Page 70 of Catch
"You knew I was safe," I said, crossing my arms. "You know I just wanted to leave."
"That’s how it started," he admitted. "But I had no way of knowing how it would turn out."
"Well, you found me. I’m safe and sound. But I’m not going anywhere. Not until we renegotiate my contract."
"Fuck, Loxley, I’m not here to take you back kicking and screaming. I’m here to let you know what happens if you don’t come backwillingly. There’s a whole lot of people and a whole lot of money riding on your return to the stage, and you have no idea what those people are willing to do for the right price."
"I’m not scared of you, Sam."
"I don’t want you to be scared of me," he said, shaking his head like the idea was ridiculous. "I’ve never given you a reason to be scared of me."
"Yet here you are, in the middle of the night, trying to?—"
"You knew I’d be tracking your phone," he interrupted. "You knew I’d be looking for you."
"Was it you who tried calling the other day from some random number I wouldn’t recognize?"
"No, but I did leak your phone number so everybody in the industry would try calling it. All I had to do was wait for you to turn it back on and ping your location. And it worked. Gave me an address and the name of Miles Brooks."
"Well, congratulations. You’re practically Sherlock Holmes," I said dryly.
He started backing away, shaking his head. I stepped out far enough to see his car still running in the driveway, probably another rental. For a split second, I considered how funny it would be to jump in and drive off. But unlike the last time I’d been around him, I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay where I was, where I felt safe. He could be the one to leave this time.
"Turn your phone back on, Loxley. Check your emails. I know where you are now, so you have no reason to keep that phone off. But you have every reason to see for yourself what your actions have done and how much worse it can get if you’re not back on that stage tomorrow night."
Chapter Thirty-Eight
MILES
I drove as quicklyas I could, but it still took 45 minutes to get West back to Gramps and Grams’ house and then head back to Loxley. Maybe taking West with me was a bad idea but I’d hoped he might figure out a way to help me—or help Loxley.
Or maybe I just really needed my brother for a little while. Spending time with him felt good, even if there were no easy solutions.
When I pulled into the driveway, I noticed the light on in the kitchen. If I knew Loxley as well as I thought I did, she’d probably made a pot of coffee and was nursing a cup while scribbling down lyrics.
But when I walked through the door, she was standing there, unchanged from the clothes she wore to dinner, a look in her eyes I couldn’t quite place.
“Are you okay, baby?” I asked softly, approaching her and cradling her face in my hands.
She started nodding but quickly changed her mind, shaking her head and then shrugging. “I don’t know.”
“What happened? Talk to me,” I urged, my heart tightening with worry. My mind raced. Had she figured out who the stranger looking for me was? My fear grew, but I forced myselfto focus on her. She was here. She was safe. But there was something raw and unsettled in her expression.
“I—I…” she started but stopped herself, looking up at me again. Her voice softened. “I think I was a little jealous.”
“Jealous?” I repeated, confused.
“The last time you went to the bar because Blue called, you asked me if I was jealous.”
“You know I was teasing you.”
“I do, but…” She hesitated, her chin trembling slightly. “I think maybe it was a little true.”
I cupped her face tighter, forcing her to meet my eyes. “I promise, there’s no reason to feel jealous. Blue’s just a friend, but you…you’re so much more than that to me.”
She nodded, but the slight tremble in her lips didn’t go away. Her eyes brimmed with emotion I couldn’t name, and I knew that wasn’t the time to bring up the man who had been asking for me. That would only amplify her unease. All I wanted in that moment was to take away whatever was weighing on her heart.
“Do you want me to prove it to you?” I teased, brushing my lips against hers.
