Absolutely Unforgivable

chapter 13 - All Alone

With Vin in tow I drove over to Mindy’s. She and Bran were getting ready for their gig tonight at Rowdy’s. I asked if she could help me. I wanted to go with her to the bar.

She looked up at Vin to see if he approved but he just shrugged, so she took me into her bathroom to take a shower while she went through her clothes to try and find something for me. In my rush to leave the house I had grabbed the first shoes I could find, which was a pair of black suede platform heels, so Mindy looked around to find something to match then. Before long she came traipsing back into the bathroom with a little black cocktail dress.

“Thank you Mindy. I really do appreciate all of your help. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Don’t be silly. I’m glad you are going with us tonight. Now sit down and let me fix you up. I love playing with your hair.”

I sat in front of her oversized mirror doing my makeup while she messed with my hair. I felt consumed by sadness as thoughts of Jeromy leaving for his trip crossed my mind. I also felt confused, angry, and even guilty. I knew he had to go out of town for work sometimes, and I really did understand that was part of his job, but lately he had been distant and I didn’t know why.

Did he not love me anymore? Has he grown bored of me? Did he find someone else? Did he blame the accident on me? Maybe if I hadn’t been dancing around on stage, I wouldn’t have attracted the attention of that crazy man in the first place.

I tried my best to push all of these horrible thoughts out of my head and finish getting ready. It wasn’t easy. I was overwhelmed by my negative emotions and my eyes started to water.

“Please don’t cry, Stacy. I know you are going to miss Jeromy but I also know he is going to miss you too. He loves you. You do know that, right?” I didn’t answer her. I didn’t really know how to. I didn’t know if he loved me anymore and I couldn’t find the strength to lie and say that I did.

When we stepped out of the bathroom Vin was there waiting, with his arms crossed. “Ladies,” he said as he looked us up and down.

“What? Are you going to tell me what I can and can’t wear now too?”

He shook his head and grabbed the keys from the nearby table. “I’m driving this time. I don’t know how we made it over here alive with you behind the wheel.”

“Fine. Whatever. Let’s go, Mindy.” I knew Vin was only trying to lighten the mood but I was still upset from earlier and not in the mood to hear anything any man had to say, no matter who it was. We met up with Bran who was in the living room and concerned by my sudden arrival. I assured him I was okay and pointed back at my bodyguard to let him know that Vin was watching out for me.

When we got to Rowdy’s, Billy was already there helping Travis set up. He took one look at me and ran towards me. My heart surged as he rushed to my side. “Where the hell did you go? Why didn’t you answer your phone when I called you?”

I shrugged. “I’m not a child, Billy. I can walk and talk all by myself. I promise.”

Billy paused for a moment, as if he didn’t expect that response from me. This time with a much softer voice said, “You’re right. I’m sorry. I was just worried about you. Please don’t scare me like that again.” He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “Jeromy told me about his little business trip. He also told me you didn’t handle the news so well.”

I sighed. “It’s not that. Well maybe. I don’t know. Can we just not talk about it please?”

Billy led me over to the band’s table and I took a seat next to Trista, who had just ordered me a drink. She winked as she handed it to me and I quickly took a sip while looking up at Billy. A look of fury crossed his face so I playfully patted his chest. “Billy! Did we not just have this talk earlier today? It’s only Sprite with a few cherries thrown in for good measure.”

He groaned and started to walk away but not before he turned to Vin and told him to keep a close eye on me.

The band played until about 1 am and Billy didn’t take his eyes off of me the entire time. I loved the way he kept a protective and loving watch over me. I only wished Jeromy was as concerned for my well-being.

By the time they were finished with their last set I could barely keep my own eyes open. The band was gathering their equipment, when I barely said his name and Billy flew off of the stage and was by my side.

“Billy, I don’t feel so good. I think I might have overdone it. Can we go home?”

He put his hand on my head, gently caressing my forehead. “We’ll be heading out in a second.” He motioned to Vin who scooped me up in his arms and carried me to the car.

Billy drove up not too long after us and opened the door to help me inside the house. I started to walk but he lifted me up and wrapped me lovingly in his arms.

“Billy?”

“Yeah, Babe?”

“Can we watch TV again?”

He looked down at me, smiled and then kissed my forehead. “Of course we can. I couldn’t imagine anything that I would rather do more.” His answer was so tender, it warmed my heart.

I rested my head back on his chest and he carried me inside. When we got in the house though, I noticed he was starting to carry me upstairs but I protested. “Billy, you promised.”

He let out a soft sigh and then took me to his bedroom and gently laid me on the bed and crawled in beside me. I put my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat as he flipped through the channels trying to find something to watch. He settled on some show about cars and then put his arms around my body holding me tightly.

“Please don’t leave me Billy.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Stacy. I promise. I’m right here.”

“No, I mean when I fall asleep. Please promise you’ll stay here with me all night.”

“I promise. I’m not going anywhere.” He started to run his fingers through my hair and within minutes I was out.

When I woke up the next morning he was sitting up in the bed, still holding me tightly. I let out a big smile, stretched, and then jumped up on his lap, leaned in and kissed his cheek. With his hands around my hips he let out a soft moan and said, “Mornin’. Feeling any better?”

“Much, much better,” I said as I scooted down, positioning my legs between his and resting my head on his chest. Mmmm. Billy always smelled so good, like he was just freshly out of the shower. Then suddenly I realized that Billy had a growing bulge in his pants. I know I should have immediately pulled away, but I couldn’t. I got so turned on just thinking about him wanting me.

While I was scooting down, positioning myself between his legs he let out another soft moan and I lost myself for just a moment. His desire was overwhelming. I desperately wanted to grind against the swell in his pants, but I realized what I was doing and forced myself to pull away from him. It took everything I had to stop myself. My face was flushed and my heart was pounding as I rolled off of him and out of the bed.

I went upstairs to take a shower and get dressed for the day. When I got back downstairs I found Billy in the kitchen cooking us breakfast and soon after Trista came in the door.

Vin and Billy looked over the schedule Trista had set out for the band for the rest of the month and they agreed to several of the venues she wanted to book, except one. Vin warned that the club was too big and had too many dark corners that could potentially be a problem if one of the girls happened to get out of his line of sight.

As long as I was inside the house Vin didn’t follow me around or bother me much, but the second I get near a door he was all over me. I wasn’t happy about having him follow me around like a child. But I also knew the boys were only worried about my well-being so I tried to get used to him.

Wanting to give them privacy to discuss important things about the band, I decided to go upstairs and put on my swimsuit and lie outside by the pool. It was truly relaxing to be in the warmth of the Houston sun and it was quickly becoming one of my favorite pastimes.

It wasn’t long before I popped my head up from the lawn chair. I thought I heard a noise from off in the big flowery bushes to the side of the house. I was right. It was someone I didn’t recognize coming towards me. He was an older man with a deformed and pitted face with wild eyes and a wiry figure. I screamed in horror as my eyes locked on the strange man coming my way. He had his right hand buried in the pocket of a dirty brown overcoat and he started to make his way toward me. His walk was slow and strained, like he might be limping just a bit.

I started to ask, “Who are you?” But before I could even get out the first word, Vin was there and with a single hand, picked me up and threw me inside, shutting the door behind him with the other.

Before the door closed all of the way Vin shouted to Billy, “Don’t let her out of your sight.”

Trista was in the background dialing 911 while Billy pulled me into the kitchen and held me tight. I was scared and confused and panicked. My heart pounded as if it was going to leap out of my chest and my mind raced. “Who was that, Billy?”

He simply said, “I don’t know,” and pulled me closer into him, holding me tightly. My body trembled in fear but hearing Billy’s steady heartbeat helped me relax.

I was still scared, petrified in fact, but seeing the anguish on Billy’s face made my heart hurt and I didn’t want him to worry about me so much. I think I used my concern for Billy to help me block out my own fears. I was okay, after all, well technically. I was alive. The crazy man didn’t get anywhere near me. The whole situation could have been much worse.

So I took a deep breath, and then pushed Billy back into his chair. I plopped down on his lap and said, “So I guess that means you aren’t going to let me play with you on stage anymore.”

I wasn’t really okay. I wasn’t really that carefree, not even close. I just wanted to push all of this fear and anxiety in the room aside.

Billy sat there, with an angry look across his face. His big sexy eyes suddenly turned hard and lifeless. Trista did speak up, however. “Just tell her, Billy. She’s going to eventually find out.”

“Tell me what? Find out what?” I glared at Billy, then at Trista and then back to Billy. “Tell me!” I demanded.

He sighed and then sat all the way up in the chair, holding the back of my thighs to keep me in place on his lap. “Your superstar video has kinda gone viral.”

“What do you mean?” My eyes made their way to Trista, who was now leaning over the center island, and she filled in the blanks.

“It means that video of you shaking your cute little behind has had over one million views on YouTube. Your Twitter account has over 180,000 followers now and Brick has been tweeting your fans updates about your condition since the accident. We run your Twitter feed through the band’s website and it’s gotten so much activity we had to upgrade the servers.”

She looked over at Billy holding me in his arms. “Everyone seems to want to know the latest on Billy and Stacy.”

I tilted my head, giving her a look of confusion. “Do they not know that it’s Jeromy and Stacy? How did they get the idea Billy and I were an item?”

She shrugged and continued. “I know it’s crazy. But the fans want what the fans want. Did you not notice at the gig last night that everyone kept wanting to take your picture?”

“Yeah. I thought that was kind of weird but I just wrote it off as a side effect of sitting with the band. Fans have always thrown themselves at Billy and I just figured since I was sitting near him, well ... I don’t know.”

Trista let out a laugh and Billy glared back at her, not happy at all. “Fans want Billy and Stacy and as a result requests for bookings have been pouring in. It’s so insane, I can barely keep up.”

I looked back at Billy and smiled. “That’s great! I’m so happy for you, Billy.” I leaned in to hug him. In my excitement I almost forgot about what was going on in the backyard.

Billy wasn’t, however, as happy as I was at that moment. He lifted me up and then gently pushed my back against the wall. “Do you not get how serious this is? Do you not realize that just a few minutes ago some crazy man tried to attack you? This isn’t a game, Stacy. Take this shit serious.” As his body pushed up against mine, I could feel his heart was now beating much faster. His face was just inches from mine. His look was intense and deadly serious. It made my body tingle.

Wow, only Billy could actually find a way to turn me on while a man who is trying to do God only knows what to me is running around in my backyard right now, being chased by my bodyguard.

I tried to shake off the sensation and then my mind for some reason drifted back to what Trista had said earlier. If news of my antics were all over the internet, did that mean that my parents possibly knew? I should have called them when my accident happened. I bet they were worried. I wonder if Jeromy knew what was going on. He doesn’t normally keep up with the news when he’s busy on a project, so probably not. But my parents, they did keep up with me on the internet.

I pushed Billy off of me and grabbed my phone. I saw they had been texting and calling me. I don’t know why I didn’t call them after the accident. I should have. Suddenly the thought of calling them was the only thing in my mind. Nothing else around me seemed to matter. I had to get in touch with my parents and let them know I was okay; that the bump on my head had already healed and everything was perfectly fine.

Waves of guilt washed over me as I realized what a horribly thoughtless daughter I had been. Without thinking about anything else going on around me, I took my phone and ran upstairs to call them. I think my mind was just trying to deal with the fear of what was going on by focusing on other things. It was the best way I knew how to cope.

As I reached the top step the rest of the events played out like they were happening in slow motion. From downstairs I could hear Vin talking to Billy. “Where is she? The little f*cker got away.” I could hear Trista saying that the cops should be here any minute.

And in front of me stood the crazy eyed man, walking towards me with a knife. He must have gotten away from Vin by climbing up the terrace and coming in through one of the open windows upstairs. As he stepped towards me, I stepped backwards. He leapt for me and I jumped back, only there was no more ground beneath my feet and I tumbled down the stairs. Billy jumped up and caught me in his arms before I could make it all the way to the ground.

The crazy man took the knife in his hand and stabbed himself in the stomach and then leapt forward, diving off of the stairs and landing on top of me. Vin pulled him off of me and tackled him and held him in place as the cops arrived. I started to pass out. Billy held me tight, rocking me back and forth, whispering, “It’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay.”

Not much later I came to, slightly disoriented as a paramedic shone a bright light in my eyes. I looked around to see if the man was still there, and he wasn’t. Then I heard a noise upstairs. I was trying to figure out what it was I was hearing while Billy explained to me that just as the cops arrived the crazy man had gotten away and ran up the stairs. They were up there right now chasing him.

“Miss, please look over here,” the paramedic said while continuing to check me out. “Her pulse rate is a little fast but that is to be expected.”

I was cold, and confused. I looked down at my body. I had the man’s blood all over me. I was drenched in the crazy man’s blood. It was on my swimsuit, on my face, all over my arms and in my hair.

“Her blood pressure is a little low, but she’s probably in minor shock.”

As the man continued to poke and prod at me, I could hear loud noises upstairs, then a distinctly loud pop, followed by a dull thump.

I dug my hand into Billy’s chest and he squeezed me tightly. I started to panic, worried they were going to take me back to the hospital when I didn’t want to leave. I frantically looked around the room and found Vin standing by the window near the front door. I jumped out of Billy’s lap and leapt towards Vin. I scurried behind him for protection and sheepishly hid as the paramedic came towards me.

I shook my head and squeaked out a soft “No.”

Vin cleared his throat and told him, “I think the lady doesn’t want to be touched anymore. We are done here.”

“Sir I’m just doing my job. I need to make sure she is okay.”

This time Vin raised his voice and folded his arms across his large chest. “I said we are done here.”

In frustration the paramedic turned towards Billy and Trista. “She doesn’t seem to have any permanent damage; her vision isn’t blurry; she isn’t dizzy and she’s not vomiting. Just make sure she takes it easy for the next couple of hours. If she notices any bouts of dizziness or she suddenly has a hard time focusing, take her to the emergency room as quickly as possible.”

The man looked over at me hiding behind Vin, still covered in blood and then he looked back towards Billy. “Because of the possibility of blood-borne pathogens, you will want to make sure she pays a visit to her primary care physician for testing. It’s probably not an issue but it really is better to be safe than sorry. With all of that blood, you just never know.”

The man began to pick up his equipment and as he walked by me to head out the door Vin stepped in his path, making sure to block him from getting near me. The paramedic said, “I’m sorry ma’am. I didn’t mean to scare you. I know you’ve been through a lot.”

He walked out the door and began speaking to the others who were just arriving. After the shooting, the two cops that were at our house soon turned to five and before long the five cops turned into ten and from there I just lost count. There were so many people coming and going I just couldn’t keep up with them all.

As I stood safely between Vin and the wall, I began to look at myself. The blood was everywhere. There was just so much of it. Still holding on tightly to Vin’s waist I popped my head around his big arm and asked Trista if she could help me.

“Sure, hon. What is it?” She asked as she walked over to me and took me by the hand.

“I want to get this off of me,” I said pointing at the blood all over my swimsuit. “Can you help me?”

“Of course. Let’s get you in the shower.”

Without thinking I walked to the foot of the stairs and Vin quickly jumped in front of me shaking his head. I looked up, suddenly remembering why I couldn’t go there. My stalker’s dead body was sprawled out on the floor.

Trista pulled me by the hand towards Billy’s bathroom but before we could get too far an officer approached us. He needed to take pictures of me in my current condition for evidence. I didn’t want to do this. I wanted everyone to just leave me alone.

Billy came up to me, stood by my side, and assured me it was going to be okay and held my hand the entire time that they took the photos of me. Luckily, they were pretty quick about it. I wanted to get out of that room so badly. The officers said they wanted me to turn my bloody swimsuit over to them to be bagged and tagged for evidence, and Trista said she would bring it to them after.

Trista and I made our way to Billy’s bathroom once again. Vin went in first to make sure the room was clear. It was and then he allowed us in and then stood guard by the door. Billy stayed in the foyer talking to several of the police officers and paramedics who had just arrived to the scene.

Trista ran the bath water and I sat on the floor and sobbed uncontrollably. It had all just been so much to take in. Trista helped me take my bloody swimsuit off and then sat me down in the tub. She grabbed a nearby rag and washed my entire body while I sat there staring off into space. I started to come to as she rinsed the shampoo and conditioner out of my hair.

She helped me out of Billy’s big bathtub and put a towel around me to dry off. I looked down at my clothes laying on the floor, suddenly realizing I had nothing clean to put on and I couldn’t exactly go upstairs to get anything either.

Trista didn’t give it a second thought. She flung open the bathroom door, pushed Vin aside and went into Billy’s closet to find me something I could wear. Billy was much bigger than I was so it wasn’t exactly easy to find something that wouldn’t just fall off of me but finally she settled on a white polo button up shirt and a pair of his black silk boxers. Vin walked me into the bedroom and turned his back so I could dress in privacy, then he walked with me back to the bedroom.

I sat on the bed and lifted my legs, one at a time, as Trista slipped some socks on my feet and then I got up and carefully walked behind Vin to the kitchen where several police officers were waiting to speak to me.

Trista, ever the constant professional didn’t want to pass up a marketing opportunity, sat me down in the kitchen as the men spoke to me. She grabbed her purse and pulled out her makeup bag and started touching up my face while the police officers were asking me question after question that I didn’t really know the answers to. She acted as if the police were not there talking to me about a dead man upstairs near my bedroom. To her it was just like I was there getting ready to greet fans.

When she finished touching up my face she started messing with my hair, still sopping wet from my bath. Maybe that was for the best though. Her constant touching was soothing and helped to distract me from the seriousness of all that was going on around me. I think left to my own accord I might have fallen into a full blown panic attack and been completely unable to speak to anyone.

Even with her help, I had a hard time focusing on what the policemen were saying to me. I just kept remembering the man coming towards me. The look in his eyes would no doubt haunt me in my dreams for a long while to come. I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t understand why he came after me.

Vin stood behind me, ever vigilant, with his arms across his bulky chest. Then one of the younger looking police officers came up to me. “Are you Stacy Keller, Superstar?” When he said it the other policemen in the room gave him a look of disdain. You could tell he regretted asking me by the look of embarrassment on his face, but it was too late. It was out there already.

Vin took a step closer to me and in his deep husky voice said, “Not right now, man.”

The police officer took a look at Vin and took a step back. “I’m sorry. I just can’t believe it’s really you. I just saw your superstar video on YouTube this morning. You’re so awesome.”

Something about his adoring fan boy attitude shook me out of my haze. I turned to Vin and put my hand on top of his which was now resting softly on my shoulder. “No it’s okay. Really.” I turned back towards the policeman and smiled.

“Yes. That’s me. Do you want to take a picture or sign something?”

“You sure you don’t mind?” he asked sheepishly while pulling out his cell phone.

“Of course not. As long as you don’t mind how dreadfully horrible I look right now.”

Billy stepped into the kitchen as the officer said, “Are you kidding? You look amazing.”

I walked over and stood in front of Billy as he put his hands around my waist. He bent down and whispered in my ear, “What’s going on?”

“Just taking a few pictures.”

And before Billy could protest several of the police officers pulled out their cell phones and began snapping pictures of Billy and me, while Billy complained. “What the hell, Trista. There is a dead body in the other room and you are in here playing publicist. Are you f*cking kidding me?”

I turned in to face him and put my hand on his chest. “No, Billy, please. This was my idea. Trista had nothing to do with it.” I stood up on my tippy toes and reached up to kiss him on the cheek. When I did you could hear snap, snap, snap in the background as a few more pictures were taken.

Vin stepped in front of us as Billy squeezed me tightly. “Okay, that’s enough of that. She’s been through an ordeal. Let’s give her some space.”

Billy leaned in to me so that he could whisper in my ear, “Can you and Trista try and behave while I finish up in there?” Billy pointed to the officers with clipboards in hand standing in the foyer near the foot of the stairs.

“I promise.”

He kissed my forehead and went to speak to the men while Vin blocked the door with his body, obstructing my view.

I posed for a few more photos with different officers and then sat down at the table and made small talk with Trista and a few of the officers who remained in the kitchen with me. I did my best not to think about what was going on in the other room that Billy and Vin didn’t want me to see. Instead I just tried to focus on what Trista and the others were talking about.

Before long Billy returned and the rest of the officers started to leave the house. When the last police officer had left, I looked down at the clothes I had on. Billy’s silk boxers were comfortable but still I wanted to put on my own clothes. Without thinking I started heading up the stairs. When I hit the top stair Billy cried out. “No, Stacy! Stop!”

I froze in place, unable to move. Pools of blood were at my feet. I couldn't muster the strength to run away or even scream for help. Billy came up behind me pulling me into him, forcing my face into his chest.

“I ... I just ... I didn’t ...It was just ....”

“Sssh. It’s okay. Let’s get out of here,” he said softly as he led me back down the stairs. When we got back downstairs he put his hand on my chin and gently tilted my face up, so that I had to look at him. “What were you thinking going up there?”

Tears were now streaming down my face. “I just wanted to get my own clothes.” I started sobbing uncontrollably and he pulled me into him tightly.

While Billy tended to me, Trista was on the phone with the security company. The house, it seems, was about to get a heavy-duty upgrade. There was even talk of adding in a safe room.

We went into the living room and Billy sat on the couch and propped me up on his lap. I was mindlessly running my finger across his chest when I really started to think about what happened. My mind flashed to the man from the Fourth of July fiasco, and then to the man in the backyard. It suddenly hit me, they weren’t the same. There were two of them. I popped my head up and without realizing I had done it, squeezed Billy’s arm, -- my nails digging into his skin.

“Stacy!” he cried out.

“She okay, man?” Vin asked, coming towards the couch to see what was going on with me.

“Stacy, Babe please. You are hurting me,” Billy said as he tried to remove my fingers that were painfully digging into his arm.

I stared off into the distance and murmured, “There are two.”

Billy looked at me, trying to figure out what I was talking about. “Two of what?”

I continued to stare off into space. “Two of them. Two …”

“Two of who? What do you mean?”

“The man today. He wasn’t the same from the Fourth of July. He was not the same man as before. The other one is still out there.”

“Oh, is that what you are worried about? Babe, don’t. That other guy got his ass kicked. He won’t dare come back for more.”

I knew Billy was trying to reassure me that everything was going to be okay but still, the thought of that other man out there haunted me. This whole thing was just all so crazy. There was just no way all of this was really happening.

Before long the front door was flung open. It scared me to death and I jumped up out of Billy’s lap as Vin leaped over the couch to stand in front of me. I stood behind him shaking, my lip started to quiver but it was all for naught. It wasn’t another crazy stalker; it was only Travis and the rest of the gang.

I loosened my grip on the back of Vin’s shirt and peeked around his massive body. I half expected Travis to make a pervy comment about what I was wearing but surprisingly he didn’t. He just shook his head and said, “Damn girl. You okay?”

I didn’t get a chance to answer before Mindy and Bree rushed to my side. “I can’t believe it. Are you okay? This is so crazy. Did you see them shoot the guy? Did he touch you? Did you recognize him? Were you scared? Did you know what was happening?”

Their seemingly endless questions were overwhelming me and I started to feel the room spin. I tugged on the back of Vin’s shirt and he turned around and scooped me up in his arms and brought me to the couch. Mindy and Bree plopped down on either side of me, not letting up even for a moment with their questions.

When I saw Brick enter the room I started to remember what Trista had said earlier about him tweeting as me, telling my followers updates about my well-being. I turned to Mindy and asked if she could show me her phone. I clicked on the Twitter app and read what he had been saying. He had tweeted a few photos of me and the police officers that had been at the house earlier. I guess Trista had given him those. He posted several messages about me being okay and how wonderfully sweet and downright sexy the police officers were who came to my rescue.

My stomach started to turn as I read the pages and pages of tweets Brick had been sending out as me over the past few weeks. He made me seem like such a ditzy bimbo in some of them; I hated it.

“Don’t mind Brick. He’s just an idiot. He thinks that is how all women talk,” Mindy said as she took her phone from my hand. “So I totally have the best news. I was talking to Trista and in light of all the buzz around the band right now she thought it might be fun if we joined them onstage for the next few shows.”

Bree added, “And we can totally coordinate all of our outfits like we did the last time. Think how hot we would be!”

“I don’t know what Billy would think about that.”

“You really think that after all of this happened he would let you more than an arm's length away from him ever again?” Mindy joked.

I shook my head no. “I guess not.”

“We are going to be the most awesome addition to the band ever!”

Darla leaned over the couch and added, “And we have the first show this weekend.”

I looked over at Billy who was across the room talking to the boys. He seemed to be pointing out where various events from earlier had taken place. I had to look away. I just didn’t want to think about it again.

I was tired, more mentally drained than anything, and wanted to take a nap but I was too scared to be away from the crowd of people so I stayed on the couch quietly listening to everyone talk around me.

Eventually Trista joined us on the couch. “Okay. So Kita and the boys will be moving some of your things downstairs to Billy’s room. You’ll be staying with him until Jeromy gets home.”

“No, I can’t. No way.”

“Stacy, why are you arguing with me? Do you really think this is optional?” Trista said as she glanced over at Billy. I sighed. She was right. After what happened today, Billy really never was going to let me out of his sight. And, truth be told, I really didn’t want to be upstairs by myself. I would rather be in the safety of Billy’s arms until Jeromy got back. Jeromy. Now more than ever I wished he was here with me, taking care of me.

I tried my best to keep my eyes open but as the conversations dragged on it all got just too much for me. My eyes were just too heavy to stay open. I laid my head back on the armrest of the couch and fell asleep.

When I woke up it was dark outside. Mindy and Bree were still sitting on either side of me, this time watching TV. Billy and the rest of the guys were sitting on the other side of the room at the card table they had set up in the living room, drinking beer and laughing. “Zander, you cheating mother f*cker,” I heard Patrick say and then they all laughed.

“Hey, Little Miss Sleepyhead. You totally missed it.” Mindy said.

“Missed what?”

“We decided on what we are going to wear this weekend, silly!”

“Darla wanted us to cover our bodies in crystals instead of clothes. Starla wanted us to dress up like Las Vegas showgirls. While they were both great ideas, I think they are just a little much. So after some debate, we agreed to dress as go-go dancers. You know like from the sixties. We are going out tomorrow and pick up our costumes. Aren’t you excited?”

“Oh yeah, that sounds great.” I wasn’t really all that enthused about the upcoming shopping excursion. But they were so excited I didn’t want to be rude or hurt their feelings, especially after they had been so sweet and supportive.

“And while we are there we can check out what else they have. This is going to be so much fun!” Bree enthused.

“You know we don’t always have to dress up in costumes. Can’t we all just wear the same color? Like one day we all wear black, the next we all wear red?” I asked, hoping she would agree so I could get out of the shopping trip.

“Well, yeah, but where is the fun in that? I guess we can do that sometimes but we should at least try and get a few cool costumes to wear, don’t you think?”

Out of the corner of my eye something that flashed on the TV caught my attention. I grabbed the remote and turned it up. Oh my God! It was a story about me. Please tell me they did not just flash a picture of me in Billy’s boxers. Oh God they did.

“Houston’s very own superstar Stacy Keller had a run in today with an overzealous fan. The story ended in tragedy when he resisted arrest and was shot by an HPD officer. After the incident Stacy tweeted a message to her fans letting them know she was okay and appreciated the officers that came to her rescue. The man who has yet to be identified broke into her home in an attempt to get closer to the star. We’ll have more on this story as it develops.”

The second the station cut to commercial everyone’s phone almost simultaneously started to buzz. I turned to Billy to see if he had watched what I just did. Vin was talking to him. “This shit’s not going to die down anytime soon. We might want to consider bringing in some additional security for the girls at the shows, at least for a while.”

“Yeah, man. Do whatever you think is best. That’s a good idea.” Billy was patting his hand on his leg, as if he wanted me to sit on his lap.

I made my way over to the table and sat down on his leg. I watched them play cards for a while but as the hour got late I really wanted to go lie down. I didn’t want to be alone but I also didn’t want to take Billy away from his friends so I just sat there quietly. Luckily my body spoke volumes for me and I let out a yawn and laid my head on his shoulder.

“It’s getting late and I need to get this one to bed.” Billy stood up with me in his arms and started walking to his room.

The next morning I woke up when I heard a noise coming from the closet. I jumped up, frightened. But it was only Kita, who had been putting my clothes in Billy’s closet.

“Miss Stacy, you are awake. I put your clothes away. Come see.”

“Where is Billy?” I asked, as I looked around the room hoping to find him.

“I’m right here,” Billy said as he walked out of the bathroom in just a towel that hung low off of his hips, with his toothbrush in hand. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of his bare chest and my eyes immediately made their way down to the shape of the V his lower stomach muscles made. I know I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t stop staring at him. The sight of his nearly naked body took my breath away. He smiled and was very aware that I was enjoying the view.

“Come, Miss Stacy, let me show you,” Kita said, sticking out her hand. I walked into the closet so that she could show me how she organized my clothes. She explained that she put some of his clothes in one of the spare bedrooms upstairs to make room. She then walked me over to one of the smaller dressers.

“Here this is all for you,” she said proudly as she opened one of the drawers and then the next. “I put all of your little things in these.” I reached in and hugged her, thanking her for all she has done.

“It’s my pleasure, Miss Stacy. Now head on into the kitchen and grab one of the fresh bagels before the boys eat them all.” I did as she told me to and walked out of the bedroom, headed toward the kitchen.

As I left the room I walked cautiously; I was still very shaken up from the day before. After taking my first step around the corner a big man stepped into my view. “Hey, you must be Stacy.”

I froze in place and screamed bloody murder. Billy ran up behind me and held me tight. I didn’t, however, take my eyes off the stranger who was now pleading for me to forgive him. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Billy in his rush to come get me had dropped his towel and was now pressing me tightly against his body. With one arm across my chest, securely holding in place and the other stroking my arm, trying to soothe me, he walked me backwards, back into his bedroom. He turned me around, making me face him and I dug my face into his chest. Listening to his heartbeat soothed me.

“It’s okay. Those guys are just friends of Vin’s. He brought them in for extra security until some of the madness dies down.” His voice was soft and consoling.

While he was telling me about Vin’s friends, I suddenly became aware that I was leaning against Billy’s now very naked body. When he pulled me back to lift up my chin and ask me if I was okay, my eyes darted down to his private parts.

“Hey now, no peeking at the goods,” Billy said playfully. But he didn’t recoil or pull away. He seemed to have no problem whatsoever standing there buck naked for all the world to see. I blinked several times and forced myself to focus on his eyes.

Vin came into the room to check in on me and then took me into the living room to meet his friends Rocco and Devin while Billy put some clothes on. They were big like Vincent was, also as equally scary-looking. Devin in particular had a rather menacing look. Of course the big skull tattooed on his neck probably had a lot to do with that.

Rocco was the man who I had ran into before, and he apologized for scaring me. I assured him it was more than okay. It wasn’t his fault. Just after the incidents of the day before, I was still really shaky.

After eating breakfast I decided I better call my parents and let them know I was okay. I had meant to do it yesterday but I just couldn’t. I needed time to pull myself together enough so I could make myself sound okay. I knew they would be worried and if I couldn't pull off calm, cool, and collected they might try and make me come home. That phone call turned into a two hour long conversation with quite a bit of tears. But eventually I convinced them I was fine, especially after Billy hired Vin to take care of me and he never left my side.

To drive the point home, when Mindy arrived I had her help me take a picture of me standing next to Vin, measuring his arm. His biceps were twenty-two inches around. I was really impressed. His arm was just a few inches smaller than my waist. Okay well, maybe more than a few, but still. I texted the picture to my mother to show her she really had nothing to worry about. Vin was a beast and he was my beast, taking care of me. With him by my side, I was going to be fine and she had nothing to fret about.

When I finally got my mom off of the phone, I went to take a shower, and get ready for my afternoon of shopping with the girls for clothes to wear to our next two gigs at Rowdy’s on Thursday and Friday night. I did my best to put the thoughts of that crazy man behind me but when I was alone, in the shower, I felt the thought of him creeping up on me. I felt the terror grabbing at my chest and I desperately tried to fight it off.

Suddenly I could see flashes of the moments from yesterday. They jumped into my brain like lightning bolts. There was him coming out of the bushes, and then him coming at me upstairs. There was the blood. So much blood. I shook my head sharply to try and break the images free from my mind. Tears were now streaming down my face as the water poured from overhead.

I didn’t hear the tapping at the door so when I didn’t respond Billy burst into the bathroom to make sure I was okay. I wasn’t. I was sitting in the shower, cowering in the corner, sobbing uncontrollably. He jumped in after me, clothes and all, and turned off the water and then lifted me up and into the bedroom, ordering Vin to avert his eyes and get us some towels and Mindy.

I did my best to stop crying as Billy wrapped a large towel around my body. I was so out of it, I hadn’t even realized he had seen me naked. I don’t know how much he had seen but under any other circumstances I would have probably died in horror. But today that wasn’t the case. Today I didn’t care. Today it was all I could do to keep it together.

Mindy and Bree came in just as he got the towel wrapped around my body. Mindy hurried Billy out of the room so they could get me dressed. I apologized for being such a mess and assured them I still wanted to go shopping. Maybe getting out of the house would make me feel better.

Darla and Starla said they would meet us there, while Bree and Mindy were going to ride with me and Vin. Of course he wasn’t going to let us out of the house without him and I didn’t mind this time. I felt safe with him near me. What once irritated me now felt soothing and reassuring.

We all picked various versions of a 1960s go-go dancer costumes for the first night. For the second night we would be wearing Lycra metallic silver miniskirts with matching knee high boots. The shirts were a mixture of white with some silvery shimmer mixed into the fabric. Darla and Starla decided to get some metallic silver boy shorts instead of the miniskirts that the rest of us were going to wear. They wanted to set themselves apart.

When we got back home I had a visitor. It was Jeromy’s mother Debbie. She had come by the house to check on me after seeing the story on the news. Until then I had been really good about Jeromy being out of town but having a piece of him standing right in front of me was too much and the tears dripped down my cheeks.

She put her arm around me. “Stacy dear,” she whispered softly. “It’s going to be alright. I know Jeromy misses you too. I know he loves you so much and he would never want to know he made you this upset.”

“I thought Jeromy loved me. But lately I just don’t know,” I said to her as she rocked me back and forth in her arms lovingly.

“Look around you. Don’t you think with all the money Jeromy makes he could more than afford a place for you two to live on your own?”

“I guess,” I sniffled.

“He brought you here to Billy’s house because he loves you and he wanted to make sure you would be well taken care of while he was away. His job will take him away from time to time and this was his way of making sure you were going to be alright while he was gone.”

I hadn’t really thought about it that way before. But she was right. He did make a lot of money. I didn’t exactly know how much but more than enough to secure us a nice place to live on our own had he wanted to.

I began to perk up and she hugged me again. “Now let me see that beautiful smile of yours; you know like the one I saw on TV last night.”

“Oh God. I had almost forgotten about that,” I laughed. “I hated posing for those pictures but I felt like I had to.”

“I understand. That was very sweet of you. Especially considering everything else going on around you at the time.”

I shuddered at the memory of the pools of blood upstairs.

Vin came up and hugged Debbie. He had also known her as a child. She was in awe at how much he had grown. They talked back and forth, catching up on what they had been up to over the years, and he introduced Debbie to his friends Devin and Rocco.

“I hope you boys are taking good care of my little Stacy.”

“Absolutely, ma’am,” Devin respectfully answered.

Seeing that I was in their capable hands, Debbie made her way back home and left me to get ready for tonight's show.

But before she left, I had asked her to please not tell Jeromy about what had taken place at the house. I was fine now and I didn’t want him to worry about me. There was no point in him rushing home. It was all over. After all, he was out of town right now and there was probably no way he would even hear of the story. He didn’t typically have a habit of perusing news of the local crime beat so unless someone specifically talked to him about it, he would not find out on his own.

She agreed that was mostly likely for the best to not worry him while he was away and said she wouldn’t tell him. But in return I had to promise to come to her house for lunch tomorrow. I agreed but reminded her I had to take along Vin.

She smiled and patted his stomach. “Good. I was wondering how much food it took to fill that boy up. Guess tomorrow we’ll find out.” Billy walked her to her car and I made my way to the bedroom to get ready.

The next afternoon when Vin and I arrived at Debbie’s house, we were both surprised by the feast she had laid out for us. Food was everywhere. There were little plates of perfectly cut squares of cheese, tiny little sandwiches with the crust cut off, bite sized burgers and an assortment of fruits. My favorite was the pastel colored deviled eggs. They were absolutely scrumptious. I’m not sure but I think there was just a hint of dill in there. Debbie had really outdone herself. It was all just so good. Vin filled his plate with food and then walked into the living room to give Debbie and I some privacy.

Debbie had set out some photo albums of when Jeromy was in high school. The more I browsed through the pages, the more I began to realize how often Billy was pictured with him. Not just at school functions either. He was even in family photos, like at Christmas and Thanksgiving. There really wasn’t a picture of Jeromy and his family where Billy wasn’t present.

I was starting to wonder about that when Debbie spoke. “I think it was their sophomore year when Billy’s parents died and he came to live with us. We took him in and raised him like he was our own and have loved him just as dearly ever since. I guess the boys were both about fifteen at the time.”

I knew that Jeromy and Billy had been close, but this was different. They weren’t just great friends, they were like real brothers.

“How did his parents die? Billy seems still really torn up about it, like it was somehow his fault.”

She paused for a moment as if she was remembering that fateful event and then she shook her head. “It really wasn’t his fault. It was just a horrible accident. Billy had gotten into a fight at school and broke his arm. The hospital called his parents who were out of town at the time. They took the next flight so they could be with their son. They loved him dearly. He was their whole world.”

She let out a soft sigh and continued. “They said it was mechanical failure caused by a bolt of lightning that hit one of the engines. It took a few weeks but they were finally able to recover most of the bodies, including Mr. and Mrs. Snow. Billy always blamed himself for that accident, thinking that if he hadn’t been in that fight and landed himself in the hospital they wouldn’t have been on that plane. Despite my best efforts to persuade him otherwise, sharing with him the word of the Lord and that it was just their time, there was just no convincing him otherwise.”

I was consumed by grief for Billy’s tragedy. My stomach twisted into knots just thinking about it. I had known that his parents had died, but I had no idea how bad it really was and how it has torn at him his entire life, while he blamed himself for what had taken place.

“Billy stayed with us until after graduation. Then he was eighteen and able to access his inheritance which included some money in a trust and quite a few houses around town that his parents owned and rented out. Everyone thought he would move back into his childhood home but he didn’t. He said it was too painful, too many ghosts. So my husband and I helped him go through all of the different houses he now owned until he found one he liked and that’s the place in the Woodlands. He’s been there ever since.”

I took a deep breath and tried my best to hold back the tears that I felt now forming in my eyes. Debbie rubbed my shoulder lovingly. “Now, now. I didn’t mean to make you cry. You dry those pretty eyes of yours and start eating some of this food before Vin devours it all.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as I looked up and seen Vin had returned for his third plate.

“I can’t help it. It’s all just so good,” he said as he popped a bite-sized pizza puff in his mouth and made his way back to the living room. He was right. Jeromy’s mom was an amazing cook.

After we finished with lunch I looked through more of her photo albums of Jeromy and Billy growing up. Jeromy looked much different than he did now. He was a lot skinnier and had a boyish look about him, vastly different from the manly man that he had grown up to be. He’s now far more muscular with a firmer jaw and broader shoulders. Billy, however, wasn’t hard to recognize. He looked exactly the same at seventeen as he did now at twenty-six, only his hairstyle was different and he didn’t have any facial hair back then.

Debbie started to box up all of the extra food she had made and that Vin hadn’t eaten so he could take it home with him. It was getting late and we needed to get back to the house to get ready for the show tonight.

When we arrived at Rowdy’s, Vin and I made our way towards the stage where Billy had been helping set up their equipment. When we got closer I realized he was standing there without a shirt. The way the light hit his skin had me mesmerized and I stopped walking. My knees were jelly as I stood there looking at his bare chest. I couldn’t take my eyes off of that hard, muscled flesh. I stopped so abruptly Vin almost crashed right into me. He glanced up to see what had me so captivated and then let out a low grunt.

Right after, I felt someone push up against me and then heard a loud thud. I felt more hands on me. I was frightened and I turned around to bury my body in Vin’s protective arms. He lifted me up and carried me to a room in the back. As he put me down on a chair, he started in on Devin and Rocco. He was pissed. You didn’t really hear Vin speak often, let alone raise his voice, so it startled me.

“It took you two about six seconds to get to her. Get your head out of your asses and do your job. When she’s in a room and other people are close enough to touch her then you failed.”

Trista came in next, makeup bag in hand. “Let’s look at you,” she said as she started to touch up my makeup. “It was just some stupid drunks fighting, but not to worry, the bouncer kicked them out.”

Billy came in the room and lifted my chin up to look in my eyes. “You gonna be okay to go on, Babe?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I just got scared. I didn’t know who was touching me.”

Billy pulled back and then glanced at the others in the room with stark impatience. At that moment I could see the Rock Star Billy turn on. It was a very different Billy than he was when we were at home. “Trista, finish her hair and makeup. Vin, after that, get her on stage,” he commanded.

Brick walked in and threw a shirt to Billy and as he pulled it down over his head I found myself incapable of removing my eyes from his flexed stomach muscles. The shirt had Rowdy’s written across his chest.

“Get your shit together, people, we have a show to do,” Billy snapped as he walked out of the room and back to the stage.

Trista, and to some extent the rest of the band had always treated Billy like a delicate genius, fragile and irreparably broken. But that wasn’t the Billy I knew. He wasn’t some weak, hypersensitive musician. He was strong and together, at least on the outside and with me. Especially now seeing him large and in charge like that, caused a chill to run up my spine. It was so arousing.

Caught up in Billy’s strength, I forgot about the earlier incident and with my hair and makeup finished, I walked out of the back room and took the stage.

When we got home Billy was back to his sweet, attentive self and held me tightly in his arms until I fell asleep. The next morning I woke up to breakfast in bed. I admit Rock Star Billy was sexy but this is the Billy I liked most. I loved how he doted on me. But then again, who wouldn’t? He was an impossibly gorgeous man who was so sweet and sensitive.

When we lay in bed together, I could see the look of contentment in his eyes. It warmed my heart. He had suffered enough in his life. He deserved peace and I loved that the peace he found was while holding me in his arms.

The rest of the time while Jeromy was away things went pretty smoothly. There were no more incidents or attacks, and the more time passed the more I was able to put the thought of that horrible day out of my mind.