A foreboding sensation wafts over me, sending chills down my spine.Whotrusted me?
I think back to any interactions I’ve had over the past six months that someone might misconstrue as misleading. Granted, my ability to recognize normal social cues is nonexistent, so I don’t come up with any winners.
“Jesus,” Troy says, reading the second text. “Who the fuck did you piss off?”
“I have no idea. The only woman I met recently was a woman from my night out with Jax, and then Audrey and her best friend. It can’t be the first woman. I don’t even remember her name, so there were no walls to break down. We didn’t even have sex, because she kicked me out beforehand. So that leaves Audrey and her best friend.”
“Who is Audrey? Oh, the vet.” His eyes narrow. “What the actual fuck, Jamie? You said it was nothing! She’s the one you’ve been with this entire time. Am I right? It was more serious than you’ve led on.”
I sigh, resting my head against the seat. “We made a deal to keep things private until after the event. I want to protect her as much as I can, Troy. I’ve never had a truly public relationship, and the fans are going to go nuts. She’s not ready for that.”
As the flight attendant motions for us that we’re able to get up, Troy grabs my arm. “You should have told me. I have to protect you, which means her as well. I can’t get in front of things I don’t know about. I should have asked more questions. I fucking knew you weren’t being completely truthful about this.”
“I hate lying. You know that. But I’ll do anything for Audrey.” I look at Troy, then say the thing I’ve barely admitted to myself. “I’m in love with her, man. She’s the one.”
He nods, giving me a grin. “Okay. I’d like to meet her, and then we can all work out a plan to protect both of you.”
“I need to call her and tell her you know,” I say cheerfully, pulling out my phone. Bringing up her contact, I’m confused when it immediately goes to voicemail. “That’s odd. It’s going straight to voicemail.”
“Maybe she was making a call,” Troy suggests. “Text her so she knows to call you back.”
I fire off a “can’t wait to see you” text, which comes back as undeliverable. This can’t mean what I think it means, can it?
“What the fuck?” I breathe, my blood pressure rising. I feel anger, terror, and hysteria beginning to boil in my stomach. What happened? Is Audrey okay? Is this a mistake, or is it intentional? How did the bottom drop out after a phenomenal night together? “Isn’t this what happens when you’re blocked by someone? Did she block me? Did my girlfriend fucking block me?”
“Alright, buddy, I’m gonna need you to breathe,” Troy says, as I jump to my feet and begin stalking up and down the small aisle of the private plane. It only takes a few strides to go from the front to the back, but my adrenaline is pumping too much for me to sit down. “Give me your phone. I’ll see if I can call her from mine.”
I watch as he copies Audrey’s number from my phone, then listen as it rings. He hangs up after two rings, then calls it again from my phone. Straight to voicemail. “What the fuck!”
Troy stands up, placing his hands on my shoulders. Squeezing, he gives me a little bit of the pressure that I need to maintain a semblance of composure. “Breathe. In-two-three-four-five. Hold it-two-three-four-five. And out-two-three-four-five. We’re going to get to the bottom of this, Jamie. Repeat the breathing. Sit down for a moment. What’s Audrey’s friends name?”
“Chelsea,” I mutter, closing my eyes as I feel panic clawing at my chest. What the hell happened? I spoke to her last night, andthings were fine. We talked about the event. Granted, I haven’t been as hands-on as I’d liked to have been, but Audrey didn’t seem to mind.
“To ensure you have plausible deniability, don’t ask how I tracked the unknown phone number down, but it’s a registered cell for Precious Paws Veterinary Clinic, owned by Doctor Audrey Carrington.”
My heart falls into my stomach, and I drop my head into my hands. What the hell happened? “You have any kind of tracking software that can track someone’s location without them knowing? Because I guarantee she’s nowhere I’d find her.”
“It seems like she doesn’t want to talk to you,” he says nonchalantly.
“Well, that’s not really an option,” I snap. “I deserve an explanation, and we have a major event in two weeks. She can’t just cut me out without telling me.”
He hands me my phone. “Then call her friend.”
I scoff. “She probably won’t answer the phone.”
Troy shrugs. “You don’t know unless you try. Call the number. If she won’t help, then we’ll come up with some other kind of plan.”
The unknown number stares at me, daunting me. I hate confrontations. It’s partially the reason why I’m so even-keeled in press conferences, and I let reporters speak to me however they want. The thought of Chelsea yelling at me makes me feel like puking. But I can’t give up on Audrey. I need any information Chelsea is willing to give to me.
I call the number, and Chelsea answers after one ring. “You have a lot of nerve calling me, asshole.”
“Chelsea, what the hell happened? Is she okay? Where is she? I don’t understand. I spoke to her last night and things were fine. Perfect, even.”
“Well, isn’t that the way you set it up to be?” she sneers. “Keeping Audrey safe at home, doing all your bidding, taking care of your pets, and warming your bed, while you’re out there doing who the hell knows what.”
“That’s not — that’s not how it is at all,” I sputter. “Doing who the hell knows what? That’s not me. She knows me.”
“She doesn’t know you at all. Actually, forget that. She knew who you painted yourself to be, but now she knows the real you.”
