by Naomi West
“You’re popular. I’ve said it a thousand times, but I still don’t think you get it. Everybody is interested in you. It doesn’t matter if you make good or bad choices; the public wants to know about them. If someone sees you having avocado toast for breakfast, then you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be a run on avocados the next day. It’s when you end up on Dancing with the Stars that you know you’re a has-been, and you’re nowhere near that dance floor.”
Lola, despite her desolate mood, couldn’t help but give a small chuckle. “Okay. At least you’re right about that. Let’s get going.”
“I’ve got everything arranged,” Butch said as they made their way down through the hotel. “I asked the manager to clear the hallways for us so we shouldn’t run into any other guests. There’s a limo parked out front, and the crowds have completely surrounded it.”
A sense of dread weighed heavily on Lola’s stomach. She didn’t feel like dealing with fans today. “Shit.”
“No, that’s a good thing. The limo is just there as a decoy. We’re taking you out the back to a different car, one that won’t draw so much attention. By the time everyone realizes you’re gone, you’ll already be boarding the plane.”
“That’s no fun,” Brittany pouted. “I brought my favorite pair of sunglasses just to deal with the flashbulbs.”
Lola couldn’t express how relieved she was to hear the plan. “Thanks, Butch. You don’t know what that means to me.”
He smiled. “Yes, I do. I know it’s been hard on you to go through all of this. I can’t fix any of it, but I can at least make some of it easier.”
A warm feeling took up residence in Lola’s chest. Things weren’t going to be easy for her as she dealt with the arrival of a baby and the changes it would force on her career. But she had two good people at her side, people who knew almost everything about her.
Wait. People who know almost everything about me. Lola slowed her steps as they made their way through the hall, her brain on overload. Someone had told the press she was going to Rolling Hills, and the fans had somehow found out the first time she was at The Dive. They knew what hotel she was staying at, and somehow Bishop had been able to discover her room number. When she had returned to the small town, not only had everyone been waiting for her at the airport, but they were now talking about her pregnancy.
Lola had fired Chris in large part because of the ridiculous fight he had started with Bishop. It wasn’t the professional thing to do, no matter what he wanted from her or who he thought the biker was. Besides, the simple fact that he wanted to use her fame to build his own was enough reason to let him go. But she had also been suspecting him of being the informant. As her bodyguard, he knew her schedule and her whereabouts at all times. It would have been easy for him to spread it around online.
But Chris hadn’t known about her pregnancy. That left her pegging Bishop, even though she tried to force the thoughts out of her mind. He had been at the bar both times as well as at the hotel, and he had been part of the crowd at the airport. If Bishop had been interested in getting the public’s attention, though, he could easily have taken her to a much less secluded spot to make love. He could have arranged for a photographer to be nearby to capture nude photos of her, or better yet, photos of the two of them together. He could have blackmailed her several times over, and yet nobody had found out about their time in the hotel or in the woods.
There was always Butch, but he had been doing his best to fight off the crowds. Besides, he didn’t know about the pregnancy. She hadn’t told him. He might have heard her say something to her parents, but the online rumors had been flying since early that morning, far before the visit to the hospital.
Mr. and Mrs. Dodson wouldn’t have told anyone about Lola’s visit or her pregnancy. They didn’t want to have anything to do with her. That only left …
“Brittany.”
“Yes?”
They had reached the lobby. Two uniformed bellhops stood on either side of the front doors, which had been locked. They had been placed there to keep the crowd excited and hopeful, not knowing that Lola and her company had other plans. The fans outside were screaming and cheering so loudly that it could be heard even through the thick walls of the building.
The manager stepped out from behind the front desk, his manner deferential. “Miss Lennox, I hope that everything during your stay at the Magnolia Blossom has been to your liking. If you’re ever in town again, we’ll be happy to have you as our guest. Is there anything I can get you before you go? Perhaps a complimentary bottle of water for the road?”
“No. Thank you.” There was no amount of tiny shampoos or fresh towels that this man could bring her that would make her feel better. Lola had been betrayed by the woman she had come to think of as her best friend.
“As you wish. Your car is right outside the back door.”
“Thanks.” But Lola had stopped moving completely now. She was still trying to process it all. It wasn’t fair that her talent and her popularity had brought such heartache with it, but that seemed to be the way things were now.
Butch checked his watch. “We need to get going. They’re not going to hold back much longer, and we don’t want them to start suspecting us.” He thumbed over his shoulder at the screaming fans.
“There’s something I have to do first.” Lola turned to Brittany, who stood beaming at her innocently. “How dare you?”
“Excuse me?”
“How dare you?” Lola repeated. “You and I have worked together for years. You’ve been my friend and my confidante. I’ve let you use me as a reference so you can get all the top jobs in Hollywood, and this is how you repay me?”
Butch cleared his throat. “I’m not sure what’s going on here, but we really don’t have much time.”
“I don’t care. I don’t care if I miss my plane completely, just as long as this traitor isn’t on it with me.”
Brittany shook her head sympathetically. “Now, Lola. You’ve had a hard couple of days. You’re tired, and that’s understandable. Let’s just get in the car, and …”
“Don’t you dare try to placate me! Just how much money have you been getting for your little stories?”
Brittany was finally beginning to look a little frazzled. She tented her fingers over her chest innocently and blinked her eyes. “I … I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Or was it just because you wanted the attention, too? You figured, just like Chris did, that you could ride on my coattails and build up your own career. You knew that the more scandalous my affairs were, the more attention everyone around me would be getting. It’s sick, Brittany, just sick. I can’t believe you would do this to me!”
“Wait a second.” Butch stepped between the two of them. “Let’s not let this get out of hand. Clearly, you two have an issue, but is it something we can hash out at the airport?”
Lola shook her head, folding her arms in front of her chest. “No, because there’s nothing to hash out. You’re fired, Brittany.”
The makeup artist suddenly took on a haughty attitude. “Seriously? Why the hell did you become a singer if you couldn’t take the heat of being a celebrity, Lola? It’s not just like this for you; it’s like this for everyone who wants to be famous. We all have our sacrifices to make.”
“No. There’s no excuse for using someone the way you’ve used me. Or haven’t you realized that the lies you’ve been spreading have actually hurt people?” For a fleeting moment, Lola actually felt sorry for Chris. It had likely been Brittany’s idea to theorize about a possible relationship between Lola and the bodyguard. Reading those articles was what likely had given him the idea to create a fake relationship with her in the first place. He had still been wrong, and he’d still deserved to be fired, but Brittany had stirred the pot.
“You’re so sensitive, Lola. And you’ll only regret firing me. I’m one of the best-known makeup artists in Hollywood, now. You’ll want to come running back to me when it’s t
ime for a tour or the award shows, but I’ll be so booked up you won’t even be able to talk to me. Not that I would want to talk to you, anyway.”
“Trust me. I can find someone to replace you. Let’s go, Butch.” She stormed toward the back of the hotel with Butch at her side. For a moment, she was sure Brittany would try to follow. Lola was her ticket home, after all. But the woman who had betrayed her at least had some dignity left and she remained in the lobby.
There would be other artists, Lola knew. There would be plenty of people clamoring to work for her as soon as they found out that Brittany had been fired, and there was no doubt that people would find out. Lola could even book another spot on Primetime News with Tonya and let the whole world know how she had been betrayed, but she doubted people would care about the pitfalls of fame as much as they did the shooting. It was just another part of the life she had chosen, and she would have to deal with it.
They stepped out into the sunshine. The parking lot was full of cars, but everyone had gathered at the front just as Butch had hoped for. He unlocked a small green sedan with rental plates and loaded her baggage into the trunk.
Lola let herself into the front seat, figuring she would look less conspicuous than if she rode in the back, and wondered if life would ever get any easier.
Chapter Nineteen
Bishop
Bishop sat in his office with his feet up on the desk, staring at the ceiling. He had felt completely adrift since his last encounter with Lola. That was usually a feeling that a biker liked, not being attached to anyone or anything. There was a certain kind of freedom that came with being alone, and it gave him the ability to go anywhere and do anything without consequence.
But for the first time in his life, he wasn’t satisfied with that. Bishop had fallen in love with Lola, despite his better judgement. He hadn’t been able to help himself. He wondered if other men had felt the same way about her, and if it was just an infatuation with her beautiful body that kept her in the forefront of his mind. Only time would tell, and it didn’t matter anyway. She would never have anything to do with him again.
He sat up when someone knocked on the doorway to his office. “What is it?”
“Sorry to bother you, Boss.” It was Sluice. He slunk into the office and sat down. “I had a few things I wanted to go over with you, if you have time.”
Bishop knew what he meant. It wasn’t about whether or not Bishop had any time but whether he felt up to it or not. Though he’d made no announcements, he couldn’t hide the fact that this whole thing had affected him. Bishop might have a kid out there, and yet he might not. The press had been calling and coming by on a regular basis, and a detail had had to be assigned to keep them at bay. The only reason Bishop kept his cell phone nearby instead of shutting it off and locking it in a drawer was on the small hope that Lola might call. She wouldn’t, but he kept it in his pocket anyway. “Go ahead.”
The vice president consulted some notes he had made on his tablet. “Archie Reynolds says he wants to retire from the club. I didn’t figure you would have any problem with it, but I thought I would check with you on scheduling a retirement ceremony for him.”
“Sure. Not a problem. Any time that sounds good to you is fine with me.” He would miss Archie, but he had no objection when one of his loyal followers decided to retire. The club life wasn’t for everyone, especially as they got older. “What else?”
Sluice shrugged and rubbed his hand through his hair. He shifted in his chair and cleared his throat. “Um, you know, just typical club business. Uh, the roof needs a little bit of maintenance on the northeast corner, so I wanted to see if you want us to just fix it ourselves or just hire someone. And I have a few reports on some of our latest business dealings. Just little stuff. I can leave it on your desk for later.” He stood up and went toward the door.
“Sluice?”
“Yeah?”
Bishop dropped his feet to the floor and leaned forward in his chair. “Don’t bother trying to protect me. I appreciate it, but I don’t need it. Just tell me.”
With a sigh, Sluice sat back down. “Okay, but I don’t think you’re going to like it.” He poked at the tablet and set it on the desk.
Picking it up, Bishop recognized the popular news app. It was on the entertainment tab, and every story was about Lola. He wouldn’t have been surprised if it had been the typical stuff he had already seen, things about her being in Rolling Hills or the fight at the bar. But it was so much more than that. There were links to videos where supposed journalists speculated over her pregnancy and who the father might be. “Damn it!”
“Uh, boss, I know it isn’t really any of my business. But it’s you, isn’t it?”
Bishop didn’t have to ask him to clarify. “Yeah, it’s me. Or at least, that what she says.” He had no real reason to believe she was a liar, other than the way that Chris had looked at her in the bar. Maybe that wasn’t really enough to go on.
His doubts were intensified when he scrolled down to the next headline. Lennox Fires Bodyguard Over Fight. She had let Chris go. If he was the father of the child, or if Lola had had any feelings for him, then Lola wouldn’t have fired him.
“I’m afraid it only gets more intense the more you go on,” Sluice said apologetically. “I don’t think I’ve ever read the entertainment section as much as I have today, and they just can’t get enough of Lola.”
Bishop read on. Lola Reduces Entourage with Another Firing. Big-Time Star, Small-Town Girl. Lola Lennox’s Secret Beauty Tricks Revealed! Top Ten Bad Habits of Lola Lennox: Makeup Artist Tells All. Everything was there. Most of it he hadn’t known before, except for the fact that she was from Rolling Hills. He dismissed the beauty secrets and the bad habits. If Lola had fired her makeup artist and her bodyguard, then there was no doubt they were selling as many lies as they possibly could.
“I know you didn’t ask, but I’ve checked with the entertainment blogs to see if I can figure out what her schedule is like. You know, just in case you wanted to know.” Sluice studied the floor. He was a good man, but the Cobra Kings didn’t make a habit of discussing romantic matters.
“And?” Bishop shouldn’t care. He had messed things up with Lola big-time. Even if the child was his, she would probably tell him to fuck off and forget about it. Still, he couldn’t help wanting to know.
“Her plane is scheduled to take off this afternoon.” Sluice checked his watch. “In about an hour, actually.”
The details spun through Bishop’s head. Everyone knew that Lola was here, and now they knew that she was from here as well. They knew about the pregnancy. They probably knew when her plane was leaving, if Sluice had been able to find that information. Perhaps most importantly, they knew that Lola had recently let go of one of her bodyguards. She was heading to a busy airport with only the big bald man to protect her. There was no way that was going to be enough.
Bishop jumped up out of his chair and grabbed his keys. “Round up everyone you can. We’ve got to head to the airport.”
Sluice didn’t stop to ask why or for details. “Not a problem. We’ll be right on your tail.”
His head was spinning as he fired up his bike and hit the button that opened the garage door. Lola would probably sic her man on him when he showed up. She might just march right up to Bishop and punch him in the face herself. He deserved it and he knew it. But he just had to see her one more time.
He made it to the airport in record time. As he pulled in and shut off his engine, he heard several other bikes nearby on the road. Bishop hoped they were his men, and if they were he could only be impressed by how quickly Sluice had gotten them to act. He shot into the airport and looked around.
It was far more crowded than it should have been during the middle of the week, but it was obvious that most of the people weren’t there to board a plane. They milled around, poking their heads up above the crowd, searching for something. They were waiting for Lola.
Baggage check was to his right and the se
curity checkpoint to the left. Lola would have to get through those gates before she could get to her plane. Bishop waited for a moment, monitoring the crowd and trying to determine where Lola might be based on that. He sighed and rubbed his hands together. This would have been so much easier if she was just a normal girl. Nobody would have paid any attention to her in an airport or been interested in spreading her personal information on the Internet. It would have made it incredibly easy to have time alone with her, but he had to turn his mind away from that.
A scream shattered the air and Bishop turned on his heel. It was followed by more screams from the far entrance of the airport. The crowd surged that direction, cameras flashing and fans screaming. They surged behind him like a wall, and he let himself be carried along since it would only bring him closer to Lola.
“There she is!”
“Oh, my God!”
“It’s really her!”
People shouted and screamed all around him. Bishop thought he caught a glance of her bodyguard’s shiny bald head, but he couldn’t be sure. He hoped his men were on their way, because even he couldn’t hold back the crowd on his own.