Behind the Scenes

by K. M. Scott

  His blue eyes grew wide, and then he looked down at the floor. “Nobody gave it to me. I found it in the elevator.”

  Jesus! Did none of these people understand what was at stake here? It was like none of them realized the danger they kept putting Alexis in.

  “What the fuck is wrong with all of you? Do you want to see Alexis hurt?” Hunter asked, barely able to keep himself from lashing out at Mark.

  The man looked up and shook his head. “I didn’t think telling a white lie about where I found it would hurt anyone. It was from her agent, so I didn’t think it would be a problem. I didn’t want to see Carla or Lauren get in trouble because they dropped it when they went down to get the mail. I didn’t mean any harm.”

  Hunter watched as Mark explained himself and had to admit that he didn’t seem to be acting guilty. And the envelope had looked like it had been from Alexis’s agent. Nonetheless, he joined Kyle and Carla at the top of Hunter’s list of who might be the stalker or his helper on the inside.

  “Fine. Join Malcolm downstairs in the lobby, and if anyone—and I mean even a single soul—comes with anything for Alexis, I want you to hold him there and alert me immediately. Understand?”

  Mark nodded and left without saying another word. Hunter closed his eyes and tried to calm down, knowing he had to go talk to Alexis. He couldn’t let her see him worried, no matter how much this morning had unnerved him.

  Standing in front of her door, he hesitated before knocking. He didn’t know what to tell her because he felt like he was failing at this case. Finally, he knocked and she quietly said, “Come in.”

  Bracing himself for what he’d find, he expected to see her a mess. He opened the door and saw her sitting on the grey loveseat in the corner of the room. Her eyes weren’t red from crying, and she looked okay.

  But appearances might be deceiving.

  He closed the door behind him but didn’t go any further into the room. What he wanted to do he couldn’t—take her into his arms and make her forget the world beyond them.

  “Do you know why I’m sitting over here?” she asked in a low voice.

  He heard defeat in her words. Defeat because the stalker had once again upended her life, and he hadn’t done a damn thing to stop him.

  Hunter shook his head but didn’t answer.

  “I’ve convinced myself that this is the only spot in the room where someone can’t get to me through the window. I bet you think that’s crazy. I mean, we’re on the top floor, the penthouse.”

  “It’s not crazy,” he said, remembering how ridiculous he’d thought Carla had been with her concern about the windows the other day. “I don’t think you’re crazy Alexis.”

  She forced a smile that only accentuated the pain in her eyes. “I want to be strong. I do. And then I fell apart out there. I hate that.”

  Taking a step into the room, he stopped. “You didn’t fall apart. You reacted the way anyone else would.”

  “Thanks, but it’s such a drama. I hate that. It probably sounds bizarre—an actress who hates drama—but I do. I just want to live my life. Do you know I haven’t done anything but worry about this stalker since I moved here? Well, other than stupidly running off with Lauren and freaking everyone out.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up about that. Everyone needs to break out sometimes.”

  Alexis shook her head. “But Paul was right. I can’t do that. I can wish all I want, but even with all the money I have, I can’t buy the kind of life I wish I could have. Not and be the person I am now. It’s like I have to choose between doing something I love and having a life I can be happy with. It’s not fair.”

  Hunter suddenly wanted to give her that life, at least for a few days. It was crazy, but he didn’t care.

  He walked over to where she sat and crouched down in front of her. “Let’s go. Right now.”

  Looking down at him with eyes full of surprise, she asked, “Where?”

  “We can get away from here. We can go anywhere we can find privacy. I can work from wherever we go. We’ll keep it a secret so no one will know. Not Lauren or Carla or the bodyguards or even Paul.”

  Alexis leaned forward and clasped his hands. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes. Tell me where you want to go and we’ll drive there. Name the place. I think getting you away from here will do us both good.”

  What he hoped was his hunch about who might be behind this whole stalker thing would come to light once he had her in a secret place.

  Maybe they could go to a cabin in the mountains somewhere. Or the desert. Or a secluded beach house. Anywhere she wanted, he’d take her.

  “Take me to where you live. I want to see where you were before you came here.”

  Of all the places she could want to go, the estate was the last place he knew he should take her. Persephone had a rule that only he and the other employees were allowed there.

  But he didn’t want to refuse her this, so he quickly devised a plan where she could stay on the estate since his room was out of the question. The estate had a guest house on the other side of the property, so they could go there.

  Nick and Persephone would just have to understand he had his reasons for doing this.

  “Okay, I’ll take you to the estate.”

  “Really? But should it just be the two of us? I’ve never been without Lauren since she became my assistant, Hunter.”

  Standing, he shook his head. “It has to be just the two of us.”

  Worry settled into her face. “You don’t think Lauren could be behind this stalker’s letters, do you? Is that why you want to get me away from everyone?”

  In truth, he didn’t think Lauren was part of it, but he didn’t know about Carla or the rest of the people Alexis surrounded herself with. His gut told him no matter how much they all said they loved her, someone knew more than they were telling.

  “No, but I don’t know about everyone else,” he admitted, hoping he didn’t frighten her.

  The idea that someone you trusted with your life may want to hurt you could terrify anyone.

  “So you don’t want me to tell anyone where we’re going?” she asked with hesitation in her voice.

  He held his hand out to take hers. “Do you trust me, Alexis?”

  Without a hint of reluctance, she placed her hand in his palm and let him pull her to her feet. Looking up into his eyes, she said, “I do. I’m sure a lot of people would say I shouldn’t because we haven’t even known each other for long at all, but I do trust you, Hunter.”

  “Then tell no one where we’re going. I’ll get a car and text you when we’re ready to leave. Take the elevator down to the garage alone. Just be sure no one comes with you.”

  “But what if someone asks where I’m going?”

  “Tell them I’m waiting downstairs in the lobby.”

  She bit her lip like this worried her, so Hunter gently cradled her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. “I promise I won’t let anything hurt you. You can trust me. Just make sure to follow those instructions to a T and don’t tell a soul we’re going anywhere.”

  “I won’t. I promise.”

  He bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. “Remember, no one. I’ll see you in a little while.”

  Even though he saw worry in her eyes, she smiled and nodded. “Okay. I’ll be waiting for your text.”

  Hurrying out of her room, he headed toward his room to make arrangements to take her to the estate. Nothing like this had ever happened to him on a case, but then again, Alexis Marchand wasn’t like any other client.

  Or any other woman, for that matter.

  Chapter Twenty

  The thought of going off with Hunter frightened Alexis as much as it thrilled her. Had she made a mistake telling him she would leave and not mention it to a single person? What did she actually know about him other than Paul had hired him and he came from some group called Project Artemis that helped women?

  Maybe she should at least tell Lauren. Just in case.<
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  Just then she realized she couldn’t even tell her best friend exactly where they were going to. Swinging her legs off the loveseat, she began looking for a bag to pack a few things in. Wherever this place was he was taking her, she’d need her things.

  As she stuffed a brush and some makeup into her bag, she mumbled, “This is crazy. I’m running off with a man I barely know.”

  Then again, she knew him a little more than barely, didn’t she?

  Her cheeks grew hot as the memory of their time together in his room the night before rushed through her mind. Smiling, she admitted to herself she definitely wouldn’t use the word barely to describe how she knew him sexually.

  But did that mean she should leave the security of her home and drive somewhere all alone with him? At least when she went off with Lauren she was with someone she knew and trusted.

  Tossing more makeup into her bag, she said, “I must be out of my mind. I’m crazy. This is crazy.”

  A gentle knock at her bedroom door tore her out of her thoughts, and she yelled, “Come in!”

  Lauren’s face appeared, and she asked, “Are you okay? Can I come in?”

  Alexis waved her in. “Come in! I want to talk to you.” She sat down on the bed and patted it next to her. “I need your help with something.”

  Her assistant eagerly nodded, happy to help, of course. “Whatever you want. What’s up?”

  “Hunter is getting me out of the city for a little bit. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but I need you to make it look like I’m staying in my room the whole time. I don’t want anyone to know I’m gone.”

  He’d told her to not tell a soul, not even Lauren, but she had to let her know. She couldn’t worry her best friend needlessly like that. Not after everything she’d done for her.

  Lauren’s mouth dropped open in shock at her announcement. “You barely know him. Do you think you should go off alone with him? I mean, I know he’s here to help catch the stalker, but he hasn’t been around that long.”

  “I know, but I trust him. It might sound crazy, but I need to get away from here. I feel like I’m just waiting for the next letter to show up and terrorize me.”

  As always, Lauren worried about the rest of her life like any great assistant would. “But what about that part Melanie was talking about last week? What if they want you to go read for it? You want this part, don’t you?”

  Alexis thought about the part, a character who struck out on her own after being abused as a child and worked her way up the corporate ladder. She loved the idea of finally playing a strong woman who controlled her own destiny, but as much as she wanted to play that character, she needed to get away more.

  “It will probably only be for a few days. I don’t think it will be a problem, and if it is, then that part wasn’t meant to be.”

  Frowning, Lauren said, “Okay. I mean, if this is what you want to do, then I guess you’re going to do it.”

  She looked into her friend’s dark eyes and hoped she saw the truth in hers. “I do need this. I can’t explain it, but I trust him.”

  “I’m just curious about your going with Hunter. You barely know him. Are you sure about going away with him?”

  Alexis looked away, avoiding her gaze now. “Well, I know him a little better than you think.”

  Lauren sat silently for a few moments before pushing hard on her arm and exclaiming, “Shut up! When? How? Where was I when all this was happening?”

  As much as she wanted to gossip with her, Alexis didn’t have the time. Hopping off the bed, she returned to packing her bag.

  “I don’t have time to tell you all the juicy details. It was last night, though.”

  “You have to give me something! You can’t leave me in the dark like this.”

  Lauren bounced on the bed like a kid dying to hear where she was going that day. Alexis stopped packing and shook her head.

  “We’re not in high school anymore. We should be more adult when we talk about sex.”

  “Nonsense! Now give me the dirt.”

  Whenever she thought of Hunter now, Alexis couldn’t help but smile. “It was different from everyone I’ve ever been with, and yes, I know. I haven’t been with that many men. Don’t remind me, okay? I can tell you this. He was a thousand times better than Jackson.”

  Eager to hear more, her assistant leaned forward toward her. “Go on. And don’t worry about not having a lot of past lovers. I didn’t need to eat that fudge the other day more than once to know it was heavenly. Some things you just know when they’re good.”

  She always had a unique way of bringing her back to the focus of her thoughts. She loved that about Lauren.

  “You know what it was? For the first time, I was with someone who didn’t care who I was to the rest of the world. I liked that.”

  “I love that! Okay, I need to know more. What was it like? What does he look like under those clothes? I bet he’s got a great body, right? Come on! You have to tell me more.”

  But Alexis ignored all her pleas for more details about her time with Hunter. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to share things with Lauren like she always had, but something felt different this time.

  With this man.

  Just as she stuffed her favorite pink sweater into her bag, she heard her phone vibrate in her pocket. It was Hunter telling her it was time to leave.

  “I have to go. I need you to get everyone away from the elevator doors so I can get out of here.”

  Hopping off the bed, Lauren headed for the bedroom door. “Okay, I’m on it. Just promise me you’ll let me know you’re safe. Don’t make me worry, Alexis.”

  “I promise.”

  That didn’t feel like enough, though, so Alexis rushed over to the door and hugged her best friend. “I can’t believe I’m doing this! Tell me I’m not crazy.”

  “I’ve never thought you were crazy. It’s not crazy to want to live your life the way you want to. Just be safe, okay?”

  Squeezing her hand, Alexis smiled. “I will. Together we’ll make everyone think I’m spending the next few days hiding out in my room. Temperamental actresses do that all the time, right? Sounds like something someone like me would do.”

  Lauren cradled her face as she shook her head. “You’re nothing like that, and you know it. Leave that nonsense in the tabloids. Now go and have some fun. I’ll be here playing my role.”

  “Now who’s the actress?” Alexis joked as she watched her best friend walk out into the hallway.

  The elevator doors opened, and Alexis looked around the garage for any sign of Hunter. Alone, she stood nervously waiting as the smell of engine fumes made it hard to breathe. After about a minute, she began to wonder if she’d made a mistake. She hadn’t been alone for more than a minute or two in so long that she didn’t know what to do. What if someone approached her? She’d have no way to protect herself.

  With every second that passed, Alexis became more and more frightened. She never should have agreed to do this. She barely knew Hunter. What if he was behind the stalker and just wanted to get her alone in this garage?

  As every horrible possibility ran through her mind, a grey sedan drove toward her. She strained to see the driver but couldn’t through the tinted windows. Frozen in place, she didn’t know if she should run back to the elevator or stay there.

  The car stopped, and she held her breath, praying to God she could run away fast enough if it was someone who wanted to hurt her. The darkened driver’s side window slowly lowered, and she saw Hunter smiling at her.

  “Ready to go?” he asked with that sexy smile she loved.

  Exhaling, Alexis nodded, eager to get into the car and away from the city. “I didn’t know if that was you. I wasn’t sure what to do. I was all alone here.”

  He waved her toward the car. “Come on! You’re with me now, and we’re getting the hell away from this place for a few days.”

  That’s exactly what she needed to make her remember how much she wanted to go with him,
so she hurried over to the car and jumped in, tossing her bag into the backseat. She didn’t want to think or worry anymore. She just wanted to be free.

  Hunter turned to look over at her and asked, “Ready?”

  “Let’s do this!”

  “Okay. Until we get out of the city, I need you to get down so no one can see you. Everything taken care of upstairs?”

  As she slid down onto the floor in front of the passenger seat, she nodded. “Lauren is going to make sure everyone thinks I’m hiding out in my room for the next few days.”

  Suddenly, Hunter’s expression darkened. “I told you not to tell anyone, Alexis.”

  Just the sight of him upset with her made all the worrying return. She didn’t have a choice. He didn’t understand that if she didn’t appear for a few days, someone would wonder what was wrong.

  “I had to tell her. People will start to ask questions if there’s no explanation why I’m not around for more than a few hours. Lauren will take care of that. Trust me, she’d never do anything to hurt me. We can trust her. She’ll keep this a secret.”

  “And if Paul forces her to tell him, you don’t think she will?” he asked, not believing in the woman who had watched over her forever.

  Alexis shook her head. “She won’t tell a soul. You can trust her. She loves me like a sister. Sisters don’t betray one another.”

  “And you think anyone is going to believe that you’re staying in your room for days on end? Lauren’s sweet, but I’m not sure she can carry off that lie.”

  “I’m an actress. I think most people believe I act like that most of the time.”

  He pressed his foot down on the gas and smiled. “Well, they’d be wrong. Hold on. As soon as I get us out of the city, we’ll be in the clear.”

  “I brought my wig in case.”

  The car quickly swerved left and then right, and Alexis grabbed onto the seat after nearly bashing her head on the bottom of the dashboard. She hadn’t anticipated getting away to be like this.

  Hunter reached over and touched her arm. “You okay? I had to take that turn a bit hard. I promise I’ll try not to do that again.”