by Deanna Roy
I sat down on it and leaned back. The moon was high and full, casting a light glow over the yard. The neighborhood slept. Our fence was solid and no windows looked in.
“I want you naked out here,” he said, and a thrill zipped through me. We rarely undressed all the way, since we were so afraid of getting caught.
But I did what he said, slipping off my clothes in the moonlight.
He did the same, and I saw all of him for the first time. He lay next to me, our bodies pressed tightly together on the lounger.
We didn’t speak, just kissing and touching like we always did. The rung of the lounger started to bite into my side, so I shifted onto my back. Denham moved over me, and my heart raced with him in that position.
“I feel so strongly about you, Livia,” he said. “What have you done?”
I smiled up at him. “I don’t know. Just loved you, I guess.”
“I think I get it now,” he said. “The love thing.”
I thought my heart would absolutely stop beating. “What do you mean?”
“I think I love you too.”
Everything soared inside me. I was warm from head to toe. Denham loved me back! There was nothing we couldn’t do. We would be together forever.
His body pressed against me at the hips, and I could feel everything, him hard and strong between us. I’d touched him, even tasted him. I knew that part of him well.
But I wanted it the way real couples did it. It was like a molten fire, almost painful in the need. Surely he wanted it too. Especially now that he felt the same as I did.
I kept his gaze as I shifted below him, angling my body so that he was where he needed to be.
He closed his eyes. “Livia,” he said softly.
“Don’t think,” I said.
He eased against me, sliding around. Then he was inside, and my world splintered. The burn was searing at first, then it lessened. But it didn’t matter, because Denham was going now, his hands on my shoulders.
I moved with him and found his rhythm. And I understood. This was what made life work. My love for him flooded me and I knew I would never get enough. I would want this and want this and want this.
That first time was risky and unprotected, but had no consequences. It was later that we were stupid. We had condoms that Denham picked up, but they were sometimes in the wrong part of the house, or we’d run out but did things anyway.
We got reckless.
And then we got caught.
I don’t want to think on that, alone in this hotel. I push it away and lay on the bed in the room I share with Blitz. I send him a message that I miss him and tuck his pillow under my head. It has been the longest day, but I have gotten through it. Now just a night, and tomorrow he will be back.
I’ll return to my happy present, where Denham can’t hurt me, and all this will eventually be another terrible dark memory.
Chapter 15
I wake up at a crazy early hour with a load of missed messages from Blitz.
I filter through the texts and listen to the two voice mails. It’s 5 a.m. here in Texas, which means it is only 3 a.m. in California.
His last message was around midnight when he went to bed after a long day of legal meetings and a couple hours at court. One of the contestants of Dance Blitz is suing for breach of contract, but he said it was going to work out. Same tactics as we’d use for BD, he said, which is what he’s calling Denham now, for baby daddy.
Delay and delay until they can’t afford their lawyer anymore. He refuses to settle, at least for now. The suit is ridiculous, just an angry girl who thought she would win.
I turn the ringer back on and head to the shower. My own pointe ballet class isn’t until the afternoon, but I might as well get the day going. Maybe I can have the driver take me around town. I could go see Irma at church, or drive by the park on the off chance Mom and Andy are there alone. I miss my brother.
I step into the spray, determined to have a better day and not let my past get to me.
Blitz calls late morning and just talking to him lifts my spirits. I tell him a little bit about my run-in with Denham, and that I had spilled that Gabriella is a girl.
“Don’t say anything else,” Blitz says. “Try to avoid contact. We’ll freeze him out on the legal side, don’t worry. He’ll give up eventually.”
“But he’s sat outside the academy every day since he got here!” I say.
“We’ll talk to Danika together about it,” Blitz says. “Maybe we can have a police officer chat him up, make him uncomfortable, even if it’s legal for him to sit there.”
“But what if she wants to tell Gwen about me?”
“We don’t have to mention the baby. Only that he’s an ex stalking you.”
“Okay.”
“I’m heading into the very last meeting with the producers before I get on a plane,” Blitz says. “By tonight, I’ll be back to ravishing you.”
I laugh a little. “Okay, Blitz. I love you,” I say.
“I love you too, Princess. Don’t go to dance if you’re not up for it.”
“I won’t.”
“See you tonight.”
I decide to go for a swim in the indoor pool for some extra exercise that won’t tire my feet before ballet. By the time I’m done with that and cleaned up again, it’s time for a quick late lunch and to head up to the academy.
The same slate blue SUV and blond driver are waiting for me downstairs. Like before, I get in the front seat.
“I didn’t get your name yesterday,” I say.
“Ted,” he says.
“Do you have to wait here all day for me to call for you?” I ask.
“That’s my job.” He pulls away from the hotel.
“How much do you know about what’s going on?” I ask.
“Only that I’m to drive you anywhere you want and make sure nobody upsets you. But not to follow you inside places unless you ask.”
“You’ll come inside?”
“You only have to ask.”
I wonder if I should do that. But that would be weird and obvious and the dance teachers would talk.
“I’m okay there. I might drive by a park, though. And I might have you walk with me there.”
“Works for me.”
I don’t try to be chatty beyond this. I watch out the window as the world passes by. At least I don’t have to worry about Denham spotting Gabriella today. She won’t be there.
When we approach Dreamcatcher, Denham’s green truck is parked in the same place as yesterday. He said he didn’t have much gas for it. I wonder if he’s dead broke. How he can just sit there, no job, nothing else to do? I don’t know anything about his current life.
But as we drive up, I don’t see him sitting in the driver’s seat. Is he lying down, maybe? Sleeping? My anxiety grows a little.
Then I spot him. He’s walking along the sidewalk. We’re about to come up right alongside him!
I frantically dig through my bag for sunglasses, but they aren’t there. “How tinted are these windows?” I ask.
“Not as good up here as in the back,” Ted says.
Shoot. I turn my face away from the sidewalk as we turn in, but I know it’s too late. Denham’s seen me.
“What’s he doing?” I ask Ted.
“Is that the guy?”
“Yes.”
“He’s staring at the car.”
“Does he seem like he saw me?”
“He’s following us on foot.”
My heart races. “Don’t park in the back. He’ll know that’s what we’ve been doing.”
Ted abruptly turns into a spot at the side of the building. “He’s pretty close. You want me to take him down?”
“No,” I say. “Let me think.”
I might as well look. Denham hangs out on the sidewalk a little longer, as if he’s trying to decide what to do. We’ve turned so that my side of the car faces the street, so he’s only a few yards away. Our eyes meet.
“He seems j
umpy,” Ted says.
“He does,” I agree.
“I think I should have a word with him.”
I hold out my arm. “No. Maybe I’ll just skip dance.”
“He might follow us.”
“He doesn’t have much gas,” I say. But of course, that was yesterday. He might have filled up last night.
We continue to sit there, and then it seems like Denham makes up his mind. He steps into the parking lot, his face hard and determined. I think he’s going to approach our SUV, but he storms past it and goes up the steps of the academy.
“That can’t be good,” I say.
“You want me to go in with you?” Ted asks.
“We could leave now,” I say. “He couldn’t follow.”
Ted puts his hands on the gearshift to move into reverse, but I say, “Wait.”
He settles back. “We’ll wait.”
The wind rushes through the trees in front of our windshield. I shiver. What is Denham doing in there? Demanding to see a list of all the four-year-old girls?
He can’t know she’s here. He just can’t.
My phone buzzes. I pull it from my dance bag.
It’s a text from Danika.
Who is this man shouting in the halls about your daughter?
My vision goes black for a moment. Oh my God. What is Denham doing?
I fling open the door and start running for the building. I can hear Ted’s footsteps behind me. “Wait up,” he orders. “I’m here for exactly this situation.”
I don’t slow down. By the time I hit the steps, though, Ted has caught up. “Let’s be careful here,” he says. “Crazies can do crazy things.”
I nod. He tugs the door open.
Danika is in the foyer by the hall that leads to the studios, a phone in her hand. She sees me and waves me over.
Into the phone she says, “I don’t know what he wants, but I’m concerned about the safety of the children here.”
She looks at me and points to the phone. “The police.”
I peer around her. Denham is standing on one of the benches by the dance rooms. The hall is otherwise empty, and I can see parents have moved into the studios to avoid him.
“What I WANT to KNOW,” Denham yells, his voice loud and hoarse. “Is WHERE the hidden CHILD has gone! She belongs to LIVIA MASON. She is FOUR YEARS OLD! And I know SOMEBODY here knows WHERE she IS!”
“I can probably take him down,” Ted says.
Danika looks over at him, then at me. “Who is that?” she asks. Then into the phone, “Thank you, we’ll watch for the squad car. I’ll stay on the line.”
“A bodyguard,” I answer.
Danika’s eyes travel the length of Ted’s body, up and down. “Looks like it,” she says, then turns back to the hall.
“Suze!” she calls to the woman at the front desk. “Get on the intercom and tell everyone to stay in the studios.”
Suze nods, her blond hair bobbing. She looks terrified.
“I don’t think he’ll hurt anybody,” I say to Danika.
“You know him?” Danika looks at me.
But before I can explain, Denham spots me.
“THERE is LIVIA MASON!” Denham shouts, pointing in my direction. “THE CHILD will look like HER!”
I start to head for him, but Danika’s arm shoots out to stop me. “He’s crazy,” she says. “Don’t go near him.”
“I know him,” I say. “He lived with my family for a while when I was a teen.”
Danika’s eyes search my face for a moment, then she says into the phone, “I have someone here who can identify him.” She hands me the phone. “Tell them his name.”
I shakily take the phone, watching Denham. He’s quit shouting, watching me. “He’s not dangerous,” I say, although I probably shouldn’t. I don’t know that. “His name is Denham Young. He’s twenty-one. I don’t think he lives here in San Antonio. He lived with my family five years ago in Houston.”
Denham hops off the bench and heads my way. The bodyguard steps in front of me. “Don’t even think about approaching her,” he says, his voice low and menacing.
On the phone, a woman asks, “How long did you know him?”
“Your boyfriend hire this goon?” Denham asks.
I can’t manage all these conversations at once. “A few months,” I say into the phone, then pass it back to Danika. I don’t answer Denham.
Denham tries to look at me around the rather formidable width of Ted. “Tell me where she is, Livia. I have a right to know where my baby is.”
“You can’t do this here,” I say shakily. “This is just where I dance. Nobody here even knows about her.”
“You know what he’s talking about?” Danika asks.
I want to melt into a puddle on the floor. Everyone is looking at me. Danika. Suze. Ted. Denham. Thankfully the parents can’t hear with the soundproofing.
“Denham, let’s just go,” I say. “The police are on their way and your record is already pretty bad.”
“I don’t care how much I inconvenience you,” Denham says. “This isn’t about you and me anymore. It’s about our child.”
“Our child is gone,” I say.
Danika’s head whips around. “You had a baby with this man? You’re barely nineteen!”
Even Ted’s expression flickers slightly as he continues to act as a shield between me and Denham.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me,” I tell him. “I’ve kept this secret for four years, and you’re destroying my life.”
“Your life is a lie,” Denham says. “And I aim to find my daughter.”
“Not on my property, you won’t,” Danika says. “The police are on their way, and I’ll be filing a restraining order against you immediately. Step foot in our parking lot, and I’ll have you arrested every single time.”
Denham finally tears his gaze from me to look at her. “I have no beef with you, lady,” he says. “But I’m going to find out where my baby girl is.” He pushes past Ted, who turns to keep himself between me and Denham. “And there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it.”
He stalks out of the door and down the steps.
“He’s leaving,” Danika says into the phone. “But I want to make sure he’s not just going to his truck to get a weapon or anything crazy.”
I know Denham won’t do anything like that. He’s just determined. And even though he is going about it the wrong way, I get what he wants. It’s what drove me to look for Gabriella myself, to set up that fake profile, to watch her grow up.
Once you have a child out there in the world, it’s hard to not think about them all the time. And Denham is going crazy with what he didn’t even know he’d lost.
Chapter 16
Danika stands by the windows and watches Denham start up his truck and drive down the street. “He’s gone,” she says into the phone. “But that doesn’t mean he won’t be back.”
She looks over her shoulder at me, her spiky blue hair lit by the sun streaming in. The creases around her eyes and mouth are more prominent while she’s under stress. She’s like the mother hen to all of us, the owner of the academy and the one who is willing to help any of us when we’re in trouble.
“All right. Thank you.” Danika hangs up the call. She turns around to me, Suze, and Ted, who are standing nearby, plus a couple parents who have ventured out of the studios.
“Should we send everyone home?” Suze asks.
Danika turns back to the windows. “Probably most of them will go on their own,” she says. “We’ll need to send an email out to every family who attended this session, assuring them we are handling the situation.” She glances at me. “Livia, when the officer gets here, we’ll need to talk to him.”
“I’ll let everyone know it’s safe to leave,” Suze says, hurrying back to the front desk.
Ted moves close to me. “I can stand watch here,” Ted says.
“That’s good,” Danika says.
Parents and children start strea
ming out of the hallway. Danika greets them, hugging the children, assuring everyone things are fine now, it was just some confused man.
A few older children remain in the rooms, their parents having run out to do errands during their class. Danika heads back to talk to the instructors, leaving me and Ted by the windows.
“I didn’t see that coming, but I should have,” I say to him.
“I see why Blitz wanted you protected,” he says.
“He wouldn’t hurt me,” I insist.
“He seems pretty desperate,” Ted says. “If he’s willing to make a scene like that and risk getting arrested, there’s a good chance he’d try to kidnap you or something.”
“But I was in his truck yesterday,” I say. “He could have taken off then, and he didn’t.”
“He’s been stewing in it,” Ted says. “He’ll just get himself more and more worked up.”
I don’t have anything to say to that and watch out front until Danika returns.
“Where is that officer?” she asks. “Good thing we didn’t actually need his help!”
“You were downgraded when the situation resolved,” Ted says. “Non-emergency stop.”
“Oh,” Danika says. “Why don’t you have Suze direct the officer to my desk when he gets here? Suze will know where to send him.” She gestures back at the front desk.
“Will do,” Ted says. He stands stalwart by the door, his hands clasped behind his back. “If you have any other entrances, you might want to secure them.”
Danika turns to Suze. “Go lock the backstage doors and make sure the loading dock bay is secure.”
Suze nods and grabs a set of keys from her drawer.
I follow Danika back through the doors to the recital hall, then turn toward her office. It’s the opposite side of the building from the studios, so everything is quiet.
Danika settles in her chair, then props her elbows on the desk and rests her head in her hands. “That was something.”
She seems weary, coming down from the adrenaline rush of the conflict.
“I’m so sorry that happened,” I say. “He’s been sitting out there for days. I should have told you.”
“Days?” Her head pops up. “What is going on, Livia?”