Finding Us

by Debra Presley

  He froze.

  “Sean?”

  She nodded.

  “He was there?”

  Abby nodded again.

  “Tell me everything that happened.”

  “I…I was signing an autograph, and the next thing I know I was pushed back and you were pulling me toward the bus…and then everything went a little crazy.”

  “Okay, right. A group of guys pushed us apart, and I was arguing with them to move.” He flexed his right hand. The situation had quickly escalated from verbal to physical.

  “I didn’t know it was possible to lose sight of you so quickly.” She took a couple of steadying breaths. “I tried to get back to you, but I couldn’t. Then I felt someone grab my arm, and I thought it was you. It wasn’t.”

  Danny flexed his hands to help control his emotions. The last thing he wanted to do was to show Abby how angry he was. “Go on,” he encouraged Abby to continue, surprised how calm he sounded.

  “It was Sean. He dragged me behind the bus. I tried to get away but he…he’s really strong. He said no one could protect me from him. And I need to learn my place.” She paused and took in another breath.

  She was clearly struggling, but she was also talking. He wasn’t a therapist, but he’d sat through enough sessions after Vanessa was killed to know that talking was the first step to healing. Besides, he needed this information in order to do his job properly.

  “Anything else?” he asked quietly. He wanted to encourage her but not so much that she shut down completely.

  “Sean said I’m ruining his career, and I had to remember my place and do as I’m told. He also said how easy it was to get me alone. That…” She stopped suddenly and stiffened.

  “What else?” Danny kept his voice soft, so as not to upset her further.

  “Where were you tonight?”

  “I was in a meeting.” A stupid, useless meeting, but Abby didn’t need to know that. She had enough on her mind.

  “Really? Why would you schedule a meeting during a show?” Her tone was different from what Danny had ever heard from her before.

  “Since your mother called and demanded it. She wanted to discuss Sean. What does that have to do with anything?”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Tell me what’s going on.”

  “Sean told me it only took a little pussy to get my bodyguards distracted enough to get me where he wanted.”

  “What?” He stared at her. “Your mother wanted to discuss a tentative plan to remove Sean from the tour. Or at least that’s what she said she wanted. But when I got there, she wouldn’t talk about Sean at all. She said I need to do a better job.” He kept his voice steady, even though he was thinking murderous thoughts. He wanted to smack the hell out of both Vivien and Sean. “That’s when I left.” He took Abby’s hand in his. “I know she’s your mom, but seriously, Abby. She’s not doing you any favors.”

  “So nothing happened between you and my mom?”

  He stared at her. “Are you really asking me that?”

  She refused to look at him.

  “Abby,” he said firmly. “Look at me.” Her gaze immediately found his. “I’d never hurt you that way. Never. You’re important to me.”

  He needed Abby to believe in him, but he didn’t realize how much he’d revealed in his haste to comfort her until the words were already out. Hopefully, she was too distracted by everything else and didn’t pick up on it. The last thing Abby needed was for him to add his weird, unsettling emotions to her list of concerns, especially when he had no idea what to do with them. Acting on them certainly wasn’t an option.

  “Okay,” she whispered and nodded.

  “Tell him,” Sophie said. Danny was so focused on Abby, he’d forgotten Sophie was there.

  “Tell me what?”

  “Nothing.” Abby shook her head.

  “Abby.” Danny looked back and forth between the pair. Something was definitely wrong.

  “He needs to know. If you don’t tell him, I will.”

  “I saw Stephanie tonight, and she had a pretty big story to surprise me with.”

  “When did you see Stephanie? And why did you see her?”

  “She was outside my dressing room.”

  “And where was Ron?”

  “I…I don’t know. He walked me to the room and closed the door behind me. Later, I opened the door to ask him a question, and he wasn’t there. Stephanie was.”

  “He wasn’t there?”

  “No.”

  Danny held back his fury at his employee and continued to question Abby.

  “What did she want?” he asked cautiously.

  “She didn’t really have anything to say; it’s more like she wanted to crush my heart and the little trust I had left.” She placed her head in her hands. Whatever this was, it was big. He could feel it.

  “What does that mean?”

  She turned away from him.

  “Abby? You can tell me anything,” he assured.

  “Not this.”

  “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”

  “No one can help with this. How do you help someone whose world has been torn to bits? It’s just not possible.”

  “Abby? If I can’t help, then I can at least try to protect you from it.”

  “No one can protect me. Stephanie’s gonna release them. Once they’re out there, there’s nothing anyone can do.

  “Once what is out there?” he tried again.

  She didn’t turn back toward him, but he heard her anyway when she told the wall, “My mother and Sean.”

  “Your mother and Sean? What does that mean?

  “My mother and Sean. Together.”

  “Does that mean what I think it means?”

  She nodded.

  “Fuck.” He ran his fingers through his hair. That woman was no mother. Who did that to her kid?

  “Stephanie ambushed Abby. I heard her badgering her and came out to see what was going on.” Sophie filled in some of the gaps.

  Danny gave her a hard stare.

  “I threw her ass out.”

  “I want Sean gone.” Abby lifted her arm and winced.

  “You’re hurt,” Danny said and a cold anger settled in his chest. Give him five minutes alone with Sean. That’s all he would need.

  “I’m fine,” she assured him. He gently pushed up the sleeve of her shirt. The fresh fingermarks made him clench his teeth together so he wouldn’t start swearing again. He released Abby’s arm and looked out the bus windows as Ron exited through the side arena doors.

  “Danny…” Abby started.

  “Stay here. Can you get her some ice?” Danny ordered.

  “Wait,” Abby said urgently.

  “Not for this.” He turned and headed for the bus doors.

  “Danny, it’s not his fault.” Abby reached toward him.

  “Please, stay right here.” He strode off the bus and headed directly across the parking lot to Ron.

  “That was a fucking madhouse back there. Those people are fucking crazy,” Ron said when Danny had nearly closed the distance between them.

  “What happened? Where were you?” He kept his voice low and dangerous.

  “Well…I…um,” Ron started.

  “I’m going to ask you one more time. Where were you?”

  “I was outside Abby’s room. What are you accusing me of?”

  “You never left?”

  “No.”

  “I know you left. So where were you?” Danny gave him his military stare, the kind that made people back off.

  “I…” Ron stammered.

  “What?”

  Again, Ron had nothing to say.

  “You know what? It doesn’t even matter.” Danny knew he sounded cold, but he was struggling to keep his true thoughts from coming out. He looked back at the bus and saw Abby looking at him. She looked so scared and frightened. It was a memory that hit too close to home for him. He thought of Vanessa, of her chestnut brown hair spilling ov
er his shoulder as she collapsed on top of him with a satisfied groan, and of her infectious laugh that always sounded so carefree. Then his thoughts turned, and he remembered the harsh results of cover-ups and lies.

  He couldn’t have someone on his team that tried to cover up the truth. He knew the consequences. Danny needed to focus before he lost his temper with Ron. He needed to keep things professional.

  “I’m sorry, man. I fucked up.”

  “Yeah. You did. I can’t have people on my team that put their needs before their clients. You’re fired. I’ll have your final check for you at the next stop.” He turned and headed back to the bus, expecting Ron to plead with him, but he didn’t. For that he was relieved. At least Ron was man enough to acknowledge his mistake. Over his shoulder, he said, “I’ll have another bus come pick you up.”

  “Danny? What happened?” Abby asked when he stepped back onto the bus. Sophie stood behind her, clearly worried.

  “Ladies, I’m sorry to tell you that Ron will not be accompanying us on the rest of the tour. Sophie, could I please have the phone number of one of the other buses? Someone needs to pick him up. He’s won’t be riding with us.”

  Abby bit her lip.

  “I can make the call for you,” Sophie said, eyes wide.

  “Thank you.” He walked into the kitchen area and placed his hands on the counter, willing himself to calm down.

  “Sure,” Sophie said, strain evident in her voice.

  “Please, Danny. You’re worrying me.” Abby came closer to him and placed her hand on his back. Her touch felt good, but right now he was too pissed to acknowledge it.

  Danny turned his head toward her. “I need a few minutes, okay? Don’t worry. It’s a guy thing.” He offered a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

  Abby nodded and left him alone.

  * * *

  A few minutes were more like an hour, and Danny was still pissed about everything that happened. Ron’s failure as a security guard meant that Danny had a ton of administrative work to do. He called his New York office and left a message for his assistant to initiate all the necessary paperwork that came with terminating an employee.

  Vivien added another layer to the mix of crazy these past few days. He couldn’t fire her or Sean as if they were his employees, but something had to be done. He didn’t even want to think about how bad things could’ve really gotten. What happened was bad enough.

  On top of everything else, he’d been forced to acknowledge his feelings for Abby. He couldn’t deny them with all the crap flying around. His need to protect her went well beyond professional obligation. And how stupid was it for a bodyguard to be attracted to the star he was guarding? Bad idea. Now, instead of focusing on protecting her, he was overly emotional, and it made him irrational. Somehow, he needed to stay focused on getting them through this tour.

  He joined Abby on the couch.

  “Better?” she asked and placed her iPad on her lap.

  “Yes. Sorry about that.”

  “What happened?”

  “From what I can piece together, I think Sean and your mother set us up. Your mother called me to that meeting, and Ron then left his post, which left Sean time to do his thing. I’m not sure about Stephanie. She might have seen a rare opening to get you alone and took it. Or maybe she’s involved. I’ll put one of my men on it. Regardless, I’m pretty sure those guards outside were involved, too, but I don’t have proof.”

  “Shit,” she murmured.

  “That’s about right. I left Ron in charge when I met with your mother. I wish I’d known what she was doing, and I would have refused the meeting. Ron knew better than to leave you alone. That’s a major failure in security. You don’t leave the person you’re guarding. Ever. I can’t trust him, and that’s why he’s gone.”

  “Okay.” She rubbed the edges of her iPad nervously.

  “We should meet with your mother and your management team. If they don’t do what I ask, we should go to the police. What happened today jeopardized your personal safety, and it’s directly related to your mother and Sean. We need to start a paper trail. Sean’s lost it, and I’m not playing by their rules anymore. You’re my number one concern, and I’m going to do whatever it takes to make sure he doesn’t get near you again. Today was out of control, and I’m sorry. I underestimated him, and that won’t happen again.” This was personal, now. Sean had better watch his back.

  “You have nothing to be sorry for. I don’t blame you.” She rubbed her hand up and down his back, a comforting gesture, but her touch had a totally different effect on him now. He couldn’t afford those kinds of thoughts at the moment, so he shrugged away from her.

  “Are you sure about the police? I mean we don’t really have proof that he was behind this today. My mom’s a bitch, but she doesn’t want to hurt me. Well, not physically, I’m only her money; those pictures made that perfectly clear.”

  He focused on the issues at hand. “Absolutely. Sean is a loose cannon, and he needs to leave the tour. He’s put you in danger personally and professionally.”

  “My head is spinning from all this. I don’t know what to think or who to trust.”

  “Things have gotten out of control, but if we work together, we’ll eventually reach a point where you feel safe again. Until then, though, you need to stay sharp. Don’t let anyone intimidate you. Sean’s not stable, and that means it will be hard to anticipate what he’s up to. I know you’re scared, but if he contacts you or threatens you, you gotta tell me. Not telling me something, however small, makes my job harder.

  “I do have something else I’d like to talk to you about, but right now I’m just so confused with all that’s happened. I need time to sort it out in my head.” Abby looked bereft with her shoulders slumped and eyes downcast. She was sad and tired, and him pushing like this wasn’t helping. He wanted to know what was on her mind, but he needed to let her rest. She was having a rough go of it and giving her time seemed like the decent thing to do, even if it drove him nuts.

  “Okay, fair enough, but if what your holding back can cause you harm, I really hope you’d trust me enough to share.”

  “It’s nothing like that. Right now, I just don’t trust myself. Every time I think I’ve wrapped my head around things, something new pops up and makes me doubt myself.” She rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  Hearing her say she didn’t trust herself made Danny angry. How dare they do that to her?

  He didn’t like how they manipulated her as though it was okay to do. Her mother made excuses. Eventually, Abby needed to say enough is enough and put her foot down. He could see she wasn’t in that place yet, but he hoped with some time she’d get there. Sophie was a good friend, and she’d listen and help Abby, but he wanted to be that person for her, too. Danny wanted Abby to trust him and feel as though she could come to him. They really did a number on her, and she needed to know she had people who were there for her.

  “I care about you, okay? I don’t want anything to happen.”

  Abby lifted her head, and she looked surprised by his words. If Danny was being honest with himself, he was shocked as well.

  “You should rest.” He went to stand, but Abby grabbed his shirt and he stopped.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. Remember that the more you let them in your head, the more you give them control. How about you pick out one of your weird movies? You can watch it, and I can make fun of it? Sound good?”

  “Sounds perfect. What are you in the mood for?” She laughed and walked to her room.

  “You up for it, Sophie?” Danny hollered to Sophie, who was getting ready for bed.

  “I don’t know how you both have an ounce of energy left. I’m going to bed. Have fun bickering,” Sophie said with a laugh.

  “Your loss,” he said and laughed, too. He followed Abby into her room, thinking this was a bad idea, but that didn’t stop him. After all that happened tonight, he needed to be close to her.

  �
��We have to watch this one,” Abby said.

  “Which one?” he asked.

  “The Goonies” she cheered and passed him the disk.

  “The what?”

  “The Goonies. You’re joking, right? ‘The truffle shuffle’?” She mimicked the dance. “Nothing?”

  He shook his head.

  “Come on?”

  “Nope,” Danny said and let the “p” pop at the end. He loved the sound of her laughter. And though he had seen the movie several times, he liked seeing Abby in a playful mood.

  They watched the movie in her room because she had a fifty-inch television with surround sound, plus a bed that was a hell of a lot nicer than his bunk. Overall, it was a pretty comfortable way to watch a movie, especially with Abby next to him.

  She didn’t last thirty minutes before she fell asleep. Danny was comfortable lying on the bed with her nestled into his side, but he knew he couldn’t stay. He slowly untangled himself, shut off the television, and quietly left the room.

  Danny settled onto his bunk, but his brain couldn’t rest. He needed to get to the bottom of what happened today, and the only way to do that was to talk to one of the masterminds behind tonight’s events—Vivien.

  He knew it was just after midnight, but he didn’t care. He’d leave a voicemail letting her know they needed to talk. It wasn’t as good as an actual conversation, but it was better than sitting in his bunk all night and stewing on everything that happened. Not once since he’d started this business had he run into such a fucked up situation. Abby’s own mother was as much of a problem as Sean. Danny didn’t want to wake Sophie, so he went into the kitchen and dialed Vivien.

  “Do you know what time it is?” Vivien greeted Danny on the second ring. She surprised him by answering the call.

  “Vivien?” He was a bit taken aback that she answered. “Are you able to talk now?”

  “It’s quite late.”

  “I understand, but I’d really like to discuss what happened tonight. Some changes need to be made.”

  “What’s so important that it couldn’t wait until morning?” she snapped.

  “You’re plan with Sean to scare Abby.”

  “My what? You’ve lost your mind. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”