More Than Famous (Famous #2) (20 page)

Ethan just made the rounds and was a total party animal. Always laughing and making jokes, he tried many times to get me into a better mood, but I just kept to myself and continued to order Crown Royal on the rocks, and downed them like they were water. I hoped that maybe eventually the boorishness of the evening would fade and even better, that the evening would come to an end and it would be tomorrow sooner.

Earlier that day, they guys came over to help me unpack all of the furniture and get it somewhat in order. Wendy stopped over, too, and I wondered how in the hell she knew I was in town or how she got my address. The furniture was delivered the day before and rather than have the delivery people set the bed up in the wrong place, I instructed Denise to have them leave it in pieces, but when we started to put it together it was discovered there were no screws. I had to go get some and Wendy hopped in the new navy blue Mercedes to tell me where to go.

I knew in my gut that it was a fucking bad idea, but I didn't give a shit about anything in that moment. She acted normal and didn't try to come on to me, so I hoped maybe she and I could get back to some sort of friendship. After all, we had to work together in two months, and I didn't want any awkwardness, especially around Brook.

Wendy was Brook’s friend long before I met either of them and I didn't want to be the cause of a break in their relationship. As long as Wendy respected my boundaries and didn't antagonize Brook, I was willing to be cordial to her.

Unfortunately, there were paparazzi waiting.
How in the hell does that always happen, and, at a hardware store of all places?

It was completely innocent but I knew I'd have to explain the pictures to Brooklyn, but that she'd understand. She knew how Wendy was always looking for a photo op and the papz always knew where she was and when.  It was just too convenient to be a coincidence.  Jesus... it was messed up.

Sitting at the table, my head fuzzy, I realized it was about 11:45 and I longed to be with Brook. New Year's Eve... our first one, and we weren't together.

Bloody hell
!

That's when I saw Wendy. She moved through the crowd toward me with a determined look on her face and a drink in her hand.

"Hey, Cade. How are you doing? Are you having a good time?"

"Not at all. Will there be another photo op tonight, Wendy, because if so, I will fucking lose it."

"I don't know what you mean." She smiled coyly at me. Her tits were totally hanging out of her dress, the bodice so tight it was ready to burst.

“Of course not,” I said in disgust
.
I turned away from her and took another drink from my glass.

Ethan was on the other side of me and I felt Wendy touching my thigh, rubbing her hand closer and closer to my crotch.

"Wendy, stop. I thought we could be friends, but you can't leave me the fuck alone."

I grabbed her wrist and removed her hand from my leg. "
Fucking stop!"

She leaned into me and I pulled away again. "Cade.” She leaned in closer, her voice seductive despite the din of the place, and I could feel the heat of her breath on my neck. “Brook isn't here. She's with David. She's still with David, so why are you resisting me?"

Brook was not with David. Of this I was certain.

She ran her hand down the back of my head and pressed her breasts into my arm.

I slammed my drink and turned toward her one last time. "It's Midnight Cade. Kiss me." She put her arm around my neck and tried to pull my head toward hers. I shoved her from me with more force then I meant to and she stumbled back.

"Get the fuck off me, Wendy!! I'm in love with Brook, okay?" I yelled right into her face, unconcerned with where I was or that I was in public. "How many bloody times do I have to tell you that?" I ran a hand through my hair in exasperation.

 The expression on her face looked like I'd slapped her.

Good. Maybe she'll finally get a fucking clue
.

I ordered another drink from the bartender and took Ethan by the shoulders, manually moving him next to Wendy.

"You and I are trading places, man. Keep that bitch off of me. I'm bloody begging you."

Ethan turned toward Wendy, but she was already storming out of the bar.

Thank you, Jesus.
I sighed in relief.

I sat back in my chair and resumed my love affair with the whiskey in my glass.

THE CAB PULLED
up to the curb in front of Cade's new apartment in a secluded neighborhood of West Hollywood. It was inconspicuous and not very celebrity-like, which was so like Cade. I jumped out; the excitement flowing through like a river as I threw some money at the driver.

“Thanks!”

My skin was flushed and my heart was pumping. He’d sent me a text a couple of hours back and I couldn’t wait to surprise him like he’d planned on surprising me.

Happy New Year, my one and only love... I miss you and wish you were here

Well, here I am, babe
, I thought.

It was 2:10 AM, and so I hoped that Cade would be home from the club the gang had gone to, though he might not be. If not, I'd text him and tell him he had a surprise waiting for him.

I found the apartment and could hear soft music coming from within as I knocked. I was fidgeting and looking around the hallway, but excited because apparently he was still awake. It wasn't anything expensive or ostentatious, but that was right up Cade's alley. He would want to blend in and just be normal, which suited me as well. Maybe then we'd get some time to ourselves without the stalkers.

The door finally opened and I turned toward it with a big smile on my face, which quickly faded. My heart fell to my feet and my breath left my chest in a big whoosh.

"Well, well, well... if it isn't little Miss Halloway." Wendy was standing wrapped in Cade's comforter from his bed and nothing else. My heart began to beat so fast and I could feel the blood rush to my face as heat flooded under my skin. I felt sick to my stomach. "What are you doing here, Brook? Cade said you were in New York."

I struggled to speak; I couldn't breathe, I couldn't feel my legs. I could feel myself crumbling, and my heart exploding into a million pieces.

I stumbled back from the doorway like I'd been shoved, "I... I need to talk to Cade." Tears were welling in my eyes and I couldn't see anything but a watery blur of color. "Now, Wendy."

"Isn't it a little late for
best friends
to come calling? He can't come to the door now. He's sleeping. Poor thing, I completely wore him out, but he was so fantastic. My legs are still shaking."  Her expression got hard and mean as she stared at me. She had to know by looking at me I was completely devastated. “You didn’t think you’d be able to keep a man like Cade satisfied, did you? Get real, Brook.”

My whole body was shaking as I struggled for breath. "But... "

"I'll tell him you were here," she laughed wickedly as she shut the door in my face.

I dropped to my knees right there as I fought for breath, I couldn't move as the silent sobs racked my chest. I don't know how long I huddled there, hunched over my knees as the pain ripped through me.

Dear God... please no
.
No, Cade! My mind screamed as my heart burned.

Tears poured from my eyes as the sobs continued in silence until finally I pulled in a tortured breath. This was pain unlike anything I'd ever experienced, slicing through my body like a white-hot knife.

I didn't care if I died; in fact I wanted to. Anything to stop this unbearable ache the throbbed through me like a living thing.

I couldn't see where I was going as I pulled myself up and tried to leave, each step away from him torture.

I stumbled along the wall, until I found the entrance and out into the street. The cold air hit me in the face but my body was numb; my mind racing and heart aching; I prayed for it to cease beating so the pain would stop.

I don't know how it happened, but somehow I ended up in the back of a cab telling the driver to take me back to LAX so I could catch a flight back to New York. Back to my fucking life before Wendy and Cade ripped it out from under me.

I prayed it was only a nightmare and that I’d wake up from the unbearable pain.

I didn't remember any of the flight, moving through the airports or getting back to the hotel. I didn’t call Jeanne, I didn’t have bodyguards… it was only me alone with the pain.

I was like a zombie until I hit my hotel room, and then it was if a dam burst and I completely lost my mind. I cried and screamed like I'd never done before, clawing at the bed, at my skin, cursing at God and at Cade... until I had no tears left, until my head ached so much I could barely stand it, and until I couldn’t utter another sound.

The pain was physical, tangible... sucking my life away.

My life had ended in thirty seconds.

Over.
Just like that
.

Dear God, please let me die... because to keep on breathing hurts too fucking much
.

OKAY, NOW I
was getting worried. Brook told me the day before she'd call before she left New York and it was 6 PM and I hadn't heard a word from her. This day had gone completely to hell from the moment I woke up this morning. My fucking head was pounding like a jackhammer and it hadn't stopped all day. Couple that with ten bloody unanswered phone calls to Brook, and it couldn't get any worse.

I had one hell of a hangover courtesy of the multiple shots of whiskey I’d consumed the night before. So many, I couldn't even remember how in the bloody hell I got back to my flat last night. I was feeling sorry for myself because I couldn't be with Brook, and maybe I'd let it get a little out of hand. I wasn't usually one to go off the deep end but where she was concerned, my emotions ran raw.

The whole night was a bloody blur besides a few highlights, if you could call them that; Wendy annoying the shit out of me at the bar, the loud music endlessly throbbing in my head, signing a few autographs, and a ridiculous amount of drinking.

Brook, I'm getting worried now. Please call me back
. I sent a text since she wasn't answering the calls.

In about thirty seconds I would be forced to call Jeanne or Diane to find out what the bloody hell was up. What if something had happened to her? My heart thumped inside my chest, and the panic I'd been fighting all damn day, rose up anew.

I tried to relax and unpack some of the boxes of books and clothes my mother had shipped over from London. Another hour pulsed by at a snail’s pace. I tried to make myself a sandwich, mostly because eating was what I thought that I should do.

Fuck
!

I wasn't hungry anyway. This was the longest I'd gone without some sort of contact with Brook since we met. I was going out of my mind with worry.

What the fuck was going on?

I pulled out my phone and dialed Jeanne, Brook's manager. She’d accompanied her to New York, so surely she’d know where my girl was.

"Hello? This is Jeanne." Her voice was a little frantic as she answered.

"Jeanne, its Cade."