Diane hung up the call. For a moment, Cody just stood there, staring at nothing then Reid turned him, and placed his hands on Cody’s shoulders.
“Look at me.”
Cody did.
Reid’s eyes were burning amber now. Focused, controlled, and utterly dangerous.
“He got close once,” Reid said. “He won’t get that close again.”
Cody wanted to believe that. God, he wanted to. But all he could think was that this man was out there somewhere planning his next move and what if next time he wasn’t satisfiedwith just looking? What if he got it in his crazy head that Cody needed to be taught a lesson? Despite the quiet warmth of having Reid at his side, Cody had never been as terrified.
Chapter Nine
Cody
Cody almost didn’t answer when Diane called.
After the past few days, every ring of his phone felt like bad news waiting to happen. Reid had been checking the perimeter every few hours, and each time he’d been triple checking that all the doors and windows were locked before heading out. The stalker had not been back.
Cody sighed then swiped his finger across the screen to answer the call. “Hey,” he greeted cautiously.
“Hey Cody, I haven’t got any news for you, I’m afraid, but we need to talk about Nashville.”
His stomach tightened. “What about it?”
“The CMAs are in three weeks,” she said. “You know you’ve been nominated.”
Cody glanced at Reid, who had already gone still, listening.
“I know,” Cody said. “But—”
“You have to be there.”
Cody let out a short breath. “Diane—”
“No,” she cut in, sharper now. “This isn’t optional. You don’t disappear after a nomination like this. Not at your level. You know how important your safety is to me, but this is important.”
Cody dragged a hand through his hair. “There’s a stalker who just found me in the middle of nowhere.”
“I know that Cody, but honestly, what does it matter now? He knows where you are anyway. At least in Nashville you’ll be surrounded by people. Surely he won’t try anything stupid there. And you’ve spent years building your career, I know what these awards mean to you.”
Cody nodded, even though she couldn’t see it. She was right, of course. These awards did mean a lot to him. He used to watch them before he got his big break and dream about being on that stage and winning an award of his own.
Reid stepped closer, close enough that Cody could feel the tension radiating off him.
“How public is his attendance?” Reid asked quietly.
Cody put the call on speaker.
“Very,” Diane said. “Press, red carpet, live broadcast. All of it.”
Reid’s jaw tightened. “It’s a security nightmare.”
“I’m aware,” Diane said. “Which is why I’m calling now. We have three weeks to lock this down properly. You’re the best at what you do. I trust that you can keep him safe.”
Silence stretched between them for a moment.
Reid’s hand found the back of Cody’s neck, steady and grounding. “Do you want to go?” he asked.
