Center Stage
Page 30
“I’m serious. It sounds like someone is…” but April didn’t finish her sentence.
Suddenly, from the catwalk, a sandbag attached to a rope swung through the air.
Arianna pushed April out of the way and nearly landed right on top of her as the bag dangled right where they’d been standing.
John heard footsteps, and he hurried up the stairs as the backdoor to the theater opened and slammed shut.
He hurried to the door, but when he opened it and looked outside, the person was gone.
John rushed back to the women who sat on the stage in each other’s arms, panting.
“Someone was here,” he said.
April lifted her arm and looked at her elbow. “I told you I thought someone was watching me.”
Arianna shifted her glance to John. The gratitude which had filled her eyes before had been replaced with fear.
Chapter Sixteen
There had been near silence all the way to April’s hotel and home. John was furious. Someone was messing around, and it was bound to kill someone. He’d be damned if it were Arianna or Regan, or anyone he knew.
She was keeping secrets from him, and he didn’t like it. His ex-wife had kept her share of secrets, and he hadn’t taken too lightly to them either.
Though John loved Arianna, he wouldn’t be betrayed.
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Who was he kidding? Doubt had been placed in his head by Curtis and April. Names and situations had been dropped, and now he was second guessing the woman he loved. Was this the plan of the bastard who was chasing her?
John pulled her car into the driveway and put it in park.
“So who is Eric?” He tried to keep his voice calm, but there was no calm in his entire body.
Arianna sat in the passenger seat with her hands in her lap, gripping her purse. “He was a director in New York that I lived with for a while.”
“How long ago?”
“We broke up about six months ago.”
John nodded. “Not that long ago.”
“Long enough.”
She reached for the door handle, and he reached for her. “Did you love him?”
“What?”
“I’m not playing games with you. Did you love him?”
Arianna let go of the door and turned to him. “Yes. Yes I thought I loved him. Guess what? I was wrong.”
This time she managed to push open the door, but John quickly climbed out of the car and hurried around to the other side. He reached for her and spun her toward him.
“Just like that? You live with a man and then you decide he’s no good for you?”
“Were you there? No. So don’t stand here and talk to me like that.”
“Arianna, it seems like you’re just changing cities and men.”
He kept an eye on her hand which tightened around the strap of her purse. “Don’t you ever talk to me like that again. Do you hear me?”
“Then tell me about him. Why would April assume he’d come here to see you? Why is someone following you? Why is someone trying to hurt you? Give me some damn answers.”
“I’m telling you who it is. He wants to hurt Regan and Curtis for lying to him.”
“Hamilton?”
“Yes.”
“Curtis said he’s in Paris.”
“I don’t care what he says. The man is trying to hurt my family, and I have no doubt that he was behind what happened tonight.”
“Why would Curtis doubt his fiancée?”
“It wasn’t his wife that gave us that information.”
John ran his hands over his head. “You think he set it up somehow for her to tell us that?”
“I don’t know.” She pushed past him and up the front steps.
Her fingers were red, and he could see she was having a hard time with the key. He took it from her and unlocked the door.
Without a word she moved past him, through the living room and into the kitchen.
When he walked through the doorway, something flew at him. He moved out of the way only to find it was a kitchen towel, but she was right. When she was mad she threw things, and she was just about to start to yell. The vein in her forehead was bulging.
This was going to be a long night.
Arianna tried to breathe through the anger, but it was bigger than she was.
“Eric was a married S.O.B. who didn’t bother to tell me he had a wife and kids upstate. So the bastard lived with me. Slept with me. He told me he loved me and that I was everything he’d ever wanted.”
She paced the kitchen. “He didn’t love me.”
Tears were burning her eyes, and she hated that it all mattered. She hated him—so why cry? Because she’d thought it was real.
“I can guarantee this isn’t Eric who is stalking me. He’s stupid, but he’s not vicious.”
“He could be.”
“But he’s not.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I had a call from Hamilton a while ago, and he specifically told me that Regan and Curtis would pay for what they did to him. Simone told me his wife left him, and he’s lost his fortune.”
She looked up at John, who was coming right at her. For the first time since she’d met the man, she was actually afraid of him.
Arianna backed against the counter and braced herself when he grabbed her arms. “You can’t just keep this stuff to yourself. Lives are at stake. Your life!”
She had gone speechless. He was right. She couldn’t be silent about it. Tonight was a fine example of how close this crazy person was—no matter who they were.
John let go of her and took a step back.
“I’m sorry.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “I will not lose you to my anger or to this mad man. I have never loved anyone as much as I love you, and this is driving me crazy.”
John had said so much in that one sentence that she couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. She’d never loved anyone as much as she loved John. And damn it, she didn’t want to die at the hands of some crazed man, whoever he was.
“What do we do?” Her voice was soft—weak.
“You’re going to have to be with me or Regan at all times.”
“Okay.”
“I don’t want you to be alone, and I don’t want you at the theater unless I tell you to be there. Got it?”
She only nodded. It was understood that this was not the time to be a headstrong woman and argue with the man.
Suddenly, from the catwalk, a sandbag attached to a rope swung through the air.
Arianna pushed April out of the way and nearly landed right on top of her as the bag dangled right where they’d been standing.
John heard footsteps, and he hurried up the stairs as the backdoor to the theater opened and slammed shut.
He hurried to the door, but when he opened it and looked outside, the person was gone.
John rushed back to the women who sat on the stage in each other’s arms, panting.
“Someone was here,” he said.
April lifted her arm and looked at her elbow. “I told you I thought someone was watching me.”
Arianna shifted her glance to John. The gratitude which had filled her eyes before had been replaced with fear.
Chapter Sixteen
There had been near silence all the way to April’s hotel and home. John was furious. Someone was messing around, and it was bound to kill someone. He’d be damned if it were Arianna or Regan, or anyone he knew.
She was keeping secrets from him, and he didn’t like it. His ex-wife had kept her share of secrets, and he hadn’t taken too lightly to them either.
Though John loved Arianna, he wouldn’t be betrayed.
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Who was he kidding? Doubt had been placed in his head by Curtis and April. Names and situations had been dropped, and now he was second guessing the woman he loved. Was this the plan of the bastard who was chasing her?
John pulled her car into the driveway and put it in park.
“So who is Eric?” He tried to keep his voice calm, but there was no calm in his entire body.
Arianna sat in the passenger seat with her hands in her lap, gripping her purse. “He was a director in New York that I lived with for a while.”
“How long ago?”
“We broke up about six months ago.”
John nodded. “Not that long ago.”
“Long enough.”
She reached for the door handle, and he reached for her. “Did you love him?”
“What?”
“I’m not playing games with you. Did you love him?”
Arianna let go of the door and turned to him. “Yes. Yes I thought I loved him. Guess what? I was wrong.”
This time she managed to push open the door, but John quickly climbed out of the car and hurried around to the other side. He reached for her and spun her toward him.
“Just like that? You live with a man and then you decide he’s no good for you?”
“Were you there? No. So don’t stand here and talk to me like that.”
“Arianna, it seems like you’re just changing cities and men.”
He kept an eye on her hand which tightened around the strap of her purse. “Don’t you ever talk to me like that again. Do you hear me?”
“Then tell me about him. Why would April assume he’d come here to see you? Why is someone following you? Why is someone trying to hurt you? Give me some damn answers.”
“I’m telling you who it is. He wants to hurt Regan and Curtis for lying to him.”
“Hamilton?”
“Yes.”
“Curtis said he’s in Paris.”
“I don’t care what he says. The man is trying to hurt my family, and I have no doubt that he was behind what happened tonight.”
“Why would Curtis doubt his fiancée?”
“It wasn’t his wife that gave us that information.”
John ran his hands over his head. “You think he set it up somehow for her to tell us that?”
“I don’t know.” She pushed past him and up the front steps.
Her fingers were red, and he could see she was having a hard time with the key. He took it from her and unlocked the door.
Without a word she moved past him, through the living room and into the kitchen.
When he walked through the doorway, something flew at him. He moved out of the way only to find it was a kitchen towel, but she was right. When she was mad she threw things, and she was just about to start to yell. The vein in her forehead was bulging.
This was going to be a long night.
Arianna tried to breathe through the anger, but it was bigger than she was.
“Eric was a married S.O.B. who didn’t bother to tell me he had a wife and kids upstate. So the bastard lived with me. Slept with me. He told me he loved me and that I was everything he’d ever wanted.”
She paced the kitchen. “He didn’t love me.”
Tears were burning her eyes, and she hated that it all mattered. She hated him—so why cry? Because she’d thought it was real.
“I can guarantee this isn’t Eric who is stalking me. He’s stupid, but he’s not vicious.”
“He could be.”
“But he’s not.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I had a call from Hamilton a while ago, and he specifically told me that Regan and Curtis would pay for what they did to him. Simone told me his wife left him, and he’s lost his fortune.”
She looked up at John, who was coming right at her. For the first time since she’d met the man, she was actually afraid of him.
Arianna backed against the counter and braced herself when he grabbed her arms. “You can’t just keep this stuff to yourself. Lives are at stake. Your life!”
She had gone speechless. He was right. She couldn’t be silent about it. Tonight was a fine example of how close this crazy person was—no matter who they were.
John let go of her and took a step back.
“I’m sorry.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. “I will not lose you to my anger or to this mad man. I have never loved anyone as much as I love you, and this is driving me crazy.”
John had said so much in that one sentence that she couldn’t quite wrap her head around it. She’d never loved anyone as much as she loved John. And damn it, she didn’t want to die at the hands of some crazed man, whoever he was.
“What do we do?” Her voice was soft—weak.
“You’re going to have to be with me or Regan at all times.”
“Okay.”
“I don’t want you to be alone, and I don’t want you at the theater unless I tell you to be there. Got it?”
She only nodded. It was understood that this was not the time to be a headstrong woman and argue with the man.
