Page 45 of Carte

In the cognac brown I became obsessed with were shadows dancing for all to see.

Shadows he kept hidden.

Shadows he walked through alone.

My hand tightened around the neck of the guitar, and I pressed my palm flat on the strings, “For you to tell me what the hell is going on? How was someone able to watch me sleep in this fortress? And why the fuck am I the target in the first place?”

Carter winced, “Last night, I got a picture in my email. A picture of you sleeping in this house.”

“Someone was inside?”

“No,” Carter rushed to explain. “I checked it, I checked everything and there was no sign of anyone ever coming in, or going out. I looked through the video fees and no one was around the property either.”

“Then how?” I whispered, my lips going numb.

“Every room has hidden cameras, except the bathrooms. Usually, the feed is stored on a drive that’s not connected to the internet. But, since you’re here, I had to give access to Chace and Max so they could keep an eye from a distance, in case..”

“In case something happened to you. Or me.”

“Yes,” Carter shifted then, “Someone got into the feed and pulled the still from the tape. It was two nights ago. The problem is, your whereabouts are not common knowledge.”

I frowned, my brain sluggish from lack of sleep, and not getting at what he was hinting at.

“So, whoever this is, that’s after me, they found out. Does that mean that we’re leaving?”

Just the thought of leaving this place sent a rough of sadness coursing through me. With how much I pretested when he brought me here, I now didn’t want to leave.

It was the first place where I felt completely safe. And even with what happened last night, that didn’t change.

“No,” Carter shook his head. “We’re not leaving. Not until you have to go back to touring. But, we are going to spread the word that we left for a new location.”

I tilted my head, “Okay.”

“You can’t tell no one about it.”

“Well, Sloan and Cassie need to know.”

Then it dawned on me, “You think someone broke into their computers, or whatever and got where we are that way.”

“Maybe.”

“But you’ll keep me safe,” the words came out on their own, without a trace of a doubt in them.

I could question a million things in my life, turn over a thousand occurrences in my head trying to see what really happened, or doubt hundreds of decisions I made, but one thing was true. I recognized it on a basic level, Carter would never let anything happen to me.

I just wished that he could be more than just a person who’s job was to protect me.

Because what he was doing was so much more. He was taking care of me. And I wanted that with all my heart.

Wanted him.

He grunted in response, shoved the tray away, sat down on the coffee table, rested his elbows on his knees and looked at his clasped hands like they held some top sacred and were about to whisper it to him.

When he just sat there, I mirrored his position, not looking away from him. It was more than just his demons visible in the light of day, dark half circles were under his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

He released a breath and looked up, but still he remained silent.

There was a war going on in his gaze then. A war I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to win or lose. I just knew I would have to stand by every way it went.