Page 41 of From Us, Forever

I shook my head but agreed with Matty. It was good; more than good, actually.

Just then, my phone buzzed with the slither of notifications, the sound almost ominous as the vibrations racked the wooden table.

“Fuck man, is that yours?” Pete asked, wheezing out a breath. “It’s been doing that for a while.”

Something didn’t sit right with my chest as I stood and walked over to my vibrating phone. Matty and Mikey both gave me a look that said they knew exactly what was going on in my head.

My panic doubled when I saw that I had missed a bunch of calls from Evelyn and Tyler.

Evy- Jay, so I went out for a walk and there’s a man with a camera asking me questions. I don’t know who he is but there are like a bunch of people here all staring at me. It’s weird. Can you send Tyler?

Tyler- Sir, the paps found her. I’m heading there now.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I cursed, storming out.

“Emmie, what’s wrong, man?” Mikey asked, chasing me.

But I wasn’t even thinking as I dialed Tyler’s number. “Where is she? I’m on my way.” I kept pressing the elevator button frantically.

Matty and Mikey both peered at me with worried eyes.

“She’s fine, sir. I got her in the car. ETA five minutes.”

A sigh of relief slipped past my lips, but the relief didn’t last very long because my mind was running a thousand miles thinking about all the worst possibilities. I swallowed. “Is she fine?”

I could hear him inhale sharply through the other end of the line. “Yes, sir,” he said in a hesitant tone. And I just knew that she wasn’t. I knew that it was too late, and they had already gotten to her.

I paced the parking lot like a madman as I waited for the car to arrive. Raking my fingers through my hair as frustration, and fury flooded my blood. A throbbing headache was making its way up my temples.

“Fuck, man, this is worse than we thought,” Mikey cursed, the rage evident in his tone. “All this shit they are saying about her. I think they have lost their fucking minds. I bet you a million bucks that bitch has something to do with this.”

“I think that’s a given,” Matty replied.

“Poor Evy, look at all this. She looks like a lost deer.” Mikey waved his phone around.

My heart clawed in my rib cage. I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to see her. It didn’t take long for the photos to get all over the news. I almost lost my ability to breathe when I saw the way they bombarded my girl. She looked so lost, her eyes wide with panic, her beautiful face etched in fear. The sight made me want to smash my phone against the wall.

I halted my pacing at the sound of the Range Rover swerving into the parking lot. I didn’t even think as I stepped toward the back door, every muscle in my body going rigid with tension. I swung the door open just as the car came to a stop,and my heart almost broke when I saw her inside, clutching two small paper bags to her chest, shaking like a leaf.

Her rounded eyes flew to me. “Jay,” she whispered.

“Sweetheart.” I cupped her cheek, brushing the wild hair that was hiding her face. My jaw clenched with anger when I saw a bloody gash on the underside of her chin.

Fucking hell, what the fuck did they do to my girl?

“Evelyn, are you alright?” I asked, easing her out of the car. “Here, let me take that.” I reached for the grocery bags.

“No.” She stepped back, stumbling a bit on her bad knee before she steadied herself. “I can take it. I’m fine.”

I nodded as I walked beside her. She was anything but fine. She was still trembling, her eyes unfocused as she stumbled toward the elevators.

“Hey, E,” Mikey offered her a small smile.

She jumped, not noticing him or Matty. Relief clouded her eyes as soon as she realized who it was.

“Hey, guys,” she said meekly as we all stepped inside the elevator.

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