Page 26 of Say You Won't Let Go
“The letters, darlin’,” Cooper reminds me.
I walk over to the stack of letters, which is one of the only things not thrown around, and hand them to him.
He reads them each several times, not saying a word. I’m not sure what to do, but being on this bus is the last place I want to be. Who does this? Who thinks it’s okay to terrorize someone’s home? Even though this isn’t my home per se, it’s where I’ve been living. And where the hell was our security team when this was going on? No one should’ve been able to get to my bus. Luke doesn’t allow anyone near the tour buses.
Eventually, Cooper puts the letters on the bed and runs his hand down his face. “This is disturbing, Em. When were you plannin’ on telling me ’bout this?”
“I wasn’t. I didn’t think it was a big deal. Who the hell would come after me? I’m just some C-list country music singer.”
He takes my hand in his. “You’re not some C-list singer. You’re gorgeous, talented, and clearly makin’ a name for yourself. If this asshole was able to get these to you and then get on your bus, what the hell else can he do?”
A shiver runs down my spine. Now that it’s clearly some whacko, there are things I need to do. “I’m going to let security know, and I know Luke won’t be okay with this.”
“Luke?” Cooper scoffs. “No.”
“No?”
Cooper shakes his head. “No, Luke has done a shit job so far. How the hell did anyone get on your bus in the first place? How did this piece of shit go unnoticed when you are supposed to have security? He isn’t going to be in charge of your safety. I will.”
Here we go. I knew that Cooper would make this his fight.
“I’m not helpless. I know now that this isn’t a joke. I can take care of this myself. I refused security because I can’t afford it. Yes, the tour has security, but I don’t. You can’t come here and demand things.”
He releases my hand and groans. “Have you ever taken a self-defense class? Do you own pepper spray? Are you carryin’ a gun that I don’t know about? Unless all of those things are a yes, then this conversation is moot.”
The hell it is. I get that I may not have any of those things, but I’m not weak. There are, however, things that can be done—things thatshouldbe done—like telling Luke. Cooper is clearly upset, which is understandable, but I’ve been doing just fine on my own for thirty-eight years. I can handle this.
“I don’t want to fight, but you have to understand none of this would’ve happened if I thought this was serious from the beginning.”
Cooper cups my cheeks, and the look in his eyes stuns me. There’s a mix of fear, confliction, and defiance swimming in his gorgeous gaze. “Let me do this,” he requests softly. “I can’t get on that plane if I think you’re in danger.”
My chest tightens at the tone of his plea. Am I being silly by not letting him do something to ease his fears? I look around at the devastation left by the intruder and realize how freaked out I’d be if the roles were reversed. Cooper and I may be a new thing, but there’s no denying how much I care for him. If he feels an ounce of what I am, then I should give a little.
I grip his wrist and sigh. “What do you have in mind?”
Chapter Nine
Cooper
Emily is passed out on the bed in the hotel room I got. There was no way she was staying on that bus. Fuck that. I’ve never seen anything like the scene there, and no matter what she thought, I was going to have someone guarding her.
My phone pings with a text.
Wade: I’m here.
Me: I’ll be right out.
I check on Emily before heading out the door with the letters and photos of the bus. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and there’s a damn good one that I ran into Wade Rycroft last night.
As soon as Emily agreed, I called him.
“Hey,” I say, gripping his hand. “Thanks for doing this.”
“I’m glad I was between jobs. Tell me more about what happened.”
Wade and I talk for a few minutes as I fill him in on the letters and the bus. He looks over everything and shakes his head. “Has she had anything like this before?”
“Not that I know of.” I grip the back of my neck. “It was like a fucking horror movie in that bus. The letters were one thing but then he sent her roses, too. I’m not sure if he saw the two of us together and that made him escalate this quickly.”
