Authors: Sarah Price
The men decided that David Yoder would leave to visit a neighboring farm that had a telephone to contact the police. When he left the house, they could hear the noise of the crowd that littered the driveway outside. It wasn’t until they heard his horse pull the buggy down the driveway that everyone seemed to exhale in relief.
Still, there was a tense silence in the room while they waited. No one knew what to say or do. Lizzie and Amanda sat on the sofa, holding each other’s hands, staring at the bishop. He felt their apprehension and moved over to a nearby chair.
“Perhaps we should pray together,” he said.
Elias stood by the table, his head bowed as he listened to the bishop recite from the Ausbund:
With fear and distress I call unto you,
O God, be my Grantor now,
And stand by me securely,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Because I am put to the test.
The kingdom suffers violence,
The way, O Lord, is narrow,
Whoever would receive it,
Must indeed pray and fast.
It was almost thirty minutes later when two cars pulled into the driveway. Amanda could hear the tires spinning against the gravel and a whooping sound from outside. Police cars. The bishop and Elias hurried to the window, blocking Amanda’s view of what was happening. Her heart raced inside her chest. She wished that she could see, too, but that was impossible, especially with the bishop in the room. It would be too disrespectful for her to join them at the window or ask them to step aside.
Patiently, she waited while she sat next to her
mamm
. Time seemed to stop. Amanda glanced at her mother and saw that her eyes were squeezed tight. She was rocking slightly, and her mouth was moving. She was reciting a prayer, but Amanda couldn’t tell which one. The bishop and Elias remained positioned at the window, watching without saying a word.
Almost twenty minutes passed before they heard the footsteps on the porch and a brisk knock at the door. Elias was the first to move toward it. The door creaked as he opened it and invited the two officers inside.
Their presence seemed to fill the room. Amanda felt her chest tighten at the sight of the two uniformed officers standing in the kitchen. Her glance fell to their sides, where each wore a holster and a pistol. The scene was surreal, and she reached for her
mamm
’s hand again.
The taller officer nodded his head at the ladies but spoke directly to Elias and the bishop. “The men are moving off your property. We have instructed them that they are trespassing.”
“Why are they here?” the bishop demanded.
The second officer glanced in the direction of the two women and cleared his throat. Clearly, he was uncomfortable. “It appears that your daughter has become a person of interest to the media.”
The room seemed to spin around Amanda, and for a moment, she thought she might faint.
Person of interest?
The words ricocheted in her head. She had no idea what that meant, but it was obvious that it was not a good thing. Why would anyone be interested in her? How on earth could she, a plain Amish woman, be a
person of interest
? And to whom?
“
I don
’
t understand,
” Elias admitted.
The first officer tried to explain. “Apparently, she has some sort of relationship with a celebrity. A singer named Viper.”
“There’s no relationship!”
Lizzie said.
“He’s no longer here,” Elias added quickly.
“Yes, but the media is here, and that’s the problem,” the officer said empathetically. He paused and glanced at Amanda again. She was staring at him, her eyes wide and frightened. “Your daughter’s
association
with this singer has elevated her to quasi-celebrity status.” The way he said the word
association
irritated Amanda, and she caught her breath.
Lizzie squeezed Amanda
’s hand. “There was no relationship!” she repeated urgently. “He just brought her back from that New York place after she was in the hospital.”
“I understand that,” the officer said as he took a deep breath. “However, the association between Viper and your daughter has gone viral, I’
m afraid.
”
Elias and Lizzie looked at each other, then back at the officer. “
Viral? A sickness?
” Elias asked.
“Not like that,” the office said gently. “
I don
’t want to alarm you, but there are photos and stories being published in the news, on television, and all over the Internet.” He shook his head apologetically, then turned his attention back to the men. “There isn’t much we can do about the attention. Just hope that it dies down, Mr. Beiler.”
“You mean this will continue?”
The bishop frowned. “You told them to leave the property. They must go away,
ja
?”
The officer lifted his hands, a gesture of uncertainty. “We can hope they will go away. But the law is clear. As long as they are not trespassing on private property, there isn’t much we can do.”
From the expression on the bishop’s face, Amanda could tell that he was angry. “They cannot just keep printing their stories!”
“Actually, they can.”
“That’s an invasion of privacy!” Elias said.
“She has turned into a quasi-celebrity,” the officer repeated. “The laws are different. She has become a limited public figure, and as such, the media can publish stories and her photo.”
“The stories aren’t true, if they say there was a relationship!” Lizzie replied, shaking her head from side to side.
The officer raised his hands, palms up in defeat. “Unless you wish to file a lawsuit, they will continue to publish whatever they feel will sell their papers. And, again, the laws are different for quasi-celebrities. Once you are in that category, they can basically say anything they want. It’s the bad side of freedom of speech,” he explained.
Amanda felt the tears start to flow down her cheeks. She lifted the edge of her black apron and dabbed at them. “They don’t have my permission,” she whispered, her voice cracking as the words escaped. “That’s not right.”
The officers stood there, uncertain of what to say. For a long moment, the room was silent. The clock ticked in the background, the sound reverberating throughout the kitchen. Amanda felt her chest tighten again and found it hard to breathe. Her heart fluttered, palpitating as she realized that this was exactly what Alejandro had meant when he told her that his world was ugly and not good. She reached up and pressed the palm of her hand over her heart. The pressure helped calm her.
“We will continue to monitor the situation,” the officer said. “If they trespass again, you should alert us. Have a neighbor call if you don’t have a phone. But short of hiring a lawyer and seeking legal advice, there isn’t too much we can do. There just aren’t any laws that are being broken. We can only hope the attention disappears quickly.”
The second officer nodded. “The interest is likely to die down in a few days or so.”
“Days?” Elias gasped in disbelief. He looked at Lizzie. “Will they stay off the property, then?”
The officer shrugged. “Perhaps. They might venture onto the property, then leave again, knowing that the Amish won’t press charges. It will be touch-and-go until they lose interest.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out two white cards. Handing one to the bishop and one to Elias, he said, “My number is on the card. Please use it if they come onto the property again. I’ll have my officers keep an eye on them, see if our presence helps to persuade them to leave.” He took a deep breath. “We can hope for that to happen sooner rather than later.”
After the officers had left, the bishop stood for a long moment with his back turned toward the Beilers. He was staring out the window, the shade now elevated so that sunlight shone into the kitchen. No one spoke as they watched him, waiting to hear what he would say. As the leader of the community, it was the bishop who would guide them through such a crisis. They were counting on his wisdom.
“Bishop?”
At the sound of Lizzie’s voice, he turned around. “I suggest we pray on this. The Lord gives us tests. This is surely one of them.” He ran his hand over his face and sighed. “It would have been better if that Englischer had not stayed here. But we cannot undo what has been done.” He walked over near the sofa and sat down in the chair. “Let us pray before I leave,” he said and lowered his head for a silent prayer, shared with the family.
Chapter Fifteen
Alejandro sat at the table on his patio by the pool, sipping at a steaming mug of strong coffee and staring at the pile of newspapers and tabloids before him. When he was in Miami, his housekeeper always left them on the table so that, while he was eating his breakfast, he could read through them. As a celebrity, keeping up with the buzz within the entertainment industry was important, although it was something Alejandro often neglected when he traveled.
After leaving Lancaster, he had met up with his manager in Atlanta instead of returning directly to Miami. And then Mike sent him to Los Angeles for a string of interviews, meetings, and appointments with his production team. Now he had a few days to relax in Miami before returning to Los Angeles to review the new music video and embark on a series of concerts along the West Coast.
He enjoyed his morning time in Miami. It was usually quiet. The sun was just starting to rise over the majestic view he had of the Atlantic Ocean from his tiered patio. The water glistened and reflected the light, shimmering like a sea of jewels. He had paid top dollar for this penthouse condominium with multimillion-dollar views and even more expensive security. It was his place of respite from the trappings of the crazy life he led.
But this morning, when he picked up the first paper, he froze, his coffee cup barely touching his lips. His eyes scanned the front cover, and he caught his breath. It had been more than three weeks since he had left Lititz and returned to what his manager called the “real world.” He had been so busy with interviews and videotaping in Los Angeles that he hadn’t given much thought to Amanda and her family. It was an event, albeit a nice one, but just an event: one of many that filled Alejandro’s life. Oftentimes he felt that in his life he was simply a moving target with scenes that faded in and out. Once lived, those scenes were replaced with new ones. Similar scenarios, different actors. Yes, he had all but forgotten about Lititz, Pennsylvania. Alejandro was gone, replaced once again by Viper.
But now, as he scanned the headlines and saw those familiar brown eyes staring at him from the cover of the tabloid, he realized that the Alejandro “event” had unexpectedly crossed over into the world of Viper.
“
Rodriego!
” he called out.
“¿Sí,
Alejandro
?”
A young man, dressed in black slacks and a black polo shirt, walked over to the table.
“¿Qué necesitas?”
Alejandro scowled and waved the paper at the young man, who was one of his more seasoned personal assistants. With his blue eyes flashing, Alejandro shook his head. From the muscles clenching in his jaw, it was clear that he was upset. “At what point,” he snapped, his words sharp and crisp, his typical gentlemanly tone replaced with anger, “were you going to tell me about this?”
The young man swallowed and stared at Alejandro, uncertain how to respond. “I . . . I left the papers like you wanted. I’ve been collecting them while you traveled.”
Alejandro pushed through the stack of papers and noticed a flurry of different photos on the cover of newspapers and even a magazine. The headlines popped out at him: “Viper’s New Vixen?” “Amish Girl Captures Viper’s Heart.” “Viper Hibernating with the Amish.” “Viper’s Secret Affair with Amish Belle Exposed!” Each one was worse than the previous one. There were pictures of the farm, layouts of various photos of Amanda trying to hide her face from the photographers, of her parents, of other Amish people.
“
Dios
mío,”
he said as he hung his head in his hands. Why had no one told him? He paid people to watch his image, paid people to keep him informed. Yet not one of them had thought to alert him that the paparazzi and media were still targeting Amanda? “I need you to follow this up, Rodriego. It needs to die down! And I mean now!” He reached for his cell phone, glaring over his shoulder at Rodriego. “I want a daily report on this.
¿Me entiendes?”
“Sí, sí,”
Rodriego said and hurried away, more to escape Alejandro and his temper than for any other reason.
Alejandro knew that he needed to diffuse the situation. His heart quickened, and he felt fury race through his veins. He wasn’t quite certain how to do it. If he tried to contact Amanda, he knew that would make things worse. The paparazzi would be all over the story, and the media would explode even further. While he knew that time would make the story die, Alejandro felt compelled to try to help it along. The fact that it hadn’t died down yet was surprising, even to him.
“Mike,” he snapped into the phone when he heard his manager answer. “We have a situation with the Lititz girl!”
He knew that he was telling Mike something that was probably already on his manager’s radar. He waited for Mike to jump into a tirade and to start yelling on the other end of the phone, screaming about how he had warned Alejandro and about how bad an idea going to Lititz had been.
But Mike’s response actually surprised him. “Alex, Alex!” he said cheerfully. “I heard the LA meetings were great, and the production team says the video is coming along great!”
“Sí, sí,”
Alejandro said impatiently. “But about this Lititz thing . . .”
“I know,” Mike said joyfully. “Brilliant move, Alex. Simply brilliant! I should have known to trust you.”
Alejandro frowned and stared at the phone as if he held a foreign object in his hand. No tirade? No screaming?
“¿Qué?”
“The media is all over you about that girl.”
“
¡Exactamente!
And they need to leave her alone,” Alejandro said, punctuating the air with his index finger, even though no one else was nearby to see his animated gesture.
“Leave her alone?” Mike repeated, enunciating each word.
“¡Sí!”
Alejandro stood and began pacing the floor. “Divert their attention. Maybe arrange for some public appearances with some of the girls at clubs to defuse it. Don’t you agree?”
There was another long pause. Silence. Alejandro waited for Mike to respond, and for a split second, he wondered if the call had been dropped. He glanced at the phone in his hand, but the signal was fine and the timer was still running. He placed the phone back against his ear in time to hear Mike clear his throat, never a good sign.
“Are you insane?”
Three simple words.
Alejandro was stunned. Speechless. For a second, he stared at the phone in his hand. Had he heard Mike properly? Trying to comprehend what Mike was saying, Alejandro’s mind flipped through different scenarios as to why his manager, the very man who hated the idea of Alejandro changing Viper’s image, would be asking such an outrageous question.
But just as quickly, it suddenly dawned on him. It was the publicity that excited Mike. The fact that so many fans expressed their interest in Viper and “his” Amish girl was totally unexpected, a true marketing coup. Mike must have known, and as such, he must have instructed people to not distract Alejandro with updates about the media frenzy. His own team was feeding the viral effect of Alejandro’s trip to Lititz. Clearly, Mike was not realizing the impact that the media was having on Amanda’s life and family, or perhaps he did not even care.
“No,” Alejandro said, his voice cold as ice even as he tried to control his temper. “I’m not insane. But perhaps you are.”
“Alex!”
“No!” Alejandro shouted into the phone. “This girl did nothing. She had a life, a chance, a way to be a real person. But now that has all changed!”
“It happens, Alex,” Mike said, his voice low and slow. “Collateral damage. You knew that when you took her back to her town. Once people knew you were there . . .”
“Ay, mi madre,”
Alejandro said, his hand flying to his head as though he had a headache. He rubbed his forehead, the words
collateral damage
stinging his conscience. Deep down, he knew that Mike was right: Alejandro should have considered the long-term outcome. Now the thought of Amanda being so exposed, so tormented, and the look on her face from the photos, her eyes in particular, haunted him. “Make this go away, Mike. Please!” he pleaded.
“Alejandro, the media is enamored with her,” Mike said. “Don’t you see it? Your sales are skyrocketing. They love this. You were right!”
Alejandro rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I was right about what?”
“The media! They are tired of the bad-boy Viper image. This new side of you is in,” Mike said, his voice thick with excitement. “They are thirsting for something different, something new. You gave it to them.” He lowered his voice but couldn’t contain his delight. “You gave them Alejandro!”
You gave them Alejandro.
He cringed at the words. He clenched his fists. Now it is my fault, he thought. No, he would not accept that. “No, no,” he said. “You are wrong! For years, you forced me to be Viper. You can’t turn it around now, Mike. You can’t say that the public is tired of Viper! He’
s still here!
”
Mike sighed.
“Once Viper went to Amish land, he disappeared, Alex. But you found the golden ticket with this girl!”
“Get her out of this, Mike!”
The laughter that came over the line surprised him. Mike was enjoying this, and that angered Alejandro even more. “What would you have me do? I can’t shut down social media and gossip rags!”
“Don’t give me that crap,”
Alejandro snapped.
“Get me in some clubs tonight with some girls, get the media there, alert the paparazzi.” He took a deep breath. “Anything to get their attention away from her.”
“Seriously?” Mike said, his voice dripping with disbelief. It was clear that he neither agreed nor could believe that Alejandro was taking the high road. “Ethics over sales? Where is my Alex?” Mike hesitated before asking the one question that was on both their minds: “Did you fall for this girl?”
“Don’t go there, Mike!”
Alejandro snapped.
“
I don
’t know her at all. But I do know she didn’t ask for this.”
For the rest of the morning, Alejandro tried to think about anything other than Amanda and the photos that he had seen of her, plastered on the tabloids. How could he not have known about this? Why hadn’t someone told him? Clearly, Mike had issued a gag order to Alejandro’s inner circle, but there should have been other signs. Someone who was loyal enough to him. Yet as soon as he posed the question, he already knew the answer: loyalty did not exist in his world. They knew that he’d be infuriated rather than embrace the media’s attention. They chose themselves over him, the very person they were sworn to protect.
And he realized that he had no one to trust, after all.
The club was dark and noisy, packed with several hundred people on the second floor alone. Lights flashed overhead, and the beat of loud music pulsed through his ears. He stood in the VIP section, too aware that everyone was staring at him, both those who were nearby and those who were not permitted entrance to where he lingered by the bar.
He didn’t feel like being here, but he knew all too well that public appearances were the only way to create distance between his name and the Amish, especially from Amanda. The more people who saw him at clubs and with other women, the more likely they would share those photos, and the less likely they would remain so fascinated by his week in Lititz at the Beilers’ farm.
His arrival at the club had been met with flashbulbs and fanfare. Even Alejandro had to admit that Mike had done a fantastic job with the media. Somehow Mike had leaked the news that Viper would be visiting the hottest nightclub in Miami that night. When his black Escalade pulled up and the bodyguards stepped out to open his door, a mad crush of screaming fans and paparazzi crowded around the vehicle. It had taken five minutes to push everyone back and to control the crowd before Alejandro was able to exit and make his way toward the front doors of Club O. He paused, turning to wave at the crowd, his eyes hidden behind his trademark dark sunglasses.
Inside the club, some of his regular entourage had already been waiting: old friends from growing up in Miami and new friends in the music industry. And, of course, there was the regular crowd of women, dressed in skintight pants or miniskirts with stilettos and tattoos. They stared at him, smiling seductively, each one hoping that she would receive his attention, perhaps a quiet moment and a drink or even an invitation to leave the club with him as the early morning hours rolled in.
Alejandro wasn
’t in the mood for any of this, however. He hadn’t been since his stay at Lititz.
During his European tour, he had been too busy to play at the clubs or socialize with the ladies. Back in Miami, he had been focused on the next round of concerts, starting on the West Coast in just a few weeks. Now, all that he could think about was the photo of Amanda, with such imploring sadness in her eyes, that had greeted him from the paper that morning.
“Hey, you,” a soft voice whispered in his ear, followed by the light touch of a perfectly manicured hand on his shoulder.
Switching into Viper mode, Alejandro casually turned to gaze at the beautiful, leggy blonde who started to wrap her body against his.
“Ay, mi madre,”
he murmured.
“¡Qué mujer linda!”
It was a game. He knew it. She knew it. A beautiful woman would approach him, he’d buy her a drink, perhaps they’d dance, and then he’d move on to the next beautiful woman. And there were always plenty of beautiful and willing women to choose from at Club O, or anywhere else for that matter. Plain-looking, unsophisticated women never seemed to show up at these places. It was always the tall, thin, sultry women who made their way inside.
“I thought you’d say that,” she replied, her fingers touching the lapel of his white jacket. She lifted her eyes to gaze into his face. He noticed her picture-perfect eye shadow and long, thick eyelashes. He wondered how long it had taken her to get ready for this evening and how much it had cost her. “Now, what about buying me a drink?”