Chapter One
Gemma
I thought the craziest thing I would have to deal with as a songwriter would be the constant rejection. Turns out it may just be a little more complicated than that…-Gemma
The sound of the sliding glass door being opened rouses me awake. The murmur of a male voice makes my heavy eyelids fly up in shock.What the hell?
“Such pretty things. Pretty things for a pretty girl. Yep, yep, yep. My girl deserves the best.” The high-pitched voice sing-songs every word.
My heart pounds at a fast tempo in my chest.Fuck, what the hell is going on?Something in me, I guess that part of me that values my life, says stay still.Pretend to be asleep. Pretend everything is normal, even though it’s clearly the fuck not.I close my eyes.
Any moment, security should come rushing in. Alarms should go off. Something should happen.
But nothing does.
And I hear the crazy mutterings getting closer. I keep my eyes closed as the disembodied voice seems to surround me.
“She loves me, she loves me not. Remember singing to me, Gemma? Such a sweet voice for a sweet little girl. You know exactly how to talk to me.”
Another creep that thinks I’ve been singing just to him?Internally, I sigh.What the fuck is with men who think every song is about them? I mean, granted, I’ve written about some of my exes, but…
Focus, Gemma. There’s a crazy stalker here about to kill you or attack you or do anything he wants to you…what the fuck are you going to do?
A cold feeling of dread sweeps over me. I never wanted to be so famous that I had stalkers. I never wanted to live in a big mansion or fly on a private jet. I mean, granted, the jet and the mansion are nice. I just wanted to sing and write my songs. Entertain others with the words I wrote…but now here I am. I’m sure social media will make me a martyr even though rightnow I’m getting roasted on every platform for my past choices in men.
I feel his clammy palm slide over my cheek. I barely hold back a whimper. My right hand subtly searches under the covers for the iPad that I scrolled on until the wee hours of the morning.
My mind races.I will not die like this. I will not die in this white, virginal bed that some unknown decorator picked out with no one but strangers and my dad to miss me.
The thought of my dad is what finally gives me strength. I will not let him find me like this, killed by some crazy man in my bed, at least not without putting up a hell of a fight.
I can smell the fishy odor of the stranger’s breath as he whispers in my ear. “Wake up, my princess. Yep, yep, yep. Wake up.”
He wants me awake? He’s about to get more than he bargained for.
I open my eyes broad, startling him. His dark brown eyes widen for a second before I push at him with one arm while striking him along the temple with the iPad with the other. He emits a small sound of surprise before a smile spreads across his face.
“I’m not here to hurt you, pretty girl. Just here to take you to our house. I’ve waited so long…”
He reaches for me again, and I struggle to remember my self-defense classes.
Go for the nose, Gemma. Hit him in the nose.
I shove the palm of my hand up as hard as I can, feeding every ounce of strength I have into that thrust. I barely register the pain as my palm connects with the small bones of his nose. He grunts, and I scramble to break free of the loose hold he has on me. I kick out, pushing myself away from him.
He lets me go to hold his nose, now bleeding. “Wh..th?”
I don’t wait to hear the rest. I’m up and running, leaving the terrifying man behind.
I don’t stop running until I reach the stairs where my head of security, Frank, is finally rushing up the stairs.
“Ms. Gemma, what’s going on? The alarm just went off.” His gruff voice is the last thing I hear before I feel my peripheral vision start to go a little blurry.
Shit, after all that, now I’m going to faint. What a weak move, Gemma.
Chapter Two
Gabe
