Chapter Twenty
Spencer headed out of the airport with the driver Kurt had arranged. Kurt seemed so much better an assistant this time around, or maybe Spencer just wasn’t so hungover every other day that he didn’t notice.
Without him asking, Kurt had showed up at the airport with a bag of his clothes. Spencer hadn’t even thought about having a change of clothes. He was just going to see Kristen, that was it.
He wasn’t sure how long he would stay.
They’d already filmed all the break-up scenes the production required, so all Spencer and Kristen had to do this week was to stay out of the media’s sight. And he supposed he wouldn’t mind spending the week with Kristen.
He had one leg in the car when his phone rang. “Samantha? Why are you calling me at this time of night?”
“I’m sorry, but it’s important. Are you with Kristen?”
“I’m on my way to see her now.”
“I can’t get a hold of her.”
“It’s four in the morning. She’s probably sleeping.” Which was why Kurt had booked him a hotel room—again without Spencer asking. “Why do you sound so worried?”
“Ana Price.”
“Her assistant?”
“You know her as Alyssa Pierce.”
“Who?” Spencer asked.
“I figured you wouldn’t remember. Alyssa Pierce was your assistant a few years ago. She was with you for two weeks before you fired her.”
“I don’t remember.” But he was certain he would’ve at least found Ana familiar. “I think you got it wrong.”
“I got the results from the hospital. Do you want to know what they found in the chocolates?”
“What?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary. No poison.”
He frowned. “That can’t be.”
“Especially since the doctor says Kristen’s blood had traces of cyanide, so someone must have switched the chocolates.”
“Cyanide? Is that even possible? You can’t get that off the shelves, right?” But Ana was the only other person who had touched those chocolates.
“It’s present in the chemicals used to develop photographs. And Ana—or Alyssa—used to be in her school’s photography club.”
“But—”
“She’s gone through several plastic surgeries. Kristen’s manager confirmed that Ana just got back from a vacation and was more than happy to get the job with Kristen when she heard Kristen was doing We Got Hitched with you. Ana was scheduled to work for someone else, but she jumped ship at the last minute.”
Spencer cursed. “Ana knows about our plan.” So Ana knew exactly where Kristen was.
“That’s why I’ve been trying to get ahold of Kristen.”
He bent forward and gave the driver a new address. “Get there as fast as you can,” he said to the driver. “I’ll call her parents.”
He hit the redial button when Dave didn’t answer the first call.
“Spence? What is it?” Dave’s answered in a groggy voice.
“Dave, I need you to check on Kris now. Where is she? Is she safe?”
“Mark’s with her. The last I saw her, she was writing songs on the porch.”
“Dave, she may be in danger. Please check in on her now.”
“I’m already heading down the stairs. Hang on.”
Spencer gritted his teeth while he waited for Dave’s confirmation that Kristen was safe.
“Mark, where’s Kristen?” Spencer groaned when he heard Dave’s question. He couldn’t hear Mark’s reply, but he could hear the concern in Dave’s voice when he said into the phone, “Maybe she’s in her room.”
“Dave.”
“I’m going.”
Spencer heard the hurried steps up the stairs.
“Kris?” Dave swore. “She isn’t in her room.”
Spencer groaned. “Ana Price. She’s the stalker. She’s Kris’s assistant, so she knows all about our plan.”
“Hannah,” Dave shouted. “Call the police. Kris is missing. I’m heading out to find her.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Spencer clutched the phone after ending the call. How stupid was he? “Hurry!” he barked at the driver and slumped back on the seat. “Oh, Kris, please be safe.”
Kristen woke up with a massive headache. She groaned and tried to reach for her head, but she couldn’t move her hands. She forced her eyes open and lifted her head off the blood-streaked steering wheel.
Her hands were bound to the steering wheel with black cable ties. She jerked her hands, but the cable ties held firm.
“I actually liked you.”
Kristen turned to Ana, who was removing the cork from a bottle of wine. “Ana, what are you doing?”
“You still haven’t figured it out?” Ana shrugged. “I guess I shouldn’t count the time that you were out.”
“How long was I out?”
“Over half an hour.” Ana pulled out the cork and ran it under Kristen’s nose. “Good? I don’t know much about wine.”
“Where are we?”
“Quite far away from your parents’ place. There isn’t a house anywhere around here. I’ve checked, so don’t bother screaming.” Ana cupped her hand under Kristen’s chin and tipped it up as she poured wine down her throat.
Kristen choked and coughed, spluttering red wine all over the steering wheel and her T-shirt. “You’re the stalker?”
Ana’s lips curled. “Good.”
“But why? How?”
“Let’s play a game. I’ll answer a question after each gulp you take. Deal?” Ana’s brows rose with anticipation.
“Okay.”
“Good.” The corners of Ana’s eyes creased.
Kristen turned her face away when Ana pushed the mouth of the bottle against her lips.
“I thought we agreed.”
“I’m trying to think of my question.”
“Drink and think.” Again, Ana jerked Kristen’s chin up and poured wine into her mouth.
Kristen tried to swallow, but Ana was pouring it down her throat so quickly that Kristen ended up coughing out the wine again. She turned her face away and rubbed her chin against her shoulder. “My question.”
“Shoot.”
She licked her lips. “Heidi said you just got back from a holiday. So you were in the Bahamas and you pushed Melody off the balcony.”
Ana frowned. “That’s two questions. Another gulp before I answer both.”
Kristen complied.
“Yes and yes.” Ana swirled the wine in the bottle. “This is rather fun.” She poured more wine down Kristen’s throat.
“What are you trying to do now?”
“Kill you.”
“How? Are you going to drug me like Melody? Because no one will believe I’d do that,” Kristen asked after another gulp of wine.
“Get you drunk and let you drive into a tree.”
“I’ve got a head injury and my wrists are bound. No one will believe it.”
Ana brushed aside a lock of Kristen’s hair that had stuck in the blood on her temple. “They’ll just think you got it from the crash.” She pulled out her phone and showed her photos of Spencer partying. “You got so upset about Spencer’s partying that you drank and drove into a tree to kill yourself.”
“There are lots of people who knew what we had planned.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be sending a few crazy texts to Spence later. They’ll think you just snapped. After all, you were ditched by Alvin not too long ago.” Ana made a disapproving noise. “You’re not drinking. Come on.” She poured the rest of the wine down Kristen’s throat.
Kristen closed her eyes and laid her head back against the headrest. She rolled her head to the side and swallowed. “How did you get Heidi …”
Ana put the bottle of wine down in the footwell next to Kristen. “It was such a coincidence Heidi called. When I heard you were doing We Got Hitched with Spence, I jumped on it.” She opened another bottle and fed more wine to Kristen.
Kristen took a gulp, then shook her head. “Stop, please. I can’t.” She shut her eyes and clenched her jaws while kicking the bottle under her seat toward the door.
“I’m sure you have more questions.”
“Why?” she asked after a long moment.
“I’m protecting him, just like he protected me.” Ana made Kristen drink another gulp before continuing, “I was his assistant many years ago. He asked what happened to me when he saw the bruises on my arms. When I broke down and told him, he listened. He listened as if I was the only person that mattered to him.”
As if the rest of the world didn't exist. Kristen had felt the same.
“And when my boyfriend showed up one day, Spencer stood up for me. He punched the guy and told him that if he ever laid another hand on me, he would end him.” Ana smiled ruefully. “My boyfriend moved out even before I got home.” She leaned over and poured more wine down Kristen’s throat. “But his manager fired me a week after that.”
“So you pushed Melody after she created a scene at his party.”
“She should have been grateful to even be there.”
Kristen leaned her head on the steering wheel after gulping down more wine. “How come … Spence … didn’t recognize you?” she asked, making sure she slurred and dragged out her words.
“I had plastic surgery. I’d do anything to get back with him. I was hoping I could become his assistant again. He’s always changing assistants.” Ana grabbed a handful of Kristen’s hair and pulled her head back so she could empty the second bottle of wine. “I’ve been dressing up for him, but he only has eyes for you—which I would’ve accepted as long as he was happy.”
“And he is.”
“But he yelled at me,” Ana said monotonously. “He never yelled at me even when I was his assistant. He protected me when I was hurt.”
Kristen blinked. She had expected—and would’ve understood—anger. But the lack of emotion in Ana’s voice and expression froze Kristen.
“It was all your fault. You sent me on an errand.”
Kristen couldn't speak. Yes, she did send Ana on an errand. She never thought a simple errand could result in this situation. Then again, anything could’ve set Ana off; Ana clearly wasn't in the right state of mind.
“And you’re cheating on Spencer with Alvin.”
Kristen wasn’t, but she didn’t bother to try explaining. Instead, she closed her eyes and swallowed, pushing through the fog that was threatening to take over her brain.
When Ana let go of Kristen, Kristen let her head drop heavily back against the steering wheel without wincing.
Ana laughed softly. “Such a good girl. I knew you’d be someone who barely drank. Good Christian girl.” She cut the cable ties around Kristen’s wrists.
Kristen dropped her hands to her sides and slumped lower. Her fingers curled around the bottle she’d kicked over to the door. She took a deep breath, then leaned back and smashed the bottle against Ana’s head before opening the door and bolting out.
She wasn’t sure where she was running to. She was just determined to keep her legs moving.
She thanked God for parents who knew the industry she was entering and had trained her drinking abilities. She thanked God for Alvin choosing to cheat on her, which had resulted in her downing quite a few bottles of liquor during her moping period.
Still, she hadn’t eaten since dinner, and she could feel her head swirling.
She couldn’t run too fast, fearing she might trip over her own feet. She paused momentarily and scanned the area, trying to find something familiar so she would know which direction she needed to go.
When she couldn’t make out anything familiar, she decided she should just run and put as much space as she could between Ana and herself.