Things Lost In The Fire (41 page)

Valerie and her entourage descended the aisle, heading straight for the front row. Star struck fans twisted in their seats and craned their necks to get a glimpse of her, though her bodyguard hovered close behind and kept anyone from getting too close.

The Goddess of Albatross settled into the center seat in the front row and straightened her scarlet-red dress, beaming wistfully at the stage and exchanging laughs with her friends. Brody noticed Georgina seated beside Valerie, dressed all in black with her trademark flame-colored hair curled over her shoulders. The two whispered to each other and grinned like old friends, but he knew the game they played. It was less out of friendship and more out of duty that they’d stuck together all these years. After all, they’d left Albatross as a unit.

“Can you believe she had the nerve to show up?” Tess muttered, shaking her head. “I hope Sadie doesn’t notice her.”

“Oh, she’ll see her,” Brody replied, gritting his teeth. “Which is exactly what Valerie wants.”

Before Tess could stop him, he stormed down the steps and across the theater toward Valerie, fighting against all hope to keep his temper in check. Valerie’s brows rose when she spotted him approaching, and her bodyguard stepped between them and put his hand on Brody’s chest.

Brody scowled, ignoring the bodyguard and focusing his attention on Valerie. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Valerie fixed a hurt look on her face. “I just came to watch my baby perform.”

“You and I both know that’s bullshit,” Brody growled, earning a few curious stares from nearby fans.

Beside Valerie, Georgina angled her head and eyed Brody with disdain. “Are you the paparazzi who’s been sniffing around our Sadie?” She turned her gaze to Valerie and pursed her lips. “Looks like a gold-digger to me.”

Brody’s jaw clenched.

Valerie laughed brightly. “Oh, don’t you remember who he is? He’s that reporter that got those poor soldiers killed a couple years ago.”

Georgina’s lips parted in surprise as her eyes swept over Brody once again. “How awful. What is Sadie thinking?”

“I have no idea,” Valerie replied, shooting Brody a wry look. “If you’re done bothering us, darling, we’d really like to watch the show.”

Brody’s hands curled into fists at his side, prompting the bodyguard to give him a light shove in warning. With the anxious looks he was getting from those around them, he knew it was best to give it up.

“You won’t ruin this for her, you know,” he told Valerie, shaking his head. “But the simple fact that you’re trying to should make you ashamed of yourself.”

Without waiting for her response, he stalked back to where Tess was waiting behind the curtains to the side of the stage. His body was humming with anger, made worse by the laughter he heard coming from Valerie and her entourage.

Tess met his eyes worriedly the second he returned, but any chance to ask him what happened was squashed by the lights in the theater dimming.

The show was about to begin.

SADIE CHECKED her hair and makeup one last time in the mirror, pleased by the more natural look she’d donned for this performance. She wasn’t the mysterious Piper Gray this time. She was simply Sadie McRae, blonde and softly feminine and a little bit shy. Hopefully the world adored her true persona as much as they loved her alias.

The dress she wore was knee-length and made of white linen and lace, cinched at the waist with a brown leather belt and strapless, leaving her shoulders bare. She’d slipped into matching white, open-toed heels that she hoped she didn’t trip over on her way to the piano.

When her cue arrived, she hobbled out of the dressing room and was led to the side of the stage, where Brody and Tess were waiting. She exchanged hugs and a brief kiss for luck with Brody before venturing out onto the stage. With the darkness of the theater, she had to follow tiny glowing markers that led to her piano, where she sat down.

Taking a deep, soothing breath, she rested her fingers over the keys and waited for the lights to return. When a single stream of golden light illuminated her, she felt a smile come over her face as she began to play her biggest hit ‘All These Flames.’

The crowd roared to life, drowning out the beginning of her song. She didn’t mind, though. She was getting used to the sound of praise. It gave her a boost of confidence that chased away the worst of her nerves. As the applause and cheers quieted down, she leaned into the microphone and told the story of her life.

“I thought a heart made of two hearts, was created to be loved. I thought flesh made of two parts, had to be loved. Now I see I lost this game, when all that binds us are these flames. They burn to black every last thing that I wanted…”

She chanced a look out at the crowd, only to spot her mother sitting in the front row. Valerie stood out like a shocking red bird amid a sea of sparrows, and the raw emotions that swam over her face startled Sadie. Was she really listening? Did she hear the words of the song and realize they were about her? That it was
all
about her?

“These tears burn my eyes till they’re gone. They harden the very soul you walked upon. How dare you think I could forgive? All I want now is to live.

“So forget you, forget me. Just leave me be. I ask you, don’t you see I’m suffering? How could I ever think you’d love me? These flames destroyed us. These flames made us. These flames are all that remain. When the ashes fall, will you remember my name?”

Fueled by a desire to prove something to her mother, she sang with as much heartache and passion as she could, pouring her soul into the song. She could tell it worked when she saw people in the front rows wiping away tears and staring at her in wonder, as though they’d never heard something so beautiful.

It made her feel powerful. Untouchable. And for the first time in her life, she felt liberated.

Then the lights cut out.

Sadie stopped playing, blinking into the darkness as the crowd began to murmur in confusion. The hum of voices rose to a staggering level as uncertainty and nervous laughter filled the air. She wondered if it was just a power outage or the result of faulty wiring, but decided it was best to stay seated just in case it came back on. Surely someone backstage was attempting to fix the problem.

It was then that she spotted the shadowy figure slip through the curtains onto the stage. Her first thought was that it was someone coming to let her know it may be awhile before the power was fixed. But when the person got closer and she squinted in the darkness to try and get a better look at him, she realized he had no face. It was hidden behind some kind of mask, and his hands were covered in black gloves.

Before she could even think to scream, the stranger cupped his hand over her mouth and dragged her from the piano bench, roughly carting her from the stage. She kicked and knocked over a small speaker and mic stand, but through the din of the crowd no one seemed to notice what was happening to her. Panic set in and survival instincts had her clawing at the man’s clothes in an attempt to break free, only to find herself grasped tighter against his chest as he hauled her backstage. She couldn’t see anything but black as he shoved her into some dark, isolated corner behind the stage, pinning her against the wall. His hand fell from her mouth and latched onto her throat instead, sending a bolt of terror down her spine.

He was going to kill her.

She tried to twist and claw her way free, but he only shoved her back against the wall so hard her head hit the concrete and sent a dizzying wave of white hot pain through her body. A startled gasp escaped her throat only to be cut off by his hands pressing hard against her trachea, pinching off her air. Tears spilled from her eyes as she felt her body going limp, losing oxygen. A deafening hum filled her ears as the world slipped away, and she welcomed it compared to the horror of what was happening. Images of Lee Walker flashed in her mind, and she let herself believe he’d come back to finish the job he’d started.

Just let it end. The pain is too much. It’s always been too much.

Before she slid out of consciousness, the hands released her and the stranger fled, leaving her alone in the darkness. Her legs crumbled as she gasped wildly for air, her hands fluttering over her throat. She heard Brody’s panicked voice getting closer. She sobbed, terrified and relieved all at once.

A flashlight fell over her face, blinding her. She cringed and inched away, only to be gathered up into Brody’s arms a second later.

“Christ, Sadie,” he breathed, letting her sob against him. He fought to settle his own raging heart, thankful he’d found her. “What the hell happened?”

Before she could respond, the lights came back on and in an instant, three armed security guards were at their side, hands poised tentatively over their weapons.

“Put your hands up and back away,” one of them ordered.

Brody did as he was told, only then noticing the red marks wrapped around Sadie’s throat. She continued to fight for air and the ability to speak, but the guards saw all they needed to see.

“Put him in handcuffs,” the first guard said, nodding to the others. They approached Brody, cuffs out and ready.

Brody stared at them in shock. “I didn’t do this!”

“We need to secure the area. I’ll call the ambulance,” the guard told the others before turning to Sadie and inspecting the marks on her skin. “Get him out of here.”

Sadie watched them handcuff Brody, mortified by what she was seeing. She tried to cry out, to tell them he was innocent, but only a hoarse rasp came out. Instead she was forced to watch them drag him away, kicking and raging. He called out to her, letting her know it’d be okay. That he’d be with her soon.

Her mind spun as she suddenly felt Tess beside her, pulling her close. Unable to do more, she broke down and cried in her friend’s arms.

B
RODY SAT at the curb on Wilshire, surrounded by cop cars and flashing lights. Though they’d removed the handcuffs, he still wasn’t allowed to see Sadie. She was being treated in an ambulance some twenty yards away, shielded from the cameras of the hungry press and the mortified stares of her fans. Until the fat-excuse-of-a-cop in charge gave him the go ahead, he was glued to the curb like a disobedient child.

From what he’d gathered by overhearing the police, Sadie had been dragged off the stage and strangled. His hands balled into fists at the thought, fury setting his blood on fire. The ease of how it happened scared the hell out of him. The breaker being shut off, dousing the entire building in darkness. The masked attacker slipping onto the stage and grabbing Sadie while the crowd stirred in confusion just feet away. All while he’d been mere feet away, himself.

He knew he’d always regret not having the forethought to go out to her, to take her with him offstage. At the time, he’d assumed the power would kick back on in a matter of seconds and he didn’t want to embarrass her. Little did he know her life was in danger and he could have prevented it.

That anger surged again, hazing his vision with red even as he shut his eyes tight against it. Remembering the moment he realized something was wrong pained him. He’d stolen a flashlight from a nearby stage hand and taken off backstage, frantically calling out for her. It must have been his voice that scared off the attacker, because he was nowhere to be found when he stumbled upon Sadie.

She’d been so terrified. Dazed and struggling for breath with her neck marred by evil hands.