Rampage (A Night Fire Novel Book 4) (6 page)

Chapter Nine

I woke from my sleep, Seph had pulled into a gas station to fill up and eat. We had only been apart for a couple of hours and already I missed Evan. He was going to pack some clothes and drive down in his own car. Of course, I would imagine that Jaxon will be joining him. He seemed pretty attached to Seph.

I rubbed my eyes and pulled down my glasses. The sun was far too bright for me. As she filled the car, I went into the little cafe, hoping that coffee might wake me. The magazine rack in front of the counter was littered with tabloid magazines and yours truly was the head liner. I took one of each and ordered coffees for Seph and I, then found a table.

The first one was pictures from Seph's twitter account, the whole trip was time lined. Far out. Me in the hotel room, me in the chair at the hairdresser with my new hairdo, at the restaurant, in the chair talking to Evan, the pub. Shit she had got one of us doing body shots, thankfully before I became bra less. God, asleep in the round bed with Evan sprawled over my back, spooning against me. Breakfast, shopping, lunch. I really am going to shove that phone...

“Hey check it out.” she chuckled as she sat opposite me. “Aw cool.”

“Cool?” I hissed.

I turn the page over, fuck. Wedding photos, huh, the tattoo parlor again. God, getting the piercing. More clubs. Oh god no... the woman at the strip club.

“Seph... why?”

“You wanted the good girl image gone, well, job done.”

I groaned as I closed the magazine to find the next one. This one was from someone that had stalked us from the very first night. I hadn't realized that paparazzi were following us. So regardless of what Seph may have put out there, it was going to be out there anyway. No wonder Bill was trying to call me, he was probably trying to tell me that I was being followed. Maybe I should listen to the messages. Seph's phone pipped with a message as she read it she sipped her coffee, nearly choking as she spluttered.

“Damn.” she breathed heavily. “Look.”

She handed the phone to me, it was a message that someone named Artie Franklin had forwarded to Jaxon. The message read
harmony roberts going to vegas today.

It had been sent the day of our arrival in Las Vegas and then forwarded to Jaxon this morning.

“Who is Artie Franklin?”

“Paparazzi.”

“Someone sold me out?”

She nodded a little worried.

“Who knew?”

“Uh, I told dad but he wouldn't do that.”

“No.” I murmured as I frowned.

Seph tapped her fingers against the table as she thought about the situation.

“Hotel would know but they would never tell and it was booked under my name. I never mentioned you, just an extra guest.”

“So that leaves one person.. but he didn't know where I was going.”

I sat back on the seat, dumping the phone on the table.

“Does he still follow your twitter?”

“No I blocked him.”

“Did you mention where you were going? Because there's no reason he couldn't have created another account and followed you again.”

“Fuck.” she groaned low. “I said I was going to a city of sin.”

“Okay, so we can just assume that the fucktard did sell me out then.”

“Yeah, sorry Harmie, I..”

“Hey, it's okay. It happens.”

She groaned again as she rubbed her face.

“Don't delete that, in fact, send it to me too.”

“Yeah sure.”

As we finished our coffees, a few of the other patrons were watching the little television in the corner of the room on the wall. I gaped as I saw myself on the screen, outside the hotel. Jeez I really do look like I've turned into bad girl. Everyone turned and stared at me.

“Oookay. Time to leave.” Seph breathed quietly.

I bundled the magazines and sculled the last of the coffee, quickly following Seph out of the cafe.

Seph drove again as I contemplated what to do. My so called manager outed me to the paparazzi, what a rat. I jumped as my phone rang with an unknown caller. Seph looked at me cautiously. I took a deep breath and answered it.

“Hello?”

“Harmony, it's Devlin Williams from Williams and Ingles Artist Management, I believe that you fired Bill this morning.”

“Yeah.”

“Is it Bill specifically that you are firing or the whole management?”

“Well Devlin, at this point in time I am not really sure. I had been asking for a variance in the roles that I am being offered for quite some time and all requests have been ignored. That is my first issue. The second is that in our conversation this morning he was utterly rude and condescending to me. I don't have to take that shit from anyone, wouldn't you agree?”

“Of course.”

His tone was cool and calm even though mine was a little heated.

“Thirdly is an issue that has only just been brought to my attention. My sister received a forwarded message that had been sent to an Artie Franklin. Have you heard of him?”

“I have.”

“This message outed me being in Vegas. The only people that knew I was there was Bill and my father. And don't you dare tell me that my father was the one that outed me.”

I could feel the anger building within, I had to reign it in or I would be yelling at him very soon.

“I wouldn't dream of it.”

“So tell me Devlin, what are
you
going to do about this?”

“Well, in respect to the message, I will speak to my partner about this and we will consider what form of action we want to take. I can assure you that we do not encourage nor allow our staff to advise the paparazzi the whereabouts of our clients. However, your sister tweeting every single picture she has taken over the past forty eight hours doesn't help.”

“Don't drag my sister into this. It's not the paparazzi that concerns me Devlin, I accept them as a part of my life and quiet often welcome them. What Bill did was beyond wrong and you damned well know it.”

“Of course.”

Seph raised an eyebrow as she glanced at me, then returned to the road ahead.

“Now as for the roles that you are offered, do you not like the movies you have done?”

“Yeah, they're fine. I'm just sick of doing the same old thing, I've been labeled and I didn't want that. I want versatility.”

“Well, I would think after the little vacation that you've just had, you are going to get versatility. I have word that someone's hinted at your name for a new film.”

He cleared his throat, I could hear papers being flicked.

“It's an action flick, there's a love scene. What do you think hubby is going to say about that?”

“Oh...”

That left me stumped.

“At this point it's only your name that's been mentioned. But it is the lead role and if it becomes official, I would like you to take serious consideration about taking the role. If you are serious about this versatility crap then don't hesitate. But I won't lie to you about this role it's pretty full on. From what I've read, there's kissing, hands in places that hubby might not like.”

He sighed, it sounded rather pained.

“It's one scene Harmony, it would probably last all of about ten minutes on the screen, if you and whoever they cast as the male lead get it right, you could probably get it done in one take.”

“If he doesn't screw it up.”

“Well, yes, that's always possible. Sometimes they do it intentionally.”

“Great.” I groaned.

“Think about it. Let me deal with Bill and I will call you tomorrow and we can discuss what has happened in between, okay?”

“Sure.”

I hung up the phone a little dazed.

“What?”

My head turned to her, staring at her as I try to grasp what just happened.

“Harmie, come on, fill in the blanks.”

“My name's been mentioned for a female lead in an action film.”

“Oh my god.” she squealed.

“Just one problem.. there's a love scene.”

“Oh.”

Seph's mood leveled with mine, neither of us knew how to take this. Previously love scenes were really tame for the type of movies I had been in but now I was in a whole new area. And now I had a husband who I didn't know what he would say about it. Would he be cool about it or would he flip his lid?

Which the question about Evan's reaction raised more issues, namely that I knew little of my new husband. I had married him yet I knew nothing. What was his birth date? Did he have siblings? Both parents alive or dead? God, I didn't even know his home address.

With a large sigh I settled back against the head rest and watched the passing landscape. This was messed up. I had just been given everything that I have asked for and yet I wasn't happy.

After Seph dropped me home, I laid on the lounge hoping that I might find sleep but sadly I did not. After ten minutes of staring at the ceiling I grabbed my phone and listened to the messages. Many from Bill but none mentioning any paparazzi just that my sister was putting the pictures all over her twitter account and from there it went global.

There was a message from Zeke saying he wanted some bit of tourist trinket from Vegas. Damn, I should have listened to them before I left. Goose left a message saying that someone took a photo outside the chapel, I was still over Evans shoulder. Apparently it was an up skirt shot taken from across the road. He also mentioned that he liked our new hair dos.

Another message from a very well-known starlet that I had never spoken to before in my entire career, telling me she was in Vegas for the night and if I wanted to catch up and party to let her know. Pfft. As if.

The next few messages were a little disturbing. Fan girls. So now I'm not very popular with the seriously over the top teenage girls that adore Night Fire and in particular, my new husband. Great, just what I need.

I jumped as the buzzer went off, someone was at the gate. My heart would have settled except when I thought that it would be Evan, it continued in its rapid assault on my body. Wearily I wandered over to the panel, pressing the button.

“Yeah.”

“Hey hey big sister, feel like some company?”

“Hey Goose, come on in.”

I pressed the gate button and wandered over to the door. As I opened it I could hear the yelling, the screaming. It didn't help with the thumping hangover I had. The poor security guys had their work cut out for them, it wasn't just the fan girls that had turned up to yell obscenities at me, it was my fans wanting to yell at Evan too. This was insane. Goose pulled up by the garages and quickly walked in.

“Far out Harmie, that's intense.”

“Yeah.”

“Have you seen the news?”

“No, I avoid those things, you know that.”

He strolled into the lounge room and turned on the television, turning to the entertainment channel. There was Seph and I, dozens of images of our two day rampage, then images of Evan and Jaxon with us. He turned up the volume.

“In a Vegas bender with her sister Persephone. In a little tattoo parlor they met up with Evan Cooper and Jaxon Ryan from Night Fire. After a two night drunken rampage, the bender ended with Evan and Harmony marrying.”

The image cut from the woman to fan girls crying. Dozens of them outside a mansion, lining the fence, trying to climb the wrought iron gates. Must be Evan's house. Sad that I didn't know that nor have actually seen it. I snatched the remote from Goose's hand and hit the mute.

“They are crazy.” he muttered.

“Yeah.”

Then an image of Bill appeared. I hit the mute button again.

“It was revealed that her manager Bill Landers had sent a message to photographer Artie Franklin revealing Harmony's vacation destination. Williams and Ingles Artist Management released the following statement.”

The image changed to a fax that had been distributed to the media outlets, a man's voice read it out.

“Williams and Ingles Artist Management has been made aware of a message sent by Bill Landers to a known member of the paparazzi. This company does not tolerate it's staff disclosing private information about our clients and have terminated his employment, effective immediately. We look forward to continuing our management of Harmony Roberts and the enduring success of her career.”

“Far out.” Goose groaned.

“Yep.”

I flicked the television off as the next news piece came up.

“So, where's your husband?”

“Packing some things, coming here.”

“Mum will probably want to do a family dinner.”

“Great.” I huffed and rolled my eyes.

Mum's idea of a family dinner was everyone bring a dish of something home cooked and god help you if you brought take away or something store bought to the table. That would be like swearing at her.

The buzzer for the gate went off again, hopefully it will be Evan. I was getting sick of people sneaking past the guards and trying to talk to me.