Hans met Courtney’s eyes, and something passed between them.
“Did you get the source?” Hans asked.
“Of course, I did. Catiana is nothing if not a woman of her word.” She glanced at Sam. Then Tanner. “I’m so sorry.”
His heart dropped and the cold hand of defeat took hold.
“I guess the payout was an acceptable alternative to getting rejected by Tanner,” Sam said. He didn’t like the defeated sound of those words from her.
Hans stomped out like a bull ready to go take on Pottery Barn.
“You need to do your job,” Sam said to Tanner. “I’ll wait here. Or in your bus.”
“But not backstage,” he said, his limbs heavier than a moment before. She loved being at the side of the stage.
Truth was? He loved her there, too.
“You’ll be here or there when I get done?” he asked. Damn, but he tried to keep his tone even, but it didn’t work.
“I won’t go anywhere,” Sam agreed. With that, she pressed a kiss to his lips, and he headed to work.
Chapter Twenty-Two
SAMANTHA
Time wasan interesting thing as life fell to bits around a person. It happened so slow and so fast, all at the same time. Like swinging on a swing set as a child, slicing forward through the air and then falling back. Weightless, yet somehow still moving.
Sam didn’t know how long it had been since the concert started, but now it was dark.
“Mom, they are going to post it soon. So I wanted you to have a heads up,” Sam said into her phone. The group moved to Hans’s bus once the music started. Honestly, this was pretty much exactly like the one she shared with Tanner, so it didn’t really matter where they were.
“Baby girl, they can’t scare us anymore,” Mom assured.
The infamous “they.” The “they” no one really ever knew.
“If it’s all out there, come home,” Dad said. They did the phone thing on speaker so they could tag team Sam. “We want you home.”
“I’m actually in a pretty good place here. Everyone is being amazing.” She folded a little inside herself even as she spoke the words.
“That’s not a healthy way to live,” Dad said.
He clearly hadn’t seen the buffet table.
“We’re ready when you are,” Mom said. “Time to come home.”
Sam wasn’t certain how she felt about that. Happy, sure. But also nervous? Things could get so bad, so fast.
Goodbyes said, she hung up with her parents. Irina, Becca, and Ashley were all monitoring social media. Waiting for it to drop.
“Sam.” Courtney pushed the phone away from her cheek and covered the mouthpiece. “If I get you an exclusive on Entertainment Now, will you do it? If we move quick, it’ll pre-emptRolling Rock.” She sighed. “Words I never thought I’d actually say, but we will have more control if we do it this way.”
“Too late, it’s up,” Ashley said. Turning her phone, so everyone could see the image of Sam right next to an old one of Sami Jo.
The headline?Dimefront’s Tanx Identifies Sami Jo.
“Hitting TMZ as we speak, I’m sure,” Irina said, hitting refresh on her phone.
Sam hated how that made her feel creepy crawlies all over her skin.
