The moment I passed Izzy on my way backstage, my skin chilled. She didn’t acknowledge me so I wasn’t sure she’d seen me, but I saw her. After threatening me, she had kept her distance for the last week. If not for Andi and Bentley spotting her around the community, I would have believed she left.

I should have known I wouldn’t get that lucky.

Glancing down at the box in my hands, I set it on one of the tables lining the hallway near the dressing rooms. After checking in with the sound and lighting crew with the upcoming schedule, the new sound producer handed me the box. It was some of Wesley’s belongings he’d found in the office.

As much as I wanted to take a match to the box and set it on fire, I couldn’t. Wesley’s lawyer had already sent a certified letter asking for the items to be returned. I’d much rather burn them.

Sorting through the items, I double-checked to make sure there was none of Music Haven’s property inside. It wouldn’t be the first time I caught Wesley trying to sell off some piece of equipment. Last time, it’s what led me to discover he was using drugs.

I skimmed the box, happy to see nothing inside belonged to my company or me. Most of the items were old porn magazines, a bottle of liquor, and some C.D.’s from his personal collection. Aside from his degree that had been hanging on the wall, most of the items were junk.

Grabbing the flaps, I prepared to close the box when something else caught my attention. An envelope lay in the bottom with a few pictures sticking out. I reached inside the box and lifted them into my hand. The first few were just different pictures of the arena. Some were of my employees, females in particular. Judging by the poses, these pictures were taken without the knowledge of the people in the photographs. I was about to set them back inside the box when I made a stark discovery. The next few pictures were of my sister. My face burned when I realized she was naked.

I wasn’t sure why Wesley had nude pictures of Izzy or how old they were. Perhaps it was part of some scheme they had planned. I’m sure it was something to hurt me. God knows they’d tried enough.

Unable to view the rest of the photos, I dropped them back inside the box. My mind raced with thoughts. Did I really want to know why Wesley had these photos of Izzy?

Everything disappeared from my sight as a pair of hands covered my eyes. Fear rushed through me at the thought of who was behind me. Was it Izzy? Surely she wasn’t stupid enough to attack me with a bunch of people standing close by.

Within a matter of seconds, I pulled the hands away from my eyes and spun around, fist drawn. If Izzy had brought this fight to me today, I would make her regret it. I didn’t want to have a physical confrontation while pregnant, but I would defend my child and myself at all costs.

“Hey. It’s just me.” Ayden’s voice broke through the panic exploding inside of me. Once I realized it was him, I hurled myself into his arms.

“God, Ayden. Don’t scare me like that.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. Is everything okay?

Nodding at him, I drew in a deep breath of his cologne. I enjoyed the scent, allowing the crisp, cool tones to settle my anxiety. I hated feeling on edge. Until Izzy was out of my life, I couldn’t help but worry about what she would do next. She was out of her mind. I had to find a way to get rid of her for good.

Ayden tipped my chin higher. As soon as I gazed into his eyes, he smiled. “I really am sorry. All I meant to do is surprise you.”

“It’s okay.” I touched his cheek as he lowered his mouth to mine. I enjoyed the warmth of his lips as he kissed me. It was tender, passionate, and enough to chase away my fears.

When he pulled away, I released a sigh. Whenever Ayden was near, I was content. It was the times when we were apart that I worried. Thankfully, we hadn’t spent too much time apart since we reconciled. He spent most of his days following me around, opening doors, pulling out chairs, running after files and such. At one point, Andi asked him if he was trying to replace her as my assistant.

It was a joke of course, but I appreciated everything he was doing. Most of all, he made sure I was eating and not stressing myself out with phone calls or employees.

The best part of the time we were spending together was the private moments we got. Whenever it was just the two of us, Ayden would place his hand on my belly and talk to our child. Every time he did it, my heart melted. He was going to make a fantastic father and husband. I was blessed to have him in my life.

“So what’s on the agenda for this evening?” He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and waited for me to answer.

“Honestly, I don’t have any plans. All my work is caught up, so I thought it would be nice to spend the evening at the suite. I’m too tired to deal with people tonight.”

“Sounds like we need a little R and R. How about we get you back to the suite and get you in the shower. I’ll order us some dinner.” He kissed the end of my nose and began rubbing my shoulders. “Once we finish dinner, we can curl up with a movie and I’ll give you a full body massage.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Full body as in every part of my body? Even those, uh, delicate spots.”

Ayden’s lips curled upward. “Definitely the delicate spots.”

How could I refuse him? He was offering dinner, a movie, a massage, and mind-blowing sex. It sounded like a perfect evening.

“You sure know how to sweep a girl off her feet, Mr. McAllister.”

“So it’s a date?” One of his brows rose in a taunting manner. Then he wiggled both. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as I nodded. “Good. Let’s get going. I’ll race you to the suite.”

“Race?” I laughed harder as I patted my tiny bump. “Only if you give us a head start.”

Shaking his head, Ayden chuckled as he walked me to the stairs that led to the main floor. “You can’t use your pregnancy as a handicap.”

“It’s not a handicap. It’s precious cargo. Very fragile.”

Clasping his hand around mine, he nodded this time. “That it is.”

As he leaned his forehead to mine, we spent a moment just staring into each other’s eyes. This is how I wanted our relationship to be. When no one was interfering, Ayden was the sweetest, most thoughtful person I knew. The stress from our exes brought out sides of us we should have never seen. At least we’d managed to work through those bad times. Now we had a bright future ahead of us.

When Ayden finally pulled away, he winked at me and faced the stairs. “See you at the bottom.”

He gripped the rails with his hands and lifted his feet from the ground. After swinging them back and forth, he flung himself forward and jumped to the ground, skipping each one of the steps.

“You’re gonna hurt yourself one of these days doing tricks like that.”

“Nah. I have these long legs to help me.”

I rolled my eyes and gripped the rail as I made my way down the first step. Ayden waited for me at the bottom. He checked his watch like he was growing impatient, then he folded his arms over his chest.

“Come on, slowpoke. I have a hot date tonight with the most beautiful woman in the world. You’re slowing me down.”

“What a lucky woman.” I chimed in. On the next step, the ground shifted beneath me. “Oh god!”

I was falling. I knew what was happening but didn’t have time to react. The world around me seemed to move in slow motion, and yet I could do nothing to stop myself. As I braced for impact with the ground, I covered my belly with my hands in my best effort to protect the baby.

Instead of feeling the hard surface below me, warm arms wrapped around me, guiding me to a chest. I gazed up at Ayden, thankful that he had caught me.

“I’ve got you.” He whispered the words as he scanned my face. “Are you all right?”

“I think so.” My heart beat so fast it made me shake. I was trembling. How could I not? The thought of what could have just happened to my child and me terrified me beyond belief. “God, Ayden, if you hadn’t caught me . . .”

My vision grew blurry as tears filled my eyes. The horrible thoughts racing through my mind prevented me from speaking. I couldn’t say the words.

“Relax.” Ayden stroked my back as he held me close. “You’re both safe. I’ll always make sure of it. I promise.”

His words soothed me. As my heartbeat returned to normal, I glanced behind me to the steps. “I have no idea what caused me to lose my balance.”

Ayden approached them and leaned forward to study each one. I examined them too, but nothing about them looked unusual. All the screws were fastened. There were no cracks, and nothing was laying on them.

“I don’t see anything. Do you?”

Shaking his head, Ayden leaned toward the second step until his nose was a few inches away. Then he rubbed his finger across the wood before he sniffed it.

“Son of a bitch,” he mumbled.

“What’s wrong?”

Rubbing his fingers together this time, he studied them a moment before his eyes turned toward me. “I’m not sure, but I think it’s grease.”

“Grease?” When he nodded, confusion spread through me. “Why in the world would grease be on these steps?”

“It must have been something someone carried backstage. I can check with the stagehands to see if anyone knows what it was. You should call maintenance to have someone clean this up.”

I didn’t want to say what was really on my mind. Perhaps I should, but I wondered if my paranoia was getting the best of me. Had someone dripped grease onto the steps while carrying something backstage, or had Izzy sabotaged them in hopes of making me fall?

The moment Mia and I stepped out of the arena and continued toward the golf cart, I noticed a white cargo van pulling away. It reminded me of one of the courier type vehicles that made smaller deliveries. The dust cloud around it made it hard to make out now that it was disappearing down the dirt road.

“Hey, you two.” Andi’s voice drew my attention to the main parking area in front of the arena. She walked our way, holding a medium sized brown box with a bunch of holes toward the bottom.

“Hey, Andi. Did you get my text?” Mia asked as she held on to my arm.

“Yep. I’ve already got maintenance cleaning the steps. Are you okay?” Andi touched Mia’s shoulder.

“I’m okay. Ayden and I are going to spend the evening in my suite tonight. Will you text me if you need anything?”

“Of course. Oh, wait. Before you go, this is for Ayden.” Andi lifted the box higher. “Some new delivery service just dropped this off. They said it was time sensitive and asked if I could make sure you received it right away.”

Releasing Mia from my embrace, I accepted the box from Andi. I wasn’t expecting anything to be delivered, other than the results to the DNA test Chris sent to a second lab. This box clearly wasn’t those results, but I made a mental note to text Chris later. He’d messaged earlier, letting me know he wanted to speak with me when he returned from his trip.

Perhaps he did have the results or information on when I would receive a letter. I’d like nothing more than to prove to Izzy and everyone else that the child she lost wasn’t mine. Maybe then she would leave Mia and me alone.

“Thanks for accepting the package for me, Andi.”

“No problem.” She smiled my way then faced Mia once more. “I gotta get going. I want to make sure the steps are clear to use again, then I need to post the new rehearsal schedule on the board backstage. You two enjoy your evening.”

“Thank you. Be sure to do the same with Bentley.” Mia chuckled as Andi gave her a thumbs-up and then sprinted inside the arena. Once she was out of sight, I became the center of Mia’s attention again. “Are you going to open it?”

Refocusing on the box, I read the shipping label but didn’t notice the sender’s address. The package wasn’t so heavy that I struggled to hold it, but it wasn’t light. “Wonder what this could be.”

“You weren’t expecting anything?”

“No,” I placed the box on the golf cart and tore at the tape. “It must be something my mom ordered, so I’d say it’s something for the baby.”

Mia’s face lit up when I mentioned our child. Her smile was contagious. I loved seeing her happy.

“I have a feeling your mother is going to spoil our baby.” She patted the little bump at her waistline as she waited for me to open the package. It was hard to focus on anything but her sometimes. This was one of those moments. I could see her curiosity and excitement.

As the tape peeled away, I opened the flaps of the box. Inside was a metal container. I drew it out of the package, taking note of the tiny holes lining the top.

“What in the hell?” I mumbled the words as I studied the object. “Whatever it is, it’s locked.”

“Look. There’s a key taped inside the box.” Mia removed the tape and lifted the key. After she handed it to me, I pushed it into the lock. I wasn’t sure why my mom would send a gift that was locked or what the purpose of doing so was. Either way, I was about to find out.

Once the lock clicked open, I pulled it from the container and grabbed the lid. It was off within a few short seconds. Yet when I looked down inside the hollow shaped cylinder, my heart sank.

Grabbing Mia’s arm, I jerked her back and placed her behind me. She tried to protest and ask what I was doing, but I shook my head at her and motioned for her to be quiet. Then I kicked the container.

“Ayden, what are you . . .” Her voice fell away. She gasped a second later. “Oh my God!”

She clung to me as I backed us up a few steps. Within a few seconds, a giant snake slid out of the container. After a couple of feet, I stopped moving. One of the security guards noticed it and radioed one of the maintenance crew to bring a shovel and something that would hold a snake. When he finished, he motioned to Mia and me.

“Stay put. The less movement we have, the better.”

I signaled an okay sign to him and turned enough that I could wrap my arms around Mia. Her short breaths and gaping mouth spoke of her terror. Once I pulled her to my chest, she gazed up.

“What kind of snake is it? Please tell me it isn’t poisonous.”

“I’m not sure what it is, but it looks like a copperhead.”

“What?” Her voice shook as she cringed. “We don’t have those in this area.”

“We have them in Tennessee. Still, I don’t know anyone who would send this to me.”

Mia eased away. She scanned the area as if she were looking for something, or maybe it was someone. Then she glanced at me. “I know who would send it, and try to make it look like it came from some other place. Izzy.”

I considered her assumption a moment. Izzy and I had lived together in my home state. Whether she knew about the wildlife in the area, I didn’t know, but she was intelligent enough to research the information. As strange as her behavior had become, I wouldn’t put anything past her. I couldn’t.

“We need to find a way to get rid of Izzy. She needs to leave. I’m not taking any chances on her hurting any of us, especially you two.” I placed my hand against her belly. “We could have opened that package in your suite. This could be a lot worse.”

“I know.” She folded her hand over mine. “Maybe we should leave for a little while. My dad offered to come back and help Andi run the business.” Her eyes lowered to my chest as she played with the button on my shirt. “We could go someplace private. You could write new songs. We would have time for just the two of us.”

The more she talked, the fewer reasons I had to argue. Our canceled tour dates hadn’t been rescheduled. Aside from whatever Doug found for the band, our next big mission was to create a new album. The guys could do promotional stuff while I was away. There was no reason not to go.

“So when should I pack? It won’t take me long.”

Mia’s lips curled up. Her hand rested on my cheek as she released a deep breath. “I can get us out of here within twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Just tell me where you want to go.”

“It doesn’t matter to me. I’ll follow you wherever, even to the ends of the earth.”

When we’d finished talking, the maintenance member security had contacted had arrived. It didn’t take long for him to corner the snake and maneuver it into a containment canister.

As he placed the canister into the back of his work truck, a sense of relief filled me. The snake was gone just as quick as it arrived. Soon, Mia and I would be away from Music Haven, just the two of us in a secluded spot for however long she decided.

Wherever we went, I was looking forward to being away from Izzy and her prying eyes. Her instability worried me. If she was behind this, it meant she was willing to go to any lengths to keep Mia and me apart.

The second the maintenance guy drove through the community gate, I spotted Izzy standing a few feet away. The sight of her made my blood cool. It wasn’t the way she narrowed her eyes at me that caused a chill to race down my spine.

It was the way her lips lifted in a lazy, sinister smile.