Ryan, Kellan, Agent Torres and Charlie, via Skype, came up
with a very detailed plan to keep us safe and sane. However, Bella was an
anxious mess from the conversation. The fear of the unknown was weighing
heavily on her. Me, too, but we had to fight
this battle head-on.
We stopped halfway to Nashville, about four hours into the
trip. Everyone got off the bus while the gas tank was filled up. Agent Torres
got into a waiting Yukon Denali, heading to the closest city to fly back to
Washington D.C. He wished us luck for the rest of our tour and said he’d try
his hardest to capture James and his accomplice, whoever they may be. Bella was
curled up on the couch, barely keeping it together, watching the SUV drive
away.
I really wanted to snap my fingers and take our strife away.
“Cantante?” I asked as I sat down
next to her. “How are you feeling?” I took her hand, kissing her knuckles.
“Nervous, scared,” she whispered. “I just want this to be
over.”
“The tour?”
She shrugged, idly playing with her hair. “I want James
caught. Then, I could actually enjoy the rest of the tour. But, until he’s
gone, I’m constantly on edge and just plain terrified of my own shadow. Edward,
something has to give. I don’t know how much more I can take, baby.”
“I don’t blame you, beautiful,” I said, pulling her to my
side and leaning my cheek against her soft hair. “I wish I could wave my hand
and all of this was fucking over.” The doors of the buses closed and the driver
came back on. He smiled, giving us the privacy we needed and took off from the
gas station. “Let’s just get through our performance at the Grand Ole Opry and
then spend time in Chicago, relaxing and celebrating our anniversary.”
“I hope that Pandora is doing a thorough sweep of our home
in Chicago. I want to be able to stay there without fear of being …” she
trailed off, her face paling. “What if he put cameras in our house, Edward?”
“You heard Ryan. He’s got a team watching all our properties
and there has been no suspicious activity anywhere, but the house will be
swept. Senior is meeting the team to check the brownstone. They’re going now
and checking again just prior to our arrival,” I said, tracing her cheek with
my finger. She pressed into my hand and moved so she was snuggled next to me.
“I know that the pictures and videos rattled you, Bella.” She gave me a glare.
“It more than rattled me.” I held up my hand, which was still encased in a
cast.
“I’m just … this sucks,” she grumbled, burying her face into
my chest.
“I know, Bella. Believe me, I know,” I muttered, holding her
closely. “Come on. Let’s lay down. Our sleep the past few days have been
lackluster at best.”
“No funny business,” Bella chided, getting up and walking to the rear of the bus. We settled on the queen-sized bed. Bella fell asleep quickly, draped across my chest. I idly played with her hair until I drifted off.
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