The door opened. It was then I realized we had two security members with us, one behind and one in front. Kurt held my hand as we walked out into the open air. Smile. Appear pleasant. My eyes darted around as I wondered if the person had hung around to watch. I needed to get a grip for when we talked, get my senses together.
A security man met us at the bus. I couldn’t place his name—maybe Tim or Hank. “All’s clear, sir.”
“Give me ten minutes. Then I want to know how the hell someone got past the team and into my fucking dressing room.”
“Yes, sir.”
We walked up the steps of the bus, and I sat on the leather couch. Have they ever been in here? Stop letting your imagination get ahead of itself. Hear Kurt out. I took another deep breath and noticed my hands were shaking. George sensed something was wrong and hopped up on the couch to rest his head on my lap. His soft fur soothed me as I ran my fingers through it.
Kurt sat on my other side. “The stalker who initially sent the first letter hasn’t gone away.”
Say what? The person who sent me that nasty letter hadn’t gone away. Did I hear him right? “What?” It came out a little harsher than I’d intended, and Kurt winced.
“The letters have increased in hate and frequency. The security team has been trying to figure out where they’re coming from, but there are no fingerprints and they’ve been postmarked from random cities across America. They aren’t any of the places we’ve toured. There’s no rhyme or reason to it.” He ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled.
Hurt washed over me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought it would be over by now. I was worried that between your parents, finding out you were pregnant…this might be too much. I was trying to protect you.”
The rational side of me understood. But I hated secrets. “When were you going to tell me?”
“After we got home from the tour.”
So many thoughts ran through my head. I knew Kurt’s heart; he always had the best of intentions, though sometimes they were misguided. “Have the notes been as bad as what I just saw?”
“Yes, but this psycho actually got past security tonight, which brings it to a new level.”
Do I want to know what the notes said? No. If the threats were worse than what I’d initially got, I was better off not knowing at this point. I took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “You can’t keep stuff like this from me, Kurt. Ever. I get why, but you can’t. It won’t be healthy for us or the baby if I’m constantly wondering if you’re hiding something.”
“Sawyer—”
I held up my hand. “No, there is no compromise on this. When it’s this bad, I should have known. What if I’ve talked to this person? I haven’t been on guard at all. Shit. This is bad. I wouldn’t have wanted to see the threats, but I should have known about them.”
For a second, Kurt ground his teeth. “You’re right. It’s just…I…”
I squeezed his hand; I knew this was hard. Kurt really had no experience with serious relationships. At times, I forgot because we got along so well. “I get it. I do. Your heart was in the right place. But I should have been given the choice.”
“I get it. I’m sorry.”
“You’re forgiven.” At least he understood my side, too. So much of a relationship was understanding that it was a two-way street.
There was a knock at the door, and Kurt called out, “Come in.”
The big, burly security guy, Steve, came up the stairs. To blend, all security wore jeans and T-shirts like groupies.
“Sir, the guard outside your room said the caterer came through with fresh water as per protocol. The ID matched the list, facial recognition was completed. From there, she left the secured area.”
She’s an employee? I had so many questions, but I let Kurt take the lead. “So we have a picture of this person? An ID?”
“Yes, we’re on our way now with the police. With the evidence, they’ll be able to pick up Jennifer Terrance for questioning.”
Jennifer Terrance. Such a normal name. At least she would be off the streets, unable to get to us.
“What do you suggest we do next?”
Pausing, Steve listened to something in his earpiece before giving a few commands into his radio. To Kurt, he said, “If you’re up for it, I think leaving for Orlando tonight would be best. I’ve coordinated with Mr. Shaw’s head of security at Shaw Tower. Joe is ready. That’s where we can keep you the safest while we try to locate Jennifer Terrance and question her in case she had any accomplices.”
Accomplices? “We