Page 7 of Protecting Jess

Like before, his teammate studied him. “Okay. And if you want to bring your friend along, that will be fine, too.”

He met Oak’s gaze. “We’ll see,” Finn muttered and headed toward the stage, hoping that one of the theatre staff members would direct him to where he could find Jess.

The closer he got to the stage, the more a sense of inevitability fell over him.

This was right.

Three

Jess wiped the last of her stage makeup off. Her skin appreciated the opportunity to breathe after being coated with the thick cosmetics.

“A few of us have decided on going to the bar across the street for our celebratory drinks. You’re gonna join us, right? You said you would earlier.” Kaley asked from her perch on the stool beside her.

“I’m not sure now.” As tired as she was, she also wanted to spend time with her fellow dancers. Who knew when—or if—she’d see them again? At the end of each season and tour, contracts were handed out and sometimes they weren’t given to people who’d danced their hearts out and deserved one. But the idea of going to a noisy bar didn’t appeal to her, regardless of saying earlier that she would.

“Come on, you know you want to,” her bestie teased.

Before Jess could respond, one of the theatre staff appeared. His name was Timon, and he wore a friendly smile. “Excuse me. Are you Jessica Killian?”

A shiver of fear coasted over her skin, causing the fine hairs on her arms to stand to attention. “I am. Why?”

“There’s a gentleman at the backstage door, asking if you could spare him a few moments.”

Kaley squeezed Jess’s hand. “Do you know who it is?” her friend asked.

She was glad that Kaley could speak for her, because at this moment, Jess was frozen by the memories of the previous time someone had asked to see her after a show and where that had led. The scar on her arm throbbed in time with her heartbeat.

“He didn’t give me his name. But he had a ticket. I can tell him you’d rather not see him if you’d prefer.”

Jess couldn’t fault Timon, and the way he could tell she was a little freaked out by the attention.

“It’s not him,” Kaley murmured.

“I know,” she said. While she may believe that, part of her worried that somehow, someway, Bartholomew had escaped the confines of his prison cell and was standing at the door, waiting for her.

Was that why she’d felt that weird static in the air before she took the stage?

That something inevitable was going to happen?

“I’ll tell him you’re unavailable. You don’t have to do something you’re not comfortable with,” Timon said.

“No, it’s fine,” Jess said, determined not to let her past cloud her actions. She tightened her grip on Kaley’s hand. “You’ll come with me?”

Even if she was in control of the situation, she wasn’t going to be silly about it and take an unnecessary risk. She was going to have her friend beside her the whole time she spoke to this person.

Kaley nodded. “Of course I will.”

Jess smiled up at Timon. “Tell whoever it is I’ll be there in a few minutes. I still need to pack up my things.”

“Certainly. And I want to assure you that I will be close by, should you need anything.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Timon nodded before leaving the dressing room. The second the door shut behind him, Jess slumped in her chair. “You know it used to be a thrill when audience members asked to meet me.”

“And it still is. You know if anything had changed with Bartholomew, you would’ve been notified, right?”

“Yeah, I do.” She trailed a finger down her one of her scars, remembering the pain of her flesh being sliced open. Her screams echoing in her ears. How she’d found the strength to run away from him still shocked Jess. Adrenaline had been pumping through her system, giving her power she didn’t normally possess.

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