Page 19 of Rescue

“He was fine.”

I sigh. “Knowing how Cash was, I’m pretty sure he wasn’t.”

“Believe me, I’ve seen much worse.” Her voice has suddenly gone hard.

“How much worse are we talking?” I blurt out, the thought of some guy pushing beyond Cash’s brand of creepy flirting making my stomach sink.

“It’s no big deal.” But it’s obvious she’s lying. Whatever she’s referring to, it most certainly was a big deal to her.

She had some kind of problem with security.The thought comes from nowhere, the recollection as hazy as it is sudden. I scan my memory, trying to come up with the details, but little surfaces. I definitely remember people from the label mentioning her name a few years back, some kind of fan situation. They’d gotten really concerned about security. A stalker? I think it happened shortly after we met her in Houston, around the time Daisy and Daltrey were going through all of their drama. I would have been distracted…

“You can just ask me,” she snaps, and my eyes go to her face. Even in the dark I can see her scowl. She looks mad. “I know what you’re thinking.”

“I’m sorry,” I say quickly. And I am. I know what it feels like to have people wondering about you, trying to piece together all the details of some sordid little scandal in your life. “What you said, about seeing worse, it made me remember that I heard something about you, but I can’t really…” From the look on her face, I’m not doing a very good job appeasing her. “I’m sorry,” I say again, feeling lame.

“You really don’t know?” she asks, her tone disbelieving.

I shrug. “I try to ignore most of those industry rumors. And if I’m remembering the timing right, one of my brothers was having his own share of drama at the time…”

She narrows her eyes, searching my face, and I get the sense she’s trying to decide whether to believe me. “It’s a shame you didn’t pay attention.” Her voice is so bitter it actually sends a chill down my spine. “It was agreatstory. Lots of drama and excitement—everyone was talking about it, you know. Up-and-coming singer gets held at gunpoint by a crazy stalker.” I wince—the wrong move, apparently. Her eyes narrow further. “That’s not even the best part. Because after it was over, I completely lost my shit. And there’s nothing our business loves to gossip about more than a girl who can’t deal, right?”

“Haylee—”

She stands. “On second thought, maybe air wasn’t such a good idea.” She’s at the door before I can even move, pausing to look back at me. She’s bathed in neon light now, her expression clear for the first time since she came outside. She may as well be wearing a mask, her features are so tight, her eyes so empty. “Don’t worry, you can always ask your contacts at the label for all the juicy details.”

Then she’s gone, leaving me alone in the dark, wondering how I managed to screw that up so badly.