This changes everything, she thinks. It’s too much for her intoxicated brain to process properly right now, so she quickly writes down the exchange in her Notes app and takes two shots before meeting back up with Jessie on the dance floor.
*
Within a couple of hours, Naomi has completely lost count of how many drinks she’s had. Everything is a blur, just like she wanted.
Her head spins as if she’s on a merry-go-round. She wobbles, reaching out for the wall. Once she regains her balance, she closes her eyes and inhales, not realizing someone is vaping right next to her. She retches after ingesting the plume of smoke, but thankfully nothing comes up. Exhaling, she forces herself to stand up straight. But her knees buckle at a memory of Faye.
Naomi had just gotten dumped by her college boyfriend, the one before Matt. Faye had encouraged her to get blackout drunk, promising she’d stay sober and look out for her. But Faye ended up getting wasted too, and Naomi somehow remained just coherent enough to hail a cab to take them home. She looks around for Jessie but can’t seem to find her through the fuchsia and lavender haze.
You can do this, she tells herself.You’re fine. Just get downstairs and hail a cab.
She stumbles forward, gripping onto various strangers for support as she tries to make it to the exit. But she struggles to see, everything blurring together like a neon-colored, long-exposure photograph.
The music seems to disappear, replaced by silence and the sound of a heart beating faintly in the background. She shakes her head, wishing she never took the pill. A scream bursts through the silence and she freezes.Where is it coming from?She whips her head around, the movement making her dizzy, and she stumbles again, tensing at the sound of a wailing woman. Then she hears the crackling of a fire, followed by laughter, deep and drawn-out, like in slow motion. She shakes her head and everything is normal again. And the laughter returns. But this time, it sounds just like Faye.
Naomi stumbles again, calling out for her sister. Warm liquid spills down her cheeks as a pair of arms wrap around her shoulders. “Faye?”
“Naomi… it’s Jessie. Are you okay?”
*
It’s three in the morning by the time Naomi sobers up enough for Jessie to trust she’ll be alright sleeping alone. Still, Jessie shares a cab with her, waving her off into Joel’s brownstone. Once inside, Naomi hobbles barefoot up the stairs, desperate to get into bed. But when she goes to unlock the door to the apartment, it’s already open.
Chapter 27
Naomi slowly pushes the door inward, peering inside as it creaks open. She takes one step, then another, listening for any signs that someone is there.
As she moves, she thinks of the Toyota trailing her back from Maine, then the death threats from fans.
@TianaJadeHH: i hope you fucking die like Colton & Jade you stupid bitch
@DarkDemise: who’s coming to the C*Leb office with me to k-word this clout-chaser?
@JennaT56: wouldn’t it be so sad if Naomi Barnes suddenly ceased to exist?
She swallows hard, wondering if they have really come for her so soon, brazen enough to make good on their threats. She counts to three and dashes to the kitchen, letting her heels and purse clatter to the floor. Worried the noise will have startled the intruder—if there is one—she grabs a knife from the drawer and holds it out in front of her, eyes wild, ready to fight.
The sound of blood pumping in her ears drowns out any noise, so she forces herself to focus on her breathing so she can hear. Sweat trickles down her clammy forehead as she tentatively moves through the apartment, knuckles white from clutching the knife.
Another threat flashes through her mind like static.One day you’ll get what’s coming to you, you ugly cunt.
Could one of them have doxed her, released her address online, or figured out where she was staying? She kicks in the bedroom door. Nothing.
Could they be lying in wait right now, planning to attack once she falls asleep? She pulls open the closet door. Nothing.
With only one place left to check, Naomi lunges into the bathroom, throwing the shower curtain to the side. She lets out the breath she’d been holding and relaxes slightly. She knows she’s been a bit wrapped up in the case and all over the place lately so she convinces herself that she just must have forgotten to lock the door.
After doing one more sweep of the apartment, Naomi barricades the bedroom door with a chest of drawers. Even with the light on and the knife on the bedside table, she can’t sleep, unable to get her heart and thoughts to stop racing.
Naomi recalls what the model said at the club, convinced now that Colton is even more of a villain than she originally thought.
Like @ThatHazieLawyerLady said,Where there’s smoke, there’s fire…
AVANT
CELEBRITY NEWS
HOLLYWOOD HEARTTHROB COLTON SCOTT IS UNRECOGNIZABLE AS HE PREPS FORMOJAVESHOOT IN NEW MEXICO
