“I can still work there and play dumb while I continue auditioning. If I land something big—”
“No role will matter,” Nat said harshly. “Nobody’s going to save you, Lyla. Not even if you’re the biggest star on Broadway. You’re on your own, and you’d better not die chasing the fucking spotlight.”
Tears spilled hot and fast down my cheeks.
“Nat,” Jae warned. “That’s enough. We’ll figure something out. You’ve got us, Lyla. We’ll help you stay safe. Just…for now, I think you need to rest.”
I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath. “I don’t even know if Icansleep. Because there’s something else… The guy from the coffee shop—the one who followed me yesterday—he was there too. At the club… And he followed me home again.”
Jae sat straighter. “What?!”
Nat jumped to her feet. “Call the cops. Right now.”
“No! I mean…I don’t think he wants to hurt me. If he did, he’s had plenty of chances. He could’ve taken me off the streetyesterday or today. But he didn’t. Plus, he’s rich. Creepy as hell. Russian or something, but…I don’t know. I can’t figure him out.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s safe,” Nat snapped.
“I know. I’ll pin down Carmine about him tomorrow and figure out who he is. For now I’m going to bed.”
I picked up my phone from the coffee table and glanced at the screen: 3:30 a.m.! I let out a dark chuckle. “Never mind. I’ve got to be at Cipher in an hour. So…no rest for the weary.”
Jae groaned. “How the fuck is it already past three?”
Just then, my phone buzzed in my hands, making me jump. It was Trina calling. That was weird.
I cleared my throat, wiped the leftover tears from under my eyes, and pressed the speaker icon. “Hey, Trina. What’s up?”
“You’re off today.” Her voice was dry as ever.
“Really?”
“That’s right, you don’t have to come in. Surprise health inspection. The place is shut down for the day.”
I blinked. “Wait—what? Just like that?”
“Welcome to Manhattan.” Then her voice lowered a notch, like she was letting me in on something. “You didn’t hear it from me, but sometimes this kind of thing happens when one of Carmine’s bosses needs the shop for a…privatemeeting.”
The hair on my arms stood straight up.
“Anyway, see you Tuesday.” She hung up before I could respond.
I stared at the screen.
Nat leaned in. “Jesus. Sounds sketchy as hell.”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “Especially with Carlos telling me not to come in tomorrow either. Two jobs cleared off my schedule back to back?”
Jae nodded slowly. “It’s a little too neat.”
Nat plopped back onto the futon. “Whatever. You need a break. Consider it a blessing. You almost got blown to pieces, Ly. Chill for a day.”
“I don’t know…” I said quietly.
Then I got a strange sensation, even with the blinds closed—that someone was lurking in the shadows.
I rubbed the chill from my arms and tried to shake it off. “Next time I see that creepy-ass guy from the coffee shop, I’m gonna tell him to back the fuck off or I’m calling the cops.”
Nat sat up. “Damn right. I don’t care if he’s mafia or FBI or the king of France. Stalking is stalking.”
