“Can you turn on the TV,” Sebastian says, his voice terse.
“Okay.” I don’t complain or object. Sebastian is not an alarmist, and there must be a good reason for this. He tells me the channel number.
I push away the covers, stand up, grab a pair of boxers, and turn to Grace. “I’m going to turn on the TV.”
She gets off the bed even though I try to tell her it’s not necessary. I pad into the living room, flick the remote control, and press the channel number just as Grace comes to stand beside me.
“What’s going on?” she asks sleepily.
Before I can answer, a familiar image fills the screen, and Grace identifies it before I can.
“Why is my building on TV?” she shrieks.
I turn up the volume.
“This is the apartment building where Kyle Bryce is holed up with his current girlfriend, our sources tell us.”
Blood leaves my face. I take two steps to the window that looks out at the street below, and I see them. What looks to be dozens of photographers and reporters.
“How did they know?” Grace whispers.
I wrack my brain. “Could be from the girl who let me in. She looked at me funny, but she didn’t say anything.”
“Oh God,” Grace says.
I take her into my arms. “It’s okay. It’ll be fine.”
“What are we going to do?” she says.
Her phone rings, and it’s Sebastian. He’s got the head of the security firm I use with him.
“We’ve organized for a decoy at the front of the building. Meanwhile, Ethan will be waiting for you at the rear of the building. There’s an emergency exit.”
“What about Grace?” I ask.
“That’s up to the both of you. You can go with her or not. Those vultures won’t know which apartment you came from, so she’s safe for now. Someone will come to the door and escort you out.”
“Okay, thanks.” I disconnect the call and turn to Grace. “I have to go. You can come with me if you like, but you don’t have to. They won’t know where I was, so you’re safe for now.”
I see the war waging in her. It’s not fair that the world has invaded our lives so suddenly, but to be honest, it was bound to happen. Ever since I gave that interview, the press has been desperate for glimpses of me, more so because of my altered looks.
She folds her hands around her chest. “I’ll stay. I have to go to work later today.”
It hurts, but I nod and kiss her lightly on her mouth. Her lips are cold. I don’t know what this means for us, but this is not the time to figure that out.
“Okay.” I go into her bedroom and dress.
Grace puts on a bathrobe and walks me to the living room. A discreet knock comes on the door. I turn to Grace, kiss her, and walk out.
I feel as if I’ve left my heart behind as I follow the security guy out of the building through a network of hallways and stairs. Five minutes later, he’s holding the door of the SUV open for me.
“Sorry you got your morning ruined,” Ethan says.
“That’s a long sentence for a man of few words,” I quip back.
Ethan pulls the car out of the parking and onto the road. It feels wrong to leave Grace behind. Like I’m abandoning ship. The trouble is that I can’t stay. It’s safer for her if I leave and take the attention with me.
I turn on my phone and see the missed calls from Sebastian and Ethan. I’m tempted to call Grace, but she’s probably getting ready for work. Ethan tells me that the press has followed the decoy car at the front of the building. That’s good. Grace will be able to go about her day without worrying about the media taking pictures of her.
***
I’m going through the mail that Chris has kept aside and thinks I should look at. Most are from fans but are more than the usual fan letters. They are personal, with people sharing stories of the stuff they are going through and how one of my movies helped them. It’s always nice and humbling to read one of those.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I quickly fish it out, hoping that it’s Grace. It’s not. It’s Sebastian.
“They’ve found her. A sneaky reporter stayed behind and recorded Grace getting into her car and going to work. Now they are camped outside the fire station. We’ve had a word with the chief and organized for Grace to be picked up and brought here. Is that okay?”
“Yes, of course.” When we end the call, I bang my fist on the table.
Chris must have heard our conversation because he turns on the TV just in time to see Grace being bundled into an SUV and driven off.