CHAPTER 24
Ooh, the nerve of him. You can walk, or I’ll carry you. Who did he think he was, going all bodyguard on her that way?
Kate stared out the window, refusing to look over at Cash. Well, he had been a bodyguard, the pragmatic part of her pointed out. And he cared about her, so it stood to reason he’d be concerned.
Still…
Kate hated that her old life had come crashing down on her new. Hated it. What kind of a fool had she been to think her fame wouldn’t catch up with her? That she could have a normal, quiet life away from the public eye? That she wouldn’t be ratted out by someone looking to make a fast buck?
She’d created an unrealistic bubble and stupidly pulled others into it. And now she was forced to run out on the people who’d helped her the most. The shame of it roiled her stomach as the scenery flew by in a blur.
The Flint Hills glowed spring green in the afternoon sun. If she squinted, she could almost imagine she was in Ireland, but for the calf-cow pairs that dotted the landscape at intervals. Her mother’s voice sounded in her head. Even bad publicity is good publicity. She’d ignored plenty of trolls up to this point, so why did this matter so much more? If she wanted a more private life, then what did it matter if the world knew she could no longer sing?
The thought niggled at her uncomfortably.
“Can I have my phone back, now?” she asked quietly after they’d been driving over an hour.
Cash gripped the steering wheel and stared straight ahead, pushing their speed on the empty back roads. “Not until we know for certain it hasn’t been hacked.”
“You honestly think my phone was hacked?”
Cash glanced over, his expression clearly stating that yes, it was a possibility. “I’m not ruling anything out.”
“I doubt it would be. I purchased a new phone in Kansas City, on my way here in January. I needed a break from my mom and Franco,” she admitted shamefacedly. Of course, now that Helene had her number, her mother would be back to her overbearing ways in no time.
“And it’s been in your possession the whole time?”
“Well, at the ranch.”
“Have you downloaded any apps or clicked any strange email links? Like from your bank or credit card company?”
“Umm, no?”
“Just making sure. If there’s spyware on your phone, once it’s on, someone could track your movements.”
“That sounds very James Bond.”
“It happens. But it sounds like your phone isn’t the culprit.” Cash slipped a hand inside his jacket. “Here.” He handed her the phone. “Don’t tell anyone where you are.”
She snorted. “Because the middle of nowhere is somewhere.”
“Loose lips sink ships.”
“Whatever you say, mate.” She saluted him and turned on her phone.
The phone lit up with texts from Cheyenne and her mother.
Chey: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS??!!!??!?!?
Helene: I thought you said you were through singing… What are you playing at?
Chey: PICK UP!!!!! Everything okay???
Helene: Franco is talking to his lawyer. He’s through with having his chain yanked. You’re obligated to book through him.
What? That made no sense. Not to mention she’d fired him.
Chey: Kate??!!??
She scrolled through the remaining messages stomach lurching with each new text. What in the hell was going on? She scrolled up to the link Cheyenne had sent and clicked it. All the air squeezed out of her lungs as a video popped up on the Nashville Examiner Page with the title Kaycee Starr discovered hiding in Kansas. She clapped a hand over her mouth in horror as she recognized herself sitting on a hay bale in the barn on the ranch. The video ended with a voice screeching “Ohmygod you’re Kaycee Starr!”
Emma Sinclaire.
Kate’s stomach pitched. But Emma had promised. She’d signed a nondisclosure. How could she? Heat raced up her spine even as her hands turned cold.
“What is it?” Cash asked sharply, shooting her a concerned glance.
“It was Emma,” she spoke quietly, cold sinking to her stomach. “Emma sold me out.”
“Emma Sinclaire?”
Kate nodded, blinking furiously. “I’m sick. I don’t understand.”
“How do you know it was her?”
“This video.” She waved the phone. “I was on the phone with Cheyenne just before things got crazy and she was going on about a viral video. She must have meant this. It’s me singing in the barn. I didn’t know Emma was there and she recorded me. She promised to delete the video and signed an ND.”
“A non-disclosure doesn’t mean shit when twenty grand is on the line.”
“I don’t understand.”
“That’s how much the paper was offering for a picture of you. Probably more for video.” He sounded as disgusted as she felt.
“Well then, we can see her in court.” She scrolled through the contacts she’d transferred from her old phone, and hit the number for her lawyer. It went straight to voicemail, no surprise. She’d never texted him, but this was an emergency.
K: Brian – I need you to file a breach of contract suit against Emma Sinclaire and Royal Fountain Media, asap. She signed an ND and video she took of me is all over the internet.
A few minutes later her phone buzzed.
B: Would this have anything to do with the certified mail I received naming you in a breach of contract suit from Franco DiAngelo?
Her vision spotted and her hands went numb as the text sank in. “Noooooo. NoNoNO.” Kate had never believed in the expression “seeing red” until now, except she was so angry she couldn’t even see. She was ready to punch something.
“More bad news?”
“If you call my former agent trying to sue me for breach of contract, then yeah.” She typed furiously.
K: Franco is full of shit. I fired him in January. He can kiss my ass.”
Sometimes it paid to have a lawyer on retainer. A lawsuit wouldn’t fix her wider problem, but she could recoup whatever funds Emma had sold her video for, and then give the funds to the ranch for the trouble she’d caused. That justice would be enough. Her thoughts turned to Travis and Elaine. “What will this mean for the ranch?”
“Too early to tell. I’m sure Weston will send extra patrols. Don’t worry, Travis won’t let the paparazzi fuck with anyone.”
“I’ve ruined everything for them,” she whispered, chest burning. “Haven’t I?”
Cash reached out a reassuring hand, caressing her shoulder. “Nothing we can’t deal with sweetheart. Why don’t you shut your eyes? We have a long drive ahead of us.”
She flipped her wrist up and studied the temporary tattoo she’d reapplied a few days ago. I Am Brave.
She didn’t feel brave at the moment. She felt like a coward. What would brave Kate do? Face the press. Tell them to fuck off and leave her alone. So what was holding her back from that? The quickest way to a private life would be to go public with her vocal problems. But it would also kill any credibility she had. Wouldn’t it? The great Kaycee Starr turning to producing, song-writing, and talent scouting because she couldn’t hack it as a singer anymore?
That was the issue. She was only twenty-four. What was she supposed to do for the rest of her life?
“Wanna talk about it?” Cash asked quietly.
“I don’t think you’re going to like what I have to say.”
“We have a long drive to sort it out.”
“Why don’t we start by you telling me where we’re going?”
A frown drew down his mouth. “Chicago. I have an apartment there. Sometimes it’s been used as a safe house. No risk of the paparazzi spying on you there.”
“Chicago,” she stated flatly. “You’re taking me to Chicago.”
“It’s the safest place I know.”
“What if I told you I was ready to face the press?”
“I’d say you were crazy. The whole reason you came to Prairie was to get away from them.”
“And that was lovely. But let’s be honest. I was living in a bubble. And now I’ve jeopardized the ranch. At the very least, I’ve interrupted its operations because I was acting selfishly and was too afraid to live my life.”
Cash gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles went white. “But what if I fail you again? What if something happens?”
“I’m not going to live my life on the run. Or in hiding.”
“But I’m afraid for you, babe.” His voice rose.
Her heart melted at his words. Her sweet giant of a man, so tender. “You can’t keep me in glass, Cash. Locked away like a doll. What kind of a life would that be? For either of us?”
He shook his head, but didn’t speak.
“Do you have feelings for me Cash?”
His jaw went tight, the muscle below his ear twitching. “You know I do.”
“Do you trust me?”
He nodded curtly.
“Then you have to let me do this my way. It’s my life.”
He glanced over. The wild-eyed, frightened look she remembered from the night he tackled her had returned. “But I can’t let you get hurt,” he whispered hoarsely. “Or worse.”
She sighed heavily, pain for them both, at their impossible situation, twisting her stomach in knots. “I understand. I really do.” She reached out, giving his leg a comforting squeeze. “But I want a partner. Not a protector.”
The fight left his shoulders. “But that’s all I know how to be.”