Page 37 of You Found Me
They could control a studio situation, and the stalker wouldn’t expect it.
Her brows furrowed like he’d just started speaking in a foreign language. “Virtual?”
“Yeah. Give the show in a studio and broadcast it.”
“Interesting,” Renic said.
“No,” she cut in. “Hell no. These people paid to see uslive. In person. There’s no way I’m telling them they have to watch me from home. They can do that now for free.” She looked from Ward to Renic. “They’re coming for the shared experience. They’re expecting Piper and me to be there. I’m not canceling, and I’m not going virtual.”
“These people would rather miss a show if it meant you were alive at the end of the day,” Ward countered. “Wouldn’t they? Surely, they don’t want you to die for them.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she snapped. “Nobody’s dying.”
“Della…,” Renic said.
“No.” She shook her head hard enough to make her hair swing. “I agreed to let you lock me away, even though nothing actually happened, even though I think this is all one giant overreaction, because I saw how upset my sisters were. But this is where I draw the line.”
She turned to Ward with an accusing finger pointed at him. “You obviously think what I do is silly and pointless and…and…unimportant. But it isn’t unimportant tothose people. I made a promise. I’m not going back on my word. Not for you. Not for some lame guy who left a stupid letter. Not for anybody.”
She paced toward the door but stopped when she reached it to look back over her shoulder. “I’m staying here until after the concert. ThenmaybeI’ll move to a new location.”
“Definitely,” Ward insisted.
“Maybe.” Her gaze challenged him. “And, Warden, if you try to get in my way on this, you’ll see just how uncooperative I can be.”
Her feet slapped against the tile floor of the hall as she stalked away.
Ward stared at the empty place where she’d stood. The room suddenly felt empty and far too quiet. How could one woman fill a space so completely that she left a vacuum in her wake?
Renic cleared his throat. “That…could have gone better.”
Ward closed his eyes and took in a steadying breath. The whole day could have gone better. He’d made a tactical error.
He’d trusted that Ms. Bellamy had an interest in her own safety.
He’d trusted that Diggs would have his back while he was gone.
He’d trusted that the security team would too.
Trust could really bite you in the ass sometimes.
He waited a few beats to make sure he had his temper control before he turned back to Renic. “I shouldn’t have left her alone.”
“She was hardly alone,” Renic said with a rueful twitch of his lips.
Ward thought of the scene he’d walked in on. A buffet of every name and face in Hollywood. He didn’t go to a lot of movies, but he recognized some of the stars casually lounging around the pool. “Nobody should have made it past the front gate. I’ll have a training session to correct that mistake. It won’t happen again.”
Renic covered his half cough with another sip of whatever he was drinking. “Yes, it will.”
Ward rubbed the back of his neck. It felt like he’d developed several knots there over the past couple of hours. “Not if I’m onsite it won’t.”
“You have to sleep some time. Besides, she’s right about one thing. She’s not a prisoner.”
“No. She’s not. But you know a concert is a really bad idea right now.”
“Yes, but we’re doing it anyway.” Renic raised a hand to stop Ward before he could object. “I’ve heard your take on this, but Della has a point here too. She has a job to do, just like you. More importantly she…we…made a promise to those people who bought tickets, and we have to honor our commitment, even if it means a little extra work behind the scenes.”
“A little?” Ward raised an eyebrow at that.
