Page 78 of The Stalker

There was a tense silence before Blake said, “No. I forgot to. Fucking sue me.”

Tatiana didn’t bother saying goodbye; she just hung up the call and held the phone out to Hayden. “It wasn’t Blake, and personally, I’d block his number if I were you.”

Hayden didn’t say anything straight away, just took the phone off her and chewed his bottom lip for a few seconds before asking, “So what happens now?”

“We’ll try to find out who delivered the flowers and where they came from. The police are already involved, so we’ll give this information to them. They’ll add it to their case file and follow any leads they get. We will get on the bus as scheduled and move on because it’s not on us to find your stalker.”

He took a deep breath, then sighed and looked her in the eyes. “I’m scared, Tati.”

“I know, Hayden. I do. Jesse or I are going to be with you at all times. They can’t get to you without going through one of us first. We’re going to keep you safe, okay?”

“Okay.” He smiled and nodded.

“Now, go get some clothes on. You’re fucking distracting me,” she teased him.

She’d hoped to get his mind off his stalker, and it apparently worked because his eyes immediately darkened and he smirked at her.

“I’m single now, Tati. Want to help me get my clothes on? You know, for efficiency’s sake.”

“I don’t think for a single second that me helping you get dressed would be quicker than you doing it yourself. You’re a big boy, so go get your clothes on,” she replied, trying her best to sound professional.

Hayden chuckled and started walking back to the bathroom as he said, “I am a big boy, Tati. How did you know?”

She struggled hard with the desire to find out just how big he was, and was grateful when he closed the door to the bathroom behind himself.

He came out a few minutes later in clean clothes and asked, “Can I look through the gifts now?”

“Sure. Start with those.” She pointed to the gifts she and Jesse had already looked through, which she’d moved into a pile. “Don’t touch those flowers, or the card with them.” Tatiana pointed to the orchids.

A worried frown came to Hayden’s face, and he nodded. “Okay.”

Hayden looked through the gifts as Tatiana checked the rest of the ones she and Jesse hadn’t looked through. When she finished, she stood aside and watched Hayden.

He would read each card or letter with a smile on his face and set it aside, then decide what to do with the gift. Eventually, he had a pile of letters and cards to take with him and had sorted the gifts into three piles.

One, he would take with him on the bus. These seemed to be sentimental gifts, hand-drawn pictures and such. One, he would donate to a local children’s hospital. It was full of stuffed toys, which were all very cute, but Hayden told her they would go to better use this way. The final pile consisted of bunches of flowers that would be incredibly impractical to take with him, so either venue staff would take them, or they would go in the bin.

Jesse came back, and he had someone from the venue with him, along with Tanya Wilson, the band’s tour manager. Cooper was also with them, and his jaw was tight as he walked over to the flowers.

“Don’t touch them or the card,” Tatiana instructed.

He glared at her, but leaned over the card to read it instead of picking it up.

“Get on your bus, Hayden. You need to leave. I’ll liaise with the police on this.” He turned to look at Tatiana. “Keep me informed if this happens in any of the other cities.”

Cooper didn’t travel with the band and only attended concerts that were important, like tonight’s. Tanya handled the day-to-day touring issues and logistics for the band.

“Of course,” she told him. “Make sure nobody else touches the flowers or that card until the police get here. I can’t stress that enough.”

Cooper agreed and pulled out his phone to make a call while they collected their things and took them out to the tour bus with Jesse. Cooper nodded at them as they left the room and they made their way through the venue and outside.

When they got there, Tatiana and Jesse both checked the outside of the bus before they got on and greeted the driver, Alvin. Jesse stood with Hayden at the front of the bus while Tatiana checked the interior, and nothing seemed amiss.

She walked back to the front of the bus and said, “Okay, we’re good to go.” She stepped aside to let Hayden through and said, “You go on, Hayden. Jesse and I just need to talk to Alvin. I’ll bring this stuff in to you in a minute.” She gestured to the gifts she’d been carrying for him.

Hayden took as much as he could carry, and as soon as he passed through the door, she closed it behind him and turned to the driver.

“I’m not sure if you’ve been told, but Hayden has a stalker,” she said without preamble.

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