Page 66 of Carte

At the warm smile from the girl, she raised her voice above the murmurs of excited fans, “In fact, she needs to go and prepare for it. Thank you very much for being here tonight, and for supporting our Harley. We hope you'll enjoy the show. See you all out there.”

She grabbed my arm and pulled me from the room.

Looking back, I locked eyes with the girl whose face had fallen in disappointment and mouthed, “Thank you.”

Cassie guided me to my dressing room. She pulled me inside and closed the door. I turned and watched her as she stood there for a few moments, her mouth opening and closing, like she couldn’t pick the right words to say.

Then her eyes lifted to mine, “I’m worried about you.”

My heart squeezed, “I’m fine.”

She shook her head, “No. You’re not,” she crossed the room to the trunk that held my clothes, and picked up the newspaper. “And I’m not the only one who noticed.”

She handed me the paper. There in black bold letters stood, Burnout or Breakdown?

Shit.

I scanned the article, but gave up on reading it, and tossed the paper on the couch.

“The fans can see it too,” Cassie’s words were soft, full of concern.

“I’m okay,” I said softly, not able to meet her eyes. “I’m just tired. Since Carter’s been pulled, I can't help it but to look at people differently. I think everyone could be the person behind what happened.”

Saliva pooled in my mouth, and I had difficulty swallowing. “I’m scared. Without him by my side, I don’t feel safe.”

“But, you have a new security team. I was told this one was as good as Carter’s, even better.”

My gaze flicked to Cassie’s, “It’s not the same. They don’t listen to me. They don’t even talk to me. I don’t know,” I shrugged. “It was different with Carter.”

I felt like I was missing an integral part of me.

It was silly. Carter has been by my side almost every night. There were a few he wasn’t with me because he was chasing leads that could possibly end this situation I found myself in, but for the most of them, he was there.

Cassie tilted her head, “How are things between you two? When you got back, you looked pretty loved up.”

My mouth curved, “You want to talk about my love life?”

“Isn’t that what friends are for?”

I laughed. It felt like I hadn’t laughed in years, the sound was rusty. But it felt good. “You’re right. And it’s good.”

Cassie frowned, “But he’s not around.”

I looked at a woman who had been by my side for two years. A woman who knew my life better than I did. She was right, she was more than just my assistant, she was my friend. “He’s around. Just not at the venues since Frank banned him. But he’s been staying with me almost every night.” I swallowed before admitting, “Those are the only moments I feel safe. With him, I feel whole.”

Cassie’s expression softened, “I love that for you.”

She clapped her hands, making me jump, “Okay, we need to get the glam people in here, and you need to prepare for the show, so we can get you back to your hunk of a man.”

“Cass,” I called. When she turned back to me, I promised, “I’ll do better. I’ll put on my big girl panties and do the job I’m supposed to do.”

She strode to me, and pulled me into her arms, “Oh, babe, you just do you. Leave the worrying to Tim and me. We’ll take care of everything. You just go out there and have a great show.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, “Thanks.”

***

“HAR-LEY! HAR-LEY! HAR-LEY!”