Total pages in book: 196
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
***
There were more people outside waiting than usual, but I couldn’t neglect my fans, so as tired as I was, I put on a bright smile and shook off the fatigue as I got ready to face my adoring public. What I walked into in the cool New York evening was total chaos.
It wasn’t just the fans and the usual paparazzi crew that seemed to dog my every step, no, there were people with mics and camera crews from TV stations, and they all seemed to start yelling at the same time. I was caught completely off-guard by all this and must’ve looked like a complete idiot just standing there like a deer in headlights.
There were questions being shouted, questions I didn’t understand and didn’t have time to, as I was whisked away by one of Lyon’s men. Travis was his name, if I remember correctly. The man who never smiles.
Unlike my security, who knew to wait when I called a halt so I could interact with my fans, he didn’t budge. All I could do was wave at my fans as I recognized some faces from back home in L.A. What were those reporters doing here? Did something happen? And what was that they were screaming about?
Something about Janie, but I didn’t catch it all because I was being pulled along through the throng as if the hounds of hell were at my heels. “Wait, hold up.”
“There’s someone waiting for you.”
The way he said it, I knew; suddenly, all my tiredness was gone, and a big smile broke out across my face as I hurried my step to keep up. I slid into the backseat, and he was there. I didn’t even mind the two men in the front seats when he pulled me onto his lap, and his lips covered mine.
When we both came up for air, he didn’t release his hold on me but instead held me there with his hand cupping my head as it rested against his chest over the beating of his heart. “You’re tired.”
“Not anymore. Where are you taking me?” Not that I cared. I just wanted to be alone with him.
“Somewhere safe.” Safe? Wait, what?
***
*Janie*
What just happened? What’s happening? I pushed my way through the throng of vultures as my head began to spin, and I felt that at any moment, I was going to throw up. My head hurt so bad that even the faint evening light left the most excruciating pain in my eyes.
I squinted as I made my way along the wall with my hands, looking for Mary’s gate and the entrance to make my escape. They kept shouting questions at me, and in my confusion, I kept answering, even as I tried to force myself not to. “No, go away. Do you think I’m stupid? You think I don’t know that most of what I’ve done is illegal?”
“But what would you do if you were me? If you wanted someone who only wanted someone else? You’d do anything to get them, so don’t pretend that you’re all better than me.” This wasn’t me; why am I saying these things? I cried tears of frustration each time I opened my mouth, and words other than what I meant to say came spilling out.
There was one woman in particular who kept after me, asking me leading questions that, if answered, could destroy my whole life. I knew this, and yet I was fixated on her and kept answering her questions. In her eyes, I thought I saw peace, compassion, and understanding, and she seemed so familiar.
“So, it is true then that Ryder Sumner was never in love with you?”
“Yes, yes, it’s true, can you believe it? He’s still hung up on that bitch Elena when he could have had me. I tried everything, drugs, spells. You name it, we tried. Mary even tried to help, but she was doing it mostly for herself. She’s a bitch who likes to control everything, and her daughters are just like her.”
I looked directly into the camera this time to make sure my point came across. “The whole Hudson family are lying bitches. They use men for money; their mother sold them all at a very young age to get where she is now. If you only knew the lengths, she would go to for fortune and fame. She’s a liar and a thief. Don’t be fooled by them. Don’t be fooled. They’re no better than I am. They’re not better than me.”
I dropped to my knees just as I reached the gate, suddenly exhausted as I mumbled out words, too tired to speak above a whisper. Some part of me knew that this was all wrong, that the things I had said should never have been spoken out loud. But for some reason, I couldn’t hold back. There was so much more to say.