She grabbed my forearm. “Does Ryan know?”
“No. I just got it in the mail today. I haven’t talked to him today yet.”
“He’s going to flip,” Marie stated the obvious. “You are going to tell him, right?”
I looked away, feeling pressured. I hadn’t intended to say anything to him. He already had enough to worry about.
“You can’t keep something like this from him, Taryn!”
Quite a few reasons not to tell him slipped into my mind. For one, Ryan was back in the gossip news. His rehearsals with Lauren happened to
be photographed and candid shots were conveniently leaked to the masses.
Embarrassing stories were breaking over every media outlet that Ryan had rekindled his previous relationship with Lauren. New pictures of
them hugging and being close were mingled in with old pictures from last year. The media was dusting off old photos and selling them as recent
evidence.
To the untrained eye, one might not know the difference. To someone like me, who had spent countless hours researching the man I was
sleeping with, I knew what was old and what was new.
Some of the magazines even reprinted old comments he made years ago, putting them into new content to make it look like they had obtained
the latest news directly from the source.
My mind was wandering when I turned the pub TV to watch Celebrity Tonight. Ryan’s alleged affair in Florida was top story news.
Marie marched over to me and snatched the television remote out of my hand. “It’s all crap and you know it,” she said forcefully, changing the
channel before I had a say in the matter.
Over the next few days, my mail was pleasantly devoid of horrid letters. I had hoped that the original letter was a one-time occurrence, but I
worried nonetheless.
Unfortunately, Thursday afternoon, a new threat letter arrived in the mail. This one stated:
The sound of car keys being dropped on the bar made me flinch again; my nerves were wound tight.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Kyle said. “Hi!” He smiled innocently. “Is it all right if I have a beer? I promise I’ll behave. See?” He opened up
his coat to show me that he wasn’t wearing a gun this evening.
I found myself getting lost in his mesmerizing smile and the comforting feeling of protection that swirled around him. For how spooked I was, I
sort of wished he was packing a concealed weapon. I rolled my eyes at him and smiled slightly in return. Why did he have to be so damn
gorgeous?
I twisted the cap off of a bottle of beer and set it in front of him, slipping his money off the bar right after that. I wasn’t about to give him free
drinks, not after the scene he made here last time.
A few customers were playing pool and getting loud and rowdy. Someone dropped a pool stick on the floor; the sharp crack made me jump
again.
“You seem on edge,” Kyle muttered. “Is it because I’m here? If you don’t want me here, I’ll just have this one and then I’ll leave.”
“No, it’s all right,” I replied. “You can stay. Just as long as you don’t start anything.”
“Is he here? I guess I should apologize.”
His comment caught me by surprise. He wanted to say he was sorry to Ryan?
“No, he’s not,” I answered, disappointed that I had to say that out loud.
“Off filming again?” Kyle asked.
I glared at him, guessing that he already knew Ryan was in Florida. It was his job to know other people’s whereabouts, and I knew Kyle was
more resourceful than that.
Mike was guarding Ryan full time now, but he still worked for the same company as Kyle. That didn’t change. I was pretty sure it was known who
was guarding whom.
“Listen, I know I was an asshole the last time I was here and I just want to say I’m sorry,” Kyle said sheepishly. “I really hope you can forgive me.
It was wrong of me to act like that.”
He was quite adorable when he groveled.
“It’s okay. Just be cool about things, all right?” I tossed his empty beer bottle in the trash and served him another, wondering why I had a hard
time holding a grudge.
“Okay. I promise!” he swore, like a child being scolded.
We had another thick crowd for a weeknight and I was glad to be distracted from dwelling on the spooky threat letters. Even though I was trying
not to keep tabs on him, I still glanced around the crowd to see where Kyle was.
“He’s playing pool,” Marie muttered on her way past me. “And he’s watching you like a hawk.”
I groaned, although in some bizarre way I actually felt relieved that he was on guard, ready to strike if I was in danger.
I was clearing off a table when Kyle approached to say goodnight.
“So is it okay if I stop in from time to time? I’m actually working not too far from here. If it’s not cool, just say so. I don’t want to cause any
problems for you.”
Kyle looked so humble, like he was really, truly remorseful. He finished his beer and put his black leather jacket on.
“As long as you don’t specifically come here to cause problems for me,” I warned, hoping he’d get the hint.
“You got it. Best behavior from now on,” Kyle vowed. “I swear!”
He followed me back to the bar. “Before I go, I just want to make sure you’re okay.” He glanced around, determining how many people were
within earshot before continuing. “You seemed really nervous before. Are you sure things are fine? Any of his fans giving you problems? I know you
don’t have a bodyguard assigned.”
I thought about the new letter that was in my pocket and how terrified I was when I read it. I feigned a smile and lied.
“I’m okay, I swear!” I answered immediately. I knew if I told Kyle about the letters, he’d insist on protecting me. That would never fly with Ryan.
“So his fans have been leaving you alone?” Kyle questioned again.
“Yeah,” I confirmed, hoping to cast off his concern.
“Hmm, that’s good then.” He nodded oddly, appearing distracted by a group of people carrying on by the poolroom. “Well, since everything is
fine, I’m going to take off. Have a good night.” He squeezed my shoulder lightly on his way to the door.
I made Marie go to the grocery store with me Friday afternoon; I was a little afraid to go out on my own. I was growing increasingly paranoid and
leaving the building was becoming more and more frightening.
“So did you tell him?” Marie asked, buckling her seatbelt.
“Tell him what?”
“About the letters? About Kyle being in the pub last night,” she reminded me.
I stared blankly out the windshield.
“Taryn!”
“Don’t start. If I tell Ryan that Kyle was in the pub he’s going to flip out and I don’t need him flipping out on me.”
“You know he always finds out somehow. You’ll just piss him off that much quicker if you don’t tell him right away.”
I huffed. I hated that she was right. Ryan was ridiculously jealous of Kyle.
“I’m trying to keep Ryan from getting hurt, Marie!” I justified. “Kyle is a black belt. He’s a walking lethal weapon. I’m surprised Ryan even
attempted to fight him New Year’s Eve.”
“Men are so stupid.” She laughed. “Testosterone and beer… makes them feel tough.”
Horrible visions of Ryan fighting with Kyle just like he fought with that stunt actor on the set of Seaside flashed through my mind. I already saw
Ryan made up to look like he was in a fistfight and I shuddered to think of the bloodied mess Kyle would turn him into if the two of them ever went at
it for real. I had no doubt that Ryan could hold his own in a fight but Kyle was trained in self-defense. Despite Ryan’s best efforts, he didn’t stand a
chance to win that battle. I had to keep those two apart at all costs.
Unfortunately Kyle was the least of my worries. Staring me in the face in the checkout aisle was a new glossy picture of my boyfriend gazing