by KB Winters
“Is that what this is, then?” I asked, sitting in the chair opposite him. “Are they trying to turn her into an informant?”
Bennett sighed. “I think that’s what they’re hoping for, but I don’t think it’s gonna happen. Tori’s sticking to her story hard core. She admits to having a relationship with Cassandra, but she won’t cop to knowing anything about the Sanderson group.”
“And what do you think?” I studied him. Bennett made terrible decisions when it came to women, but when it came to his gut, he was dead on.
“I think she’s telling the truth.”
“Then we need to find a way to get her out of there, man.”
“Knight, you know it’s not that easy. You’ve only been out of the game for a few weeks and you lose all rationale? That’s not like you. What’s going on?”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe you aren’t concerned with this. I get that you were never gonna settle down with the girl—but don’t you care at all what happens to her?”
Bennett narrowed his eyes at me and leaned forward. “This isn’t about me, and we both know it. This is because your princess has her lacy white virginal panties in a bunch about the whole thing and she wants you to get her friend out.”
“Fuck man! If you don’t care, then why’d you even call me? What was the point of letting me know about Tori, if you didn’t think I’d want to help?”
He reclined back again and offered a nonchalant shrug. “I figured you’d wanna know.”
“No, that’s not it. You knew I’d tell Everlie—or maybe you thought she’d tell me, and you wanted to be the good guy and come clean first.”
“Come clean? About what? You make it sound like I planted evidence or some shit like that. Listen, if Tori is mixed up with these fuckwads, then she deserves whatever she gets. That’s not my problem.”
I stood up. “Fine. I don’t even know why the fuck I came back. Everlie doesn’t want my help, you’re a fucking nut-case, and at the end of the day, you know—you’re right. I’m not on the case, I’m not involved, so there’s really nothing I can do.”
Bennett shrugged again, and it took every muscle fiber to keep from reaching across the table and throttling him. “Out of curiosity, what did Everlie have to say? She was pretty keyed up when we brought Tori in.”
“She’s scared to fuckin’ death. That’s it. She knows—just like I know, and just like you know—Tori’s not tangled up with Sanderson.” I ran my hand through my hair, desperate to get this knucklehead to listen to me. “But, if you’re content to sit back and watch some innocent chick go down without lifting a finger to help—that’s on you, man.” I started for the door.
“Hold up, Knight.” I spun to face Bennett as he got up from his chair. “You wanna clear her name? Get her out? Then let’s you and I go do some digging.”
“What are you thinking?” I crossed my arms.
“Cassandra said that Tori had gone to their meetings before. So, let’s canvas the neighborhood, ask around and see if they’d seen her before. Trust me, a girl like Tori is hard to forget.”
“Hasn’t the FBI already done that?”
“Nope. They’re too busy with the rest of the group. Cassandra was there at the raid and she’d told the truth about everything else so far, so they aren’t doing too much to prove if she’s telling the truth about Tori.”
“But why would she lie about it?”
“Apparently they were dating,” Bennett spit it out like it was poison. “So, who knows. Lover’s quarrel gone wrong? God knows that girl is a tiger in bed.” He chuckled to himself and I heard a faint ‘Yeah, buddy!’ “Maybe Tori messed around or something and Cassandra is trying to get back at her. A revenge thing.”
It made sense, but something was still off. If Bennett was willing to put in the time to look into it, then I’d go along with him. “All right. When?”
Bennett glanced at his phone that was sitting on the table he’d just left. “I gotta get back to HQ. So, tomorrow. I’ll call. In the meantime, go through the apartment. See if there’s anything we missed.”
“Everlie’s not gonna like that,” I replied, shaking my head. “She already feels violated. We didn’t even stay there last night.”
“We?” Bennett repeated, his eyebrows raised.
“I’ll go back tonight.” I glossed over his question. “It’s safe, right?”
Bennett nodded. “All of Sanderson’s guys are tied up—I doubt any of them even know who Everlie is. So far, none of them have even admitted to knowing Tori, other than Cassandra.”
“All right. Thanks man.”
* * * *
As promised, Everlie had texted me the location of her dance rehearsals, so after leaving Bennett’s hotel, I made the drive to meet her. I stopped along the way to get two coffees’ and a couple of pastries from an authentic Italian cafe I’d discovered while in town. The studio was one of many commercial buildings in a strip mall type of group, and I ended up circling around to find an open parking space. I was waiting for another car to back out and free up a spot, when I caught motion out of the corner of my eye. I looked over and spotted Everlie walking out with a tall, athletic man. He had his arm around her shoulders and was looking down at her with a serious expression. He said something to her and she smiled up at him.
My heart crunched into a tight ball at the sight of them walking together. They looked so at ease and comfortable with each other. The man kept his arm around her even as a few other people passed by and stopped to say something to them. I had no idea who he was, and I didn’t care, all I knew is the intense urge to get out of the car and kick the shit out of him for ever touching Everlie.
A honk behind me jolted me from my seething rage, and I tore my eyes away from the happy couple and sped out of the lot like a bat outta hell.
Chapter Sixteen
Everlie
Jason walked me out to my car, offering soft words of encouragement in an effort to boost my mood after the disastrous day of rehearsals. My performance hadn’t improved even after my self-given pep talk, and Ricardo called an end well before we were scheduled to stop for the day. He said it was to make some adjustments to the third number, but the unspoken truth was—he couldn’t handle my mistakes.
“Ricardo adores you,” Jason said, smiling down at me as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. After dancing together for a week, we’d become incredibly comfortable with each other, and I didn’t even flinch at the strong weight of his arm on my shoulders. Even after our coffee dates, he’d never tried to take things farther, and I had the feeling he knew I wasn’t ready for anything else, even though I hadn’t come out and told him I was just getting over someone else.
The rest of the cast passed by as we walked into the parking lot. A few stopped to say something encouraging to me, and a few others passed by with muttered grumblings or dirty looks. What had started out as a place of acceptance and excitement was quickly turning sour with disappointed expectations. It was only a matter of time before my understudy would start campaigning to take the lead role permanently.
I jumped at the sound of a horn a few feet away. I looked towards the source and saw Ryker behind the wheel of his rental car. I shrugged away from Jason’s arm, my cheeks hot, like I was a high schooler caught making out under the football bleachers.
“Oh no…” I groaned. Had Ryker seen me with Jason? The obvious answer was yes, judging by the way he shot out of the lot like a cannon ball.
“What’s wrong?” Jason asked, looking up and down the street for the source of my distress, completely oblivious to what had just taken place.
“Nothing, nothing. Listen, I gotta go. Thanks for walking me out and for all your help today. I’ll get it together for tomorrow.” I ran off to my car before he could reply. I probably wouldn’t have heard him anyway. My ears were ringing with panic.
Inside my car, I whipped my cell phone out of the pocket of my bag and dialed Ryker’s number. I turned over the engine while the
call rang. My hand tapped on the shifter as I waited, and when a nondescript voicemail greeting played, I threw the phone down into the passenger seat and ripped out of the parking lot, following the trail Ryker had just cut.
When I made it back to the hotel, I drove through the parking lot, looking for Ryker’s car. I spotted it near where he’d left it the night before and breathed a sigh of relief. However, my heart swelled at the thought of going up to the room we’d shared. I had no idea what he’d been doing at the studio. Had something happened with Tori? Did he know where she was? Was something wrong?
I flew out of the car and up to the room. A shot of panic ripped through me as I slid my keycard in the door and it flashed green. I paused for a moment, my hand on the knob, before pushing into the room. Ryker was standing over his black carry-on bag and appeared to be packing. He didn’t look up at my entrance. I cleared my throat, but he kept his eyes trained on the shirt he was rolling into a cylinder.
“Ryker…”
Nothing.
“Ryker! Look at me!”
His dark eyes snapped to mine, and I instantly wished them away. His stare sizzled with rage and every muscle on his body was tight and rigid. “Don’t get too comfortable. You’re not staying here tonight.”
“What are you—where are you going?”
He threw the shirt down so hard it unraveled from the roll he’d bunched it into. “I’m checking into another room. A single room. You can go wherever the hell you want to go. Not my business anymore.”
“Ryker, I know you were at the studio today. I saw you driving away. Is something wrong with Tori? Have you been able to see her?”
Ryker laughed, but it was a cold and hollow sound. He shook his head, a frosty, twisted smile frozen on his face. “That’s really all this is about. Wow.”
“What do you mean?” I snapped, crossing my arms.
“That’s really all you care about. I don’t know what I was thinking, coming out here, trying to help. I’d have been better off staying at the ranch. I could have had an entire pasture ready by now if I’d just stayed.” He cut his gaze away, like he couldn’t bear to look at me anymore. He shook his head again. “It doesn’t matter. I’m flying back home as soon as possible. You’ve made your feelings clear and I can’t stay. I have work to do back home.”
“Ryker, please, don’t be like this,” I pleaded. I took a few steps towards the bed, my fingers itching to reach for him. “Just talk to me.”
“There’s really nothing left to say, Everlie. I just can’t believe it was so easy for you. After everything…” His voice trailed off and he flicked his eyes back to mine.
“Nothing about this is easy!” I retorted, my own voice rising to match his elevated tone. “Leaving you wasn’t easy, getting you back wasn’t easy, and finding out about your whole other secret life sure as hell wasn’t easy.”
Ryker held up his hands in surrender. “You know what, I don’t have time for this. I need to finish here,” he gestured at the half packed bag, “and check into my new room and book a flight back home.”
“What about Tori?” I knew it wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but I couldn’t let it go.
“Call Bennett.”
“I can’t—”
“His number is on the table over there, next to a coffee and an almond fritter that you can take with you when you go.”
I turned and noticed the two cups of coffee and a white paper bakery bag sitting on the small table near the front of the room. I pinched my eyes closed, realizing what had happened. Ryker had come to bring me coffee and a snack at the studio but had seen me with Jason. “Ryker,” I started, facing him again. “I’m not with that guy, Jason, from the studio.”
Ryker shook his head. “I don’t need to know the details about your relationship, Ev. Not my business.”
I went to him and reached for his arm, but he shrugged me off, and refused to look up from his packing. “Ryker…”
“Just go, Ev.”
I sucked in a sharp breath at the stab of pain between my ribs. I opened my mouth, trying to force out some magical statement that would erase all the pain and confusion between us, but nothing came out. I turned and took the piece of paper with Bennett’s name and number on it and left the coffee behind.
Chapter Seventeen
Everlie
Things deteriorated further the next day at rehearsals. A restless night filled with endless tossing and turning, and shallow dreams of Ryker left me slow and clumsy. As the morning progressed, I felt each cast member turning against me. One by one they shot me looks of disapproval and grit their teeth, holding back their frustrated comments.
“Everlie,” Ricardo beckoned at me. “A word.”
I trudged forward at his request and followed to an abandoned corner. He didn’t have a proper office, so it was the closest we could really get for privacy without leaving the studio space or cramming into the storage closet that housed props and exercise equipment. “I’m sorry, Ricardo.” I rubbed a hand over my face. “I know I’m not in the best shape right now.”
Ricardo’s expression was stern, but a hint of compassion shone in his eyes. “Everlie, listen to me, I believe in you. I know you can do this. I saw the way you were the first week of rehearsals with Jason. You were amazing! I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ve been doing this long enough to know that you’re bringing something from the outside into this place, and as long as you’re doing that, things aren’t going to work.”
I nodded. There was no point in trying to deny it or come up with another story. Ricardo would see right through any smoke and mirrors I put together. “I’m sorry.”
He cleared his throat and looked past me to where the rest of the cast was waiting. When his eyes came back to mine, they were wider and more urgent. “I don’t want to have to tell you this, but the producers are under a lot of pressure. If they came in here and saw you performing like this, missing your queues and marks, they would have me send you packing.” A tremor of terror clawed up my spine. “I don’t want to do that. So, please, Everlie, get your head back in the game so I don’t have to.”
“Yes sir.”
He patted my shoulder as he breezed past to gather everyone and set the next scene. I rolled my shoulders down and back and gulped in a deep breath.
Jason came over to me as Ricardo worked with a group of other dancers. “Everything okay?”
“No. Not really.” There was no point in lying to him either. I’d been busy trying to keep my facade in place, especially around him, as I knew it was key for him to keep his confidence in me as his partner, but after my brief exchange with Ricardo, I was rattled and unable to keep my normal mask of serenity in place.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Jason said, reading my troubled expression. He wrapped an arm around me and started walking me to the doors of the studio. He glanced back over his shoulder and gestured we’d be just a minute. If Ricardo had a problem with us taking off, he didn’t say anything, and Jason led me outside.
He released his arm as he came around to face me, but placed his large hands on my shoulders, one on each side, to frame me in his view. “Everlie, you can talk to me. I’m not going to sell you out or throw you under the bus. You don’t have to be so strong all the time. This business we’re in is a tough one. You need a support system.”
I looked up into his concerned eyes and sagged against his hands. He pulled me into a hug and I rested my head against his chiseled chest. “I don’t think I can do this, Jason.”
He held me for a moment and I tipped my chin up, wondering what he was thinking. “I’m not gonna lie to you, Everlie, this business isn’t for everyone. It takes a lot more than just killer talent to make it. Now, I’m not saying that because I think you should give up. I don’t. I think you have what it takes, but I think you haven’t figured that out for yourself yet. And until you do, you’re gonna struggle.”
“How am I supposed to do that? Figure it out?” He had an interesting point. I
had been struggling to accept any of it. That I was the star of a show, that I’d finally gotten my big break. It felt surreal and fake, like I was playing make believe.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” Jason said, sighing at his own limitation. “I just know you’re not like the other dancers I’ve worked with, and yet, you’re a better, more disciplined dancer than a lot of them. It’s an attitude thing. To be a star, to take over your career, and launch yourself to the top, it takes a lot more than that. You are content to fade to the background and let other people shine. It’s a sweet trait, but it’s not what gets you noticed on a big stage like this. You seem…uncomfortable with the spotlight on you.”
My rebuttal stuck in my throat. He was right.
“—I mean, even when we’re dancing together, you let me take over and dominate the performance, when it’s supposed to be equal.” He paused, and I replayed some of our most recent dances in my head. I’d been so out of it and focused on everything else that it had been easier to let him run the show. I’d been thinking about Ryker, and I knew that everything going on outside the studio walls played a big part in my lack of focus and mistakes, but as Jason explained it and shared his point of view, I was starting to see that there was a bigger problem than all the madness with Ryker and Tori.
“Anyway, I’ll do whatever it takes to get you where you need and want to be. I like you, Everlie, and I want to help.”