“It would’ve been nice to have a hotel when the festival was going on here this week,” Austin said. “Which isn’t to say that I am in favor of the hotel itself.”
“I don’t disagree that there would be advantages to it.” Cassidy pulled a blanket around her shoulders. “However, I’m trying to stay impartial.”
“Speaking of advantages to the festival, how was business this week at The Crazy Chefette?” Wes asked. “I know you were afraid you’d be bombarded.”
“It would’ve been fine, if Lisa hadn’t been feeling sick lately,” Braden said.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Lisa nudged him.
It was too late. Everyone in the group had their eyes on the couple.
“Is everything okay?” Concern laced Cassidy’s voice.
Lisa gave Braden another look. “Everything is fine. I’m just feeling a little under the weather.”
“Hey, you’re not cooking our food while sick, are you?” Wes asked. “Because I’ve eaten there twice this week.”
“Don’t worry, it’s not contagious,” Lisa insisted, casting another look at her husband.
Everyone continued to stare, wondering exactly what she was getting at.
Finally, she let out a sigh. “I didn’t want to say anything here because this is Austin and Skye’s big day. But Braden and I . . . we’re expecting.”
A round of congratulations and hugs went around the circle.
Though Dez hadn’t been on the island long, Ty’s friends had become his friends. And he was happy for them.
Part of him felt a touch of jealousy. As he saw his friends pairing off around him, he realized what was missing from his own life. He liked to pretend that he was happy being single and going out on dates with various women and never committing. But he would give anything to settle down, to find the woman of his dreams, to have a couple of kids. Or three. Maybe even four. He didn’t know.
He’d had such a happy childhood himself. He wanted what his mom and dad had for his own future.
As the thought entered his mind, Dez suddenly felt keenly aware of Bree beside him. What did she want for her future? Was she content just to travel and do this for the rest of her life?
It didn’t matter. It was out of the question. She was out of the question. Bree was famous and not the type to probably want to settle down. How could she? She was on the road too much.
And Bree was his client. Dez needed to keep that in mind. Even if there was a connection between them, Bree was off-limits. There was no dating on the job, as Griff had gleefully reminded him.
Besides, Leah . . .
Every time he started to get close to someone, her picture flashed in his mind, followed by bad memories of his heartache.
Was love worth the risk? He used to say no. But since he’d met Bree . . .
He shoved the thoughts aside.
A few minutes later, Ty pulled out his guitar again. He strummed some before glancing over at Bree.
“Would you mind playing something for us?” he asked. “I’m just an amateur over here, playing stuff that I picked up on VideoStream.”
“I think you’re doing a great job.” Bree smiled softly, her face illuminated by the dancing flames of the bonfire.
“We’d love to hear you play something,” Cassidy said. “No pressure, but . . . we’re all fans.”
After a moment of hesitation, Bree took the guitar and began to strum it.
“Anyone here sing baritone?”
“Dez has a really nice voice,” Griff said with a grin.
The man was such an instigator.
“Take that back,” Dez said. “I do not.”
“Oh, I’ve heard him singing in the shower,” Colton said. “He does have a set of lungs on him.”
“Thanks a lot, guys,” Dez muttered. He could always count on his friends.
“He has a lot of hidden superpowers,” Benjamin said.
Bree glanced at him, curiosity flickering in her gaze. “Like what?”
“He can make anyone want to fall in love with him,” Griff said. “I’ve always thought if he were to combine that ability with his singing talent, he would pretty much conquer the world.”
A bunch of good-natured chuckling went around the circle at the ribbing.
Dez just shook his head. He wanted to deny it, but he knew if he did, they’d only continue to give him a hard time. It was best to take these things in stride.
“Okay, okay,” he finally said. “I do like to sing sometimes. There. I admit the truth.”
“Great,” Bree said. “Because I’m going to need some help on the chorus of this song. I know you’ll pick up on it pretty easily.”
She began strumming one of her hit songs. Except, instead of singing it at the pop tempo everyone was used to hearing it, she did her own version of it—a more acoustic, folksy style.
When they got to the chorus, Dez hesitated a minute before joining in. Their voices blended together surprisingly well.
When they finished, everyone around them applauded.
“You two should take this show on the road,” Colton said. “Except that I might lose one of my best guys.”
“Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?” Griff asked.
“And me?” Benjamin piped in.
“You’re all my best guys,” Colton said. “That’s why I asked you to join me here, of course.”
“Good recovery,” Elise said, giving Colton a knowing look before resting her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head.
As Dez and Bree exchanged a smile, he felt something pass between them. Something unexpected. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time.
So far, this evening had felt perfect.
It was too bad that it was going to have to end and reality would kick in again.
Bree Jordan was off-limits, he reminded himself. He had to keep his distance.
Bree played a couple more songs. Except, instead of doing the versions that people were used to hearing, she put her own spin on them. It wasn’t often she shared these versions with anybody. Mostly because people didn’t want to hear these versions.
Not people, exactly. More like Emerson.
She did a couple of her originals, as well as a few covers that people knew and could sing along with.
The whole evening had been fun.
But her favorite part had been when Dez sang with her. His friends weren’t lying when they said he had a good voice. It was smooth and pleasant, and when their two voices mingled together . . . it was like the two of them should go on the road together.
Not that she ever saw Dez actually wanting to do that. But it had been fun to let their voices blend into one. When that happened—which was rare—it almost felt magical.
That had happened tonight with Dez, and, as a result, her entire insides felt like they had been candy-coated with something warm and gooey.
It was a feeling Bree hadn’t felt in a very long time.
She craved connection more than she realized. It was more than just about music. It was about finding someone she fit with.
When the fire started dwindling, it seemed to signal it was time to leave.
As Bree said goodbye to everybody, Skye caught her arm. “Are you still going to be around this weekend?”
Bree thought about it for a moment. “There’s a good chance that I will be.”
“If you are, and I know this is really forward of me to ask this, but I would love it if you could sing that song at my wedding.”
Surprise washed through her. “Which song?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never heard it before. But it was the one about love being like the ocean on a cloudless, beautiful day. It was just haunting. Where did you get that song?”
“I wrote it.” A burst of satisfaction flooded her.
“Why isn’t it on one of your albums?”
Bree shrugged, knowing better than to go into all the details. “It didn’t make the cut, un
fortunately.”
“Well, I love it. I think it’s one of your best.”
Bree smiled at the encouragement. “I would be honored to sing that at your wedding.”
Skye squealed and threw her arms around her. “Thank you! That just makes my whole week.”
“I thought our wedding made your whole week,” Austin teased.
“I mean . . . it does. Pretend you didn’t hear that.” Skye flashed another grin at Bree. “Okay, I’ll be in touch.”
Several minutes later, Dez and Bree climbed back into his borrowed car to start back to her house for the evening. She almost felt sad to return to her normal, everyday life. Tonight had been so refreshing.
“I’d say you were a hit tonight,” Dez said.
“Me? How about you and your hidden talents . . . ?”
“I just like to sing for fun.”
“Well, you did a good job with it.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that. But I think I’ll stick to being a bodyguard.”
“You do a good job with that also. But if you want to be a singing bodyguard, you might put a whole new spin on the profession.”
He chuckled. “Yes, I’d say that I would.”
As they started down the road, Bree saw Dez’s shoulders tighten and knew something was wrong. He glanced in the rearview mirror.
“What is it?” she asked, all her laid-back vibes disappearing.
“I think someone is following us. Brace yourself because I don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
Chapter Twenty
Dez glanced in the rearview mirror again and saw the headlights moving closer. His gut told him that somebody was following them.
Was it the same person who’d killed Kyle and tried to shoot Bree? It seemed likely. What if the Dare brothers weren’t behind this after all?
He pressed on the accelerator as they headed down the road.
“Call Cassidy,” he told Bree. “Tell her what’s going on. We might need backup now.”
Bree nodded, her hands shaky as she pulled the phone from her pocket. “I’m on it.”
Dez rattled off Cassidy’s number before looking into the rearview mirror again. The lights were practically right on him now, so close that he almost couldn’t see them. He needed to think of a way to lose this guy while not hurting anyone else in the process.
His thoughts shifted, and he pictured the layout of the island, its roads. One main highway cut through the middle of the island, stretching from north to south. Several side roads branched out from it, most of them dead ends.
There was only one solution he could think of. He hoped he could make it to the area he needed to get to in order to put his plan into action.
He hit the accelerator harder and heard Bree gasp beside him. Spontaneously, he reached over and squeezed her hand.
“Trust me,” he said.
She squeezed his hand back, a little harder than he expected as she pressed her eyes shut. “I’m trying.”
He released his grip and put both hands back on the steering wheel. He’d gained a little space between his car and the one behind him. But he knew it was only a matter of time before that vehicle caught up with them.
Only one more mile by his estimations. If they could make it that far, Dez could put an end to this chase. And, if he could figure out who was in the car, maybe he could put an end to this whole ordeal.
Finally, Dez saw the area he’d been trying to reach.
This was it. The moment he would see if his plan worked or not. He only hoped his memory wasn’t faulty.
He was headed toward the lighthouse on the south end of the island. Right before the landmark, the area was surrounded by woods.
Just as he reached a bend in the dark road, he jerked the steering wheel to the left. His car swerved around, doing a donut on the street.
The driver behind him hadn’t anticipated the turn. The vehicle swerved before crashing into one of the trees near the bend. The sickly sound of crushed metal filled the air, followed by the smell of smoke.
Dez threw the car in Park and reached for the door.
“Stay here,” he ordered. “I’m about to find out who has been behind this.”
Bree watched out the window while simultaneously lifting prayers. Whoever was behind that steering wheel could be dangerous. Most likely he was dangerous. And Dez was headed right toward him.
Images tried to claim her. Images of Dez being shot or hurt. She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to deal with those pictures. Dez fascinated her. There was still so much about him that she wanted to get to know.
All that could change if the wrong person climbed from the driver’s seat.
She opened her eyes again but held her breath now. Was the driver okay? It was hard to see anything. The windshield was smashed. The hood crumpled. Smoke poured from the engine.
She watched as Dez jerked open the driver side door. He reached into the vehicle. A moment later, he pulled somebody from the car.
Bree’s eyes widened. Was that . . . what?
It was.
Trixie Dare.
Without hesitation, Bree opened her door and stormed over to the scene. She wanted to hear what this woman had to say.
“It’s your fault!” Trixie screamed at Bree. Blood drizzled from her nose. Glass looked like glitter in her hair and on her jacket. A cut lined the side of her forehead.
Trixie didn’t seem to care—or notice.
“What are you talking about?” Bree was thankful that Dez still held the woman’s arms because Trixie looked ready to pounce at the first opportunity.
Bree’s only comfort were the sirens she heard in the distance coming their way.
“You got my brothers arrested. All because you’re angry at me for those accusations I leveled against your songwriter.”
“That’s not true. The police chief asked me for a list of people who had grudges against me. Your name came up. I never accused you of doing this, though.”
“I might not like you,” Trixie growled. “But that doesn’t mean I would go this far.”
“You just tried to run us off the road.” Dez held the woman’s arms behind her. “You’re not making a very good case for yourself.”
“I just wanted to talk.”
“We’re talking now,” Bree said. “What else did you want to say?”
“You don’t deserve everything you have,” Trixie said, venom shooting from her eyes.
“And let me guess? You do?” Bree wasn’t challenging her. Instead, she felt exhausted. She somehow knew Trixie wouldn’t listen to her, no matter what she said.
“I’ve worked my butt off, and then someone as talentless as you comes in and takes everything from me.”
“The fame was never yours to take,” Bree said. “And I never saw you as my competition. I saw you as a fellow singer. At one point, I even suggested that maybe we could travel together and you could be my opening act.”
Trixie spat on the ground. “Like I would ever want to open for you.”
Bree shook her head and took a step back. She was wasting her breath. “I can see now that this was a bad idea. But I never had it out for you, Trixie. I would love to see you succeed. And, believe me, every day I feel like I don’t deserve to be where I am. I don’t know why things happened as they did, and I ended up in the spotlight while you didn’t. But, looking at you now, I’m inclined to think that you weren’t ready for it.”
As Trixie muttered more things at Bree, Bree walked back to the car. As she reached her door, Chief Chambers and her crew pulled up.
A few minutes later, they had Trixie in custody.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Do you want to talk about it?” Dez asked as they headed back to Bree’s place. He knew that all of this had to be taking a toll on her.
Bree swallowed hard, her gaze appearing unsettled as she stared out the window. “You’ve gotten a crash course in the entertainment industry, haven’t you?”
“Are things al
ways like this?”
“No, not really. But money makes people do strange things sometimes. So does fame. My mom used to read me a verse in the Bible that talked about it being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter heaven. I didn’t know what that meant at first, but now I see it. There’s just so much corruption. Whenever money and fame are involved, there seems to be a scandal.”
The fact that she was aware of that seemed like a good thing. “I thought you handled the situation well. I think you’ve handled all of this well.”
“That’s good to know because I feel like I’m breaking into pieces on the inside.” Her voice cracked.
Dez squeezed her shoulder. “It would be a lot for anyone to handle. Not only do you have a killer coming after you, but you have a manager who could be Satan’s righthand man and a competing singer with blood in her eyes.”
Bree rubbed her forehead, almost as if she had a headache coming on. “It has been a lot. Maybe a little sleep will make me feel better. Then, again, tomorrow’s a new day. I can’t help but wonder what problems it might bring.”
“Let tomorrow worry about itself,” Dez said.
She offered a fleeting smile. “Great advice. And I will. But when we get back to the house, I do need to make a couple phone calls. There’s something I want to look into.”
She had something else on her mind, didn’t she? Dez couldn’t imagine what it might be. But he did know her problems weren’t over yet.
Once Bree was back at the house and tucked safely into her bedroom, she picked up her phone and called Carson Black. Though it was past midnight, she knew Carson well enough to know she would still be awake. Like a lot of people in the entertainment business, staying up late was an industry standard.
Carson answered on the second ring. “Is this the one and only Bree Jordan?”
“It’s me,” Bree said, smiling at the dramatic tone of her friend’s voice. “Sorry to be calling so late. But I have a couple questions, and you’re the only person I know who might be able to help me. Is this a bad time?”
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