Until Alex (29 page)

I hadn’t spoken to Hayden about it, but I’d been considering moving into the hotel and learning the day-to-day operations once I graduated. I could go to grad school at night and eventually earn my MBA. It’s what my parents always wanted. And now it was one of the only things I had left of them.

I had no intention of hiding my plan from Hayden, but from everything he’d told me, the only constant in his life over the years, the one who’d stuck around, who hadn’t abandoned him—intentionally or not—had been Remy. And while I wanted nothing more than for Hayden to come with me, he had a life. And though things seemed strained between Remy and him, he had a friend who stood by him. And a job that paid his bills.

Could I ask him to leave that behind?

H
eartfelt declarations aside, everything between us was still so new. There was no assurance we’d even be together eight months from now.

Besides, I had a feeling the only thing Hayden would hear when I told him my plan was goodbye.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

ALEX

By Saturday morning, nerves had overtaken my body. I’d never been so nauseous in my entire life. Hayden tried to relax me, but nothing worked. And he tried
everything
.

“You need to eat something,” he insisted from his sofa where my head lay in his lap.

“I’ll eat if I’m hungry.” But there was no chance I’d ingest anything knowing it could reappear during the competition.

Hayden leaned down and pressed a kiss to my temple. “Well, just don’t go passing out on stage.”

I turned my head so I could see his face. “Nervous you’ll need to carry me off in front of everyone?”

He shook his head with a grin. “More worried they’ll make me take your place.”

I laughed. “Yeah, but then you’d have to fight Taylor for the spot.”

He laughed as he slipped his hand beneath my head to support it while he slid out from under me. “You sure you’re gonna be okay if I—”

“Go.” I turned onto my side and watched him grab his jacket from the closet. “It’s important.” I had no idea what sparked the sudden fire under him, but the second we returned from Austin the day before, he started searching for a job. “I’ll just see you at the show.”

He walked back over to the sofa and stood over me. “I’ll be there.” He bent down, placing one hand on the cushion in front of me and one behind me so he hovered over me.

I twisted beneath him so I lay on my back.
“Don’t be late. I sing first.”

“I won’t.” He leaned down, his lips lingering over mine. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He kissed me soft and gentle. “Have your aunt save me a seat.”

I nodded.

“You’re gonna be unbelievable. No worries.” He stood up and grabbed my hands, tugging me to my feet. “Let’s get you home so you can get ready.” He draped his arm around my shoulders and walked me across the hall.

I hesitated with my hand on the doorknob. Then spun back around. “I’ll see—”

Hayden moved in, pressing me against the door and sealing his lips over mine. He dove in like he’d never see me again. Hungry and deep. Forceful and endearing. Our tongues a glorious tangled mess.

He eliminated the nerves. The nausea. The fear. It was only the two of us. And our crashing hearts.

When he pulled back, I struggled to find my breath and my footing.

I caught a glimpse of his crooked smile before he turned on his heels and walked off. “See you later,” he called over his shoulder, knowing exactly the condition he’d left me in still pressed against the door.

An hour later, I applied the finishing touches on my makeup. I knew Sophia would do me up with a boatload of stage makeup when I got to school, but my mother always taught me to leave the house looking the way I wanted to look if I saw an ex-boyfriend—or Channing Tatum. 

Impatient knocking came from the front door. I hoped it was Hayden stopping by to tell me he got a job. I threw open the front door and stumbled backwards on a gasp. “What are you doing here?”

HAYDEN

I searched the crowded foyer for Alex, feeling ridiculous carrying around a huge bouquet of pink flowers. I maneuvered around enthusiastic parents and anxious singers, but couldn’t find her anywhere. She’d been so nervous. I hoped she wasn’t off puking in the bathroom.

Inside the theater, I dropped into the aisle seat beside Alex’s aunt who snagged us seats in the center of the room. She eyed the massive bouquet in my lap, giving me an impressed nod.

The lights flickered on and off and a voice announced the show would begin in five minutes.

“Was she nervous?” Katherine asked.

“A little. But she’s a natural. She’s gonna be amazing.”

Katherine reached over and placed a firm hand on my knee to stop it from bouncing. “Then why are you so nervous?”

I glanced from her hand to her probing eyes. I’d never realized how similar they were to Alex’s. “I’m not sure if she told you, but I’m the reason she’s in the show.”

Katherine shook her head, but her stare indicated she wanted me to explain.

“I signed her up for the audition without her knowing.”

Her brows lifted as she removed her hand from my leg. “Gutsy move.”

I nodded. “I knew she could sing. I just figured she needed a little push. So, I guess I’m just
nervous
for
her.”

“You really care about her, don’t you?”

I nodded, suddenly feeling uncomfortable and needing to look away.

“Well, she’s lucky she found you.”

I kept my gaze averted, never feeling so unworthy in my entire life. People poured into the crowded room slipping into seats until there wasn’t a single empty seat in the theater.

“I’m serious. She was lost when she came here. She’d lost everything, including her spunk. I didn’t know if there was anything I could do to snap her out of it. That is, until she met you.” She laughed. “She’d kill me for telling you this, but she couldn’t keep her eyes off that peephole for more than a couple minutes at a time.”

I smiled, my stomach doing a fluttering thing I thought was reserved for preteen girls. But man, I’d been at that peephole just as often.

“Just take care of her, Hayden. She’s so very fragile.”

I finally met Katherine’s eyes. “I promise you. I’d do anything for her. Absolutely anything.”

With that, the lights in the theater lowered. We sat in silent darkness for a long moment until music from the sound system filled the room. The emcee’s voice broke through the music. “Welcome to SSC
Voice.”

The audience
erupted into wild cheers.

“Tonight we have a phenomenal lineup of singers performing some of today’s hit songs. Be sure to keep track of your favorites. You’ll be voting during intermission.”

The intro music to Alex’s song replaced his voice.

When the curtains parted and the spotlight shined, Taylor stood at center stage.

I flew out of my seat, up the aisle, and into the empty foyer. My head twisted around. I spotted the deserted hallway running adjacent to the theater. The echo of my soles pounded in time to my pulse as I bolted down it, stopping at the door that read
Contestants Only.

I threw it open and burst into the congested room. People raced around. Applied makeup. Rehearsed. Sat nervously

Where the hell was Alex?

Sophia paced in the corner with her phone in her hand. I rushed over and grabbed hold of her arm. “Where’s Alex?”

“Jesus, Hayden,” she gasped. “I have no clue. I’ve been trying her for the past hour. But it goes straight to voicemail.”

I dialed Alex from my phone, hoping she’d answer
if she saw my name. But it went straight to voicemail. I gripped the sides of my head trying to make the pounding stop. “Fucking Taylor.” 

“I hate her, too,” Sophia assured me. “But when Smith told her she was going to have to step in for Alex, she was shocked. She’s a good actress and all, but she looked genuinely stunned.”

I knew what Taylor was capable of, so I didn’t buy it. I wedged my way into the area beside the stage, doing everything in my power to stop myself from rushing it in the middle of the song.

My heartbeat thundered as I watched Taylor sing like the spot in the competition actually belonged to her. As if she had nothing to do with Alex not being there.
I glanced to Sophia who’d stepped up beside me. “How much longer?”

“Under a minute.”

I nodded.

“Do you think—”

“She’s fine,” I cut her off. “I just need to get to her.”

It seemed like hours before Taylor stepped off the stage. She only made it two steps before I grabbed her skinny arm and yanked her into the empty hallway. I harnessed every bit of reserve I had not to slam her head against the wall. “Where is she?”

Taylor’s eyes widened. “You think I had something to do with this?” My grip on her arm tightened. Her eyes squeezed in pain, but she shook her head adamantly. “I have no idea where she is.”

Not sure how long I could hold off before really hurting her, I gritted my teeth. “Tell me where she is.”

She shook her head even more vehemently, her eyes frantically flying around. “I swear, Hayden. I don’t know. I had
nothing
to do with it.”

The way her damp eyes glistened under the bright hallway lights scared the hell out of me. Because if she didn’t know where Alex was, no one did.

ALEX

I sat in the center of a dark room, my hands and legs bound to a wooden chair, my body shaking uncontrollably. The only window was covered by a thick curtain, and I couldn’t even see my lap in the pitch black. I strained to hear outside the room, but with the door closed, I could only hear the faint sound of a distant television. No actual voices.

I couldn’t imagine what Hayden and my aunt thought when I wasn’t at the competition. They had to know something had gone terribly wrong.

And what about Taylor? She got exactly what she’d hoped for. Me gone. She couldn’t have planned it better herself.

A loud crash resonated in another room. Goose bumps shot up my arms and legs. Please don’t let him come in here.
Please
.

The door swung open. The bright hallway light blasted inside the dark room.
Having been in darkness for far too long, my sensitive eyes squeezed shut.

Heavy boots staggered in.

Please God, don’t let him touch me.

I cracked my eyes a pinch.

Remy carried the gun he’d held to my head at my apartment.
Before
threatening Hayden’s life if I didn’t go with him.

He was still strung out on something, acting all jittery and paranoid like the whacked-out lunatic he was. I didn’t think it was possible for him to be more terrifying. But he was.

He shoved his emaciated face in front of mine. Only a few inches separated us. He lifted the gun and jammed the cold barrel into my temple.

I held my breath, squeezing my eyes—as if it would somehow ease the pain of a bullet.

I knew Remy’s capabilities. Hayden hadn’t come right out and told me Remy killed those two men, but his silence did. Remy was a murderer. A cold-blooded murderer. I doubted he made any late night visits to
their
graves.

A
portentous
click
filled the silence.

A quiver rocked through
me, jolting my body to attention. I squeezed my eyes even tighter as I cringed away from the pressure of the gun. “Please don’t do this,” I whispered.

“What did you say?” he shouted.

Tears leaked out of my closed eyes. My body trembled violently as thoughts of all the things I loved inundated my mind.

Hayden who stole my heart and put it back together. My aunt who took me in when
I was a constant reminder of the life she’d never have. Sophia who befriended me when it could have made her a social pariah. All the good in my life. All the things I’d never see again.

Then my parents’ faces flashed before me.

They gave me my strength. My determination. My will to live this existence without them. They made me the woman I’d become. And that woman wouldn’t give up, even with the odds stacked against her. She’d fight. Like she’d been doing every day since they died.

“I didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to speak,” Remy’s voice snapped me back to hell.

Every inch of me trembled as he ran the barrel of the gun down my cheek. “I’ve been wondering why Hayden’s kept you his dirty little secret.” My eyes flew open as he pulled my shirt’s V-neck open with the gun and looked inside.

“Please don’t do this, Remy.”

With gun in hand, he struck me across the face thrusting my head violently to the side.
Holy shit.
Pain exploded with the force of his blow. Somehow I remained upright, but a severe throbbing travelled from my forehead down to my chin. No doubt he’d broken bones. Maybe even teeth.

“Don’t ever use my name again, you bitch.” He stood up and paced the floor. “I can’t believe Hayden trusted you with our shit.”

I wanted to explain he hadn’t told me anything. That he wouldn’t defy a friend’s trust. But I couldn’t risk it. The repercussions could be too great.

Tears streamed down my throbbing cheeks as I stifled my whimpers. I needed to be patient. I needed to wait it out. I needed to suck up the pain taking over my entire face if I had any chance of escaping alive.