“You’re being rude,” I tell him.
His scowl just deepens. “We’re not here to baby her. We’re here to keep her safe.”
“I’m sure you can manage to do that without being a total ass.”
He thumbs at the corner of a paper. “The girl has a deranged stalker, and we’re going to a country where any lunatic could be carrying a firearm. Forgive me if I’m being a bit blunt.”
I snort. “You don’t needmeto forgive you. I’m used to taking orders from you. But you’re not in the force anymore, and she’s a civilian. Stop barking at her like a drill sergeant.”
“I think you’re starting to hurt her feelings,” Glen mutters from under his cap.
“Since when did you care about a client’sfeelings?” Matt asks, aggravated. “Oh. Right. When you started sleeping with her. Great job, by the way. I’m sure that will really give us the protective edge, having you stare at her arse when you’re supposed to be monitoring for danger.”
I raise an eyebrow. Glen has been staying in Briar’s bed most nights for the past week, although to my knowledge, they’ve only slept together once. He’s clearly fond of her, though. He blushes whenever she smiles at him.
Glen opens one eye lazily, studies Matt for a second, then closes it again. “Stop being an arse,” he mumbles succinctly.
I have to agree. Matt’s behaviour is getting out of line. It’s out of character for him to be so broody; he’s usually a pretty charming guy. Something’s going on with him.
As the sky darkens outside, Matt gives up on working and reclines his seat to sleep. I’d rather beat the jet lag, so I force myself to stay awake, loading up YouTube on my laptop. I want to look through some old crowd footage of Briar out in public, to see if any common faces pop up.
I sift through a few videos, then end up falling into a spiral of old clips fromHollywood House, the show Briar was in as a kid.It’s easy to see why she got cast. Even at thirteen, she’s so bright and full of sparkle that she practically lights up the set. She plays the tween daughter of two wannabe actors, and even though they both have twenty years on her, she’s so funny and charming that they both fade into the background when she’s on screen.
When the clip rolls to an end, I click on the next recommended video. It’s of Briar, probably around fourteen or fifteen, speaking on a late-night talk show. My eyebrows raise as she walks on set, smiling nervously at the camera.
I don’t recognise this girl at all. She has none of Briar’s fire. None of her sharpness. She looks shy and scared and sweet, which are not words I ever thought I’d ascribe to Briar. I watch as she waves at the audience, then sits carefully in the interview chair. The host, a blonde woman with a bright smile, shakes her hand.
“Well, hello, Miss Briar Saint,”the woman says, beaming.“It’s so lovely to have you on the show today. Tell me, what do you think of being nominated for the TV Excellence Awards? Do you think you’re going to win?”
Briar plucks at the skirt of her dress.“Oh, I don’t know,” she says, her voice higher than I’m used to. “I’m just so glad to be nominated. All of the other nominees did so well.”
“What a sweet answer,”the host gushes.“Isn’t she sweet?”She leans in conspiratorially. “Let me tell you though, Briar, whether or not you win the official award, you certainly win the award for best body of the evening. I mean, really. Look at that tight stomach. What’s your workout plan, darling?”
My mouth falls open. Little Briar’s cheeks turn bright red. She shifts, probably uncomfortable with the whole audience staring at her body instead of her face.“Oh, um, I don’t work out much. I like to go swimming, and I just try and eat healthy.”
“Oh, to be young. And this dress really shows off your petite figure. An excellent choice.”The host chuckles. “Alright, come on, get up and give us a twirl.”
Alarm crosses Briar’s face.“Oh, um… I don’t know. It’s shorter than I usually wear…”
“C’mon, just twirl for us. You guys want to see the full outfit, right?”The host looks up at the audience. Everyone starts whooping and clapping. Briar’s face gets redder. She shakes her head, trying to smile and laugh it off, but the host starts up a chant. Soon, the whole studio is shoutingShow us the dress! Show us the dress!
Briar looks terrified. When she doesn’t move, the host grabs her arm and tugs her, and she obediently twirls, spinning in place while the audience cheers.
I hit the spacebar, pausing the video, and sit back in my seat, trying to digest what I just watched.
She was a kid. A child. And people were already treating her like a piece of meat. No wonder she’s so aloof and distant now; she grew up in a world where grownadultswere openly manipulating her. The thought of it makes me sick.
I’m about to click onto the next video when Matt twitches next to me. I look down at him. There’s sweat on his forehead, and his face is twisted. He flinches again, harder this time.
“Matt.” I put a hand lightly on his shoulder. “Hey.” I wouldn’t normally wake him up from a nightmare, but if he starts thrashing around, he’s probably going to smack his leg into the table. “Matt.”
He suddenly surges upright, gasping like a drowning man. I wait as he stares with wide eyes around the plane, taking in the soft leather seats and dim lighting. When his eyes land on me, he lunges at me, grabbing my face. “Ken—”
“I’m fine,” I tell him, keeping still. “Look at me. I’m completely fine, man. I’m safe.” I nod to Glen, snoring happily in his chair. “We’re both safe.”
Matt’s eyes finally focus. His face closes off. He drops his arms and slumps back into his chair.
“You’re getting worse,” I tell him, as he heaves for breath. It’s been years since he grabbed me like that.
