I carry over her coffee, sitting on the sofa next to her. “Are you sure you want to watch that?”
She turns up the volume. “I want to see what happened. I missed so much.”
I grimace, but stay quiet as the newsreader starts to speak.
‘Last night, at the premiere for the upcoming Unity Productions film ‘Players’, fifteen bombs were set off on the red carpet and in the crowd, causing chaos among celebrities and fans alike.’
Footage from one of the press cameras comes up on the screen. I watch, jaw clenched, as the elegant, luxurious red carpet scene erupts into screams and explosions. Kenta winces, and even Glen flinches. I glance across at Briar. She watches silently, worrying at her lip. A shot of a woman being lifted into an ambulance flashes across the screen, and she reaches out and grabs my hand, squeezing.
‘Over thirty attendees were injured in the blast, but no fatalities have been reported.’
“Oh, thank God.” Briar sags against Kenta’s chest, and he wraps his arms around her, pressing a kiss into her hair. “ThankGod.”
The reporter keeps droning on.
‘Whilst police have yet to make a statement on the night’s events, many believe that the bombing is linked to celebrity actress Briar Saint’s widely publicised stalking incident. The starlet has spoken openly about her recent struggles with an obsessive fan, who has previously sent her lewd images, broken into her house, and stalked her across the globe. Miss Saint was present at the premiere last night, and several eye-witnesses report seeing the actress being captured, gagged, and dragged from the event by a man in dark clothing.’
I rub my thumb over the back of Briar’s hand. The shot changes to one of her with Kenta this morning, his arm wrapped around her shoulders as they walk down a sunny LA street.
‘Briar Saint was seen, sporting several injuries, at a local café this morning. She made no comment addressing the kidnapping rumours, but seemed unfazed by the event.’
The camera zooms in on Briar and Kenta kissing deeply in the middle of the street. When they pull apart, they’re both pink-cheeked and beaming. She pops up and nuzzles his cheek.
Lucky bastard.
The news channel moves on to the next story, and Glen reaches for the remote to switch it off. Briar stares at the screen blankly, chewing on her bottom lip. “How come they didn’t mention X yet?”
I shrug. “The police must have decided to hold on to the information.”
Her face is pale. “Do… you know what happened to him?”
I turn to Glen. I’ve been too busy losing my shit for the last couple of hours to keep up to date on news.
“He still hasn’t woken up,” Glen says shortly.
She frowns. “I only smacked him with a chair leg. And poured chloroform on him.”
“The police shot him a couple times, while Matt was busy tackling you to the floor. He kept waving his gun at them, the idiot.”
“Do you think he’ll be a problem, if he recovers?”
Glen softens. “No, honey. Between the first-degree attempted murder and bombing a public place, I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t receive a life sentence.”
Kenta kisses her cheek. “He’s done for good, sweetheart. He can’t hurt you, now. He’s never getting anywhere near you again.”
She nods, looking down into her mug, and swallows hard. “I wanted to kill him,” she says. “For a second. When I was standing over him with the knife.”
“If you had, no one would have blamed you,” Kenta says. “It would have been self-defence. But I’m glad you didn’t.”
“And it’s okay?” She asks. “That I wanted to?” Her voice is unbearably quiet. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Briar like this. Uncertain. Looking for assurance.
My throat feels thick. “Of course it’s okay, baby. However you feel is okay. You did perfect.”
She takes a deep breath, nodding to herself. “Okay. Okay.” She sets her coffee mug on the table. “Can we talk about something else, then? Like, anything non-X-related?”
“Sure,” Kenta says. “Want to watch a movie, or something?”
“I have the newSuperspyfilm,” she offers.
