Page 47 of Carte

My stomach tightened painfully. “I’m fine.”

I wasn’t sure for whom I was repeating those words more. Alina, me. Or Carter who was standing by the fireplace, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl firmly on his face watching my every move like he was ready to tear the phone from my ear at any sign of me falling apart.

“Do you have any idea who this could be?” Alina gently probed.

I squeezed my eyes closed firmly. I had gone over and over in my head trying to remember each and every person that crossed my path. I went over every meet and greet I had with my fans. Picking it apart and trying to find something that stood out. Each and every time I came up blank. There was nothing that tripped my radar. Nothing out of the ordinary.

“I can’t think of a single person who could be behind this. I went over everything I could remember in my head, but I came up with big ole nothing.”

“But the guys suspect someone,” Alina’s voice had gone cold. If you didn’t know her story, you would think that there was something wrong with her, that you should be scared of her when she went like that. But I knew her, this was just her coping mechanism, something she learned early in her life that kept her safe.

I cleared my throat, “I told Carter about Derek.”

“Shit,” Alina cursed, fully aware of how monumental that was. I didn’t share what happened in my past. She was the only person who knew. “How’d he take it?”

My lips twitched remembering the murderous look in Carter’s eyes when I was telling the story, “Like he was about ready to haunt him and tear him limb from limb. But, I tamed that beast when I let him know I did my own ass kicking as farewell.”

A chuckle glided over my skin then made me shiver.

I looked up and over to Carter. He was grinning, a look of pride gleaming in his brown eyes.

“So you don’t think it’s him?” Alina asked.

“Honestly,” I shrugged. “I don’t see it. Derek was a lot of things. None of them are good. But he doesn’t have the patience I’m told this kind of thing requires. He was always more for an instant reward than anything else. That’s why his main vice are cards.”

“Maybe I should come up there. Have Chace bring me. I don’t like the idea of you being all alone in this.”

“No,” I clipped into the phone. “I don’t want you anywhere near this. We don’t know what could happen. Besides, I’m not alone. Carter’s here with me. The man you stronghold into taking the job.”

Alina’s gasp came over the phone, “How do you even know about that?”

“Oh, please,” I rolled my eyes. “It wasn’t hard to figure out. I saw Tim and you standing in corners around the venues. And I even heard the whispers of letters and such.” I looked up at Carter, “I even knew about the break in in my apartment. It’s just that I thought it would all blow over. The label called people in, and I was positive that by the end of the tour, whoever was doing this would be caught. But when Carter said his last name, it wasn’t hard to line the dots. I may ignore stuff, but I’m not stupid.”

“I’m sorry,” Alina said. “I knew it was wrong to keep stuff for you. But you went through so much, I just wanted to help somehow and to give you peace you deserve.”

My vision blurred, “It wasn’t okay, but I know it came from the right place. That’s why I was giving you all that play.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come up? I can be there tomorrow.”

I straighten, “Do not come-”

The phone was no longer in my hand. I blinked and all I could see were the muscles in Carter’s back as they flexed with each step he took, “Don’t worry, Alina. She’ll be safe here. I got here. No one will come near the cabin without us knowing. And Carter and Max are tightening the security as we speak. New firewalls are being installed too. No one will cut into the feed again.”

He stopped talking and listened for a moment. “I said, I've got her.”

The muscles in his back became more pronounced as his whole body turned to stone, “This is not a game for me, Alina. Nor is a normal job. I’m fully aware they’re escalating and that things can get from bad to worse in a second. You do not need to tell me that.”

I knew what he wasn’t saying. The next chance he got, maybe the pictures or my rooms wouldn’t be enough. It was obvious that my lyrics weren't. Whatever their end game was, one thing was obvious.

It was me.

Chapter Twelve

Carter

The ax split the wood sending the two halves flying in opposite directions as sweat gathered at the small of my back. Usually, the release of a hard work or heavy workout brought me back to focus, but it wasn’t cutting it today. The vice around my torso had me in a too tight grip. I put the next piece on the thump, brought the ax over my head and swung over.

“What’s got you so wrung tight?”