Page 158 of Fallen Princess: Shadow Stalker

Brittney doesn’t know all the details about my kidnapping, and for her own protection, she never will.

“Let bygones be bygones.”

“How was New York?” she asks, changing the topic.

“Brutal,” I say, and she rolls her eyes. “But I did what I had to do.”

“Did she blame the guys?”

“Yeah. I’m gonna guess she probably told you non-stop.”

“I haven’t spoken to Catalina since she left LA, but she did mention several times how she wanted to string their necks. Honestly, though, I was hardly here in LA when she stayed at mine. Plus, I tended to use the excuse that I had a guest at my place so I could stay over at someone.”

My eyes go wide with surprise and excitement.

“Omigod! Girl…no freaking way! So who the fuck is this mysterious person you hooked up with and refrained from mentioning it to me ?”

She giggles all girly, and I swear I feel like we’re teenagers again talking about guys we’re crushing on. In my case, it was always weirdly four guys…I used to be a very confused teenager, smitten with not just one band member but all of them. Then I found out via Brittney that polyamory was a thing, and I sighed with relief that I wasn’t some freaky nympho.

“He.”

“He?” I look at her, confused.

“Exactly. He.” She says bluntly. “He’s older and very private, which is how he prefers to be called when I discuss him with my girlfriends.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“It means he’s private and older than us.”

“Okay, I get that the media is always around you, and he doesn’t want that kind of attention, but it’s me you’re chatting with, not the media.”

She shrugs her shoulders but remains tight-lipped.

“Earth to Brittney! I’m the least person expected to talk to the media about anything!”

Before I have a chance to say anything further, Rick parks the vehicle in the parking space and opens the door for me.

“Ms. Rivers, I will join you inside. If you need me, I’ll be available at a short distance.

“That’s fine, Rick. If you want to also grab something to eat, you’re welcome to get a table and order something.”

“Thank you, mam, but I’ll eat when my duty is over for the day.”

“Fine, but this place has delicious food. If you get hungry, feel free to order something and tell them to direct the bill to me.”

“Thank you, mam.”

I watch him take his place behind us, and Brit leans closer to me. “So you’re finally used to him?”

She knows I always hated people trailing me, but under the current circumstances I’d rather someone else be alert for me so I don’t have to.

“I don’t have a choice,” I say as we cross the road and enter the restaurant.

“Ironic, right? When I was a lot more famous, I only needed one or two when I had somewhere official to attend. Now he’s everywhere, and we’ve got more of them at home guarding the house twenty-four-seven.”

“Geez, hopefully, once they catch this stalker, things will ease up.”

Somehow, after all this is over, I’m not sure the guys will ever let the security go.

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