Love Unrehearsed

The officer turned to Ryan. “Mr. Dooley claims that you stole the memory card from his camera.”

Ryan confessed to removing it. “But I don’t have it. I dropped it in the grass somewhere over there.”

After a few moments of sca

Everything became brighter as I heard the whoosh of my blood pulsing in my ears. It felt as if the ground were about to give out under my feet. Ryan’s father grabbed his mother as she lunged toward the police car. She was crying and in just as much shock as I was.

Both Matt and Scott were under arrest as well. All three of them were getting crammed into the backseats of the cruisers. The officer guided Ryan into the car and closed the door. As I stood there, watching him from the grass, he wouldn’t look at me.

“I’ll get the car and follow them,” Ryan’s dad, Bill, said. Mike followed him.

I was surprised when they came back in a little over an hour. David was not pleased to hear my voice when I called him, but too freaking bad. I was still on the phone getting talked down from the rafters by Trish when I heard the car doors slam in the driveway.

Ryan barely looked at me, passing me in the kitchen with a sideways glance. I heard him jog up the steps and then the shower came on.

Bill tossed his keys on the counter, answering his wife. “They got processed and released. They’ll all have to go to court, then find out what the fine is.”

I wanted to go to Ryan but I could tell he wanted space. Mike sat in a chair outside with his head in his hands doing his own private browbeating.

I sat down opposite him, leaning my elbows on my knees. “You okay?”

Mike stared at me for a moment before silently shaking his head. “This should have never happened today. I screwed up.”

“No you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did. I’m too close.”

“Too close to what?” Snapping? Join the club.

“You and Ryan. Been too lax. I’m not paying attention like I should be. I didn’t even do a basic perimeter check today.”

“Mike, you can’t see everything. The guy was way up in the tree.”

He sat up abruptly. “It’s my job, Taryn. You and Ryan are paying me to protect you from shit like that. I failed you both today. I’ve got to resign. He needs someone new, someone who can put distance between the threats and the clients.”

“Oh no. You are not resigning from our detail. That idiot was so far up the neighbor’s tree there is no way you would have seen him unless you were standing in the middle of the pool. I only saw him because the sun glared off his lens. There’s no way you would have spotted him from the ground, so quit beating yourself up about it.”

“My charge got arrested today,” he growled through his teeth.

“Your charge could have easily sent you after the photographer but he didn’t. You are not responsible for Ryan’s actions.”

“He shouldn’t have had to if I’d been doing my job.”

His dedication and conviction were admirable. He wouldn’t be so torn up if he didn’t love us. I wondered if Marie got to see this side of him. “Are you always this sensitive?”

His eyes popped wide open. “What?”

“One slip in an entire year and you’re ready to quit.”

“Not quitting. Just placing you in better hands. I’ve compromised my position by blurring the lines and that puts you both in danger.”

He was being overly emotional. “Well, you can’t quit.”

“Why not?”

“Because I won’t allow it,” I said firmly.

“Look, if this is about Marie, I won’t let—”

“It’s not about Marie. It’s about having someone I trust watching him. Mike, you are the only one within his immediate circle of management that I trust. I breathe easier knowing you are with him wherever he goes. Your presence alone gives him a level of comfort and peace that he’s not going to get from just anyone.”

“Comfort and peace do not keep him safe, Taryn.”

“Mike, you could surround him with armed guards and it would not have kept that idiot from climbing a tree and using a telephoto lens. Ryan has enough stress on him. He wants to feel normal. Who would have ever thought he couldn’t do that in his family’s backyard? And you need to have some downtime, too.”

“Yeah, but—”

“But nothing. You’re not quitting, so get that out of your head.”

Ryan came outside wearing a pair of shorts and a deep scowl. “Where’s that camera card at?”

I followed him in the house and handed it to him, wondering how much space was required. I mulled it over at the kitchen table before I decided to suck it up and be brave. I knew firsthand the humiliation that came with wearing handcuffs.

He was sitting at his desk in his old bedroom, glaring at his laptop. I noticed he plugged the card reader from our camera bag into the USB port.

“You okay?”

His eyes flashed up to me. “I was arrested for the first time in my fucking life. What do you think?”

“I know the feeling.”

He gave me an angered scowl. I could see a deep purple bruise starting to form under his left eye.

“Want to throw shoes?”

He let out a deep sigh, as if he was pushing all the bad out. His eyes closed for a moment. “No. Don’t want to throw shoes.”

My next words came out on a whisper. “Do you want me to leave you alone?”

He huffed again and rubbed his forehead. I took that as an unspoken yes so I turned for the door.

“Tar, wait . . .” He held out his hand. “Come here.” I reached for his offering.

I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding when he pulled me onto his lap. His arms cinched around my body and he buried his face in my neck. I drifted my fingers through his damp hair, pressing him tighter.

“I’m so tired of this, Tar. So freaking tired. Can’t even have a day off without them following us.” He looked up into my eyes. “He came to my parents’ house. My parents. That’s crossing the line.”

I touched the skin below the bruise on his cheek. “I agree.”

“People don’t realize . . . they don’t know how it is to feel stripped of your privacy. All they want are pictures of whoever I’m with or what personal shit I’m doing—as if they have a right to know that. And for what? To see that I’m just like anyone else? Christ, Tar. You got hit by a fucking car because of me.”

I held his face. “That was not your fault. Don’t say that.”

He jerked away. “Yes, it was. That crazy girl was stalking you because of me. Huge boxes of fan mail showing up at your place? Threat letters? What happened in Paris? Nah, I’m not having that anymore. Uh-uh.” I could see him steel his resolve.

One of his arms released me so he could click the mouse. Rows upon rows of pictures dotted the screen. He let out a curse, rubbing his forehead. “He’s been tracking us since as soon as we landed here.

Son of a bitch.”

“Oh my God. Are those from yesterday?”

“Yep. Bastard got shots of my entire family. There’s one with us when I was holding Sarah. Damn it!”

My eyes widened as he continued to page through hundreds more. I felt as if I’d swallowed a rock seeing close-ups of Ryan’s tongue on my breast in the pool. The idiot took so many pictures, it was almost like live action seeing shot after shot of Ryan and me in private, intimate moments. I wanted to puke.

“That’s it. No more. After the third Seaside is filmed, I’m done.”

Chapter 20

Rebound

“He was arrested, Taryn. There’s nothing I can do. His mug shot is public record now,” Trish explained. I didn’t care. It had been four days since the incident; every tabloid and news outlet was circulating and publishing the picture of him bruised and tinged with blood and I wanted them to end.