers. Kissing my co-stars.”
“I’ve been going to clubs.”
“What?”
“I know. But that’s what all the guys like to do for fun while we’re on tour. I didn’t really get why you like it so much. But it’s the energy. The crowd. That’s what you love more than the dancing, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, probably.”
“I love you, Keats. I know I was a jerk about your party. About dancing. About your dress. It wasn’t slutty. You looked amazing. Like always. I was pissed at myself. I knew the second I left guys would be lining up for you. I just didn’t know what to do.”
“What if you got a do-over? What would you do differently?”
“I’d ask you to be my girlfriend. We’d figure out together how to make our relationship work. I’d be the only boy kissing you on the dance floor. And if I ever get the chance to walk with you on a red carpet, I’d be there. I’d even wear a suit.”
“Really?” I say, holding my hand to my heart as my eyes fill up with tears.
“Really.”
Monday, November 7th
Sandy castles.
4am
Cooper and I leave in our separate cars from school, meet up at the airport, and do our cross-country tour to get to Vancouver without leaving a trail.
When we get to the house my family is leasing, a shocked James meets us out front surrounded by four security guards.
“What are you doing here?” he asks, eyeing me suspiciously.
“What do you think I’m doing here, James? It’s Gracie’s birthday.”
“Who’s the guy?”
“This is Cooper Steele. Garrett hired him to be my bodyguard. Why are you acting so weird?”
“Since Vincent followed your mom to New York, we’ve been worried that you might not be enough for him.”
“What do you mean?”
“We think you’re both in danger. That’s why you haven’t seen any pictures of your mom and Tommy together. She refuses to go out in public with him. She won’t even ride in the same car with him.”
“Why?”
“She had a dream that Vincent shot them both. She’s afraid it was a premonition, and she doesn’t want the girls to grow up without at least one parent.”
“That’s horrible!”
“Garrett is also worried that he could use one of you as bait. In order to get you both.”
“Has he been following Mom?”
“She always has someone following her. It’s rarely Vincent, but we know he’s hired someone. And he watches the house. You shouldn’t be here.”
“Why don’t you make him go away?”
“Because he sucks at his job and is easy to spot. If he’s there, we know Vincent is probably not.”
“Wait. Is that why you brought the hulks with the guns out here? Why you haven’t let me in the house? You think I’d bring Vincent here? Where my sisters are? Are you nuts, James?”
“I’m sorry, Keatyn. I assume no matter what that you’d want me to keep your sisters safe. Is that correct?”
I nod as tears flood my eyes.
I was so excited to come here. I thought everyone would be happy to see me.
I turn toward the car. “I have a present for Gracie. Will you please give it to her and let her know it was from me?”
I open the car door and ask Cooper to unload her present.
“We’re clear.” I hear from a walkie-talkie.
Cooper has been standing stick still but ready to strike. He hasn’t said a word until now. “That means you get to go to your sister’s birthday party.”
“I’m sorry,” James says to me. “I’m just doing my job.”
I nod as we’re led through the front door of a sprawling contemporary log cabin style home.
Mom rushes down the stairs. “Keatyn! Why are you here?”
“I came for Gracie’s birthday. I couldn’t miss it.”
She looks really nervous to see me, but she quickly hides it with a smile. “Did Brook know you were coming?”
“Uh, no. Why?” I reply as Tommy and Mom give me hugs and I introduce them to Cooper. We briefly explain how Vincent is in Miami doing his auditions, so we knew that my coming here would be okay. Cooper also fills James in on our no breadcrumbs trip here.
We follow Mom out to a lush backyard.
And there, sitting in the middle of a huge sandbox, is Brooklyn, building sand castles with the girls.
“B is here? I just talked to him yesterday and he didn’t tell me he was coming.” My eyes fill up with tears again as my heart feels warm and full.
I grab my mom’s hand. “When did he get here?”
“Late last night. He had a sandbox and a truckload of sand delivered this morning.”
“I told him she wanted to build sandy castles with him.” I yell out, “Gracie!”
Gracie turns toward the sound of her name, sees me, jumps up, does something similar to the Snoopy happy dance, and then runs straight to me. I bend down as she catapults herself into my arms.
“Happy birthday, Gracie!”
“Happy birthday to Kiki,” she says back.
Then all the girls come running over and gang tackle me into the grass. Covering me with hugs and kisses.
Gracie screams, “No! My Kiki!”
The other girls back off as a hand reaches out to help me up.
A deeply tanned hand attached to a thicker than usual arm.
I grasp his hand as he pulls me to my feet and into a hug.
“I can't believe you're here.”
He gives me a lopsided grin. “I brought sand.”
I look into his warm blue eyes. Eyes that engulf me with more emotions than the ocean could hold. Eyes that make me feel like I’m riding a wave.
The eyes of home.
Gracie tugs on my hand causing me to break eye contact with him.
“Kiki! Come make sandy castles!” she screams.
I follow her to the sand box, sit in the sand, and start building a castle.
Gracie plops down in B's lap and stares at me.
“Gracie blow out candles,” she tells me.
“You already had cake?”
“No,” Avery says. “We had waffles for breakfast and she got candles in hers.”
Ivery says, “I didn't have waffles. I don't like waffles. Icky.”
Emery shakes her head. “I love waffles. They are my very favorite!” Then she lowers her voice. “Sometimes, Nanny lets us have waffles for dinner.”