Page 52 of Moonlit Hideaway
“They’ll always suspect me of turning them in.” She sighed sadly. “I hope I won’t have to be Jane Dolan for the rest of my life.”
He didn’t have an answer. All he knew about organized crime came from movies and books, but she was the one who’d lived in its shadow her entire life.
“After this is over, you can explain to your mother. I’m sure she’ll understand.”
She wiped her hands over her face, and he could tell how exhausted she was. The entire ordeal was taking a toll.
“This AI deep fake stuff is killing it.” She flashed him the video playing on the screen. “I’ll have to learn this dance move if I want to perform it at my next show. And listen to this song they created using my voice.”
She turned up the volume on the video she was playing.
“It sounds just like you. I like the beat.”
“Yes, but if Agent Patterson can do all this without?—”
“She won’t be able to perform live as you,” Hank said. “This is only a stopgap for your fans before you return.”
“I know… but if everyone’s using AI to generate songs and they can use my voice and my dance moves, then…” She shook her head and sighed. “I’ve already heard of people uploading these artificially generated songs to streaming services.”
“Hey, you’re top talent. No one can replace you.”
“But Agent Patterson’s talking to my fans, and they can’t tell it’s not me.”
“Maybe it’s better if you don’t look,” Hank said. “It shouldn’t be long before Marco approaches her since she’s out there gabbing away.”
“Marco’s not stupid,” she warned glumly. “He’ll wonder why I’m all of a sudden so talkative about stupid stuff when I’m supposedly grieving for my dad. Also, it’s not generally known that Vinnie Romanski was my father.”
“How did you keep that under wraps?” he asked.
Sierra shrugged. “I’m not sure if it’s my dad paying off the media or that people like my assistant and others in my life are afraid to leak it.”
“Oh…” Hank’s spirits dropped, wondering how they’d ever escape Sierra’s family connections.
As he drove down the New Jersey turnpike, his phone rang, and he put it on speaker. It was Sheriff Davis.
“Ruth here,” she said. “Where are you and Jane?”
“On the New Jersey turnpike headed south. The interview went well, and we have a new set of wheels. Jane has her identification cards. What’s up on the island?”
“Liam hasn’t left, so I’m not sure you two should return just yet. I saw that Sierra’s social media is active again, and people here are talking about it. You have to give Emma a big reward because no one’s talking about Jane being Sierra Rayne. However, Liam is a loose cannon.”
“That throws a wrench into the gears.” Hank wiped his hair from his face.
“You can come back, but Jane needs to stay away,” Ruth said. “With Liam here, she would be in danger.”
“I’m staying with Jane.” Hank was resolute. “I hope we can return for Harvestfest.”
“I’ll let you know if Liam leaves. He was making noise about how he couldn’t find another job on the island and accusing me of blacklisting him. I’m watching him like a hawk. Hopefully, he’ll leave soon. In the meantime, stay safe. Okay?”
“Sure, we’ll take a few days. Thanks for the update.”
He hung up and noticed Sierra’s crestfallen expression. “I’m sorry for the bad news. Do you think you can ever go back to your old life?”
Sweat popped over his face at the crux of this question. He wanted her to stay with him on the island—not as Jane Dolan, a woman in hiding, but as Sierra Rayne, the woman he loved.
“I intend to,” she said. “I love singing, and I get energized when singing for a crowd. The touring, the late nights out, the fans, and the parties.”
He didn’t like the answer, but it was who she was. Could he accept a wife who toured as a pop star? Who was away from the inn and the island? He couldn’t even stomach Chloe singing a few gigs in the next state, and here he was, falling in love with awoman who was at the top of the pop charts. Her life was lived out publicly, and even now, rumors were zipping around the world about her depression and the break she was taking.
