Like right now. Right now, there was an edge to Donny's voice that made all the hair on her arms stand up. They were alone in the tunnel. No one was around. Just them.
So, instead of shouting at him that he had no right to accuse her, she took a moment to gather herself. "Unlike you," she said evenly. "I never had an affair outside our marriage. What I do now is none of your business. If it is too difficult for you to handle, I would love to buy you out of the contract."
He stared at her, her words hanging between them. "I'm not going anywhere."
She pressed her lips together to keep from screaming in frustration. "I'm going to go meet Brody. Nora invited him backstage—"
"He's not coming. I told him to leave."
Anger shot through Tatum. "What?"
"I told him that you felt that he pushed the boundaries during that song, and you didn't want to see him. He didn't argue. Didn't fight to see you. So whatever dreams you have of snagging that rich bastard, give 'em up, Tatum. He's not interested."
She could barely keep from shouting at him. Instead, she silently turned away and walked down the hall toward the VIP entrance.
Donny followed her, still talking, but she ignored him.
When she rounded the corner, the fans all started shouting for her.
She ignored them, searching the crowd for Brody. There weren't that many people in line, and it took only moments for her to see that he wasn't there. She hurried over to the security guard. "Do you know who Brody Hart is? Was he here?"
The guard nodded at Donny. "Mr. Evans asked him to leave."
Of course he had. "How long ago?"
"Maybe fifteen minutes."
Fifteen minutes. Maybe she could still catch him. "Which way did he go?"
The security guard pointed. She didn't hesitate. She ducked under the rope into the middle of the fans. "I'll be right back," she shouted. "Go backstage. I'll be right there."
Then she took off running down the hall. She could hear Donny shouting at her to come back, and a few fans started running after her, but she didn't slow down.
She sprinted around a corner, then threw her shoulder into the stairwell door. Brody would have parked in the VIP parking. She ran down the stairs and raced out into another tunnel.
This one was full of fans, and she was spotted immediately.
People converged around her, shouting and waving pens. She could smell alcohol on their breath. Intoxicated superfans closed in around her.
She suddenly couldn’t move. Couldn't breathe. People were touching her. A hand actually went in her mouth.
Shit. She batted it away as another hand landed on her breast. "Get back, please. Get back!" She waved her hands to try to get them back, but they crushed in even more. Panic surged in around her, and she ducked her head, trying to shove her way through them, but there was no way through it.
Dear God. What had she been thinking? Donny always told her she wasn't normal, that she couldn't lead a normal life. She hated him for trying to trap her, but now, she could see what he meant.
Tatum tried to see over the crowd to find help, but she was much too short. All she could see were the bodies closest to her. She didn't even know which way was the doorway, she'd come out of.
A hand grabbed her ass, and pens were shoved in her face. People were screaming questions at her. One guy ripped off his shirt and tried to shove a marker in her hand to sign his chest. She wanted to go down on her knees and curl into a ball to protect herself, but she knew she couldn't.
She had to get out. Which way was out?
"Hey! Get the hell back!" A man in a blue security guard uniform suddenly shoved his way in beside her. He was tall and heavy, and he used bulk to create a blockade for her. "Let's go, Tatum." He put his arm over her shoulders and crushed her against him, driving a wedge through the crowd as he plowed forward.
She ducked her head against him, keeping her head down as he propelled them through the crowd. She could feel people pushing against them, but he was so big that it didn't seem to affect him.
It took only a moment, then he shoved them through a door and slammed it behind them, cutting off the crowd. The silence was breathtaking, and Tatum sucked in a breath. "Thank you—"
Her savior suddenly flung her aside. She crashed into a counter, sending pots crashing to the ground. Pain shot through her left wrist, and tears sprung to her eyes as she spun around, holding her arm to her chest. They were in what looked like a kitchen, but they were the only ones in it. One of the restaurants that had closed once the concert had started. "We need to call security—"
"No, we don't." His voice was thick with disdain and hate, and she spun around in alarm to look at him.
He was standing a few feet from her, his hands by his sides, his weight balanced between his feet, as if he were ready to launch himself at her. Aggressive. Not protective.
Alarm shot through her. "We need to go upstairs," she said, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her wrist "It's time to go."
"Tatum Crosby." He said her name like it was a curse word.
Her heart started hammering. "What do you want?" She frantically took stock of her surroundings, trying to find something to protect herself with. Her hand was numb, and she couldn't move her fingers.
"You don't know? Of course you know. It's our game. We've been playing it. I leave you messages. You pretend not to see them."
Her stalker? Was this her stalker? She'd been so sure it was Donny messing with her. Maybe it was still Donny. Maybe he'd hired this guy. Or maybe this guy was crazy on his own. "You're the one who broke into my dressing room?"
"You forgot to leave it unlocked. That was the deal."
It wasn't the deal. Who had told him it would be unlocked?
"I had to break in." He moved in closer. "And now we finally get to play together."
Oh, shit. Shit. Shit. She reached behind her with her good arm. Her fingers closed around the handle of a pot that she hadn't knocked off. "I need to go upstairs," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "I have to go greet my fans. Let's meet later in my dressing room. I'll leave the door unlocked this time."
"Later works. And so does now." He made a sudden move for her, and she swung the pot, slamming him in the side of the head.
He stumbled and crashed into the pot counter.
She threw the pot at him and ran for the door.
Chapter Five
One-handed, Tatum fumbled for the lock and then flung the door open. Much of the crowd had already been cleared, and the security team had arrived, dispersing the crowds.
One of the security guards saw her, but she didn't go to him for help. He was wearing the same uniform as the man she'd left in the kitchen.
She grabbed a hat off a souvenir stand and yanked it over her head as she ran down the hall, keeping her head down. Tears blurred her vision, as she cradled her arm to her chest. She was sure it was broken.
She didn't know where to go. Who to trust. She couldn't go back upstairs. What if Donny had set it up? What if other security guards were working with him?
She saw a black sweatshirt on the ground, covered in footprints. She snatched it up and yanked it over her head. It smelled like body odor and beer, but she didn't care. She got her right arm through the sleeve, but didn't even try the left. She got the hat back on her head, yanked the hood up, and then ducked her head.